We all engage in mental actions of various kinds, whether it’s planning the coming week, trying to remember the lyrics of a song, or imagining what we’d look like with a different haircut. These thought processes have significance for us and help us direct our other actions. But are we really in control of our trains of thought or do they just pop into consciousness? Does it make sense to criticize others for what goes on inside their heads? And is there anything we can do to improve the quality of our thinking?

Join our live audience at the KALW's downtown San Francisco event space as the Philosophers record a brand-new episode with their Stanford colleague Antonia Peacocke, author of Mental Means (forthcoming).

In addition to thought-provoking conversation and audience questions, the show will feature multimedia reporting from Roving Philosophical Reporter Sarah Lai Stirland and satirical commentary from Ian Shoales the Sixty-Second Philosopher.