Bad Philosophy

This might surprise you (heavy sarcasm), but a good 50% of the time we record these episodes, we haven’t a clue what to discuss until very shortly before the episode. Through the magic of editing we make it look like we had everything well planned and ready to execute beforehand. Not so this time. Kevin and I decided to free-form it, have an F-isode, go down rabbit trails — whatever you want to call it. Good sound, good flow, and the second time we’ve played a tabletop game live on the show… have a listen!

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Let’s face it, if you’re reading this (and listening to our show), you’re likely in pretty good shape as human beings go. You’ve got access to the Internet, some free time, a computer or smartphone — all the benefits of Progress. But what about those Others who aren’t in such good shape? You’d like them to get where you are, right? And if you do, what’s the best way to go about that?

Peter Buffett recently expressed some dissatisfaction with the systems and organizations who dedicate themselves to philanthropic work. Is he right? Kevin and I had some thoughts on his thoughts. Have a listen! And please share your thoughts in the comments.

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In the last couple of decades we’ve seen “gaming” go from a marginal entertainment medium to a multi-billion-dollar industry. Remarkably though, gaming as a cultural force, a storytelling canvas, and even a means of social cohesion is still evolving and changing right before our eyes. This episode we welcome back gaming journalists Britton Peele and Tim Poon to join me and Kevin on a quest for perspective on where gaming is and where its going (or definitely not going). Enjoy!

OH! It’s worth noting that this episode was recorded on our Five Year Anniversary. Woohoo! Thanks for everything, whoever you are. We may or may not be a thing, but it’s been a real pleasure trying to find out. Here’s to the next five years of horrendous philosophy! ^_^

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In our late-stage consumer capitalist society, weird stuff is starting happen. Haul videos, artisanal coffee mugs, that guy down the street from you who bought a sewing machine and aspires to be the next Levi Strauss. What’s up with all of this? Are we entering a new age of craftsmanship? An artisanal renaissance? Or is this just the latest consequence of soulless capitalism? In this episode, Kevin and I discuss a poignant article on the subject, and get quite the hankering for some artisanal mayonnaise. Have a listen!

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Monotheistic belief continues to dominate Western culture, but that dominance has diminished appreciably in the last few decades. What forces compel contemporary Christians to question their beliefs? Is the transition smooth or rough, rapid or drawn out? How does it feel to “deconvert?” This week I welcomed local writer Jon Fortenbury, who provided us a glimpse into his own personal journey from Christianity through periods of doubt, atheism, agnosticism, and beyond. Enjoy!

Note 1: Based on listener feedback, we’ve returned to using a mono audio mix this episode. Happy listening!

Note 2: I misattributed the “First Mover” argument to St. Anselm. It was actually advanced by St. Thomas Aquinas. Anselm’s was a version of the Ontological argument.

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Let’s be honest, it feels really good to be right, to be correct, to stand on an epistemic foundation and know that no matter what, no one can come along and challenge the rock-solidity of that foundation. But… what if we could be wrong about that? What if we could be wrong about a lot of things? What if we could even be wrong even about these foundations, these necessary truths, these infallible wells of knowledge? Joining me to discuss this philosophical realm, known as fallibilism, is Dr. Mark Webb, all the way from Seville, Spain! Oh, and Kevin, because Kevin. We could be wrong, but we think you’ll really love this episode.

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Fallibilism – Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

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Community – The DJ Steve Porter Remix!

Our world is complex! What a no-brainer, right? Turns out we haven’t always thought about it quite this way, though, and many of us still tend to want to simplify the world, especially around the tried-and-true model of the tree. How does thinking about the world this way bias us? What can we learn from a complex, network model of the world? What does complexity have to do with intelligence? And most importantly, why the hell do we put pants on in the morning? This episode Kevin, John Elliot, Numero Uno Fanboy Matt Epperson, and I explore these questions, prompted mainly by the works of Manuel Lima. Have a listen!

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About two years ago we discussed the whole Bitcoin thing, and once again it’s back in the news, for better and worse. The misconceptions, positive and negative, around this strange new form of value exchange seem to multiply without end. To get our heads around this once again, Kevin and I were joined by good friend Simon Ponder to dive into the topic. Have we finally become Beliebers in Bitcoin? Have a listen and find out!

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A spectre is looming over the Internet. It is the spectre of… another discussion of Marxism! That’s right, my dear proletariat, this episode we are pleased to tickle your ears with our thoughts on the core concepts of good ol’ Karl himself, courtesy of the wonderful compendium Action Philosophers and this here paper on how those hipster Soviets got the idea for workplace gamification way before it was cool. Our old friend Greg Briley even joined me and Kevin via the magic of Skype. Why, we even stuffed a puppy full of candy for you. Enjoy!

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First off, let’s acknowledge a tragedy. We lost Episode 133, folks. It joins the likes of Episodes 7, 21, 42, 49, 87, and 127 in the oblivion of BF content that has never seen the light of day due to unfortunate technical glitches. If you’re curious, we had our good friend Nicholas Bergfeld on to discuss Chinese hacker schools. It was rad.

On a happier note, after a longer hiatus than we would’ve liked, Kevin and I got back together to talk about hats! Turns out there are quite a few on OK Cupid, that bastion of everything right and good. Speaking of rampant sexism, Samsung let this happen. Yeah. It was almost as entertaining as Kevin’s first webcomic series, but it can hardly hold a candle to Joss Whedon’s new gem. So put on your trilby and have a listen. BF is back!

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Questions Answered in This Week’s FormSqueeze