God Is Dead, But Plato’s Still Talking

Based on the podcast Spiritual Conversation with: Gerry Tostowaryk and Philipp Kobald

Somewhere between your third existential crisis and your fifth overpriced oat milk latte, you might’ve wondered: what’s the point of all this? Not in a “pass the joint” kind of way, but in that deep, gnawing, late-night ache that no amount of scrolling can soothe. If that’s you, welcome. You’re not alone. And you’re not crazy. You’re just asking the right questions.

Which is exactly what Spiritual Conversation, the podcast by HolisticCircle, is here for. In this episode, host Philipp Kobald sits down with Gerry Tostowaryk — a real estate veteran turned philosophy student, ethics instructor, and host of the Surrogate Dad podcast — to talk about the big stuff. The ancient stuff. The “why are we here and what the hell are we doing?” stuff.

Spoiler: they don’t give you answers. But they do give you something better — permission to ask.

The Philosophy Degree You Wish You Had

Gerry isn’t your typical philosopher. He didn’t grow up quoting Kant or debating metaphysics over espresso. He spent decades in real estate, teaching ethics and navigating the very practical world of contracts and closings. But somewhere along the way, he got curious. And that curiosity led him back to school — this time, to study philosophy and political science.

Now, in his so-called retirement, he’s knee-deep in Plato, Aristotle, and the kind of questions that make your brain hurt in the best way. And he’s not doing it to sound smart at dinner parties. He’s doing it because he believes philosophy matters. Not in an abstract, ivory tower way — but in a “how do I live a good life” kind of way.

And that’s the thing. Philosophy isn’t about sounding clever. It’s about staying human. It’s about asking the questions that algorithms can’t answer. It’s about remembering that wisdom isn’t the same as information — and that Google can’t save your soul.

Plato, Shadows, and the Algorithm

If you’ve ever felt like this world isn’t quite real — like you’re living in a shadow of something deeper, truer, more alive — congratulations. You and Plato have something in common.

Gerry and Philipp dive into Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, where humans mistake shadows on a wall for reality because they’ve never seen the light. Sound familiar? It should. We’ve just swapped firelight for screen light, and the cave is now your feed.

But Plato wasn’t just being poetic. He was pointing to something profound: that there’s a deeper reality behind what we see. A world of forms, of essence, of truth. And while we may never fully grasp it, the act of reaching for it — that’s where the magic is.

And maybe that’s why so many spiritual seekers today are circling back to philosophy. Because it doesn’t ask you to believe. It asks you to think. To feel. To wonder. And in a world that’s constantly trying to sell you certainty, that’s a radical act.

Nietzsche, God, and the Blood on Our Hands

Of course, no philosophical conversation is complete without dragging Nietzsche into it. And Gerry doesn’t disappoint. He unpacks Nietzsche’s infamous declaration that “God is dead” — not as a celebration, but as a warning.

Because when we kill God (or meaning, or truth, or whatever you want to call it), we don’t just free ourselves. We unmoor ourselves. And what fills the vacuum isn’t always pretty. Think 20th-century bloodbaths, authoritarian regimes, and the kind of moral relativism that makes “my truth” sound like a punchline.

Nietzsche saw it coming. And he wasn’t wrong.

But here’s the twist: Gerry doesn’t stop there. He points out that even Nietzsche, for all his fire and fury, was still searching. Still reaching. Still writing his own kind of scripture. Because even the loudest atheists are haunted by the shape of something they can’t quite name.

The Oneness We Forgot

But this isn’t a nihilistic rant. It’s a call to remember. Because as Gerry and Philipp explore, long before we dissected the soul into neurons and algorithms, we lived in a world of oneness. A world where the sacred wasn’t something you scheduled — it was something you breathed.

And maybe, just maybe, philosophy can help us find our way back. Not by rejecting science or logic, but by following them all the way to their edge — and then listening for what comes next.

Because here’s the thing: the deeper you go into logic, the more you start to see the cracks. The mystery. The beauty. The love. And suddenly, you’re not just thinking anymore. You’re remembering.

You’re remembering that you’re not just a brain in a meat suit. You’re a soul in a story. And that story didn’t start with you — and it won’t end with you either.

Surrogate Dads and Real Wisdom

Gerry’s not just reading dead philosophers. He’s also trying to be the kind of dad some people never had. His podcast, Surrogate Dad, offers advice to young adults who grew up without a father figure — practical, grounded, and deeply human.

It’s not about being perfect. It’s about showing up. Listening. Asking better questions. And maybe that’s what philosophy is, too. Not a set of answers, but a way of being. A way of paying attention. A way of loving the world enough to wonder about it.

And in a culture obsessed with productivity, that kind of presence is revolutionary.

Why This Matters (Now More Than Ever)

We’re living in a time of deep spiritual hunger. The old systems are crumbling. The new ones feel hollow. And somewhere in the middle, a generation is waking up — not to dogma, but to desire. For truth. For connection. For something real.

This conversation won’t give you a five-step plan to enlightenment. But it might remind you that you’re not crazy for wanting more. That asking “why” isn’t a waste of time. That maybe, just maybe, the questions are the point.

Because in the end, the most spiritual thing you can do might not be to believe — but to wonder. To stay curious. To keep reaching.

Watch the full conversation between Philipp Kobald and Gerry Tostowaryk on the @HolisticCircle YouTube channel. Not because it’ll fix you. But because it might help you remember who you are.

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By Philipp Kobald in cooperation with AI
www.HolisticCircle.org
@2025 HolisticCircle by Philipp Kobald