Philosophy Talk Podcast

This Week’s Episode

Merleau-Ponty and Perception

June 7, 2026

For French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty, everything we perceive takes the form of a shape. You don’t just see green and splotches: you see a tree. Even before your rational brain gets its motor running, your body has a sense of…

Maurice Merleau-Ponty portrait with cigarette, philosopher of perception

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This Month’s Playlist

Zodiac wheel showing Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, and Virgo signs against a starry background.

Junebugs

German philosopher and social theorist Jürgen Habermas, who died earlier this year, has the distinction of being the only then-living figure to be the subject of one of our episodes. But he’s also just one among other thinkers and guests whose birthdays fall this month: linguist Geoff Nunberg, psychiatrist Irv Yalom, along with Jean-Paul Sartre, Alan Turing, and Emma Goldman. Click the image to listen to these episodes.

What Is Gender?

June 14, 2026

Gender is a controversial topic these days, but people can’t seem to agree about what…

Gradient-colored figures representing diverse genders.

Jean-Paul Sartre

June 21, 2026

Jean-Paul Sartre was one of the first global public intellectuals, famous for his popular existentialist…

Jean-Paul Sartre, renowned philosopher, in a thoughtful pose.

Summer Reading List 2026

June 28, 2026

The Philosophers talk to the authors of recent and forthcoming books that speak to our…

Stack of books, coffee, and flowers on a table, perfect for summer reading.

Philosophers’ Corner

June 4, 2026

My Body, My Perception

Maurice Merleau-Ponty was a 20th century French philosopher who had all kinds of theories about...

April 17, 2026

Remembering Dan Dennett

This Sunday, on the second anniversary of his passing, we’ll be rebroadcasting the special retrospective...

February 12, 2026

Money (Is That What I Want?)

Whether or not money can buy well-being, it’s certainly crucial (in capitalist societies at least)...

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