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Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom (Exhalation) by Ted Chiang

January 1, 2026 · 44 min

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Abu and Obssa complete their read-through of Exhalation by Ted Chiang. They dive into the ninth short story in the collection, Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom, and explore the horrifying and empowering cost of true free will.

(00:00) Intro
(02:38) Summary
(07:17) Our Impressions
(17:03) Free Will is Dizzying
(21:22) Are Your Decisions Meaningless?
(24:01) The Horrible Price of Free Will
(27:08) Grappling with Infinite Possibilities
(32:52) You Have the Power to Change
(36:36) Final Ratings
(39:24) What We're Reading Next