Vedantic Philosophy in UX & "Starting Where You Are" w/Alexander Muir

Breaking away from typical western perspectives, Alexander Muir joins NOMADS: The HCI Podcast in our season finale to explore the meaning and value of Vedantic Philosophy and spirituality in the world of UX. From computer science to yoga to UX, Alexander pieces together the patterns he's seen in modern HCI practice and in life to elevate our empathy, sense of self, and awareness of the world to the next level. In his own words, "People may feel drawn to connect their research work and careers to their soul and their spiritual life. For the sake of mental health and a fulfilling life, it is important to find  a way to grow as people, to gain self knowledge, even while we carry out our daily research." 

Reference Links: 

• 1:15 - Alexander's talk at The BAD Conference 2020: https://techcircus.io/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Alexander_Muir_-_final.pdf 
• 6:50 - Alexander's Article: https://medium.com/@alexandermuir/the-four-varnas-and-phd-research-draft-708d8a7e6099, Geek Heresy by Kentaro Toyama https://geekheresy.org/ 
• 11:22 - Vedantic Philosophy https://vedanta.org/what-is-vedanta/ 
• 15:40 - Amrita University in India https://www.amrita.edu/, Alexander's work with Amrita Labs https://medium.com/@alexandermuir/the-psychology-of-seva-an-effective-basis-for-humanitarian-ux-work-60df1c1c0e58
• 18:02 - mono no aware (物の哀れ) Japanese aesthetic https://www.faena.com/aleph/articles/mono-no-aware-the-gentle-sadness-of-things/ 
• 26:00 - Takuan Soho's essays https://www.amazon.co.uk/Unfettered-Mind-Writings-Master-Swordsman/dp/1590309863/ref=sr_1_2dchild=1&qid=1603725349&refinements=p_27%3ATakuan+Soho&s=books&sr=1-2
• 28:55 - The West & Spirituality and "starting where you are" 
• 33:35 - Gender inequity and UX
• 35:50 - Being wary of another wave of cultural imperialism 

Check out this Google Doc for extended resources and readings, generously provided by Alexander (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1E1FyxyXtLK0Yohy3dA-d-U0AE2cuduJGSE5xh4yac7Q/edit?usp=sharing)

If you'd like to connect with Alexander, send [Connie Chau or Sunny M. ] a message via LinkedIn or email us at nomadspodcast@gmail.com. 

Thank you so much to all our wonderful listeners for Season 1 of NOMADS: The HCI Podcast and we hope to see you in the next part of our journey together! Feel free to keep the conversation going and reach out to us either at our individual LinkedIn profiles (Connie Chau or Sunny M.) Until next time, Nomads! ❤️