It's a new year—a time for resolutions, fresh starts, and the marking of firsts: the first month of 2025, your first workout of the year, perhaps the first day of the new school term or your first day back to work. So why not celebrate January by taking a look at some trailblazing philosophers who were also firsts?

The first episode in the second season of our Wise Women series explored the life and thought of Anna Julia Cooper, who was born into slavery in the nineteenth century, received a classical education, attended the Sorbonne, and became only the fourth African American in history to be awarded a PhD. Listen to John and Ray's recent conversation Kathryn Sophia Belle, author of Beauvoir and Belle: A Black Feminist Critique of The Second Sex.

The subject of our very first Wise Women episode, Hypatia of Alexandria, made significant contributions to mathematics, philosophy, and astronomy. That series got started in 2023 as Josh and Ray explored her life and thought with Edward Watts from UC San Diego, author of Hypatia: The Life and Legend of an Ancient Philosopher.

The ground-breaking philosophy of Confucius, emphasizing unity and harmony, has impacted more people for more generations than the work of any other philosopher on the planet. Enjoy this 2005 episode where John and Ken explore Confucius' wisdom with Paul Kjellberg from Whittier College.

René Descartes was famously the first to propose that the ego and its thoughts are indubitable: "I think, therefore I am." Back in 2005 John and Ken discussed the life, times, and philosophy of this fascinating French philosopher with Ron Rubin from Pitzer College, author of Silencing the Demon’s Advocate: The Strategy of Descartes’ Meditations.

Sigmund Freud was the first to bring the notion of an unconscious mind to a wide audience. In 2014 John and Ken discussed Freud's legacy with Stanford historian Paul Robinson, author of Freud and His Critics.