Robert Pantano on 'The terrible paradox of self-awareness'
Philosophy YouTuber Robert Pantano explores how self-awareness creates both pain and beauty, tackling alienation, nihilism, and the malleability of truth.
Why we picked this
Pantano built one of philosophy's largest YouTube audiences with Pursuit of Wonder — this intimate bookstore talk brings his aphoristic, accessible style to questions most of us avoid asking out loud.
Robert Pantano, founder of the philosophy YouTube channel Pursuit of Wonder, presents his new collection exploring how self-awareness creates simultaneous pain and beauty in human experience. The essays and aphorisms address personal alienation, nihilism, the futility of progress, and the malleability of truth — alongside universal themes like desire, anxiety, aging, and mortality.
Rather than offering definitive answers, Pantano’s work invites readers to sit with uncomfortable questions. His previous books include The Art of Living a Meaningless Existence and The Art of Living an Absurd Existence, both of which built a dedicated readership through their honest, unpretentious engagement with existential philosophy.
The event is free at Book Culture on 112th Street, one of the last great independent bookstores on the Upper West Side.