Conspirituality Podcast
Episode: Bonus Sample: An Ode to Curiosity
Release Date: February 2, 2026
Host: Derek Beres (with references to frequent guest Dax Devlon Ross)

Episode Overview

In this bonus episode, Derek Beres delivers a heartfelt reflection on the importance of curiosity as an antidote to the cognitive rigidity and reactionary culture that fuels conspirituality and misinformation online. Drawing upon personal experiences, especially his love for small, curated bookstores in Portland, Derek explores how wandering through physical bookshelves without agenda contrasts with today's instant, often superficial, digital engagement. He discusses how curiosity nurtures genuine learning and humility—traits sorely lacking in today's polarized discourses, whether about wellness, conspiracy, or public health.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Bookstore as a Metaphor for Curiosity

• Discovery at Boredom Books

  • Derek describes visiting Boredom Books, a small, independent shop in Portland, with his friend Dax Devlon Ross. Rather than seeking something specific, the allure is "to look around and see what you discover." (00:49)
  • He picks up “A Paragon” by Colum McCann, Susan Haack’s “Defending Science Within Reason,” and Michael W. Twitty’s “The Cooking Gene,” emphasizing the unexpected joy in finding books outside his usual scope.

• The Value of Serendipitous Learning

  • “That might be my favorite aspect of bookstores—walking in with no expectations, leaving in excitement, knowing I’m about to be educated in something I don’t know.” – Derek Beres (02:54)
  • Critiques online book shopping for its algorithmic predictability. For Derek, bookstores foster breadth over specialization, aiding his tendency to “know a little about a lot.”

Curiosity vs. Reaction: The Social Media Problem

• Curiosity Gaps in Online Culture

  • Derek notes the contrast between in-person discovery and the “uncurious” responses he regularly sees online. He is alarmed by how many people leap to judgments or become trapped by misinformation on subjects they know little about.

• Recent Example: Misreporting on ICE Killings in Minneapolis

  • Derek refers to widespread confusion—"the lack of curiosity isn't just on the right" (03:45)—where people (across the political spectrum) misidentified a story involving AI, only to later realize, “it wasn't actually AI.” This illustrates how a lack of skeptical curiosity leads to viral disinformation.

Stepping Back: The Habit of Humility and Inquiry

• Adopting a Curious Response
  • “When you face something you don’t know, do you immediately judge and react? Or do you step back and think, ‘Huh, I want to take a moment and learn about that before I speak up?’” – Derek Beres (04:05)
  • Derek highlights how rare it is to pause and investigate—a practice eroding both online and offline—but vital for counteracting the dogmatic certainty that typifies conspirituality movements.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Appeal of Bookstores:
  “We [he and Dax] always hit up bookstores…Boredom is the type of store where you don’t go looking for anything in particular. You go in to look around and see what you discover. And like a great curated record shop, that’s exactly my favorite kind of bookstore.” – Derek Beres (01:06)

• On the Reward of Discovery:
  “I’m not a specialist in any one field because I like to know a little about a lot, and books have allowed me that pursuit more than any other medium.” – Derek Beres (03:12)

• On Curiosity vs. Certainty:
  “When you face something you don’t know, do you immediately judge and react? Or do you step back and think, ‘Huh, I want to take a moment and learn about that before I speak up?’” – Derek Beres (04:05)

• On Online Discourse:
  “The latter [curiosity] is so often lost in online and in real life discourses. And I want to step back and think for a moment about taking a step back once in a while.” – Derek Beres (04:16)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:03 — Introduction and memory of Boredom Books in Portland
• 01:06 — The approach to bookstores as sites of discovery
• 02:54 — The value of finding unknown books and embracing breadth over specialization
• 03:12 — Critique of algorithmic online shopping vs. serendipitous finding
• 03:45 — The ICE killings in Minneapolis and an example of viral, misinformed reaction online
• 04:05 — Central challenge: judgment vs. curiosity
• 04:16 — Reflection on the erosion of curiosity in online and real world discourses

Tone and Style

Derek’s language is personal, anecdotal, reflective, and gently philosophical—never didactic but inviting listeners into a meditation on how curiosity can enrich our lives and, importantly, fortify us against the knee-jerk certainty that often drives conspirituality and misinformation today.

Episode Summary

This bonus episode is a poetic reflection—a defense of curiosity as both a personal habit and a public virtue. Through anecdotes about bookstores, book choices, and recent examples of social media misinformation, Derek Beres issues a call to curiosity: to slow down, to suspend judgment, and to value the unknown as the wellspring of understanding. In a media environment often dominated by certainty, echo chambers, and reaction, he proposes that cultivating curiosity is a radical and necessary practice—for truth, nuance, and real growth.