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[AUDIO] Love Is on the Air
Devon Strolovitch
14
Feb 2017
What's a producer to say about love? I'll leave the heavy philosophical lifting to John and Ken, and present this Valentine's Day playlist featuring philosophers and others thinking deep about this thing called love.
Read moreRawls on Justice
John Perry
07
Jul 2010
One of the most influential political philosophers of the 20th century, John Rawls articulated a vision of a liberal state, focused on justice. His significant book was A Theory of Justice. Continuing the ideas of Locke and others, Rawls maintains the best way to think of the state is as the result of a social contract. Think of the beginning of the Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, …. That to secure these rights,...
Read moreFlirting as a two-step dance
Ken Taylor
11
Aug 2007
Ah the glories of summer. Though lots has been happening behind the scenes at Philosophy Talk -- much of which you will hear about very soon -- not a lot has been happening on this blog of late. But now that our summer more or less hiatus draws to a close, we will be in the studio more often, producing more live shows. That should mean more blogging too. I can't honestly say that today's show is about an age-old philosophical question. In fact, as a philosophical topic, flrting is, like, so last second. As far as I can tell, it was put on the map by today's guest, Carrie Jenkins,...
Read morePhilosophy and Shelley's Frankenstein
Eliane Mitchell
31
Oct 2017
With its 200th anniversary fast approaching in 2018, it might be time to revisit Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In this audio clip from ABC, academics in the "Philosopher's Zone" discuss major themes and the predominant philosophies of the novel's day. Drawing from Shelley's Calvinist upbringing and prevalent ideas of the Romantic period, the hosts expand upon one-dimensional analyses of the novel, including analyses of the novel as a story about birth envy or as a cautionary tale against bold, scientific endeavors. Instead, as one participant of the discussion argues, the novel...
Read moreThe Morality of Big Business
Serena Wong
14
May 2018
"Big business" for many has largely immoral associations: corrupt, profit-driven at the expense of human wellbeing or the environment, threatening to mom-and-pop shops everywhere. But this wasn't always the case—big businesses used to be viewed positively by the public. Is our current immoral perception of big businesses truly accurate? Are small-businesses really the shining examples or morality and business we take them to be? This article from The Atlantic tackles the question, "How did large firms go from being a symbol of American strength to being the object of...
Read moreAge, Ageism, and Equality
02
Dec 2021
Is age discrimination always wrong? How do we take people's age into account without being ageist? These are the questions we’re asking this week, in an episode called “Should All Ages Be Equal?” Clearly we don’t want to discriminate, say, against 50-something Brits when it comes to hiring. (I’d be out of a job at Philosophy Talk!) But at the same time, we equally clearly don’t want to let a five-year-old drive a car, a 15-year-old buy a bottle of whisky, or a 40-year-old compete against kids in a spelling bee. So how do we draw the lines? And are we currently drawing them in a fair...
Read moreThe (Re)creation of the World
12
Dec 2024
How much can we know about Mayan Mythology? Much of the Mayan way of life, along with its associated oral traditions, was wiped out by European invaders in the 16th century. But there are still Maya communities today, and we also have a few written sources, including the Popol Vuh. Many believe we can still glimpse a fascinating worldview through the beautiful stories it tells. Here’s one of those stories: once upon a time there was a committee of gods, and they wanted to be praised. First they tried getting the animals to praise them, but all that yielded was a...
Read more[COMIC] Philosophical Conflicts at the Poker Table
Spencer Giel
30
Mar 2017
Fichte, Nietzsche, Hegel, and Kant sit down for some No-Limits Texas Hold 'em. What could go wrong? Each of these philosophers bring their philosophical ideas to the table, in an overstated manner—for humor's sake, of course! It turns out that combining Kant's strict ethics and the unrestrained nature of the Ubermensch does not mesh well with the game of poker. Find out how things turn out in this comic courtesy of Existential Comics. Amused by the comic above? Or should philosophers stick to less comical matters? Share your thoughts in the comments. Didn't get the joke? Interested...
Read moreTranshumanism
Sarah Kahn
18
Jul 2017
One part philosophy, two parts futurist—this is the essence of Transhumanism. A far-out movement that began in the 1990s and has steadily grown thanks to social media, Transhumanism is centered on the ethos that “the human species in its current form does not represent the end of our development but rather a comparatively early phase.” Transhumanists are made up of technologists, futurists, and life-extensionists who seek to use science and technology to improve the human condition. Zoltan Istvan, a leader in the Transhumanist movement, wrote that their...
Read more#FrancisOnFilm: I Am Mother
06
Jun 2019
Sci-fi thriller I Am Mother is due out on Netflix tomorrow. My husband and I saw it at Sundance this year and it’s a fantastic philosophical movie. It raises all kinds of philosophical questions about abortion, reproduction, enhancement, population policy, and many others. After we’d seen it, my husband and I couldn’t stop talking about it. I don’t want to spoil the film for anyone, especially by revealing the ending, but one set of core issues posed by the film concern what makes for ideal mothering. What is ideal mothering? Can there be a plausible ideal theory...
Can Philosophy Help in a Crisis?
20
May 2020
As I write this, we’re months into a pandemic that has claimed at least 300,000 lives around the world; healthcare workers are risking their safety every day; and many of the rest of us have been feeling isolated and alone after social distancing for so long. It has been a challenging time. So for the next two weeks, we’re talking to different Stanford scholars who find roads to comfort, connection, and a sense of common purpose in literature, philosophy, and music. But can the arts and humanities really help in these difficult times? In particular, can philosophy? Just to be...
Read moreAncient Wisdom for Modern Times
John Perry
14
Apr 2016
Sunday we consider whether ancient wisdom -- namely that of the Greeks -- can be applied to modern problems. Most Greeks thought the earth was flat, that slavery was OK, and that women were second-class people. Plato thought democracy sucked, that poetry and drama were bad things, and that freedom of speech is a sort of joke. He even thought that Philosophers, of all people, should be Kings. So, one might ask, where’s the wisdom in all that? But there’s also a lot the Greeks got right. We moderns would do well to appreciate and adopt some of their wisdom -- especially their profound...
Read moreHow Do We Get From Noise to Meaning?
John Perry
12
May 2015
How do we get from noise to meaning? Well, however we do it, the result is a sort of a miracle. I say, “Aristotle had a mole on his back.” I manage to refer to Aristotle, whom I never met, to put it mildly, --- he lived very long ago and very far away. And I manage to get everyone else to think about Aristotle. Damn amazing. Not only do I refer to Aristotle, I say something about him. My utterance – basically the noise I make ---has a property --- either being true or being false --- that is determined by the state of Aristotle’s back...
Read moreScience and Gender
Ken Taylor
03
Mar 2014
Our topic this week is Science and Gender. Science used to be seen as a thing for boys only. Back in the 1980’s when students were asked to draw what a scientist looks like… forty eight percent drew a scientist with facial hair; twenty-five percent gave their scientist a pencil protector. Only eight percent drew a woman. Of course, back then the perception that science was a boy thing, pretty much matched the reality. Science really was pretty much an all boys club back in those days. The august New York Times recently published an...
Read moreThe Language of Responsibility
John Perry
10
Jun 2011
By the language of responsibility, we mean the way we report events for which someone might be held responsible --- events for which someone might be blamed, or praised. For example, in reporting a famous event witnessed by millions of people on TV, I might say "Justin Timberlake ripped off Janet Jackson’s blouse, revealing her naked – uh --- chest." Well, actually, her right breast, not to be overly euphemistic. I’m describing an action for which Timberlake might be held responsible, and with him CBS, for exposing the young, innocent Super Bowl watchers...
Read moreThe First Ever Online Philosophy Conference
Philosophy Talk
17
Jan 2006
We would like to take this opportunity to announce the 1st Annual On-line Philosophy Conference (OPC), which is tentatively to begin on Friday, April 7th (2006). The first installment of OPC will be hosted on the newly created On-line Philosophy Conference Blog and will include invited papers by some of today's top junior and senior philosophers, such as Stephen Stich, Jonathan Kvanvig, John Martin Fischer, Alfred Mele, Julia Driver, Terence Horgan, Graham Priest, R.A. Duff, Thomas Hurka, Susanna Siegel, Brian Weatherson, Uriah Kriegel, Manuel Vargas, Kit Wellman, Joshua Gert, Joshua Knobe,...
Read moreThe Examined Year 2016: Triumph and Defeat
Laura Maguire
15
Dec 2016
As we approach the end of 2016, we are gearing up for our annual year in review show, "The Examined Year." In this special show, which broadcasts live from our home station, KALW, we depart from our usual long-form conversation format with a single guest and instead have three different guests on three different segments. The theme we've chosen for our philosophical review of 2016 is "Triumph and Defeat." Politically speaking, it's obvious how that theme applies. The two biggest political upsets of the year that we'll be examining are Brexit and Trump. Joining us for...
Read moreInside Money: The Shadow Banking System
Guest Contributor
28
Mar 2009
Posted by Alex Gould Hi Everyone, Thanks again to John and Ken for having me on the show today and to the whole team (Ben, Devon, Daniel, et. al.) for their organization and professionalism. MAJOR NOTE: I am an Instructor in the Department of Economics at Stanford University, NOT at the GSB (Graduate School of Business) at Stanford. Given the flow of the show, I didn't feel that it was appropriate to make the correction on the air as it would have been disruptive. BUT, I am making it now. :) I'm sorry we only had part of an hour to talk about the mysteries of...
Read moreWhat props up morality?
Serena Wong
25
Jan 2018
Where does morality originate from? Kevin Simler tackles this question on ribbonfarm by comparing morality to a leaning tower, with virtue increasing as the floors increase. Simler questions how the tower remains supported, especially considering self-sacrficing altruistic behavior, a type of behavior from the very top of the tower. Perhaps, he suggest, morality benefits the individual as a Darwinian mechanism in survival. However, this theory comes with a couple bitter pills to swallow, including the idea that even those acts we consider morally good are motivated by self-interest...
Read moreAn Antidote to Bullshit
David Livingstone Smith
04
Jun 2018
In the last two installments of this blog, I’ve been discussing the so-called “Intellectual Dark Web” (IDW): an active and expanding Internet subculture that purports to provide an alternative to academic orthodoxy. Generally speaking, the stars of the IDW and their audience see the humanities and social sciences as hopelessly mired in politically correct ideology, and view their own enterprise as a sort of university-in-exile that is unsullied by feminism, identity politics, and other corrupting influences, and where unfettered freedom of thought and speech are the order of the day. I’ve...
Read moreWhose Fault Is It Anyway?
14
Nov 2020
Who’s to blame for big problems like racism, factory farming, or climate change? Isn’t it time we held governments and corporations accountable? Or would that just let individuals off the hook? This week on Philosophy Talk, we’re talking about collective responsibility. If you’re reading this, then in a way, climate change is partly your fault. You’re using electricity, and you probably get around using fossil fuels. That little bit of energy use might not make the difference between healthy ecosystems and environmental destruction, but everybody’s contribution together adds...
Read moreThe Gender Box(es)
18
Jun 2023
Gender is a controversial topic these days. To some, gender is an oppressive system designed to keep women down: people go around saying "girls are made of sugar and spice and boys are made of snips and snails," and pretty soon you’re making 80 cents on the dollar. To others, though, gender is an important part of their sense of self. They identify as a woman, as a man, as non-binary—and that helps them live the life they want to live. And to do that, you don't have to endorse all the discrimination. You can identify as a woman and be a feminist; you can be out there marching for equal...
Read moreNozick, Libertarianism, and Philosophy
Mohit Mookim
10
May 2017
In this Aeon article, historian Brad Baranowski highlights two of Robert Nozick's most important contributions to philosophy: first, his libertarianism; and then, his vision for what analytic philosophy could be—not as technical and obscurant. Nozick wrote perhaps his most famous book, Anarchy, State, and Utopia, in 1974 as a reply to Rawls' 1971 classic, A Theory of Justice. On the one hand, what are the merits of a libertarian, small-government way of looking at things? On the other, why did Nozick himself move away from libertarianism as his views on...
Read moreShould You Fear AI?
Eliane Mitchell
19
Sep 2017
AI takeover—the hypothetical event wherein computers or robots take over the world and obliterate humankind—is a common trope in science fiction books and apocalyptic movies. But is superintelligent AI really something we should fear? In this TEDTalk, scientist and philosopher Grady Booch thinks not. While movies like The Matrix, Metropolis, and The Terminator exacerbate humans' fears of being supplanted by technology—that is, that we might develop technology that is much too advanced for own good—we forget, in Booch's view, an important point....
Read moreSubway Spreading and Personal Space (Part II)
Antonia Peacocke
10
Dec 2018
In last month's blog, I provided a simple story of (man)spreading on the subway. If two individuals—Taylor and Ari—have differently sized ‘bubbles’ of personal space, they may well end up taking vastly different amounts of personal space while sitting next to each other on a crowded subway train. Ari, whose personal space bubble is bigger, requires more of a buffer zone between their body and others’ bodies. Taylor might have a smaller bubble, and thus might subtly shift towards others’ bodies without even noticing what they are doing. In this way, Taylor might ‘spread’ into a more expansive...
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