Kant's Guide to Morality
22
Apr 2022
Can you reason your way into being a good person? Or are your feelings a better guide for doing the right thing? This week we’re thinking about German enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant and his view of a universal morality based on reason.
Read moreThe Staying Power of Poetry
08
Apr 2022
当我们这个时代最伟大的诗人之一Louise Glück获得诺贝尔文学奖时,我很高兴。我写了一首我一直以来最喜欢的诗,“伊萨卡”,为本周的“为什么诗歌很重要”这一集,路易斯做了嘉宾!
Read moreMourning a Lost Culture
18
Mar 2022
When we are grieving, is it a good idea or a bad idea to engage with art that takes grief to be its subject? Does this help us to cope, or does it rip out whatever stitches we have managed to sew in while we try to bear an unbearable loss?
Read moreTackling Sexual Violence
07
Mar 2022
How do we achieve justice for victims of sexual assault? Can we change the legal system to make it more effective? Or should we turn to social media instead? This week, we're thinking about the #MeToo movement and the criminal justice system.
Read moreThe Value of Anger
11
Feb 2022
Shouldn’t we get angry at injustice? Don’t some things deserve our rage? Or will rage just beget more rage? These are some of the questions we're thinking about on this week's show, "Righteous Rage."
Read moreWho Wants to Be a Stoic?
01
Feb 2022
What can we learn from the Stoics about living a good life? Should we all try to become indifferent to pain, suffering, and death? This week we’re thinking about the Stoic philosophy of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius.
Read moreDigital Persons?
07
Jan 2022
Could robots ever have feelings that we could hurt? Should we hold them responsible for their actions? Or would that just be a way to let humans off the hook? This week, we’re asking “Could Robots Be Persons?”
Read more2021: The Year in Sound
25
Dec 2021
Every once in a while I like to step out from behind the mixing board to give a behind-the-scenes look at some aspect of the program. For our annual end-of-year special, we tried something a bit different, though not unprecedented.
Read moreVirtual Reality, Real Feelings
15
Dec 2021
虚拟现实能让人更有同理心,用科学的方法训练学生,帮助人们克服恐惧吗?本周的节目问VR是一种善的力量,还是一种恶的力量,或者根本就不是一种力量。
Read moreAge, Ageism, and Equality
02
Dec 2021
年龄歧视总是错误的吗?还是说对不同年龄的人区别对待是公平的?我们如何在不歧视年龄的情况下考虑人们的年龄?这些就是我们本周在“所有年龄都应该平等吗?”
Read moreSocially Intelligent Robots
12
Nov 2021
你想让机器人帮你做家务吗?什么样的工作可以让机器人去做?你会信任一个人来照顾你的孩子或年迈的父母吗?本周的节目是“机器人的社交生活”。
Read morePersons, Community, and the Akan
25
Oct 2021
Is your inner life what makes you, you? Or is your identity about connecting to your community? How can West African philosophy help us think about the self? This week, we’ll be thinking about Akan Philosophy, specifically its conception of personhood.
Read moreWhy Is Math So Useful?
15
Oct 2021
Is math a realm of timeless, universal truths? Or are mathematicians just making it up as they go? If equations are made up, why are they so useful? We’ll be discussing these questions, and more on this week’s episode, “The Mysterious Timelessness of Math.”
Read moreOn Awesomeness
27
Aug 2021
Is “awesome” just an overused word for things we like? Or does it refer to a particular kind of excellence? Would the world be a better place if we all tried to be more awesome and less sucky? This week, we’re thinking about awesomeness.
Read moreIs Facebook Morally Responsible?
21
Aug 2021
If you’ve been following the news, you’re aware that the Delta variant of the Coronavirus is all around us. While it only poses a very minor risk to the vaccinated, it is wreaking havoc on the unvaccinated.
Read moreMicroaggressions and Intention
13
Aug 2021
Can subtle slights cause serious harm? Does it matter if no harm was intended? Are microaggressions in the eye of the beholder? Or are they a way to keep certain groups in their place? This week we’re thinking about Microaggressions.
Read moreThe Slow Miracles of Thought
23
Jul 2021
How can the human mind think about objects outside itself? How is it possible to talk about things that don’t even exist? This week, we’re thinking about reference—specifically, an “opinionated” theory of reference by our dear departed friend, longtime Philosophy Talk host Ken Taylor.
Read moreLiterary Minds
09
Jul 2021
关于小说、诗歌和戏剧,神经科学能告诉我们什么?小说能帮助我们发展现实世界中的认知技能吗?作家们能为了我们自己的利益利用我们精神上的弱点吗?这是我们在本周的节目“你的文学大脑”中要问的一些问题。
Read moreSummer Dylan Reading
19
Jun 2021
Every once in a while, I sneak out from behind the mixing board to offer some insights into the process of producing the program. This week, however, I’m chiming in as part of our annual Summer Reading special to let you in on some of my own reading plans.
Read moreUnnecessary Necessities
28
May 2021
During the pandemic, you may have been watching Schitt’s Creek. Its characters inspired this month’s pandemic puzzle, which is about how to figure out the ideal balance between feeling like you need a lot to be happy, and feeling like you need very little.
Read moreThe Philosophy of the Vienna Circle
22
May 2021
Is metaphysics just a bunch of nonsense? Is it okay to believe something you could never prove? Could logic be a solution to the world’s problems? This week on Philosophy Talk, we’re thinking about the Vienna Circle, a group of Austrian philosophers from the 1920s who debated these questions.
Read moreCracking Down on Disinformation
14
May 2021
In a world of fake news and disinformation, how can anyone make informed political decisions? Is it possible for us all to come together as a nation if we can’t even agree on what’s true? This week, we’re thinking about Disinformation and the Future of Democracy.
Read moreWhat Montaigne Knew
23
Apr 2021
Are essays a good way to do philosophy? What if they’re full of digressions and contradictions? Could that possibly make them more philosophical, not less? This week we’re thinking about Michel de Montaigne and the art of the essay.
Read moreIs Meritocracy Possible? (A Solution)
16
Apr 2021
Last time, I asked: Given that meritocracy as traditionally defined is practically impossible, is there any point in appealing to it as a social ideal? This time, I suggest a way to peel off two ideas from the mirage ideal of meritocracy that might actually be feasible and worth striving for.
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