Bad Philosophy

In a world, divided by history, separate but equal, teetering on the brink of the cosmos, one podcast dares to defy the axioms and go where no podcast has gone bef… well you get the idea. This week we’re talking Anathem!  Neal Stephenson‘s latest work of spec-fic awesomery is ripe with headiness, so we decided to bring on couple of powerhouses in the brain department. Former-KTXT and current Llano Idea DJ Benjamin Brown returns to duke it out in a literary smackdown for the ages with veteran Bad Philosopher and aspiring YouTube reviewer Kevin Saunders. If this were a book, it’d be a genuine page-turner. But you read with your ears, right? Of course you do. So have a listen…

You also have the option to watch our live Stickam recording below. Join us next Sunday at 12pm CST for Episode 41!

This week’s post-show song pimpage: “Mandelbrot Set” by Jonathan Coulton

Ethics is a tricky subject. For some, it’s subjective; anything goes. For others, it can be quite objective; right and wrong can be determined. Here at Texas Tech, ethics has become a full-blown initiative, though perhaps not as full-blown as some would like. Joining us to shine some light on the subject from the inside is Tech philosopher Dr. Daniel Nathan, alongside myself and jelly baby-munching mainstay Kevin Saunders. Do the right thing, folks: have a listen…

This week’s post-show song pimpage: “Do the Right Thing” by George Strait

After a completely unintended hiatus brought on by the super-unfortunate necessity to re-edit this episode, it’s finally here! And it’s a good one, folks. Dr. Mark Webb, now chairman of the Texas Tech philosophy department joins me for his third appearance on the show, alongside Numero Uno Fanboy Jed Cummins and national traveler Kevin Saunders. We discuss charity, education, and the Turkish movement that’s sweeping the world. Also, trolleys. Enjoy!

This week’s post-show song pimpage: “Birdhouse in Your Soul” by They Might be Giants

Over the last couple of weeks we’ve lost a lot of celebrities–Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, even Billy Mays. It’s been tragic, but it got us here at BF thinking… what will happen to our social graphs when we pass on? We decided to answer this pressing question in possibly our most daring setup ever; inside a car going 70 MPH down a freeway. Why? Because, y’know… we could. Intrepid driver Matt Legler, Numero Uno co-pilot Jed Cummins, official iPhone 3G Sexy videographer Aaron Baxter and I were joined by Kevin Saunders via Skype over Jed’s tethered iPhone. Check out Aaron’s short video of the craziness, get your will in order, and enjoy this week’s totally road-trippin’ BF…

Why did the chicken cross the road? To listen to BF, of course! Throughout the centuries, comedy has been an integral part of human society. This week on BF, we tackle what it really means to be funny, which comedians have the best style, and whether jumping the shark should become an Olympic sport. Joining me on the show are Numero Uno funny man Jed Cummins and comedic stalwart Kevin Saunders, alongside special from-beyond-the-grave comedy expert, Mitch Hedberg. So sit back, get your funny bone ready, and prepare to buffalo some Buffalo buffalo… it’s BF time!

Why are we here? What’s this all about? What is my purpose? What is yours? Is there even one at all? These are easy questions to ask, but answering them is a whole different story. Wolfram Alpha has one idea. We’ve got some others. Composing my party in an epic aural quest for the meaning of life, the universe, and everything this week were BF newcomer, veteran philosophy major, and budding teleologist Joshua Clemmons, Numero Uno Fanboy Jed Cummins, and electricity-less Kevin Saunders via Skype. This one’s deep folks. We’re talking Edward Norton in Fight Club deep. Have a listen…

This week’s post-show song pimpage: “Purpose” from Avenue Q. Puppets with life lessons? Yes, please!

You’d think that after 50 years, the nations of North and South Korea would have kissed and made up. But these days as we light up our barbecues and relish the summer heat, the Korean peninsula is once again on the brink of war. From across the seas in Ulsan, South Korea, Julie Meadows joins to compare the cultural, political, and linguistic quirks of her locale alongside me, Kevin and his former roommate Jordan Mueller (first heard in the background some time ago). So as you reflect on Memorial Day this summer, remember the lost, have a nice heaping helping of mother hand tasty blue director of a bureau, and enjoy this week’s BF…

This week’s post-show song pimpage: “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” by Toby Keith. Buy it on iTunes, or we’ll put a boot in your ass.

Imagine you wake up tomorrow, turn on the TV as usual, and find that all the networks have turned to static. Out your window, you see a hoard of staggering, droopy-eyed zombies ambling toward you, groaning ominously for your cerebral contents. What’s your next move? Thankfully, we explore this very scenario and much more in great detail this week on BF. Kevin, Jed, and the ever-baby-loving Danielle join me to talk zombies, zombie movies, and planetary repopulation. So grab a shotgun, barricade yourself in a well-fortified building, and break open a can of Chunky, it’s zombocalypse time!

This week’s post-show audio pimpage: “Re: Your Brains” by Jonathan Coulton

Every once in a while you get to do something truly extraordinary. You make a video, a rock star picks it up, one thing leads to another and the next thing you know you’re on stage with said rock star. In this special BF Kevin, his sister Kat and I discuss our thoughts on getting to perform live with Jonathan Coulton. Check out the crazy awesome video itself below the podcast…

After a long and completely unnecessary haitus, BF is back. And we’re going back, WAY back to a simpler time, a more optimistic time, to the days of the Virtual Boy and its ilk. That’s right, Kevin, pre-Facebook Jed, Matt and I are talking virtual reality, ladies and gentlemen! It was supposed to be the wave of the future, so what happened? Why aren’t we all living in holodecks already? And where’s my virtual haircut? We’ll try to answer all this and more before the singularity hits, so strap in and have a listen!

This week’s postshow audio pimpage: “The Future Soon” by Jonathan Coulton