Drunken Philosophy

Trigger warning for any capitalist fat cats: This episode contains some pretty harsh language directed at the economic system known as capitalism. These sick burns and criticisms come courtesy of the father of Communism himself, Karl Marx. Your hosts, Connor and Dan, break down the intrinsic flaws of capitalism, such as alienation, expendability, and instability, and offer the listener only the most poorly thought out solutions, such as "what if everyone had money?" Regardless, it's a good ep. Enjoy!

How can you be sure strawberries are red? How can you be sure the sun will rise tomorrow? How can you be sure Connor and Dan haven't done this exact episode before? You can't! And neither can they! But that's OK because David Hume says so. Sort of. This week, your hosts dive into epistemology once again to discuss David Hume's skeptical approach to induction. Just because something has happened in the past, doesn't mean it will continue into the future. Like this podcast!

This week on philosophy Connor and Dan finally get back to something Connor actually gives a shit about: robutts. Specifically, whether we should be afraid of them or impressed by them. To answer these questions, your hosts consult the One Pump Chumpsky himself, Noam Chomsky. The linguistics expert from MIT has some pretty damning things to say about all this Artificial Intelligence fervor, and one person on this podcast is happy to hear it (hint: it's not Connor). All things being equal: this is a fun episode! Enjoy it!

This week on Drunken Philosophy, Connor and Dan wade into the murky waters of political philosophy and discuss the unforeseen dangers of majority rule in a democratic state. What could possibly go wrong when you let the majority decide what's best? What could be the problem with letting a small fraction of the electorate dictate the course of nation? Turns out, a lot! Featuring a brief cameo from Jack Sparrow.

This week Drunken Philosophy gets a little spooky (clanking chains!) because it's spring time and that means it's time to talk about death. Connor and Dan explore different philosophers' opinions on death and specifically whether or not we should be afraid of it. Also, because it came up completely organically, they spend an inordinate amount of time discussing Star Wars...sorry. Also, Connor's audio was a bit quiet this episode but hopefully it's leveled out some in the mix. Enjoy! Love you all!

This week on Drunken Philosophy, Connor and Dan dive head first into some phenomenological philosophy and see how many times they can trip over that particular phrase. They're specifically discussing Matthew Ratcliffe's recent lecture entitled Phenomenology, Naturalism, and Sense of Reality in which he attempts to describe the presupposed "world" that surrounds us in phenomenological terms. It's a trip, man. Which is why it's a perfect episode for Connor to quit drinking and imbibe some THC. Also discussed: Silly Puddy, Aliens movies, and philosophers with a side of beef!

Try, for a moment, to put yourself in somebody else's shoes. Now, hopefully that person is also listening to this podcast, otherwise you're going to miss out. This week, Connor and Dan try on all sorts of shoes as they discuss empathy and how it plays a part in different aspects on philosophy. They talk philosophy of mind and Connor admits he's an automaton. They talk morality and what pieces of crap little kids are. They talk the about the Internet and Dan explains the wonders of Sonic the Hedgehog virtual chat rooms. It gets weird.

This week, Connor and Dan treat you to an extra sloppy episode of Drunken Philosophy. Connor took it upon himself to do some extracurricular studying this week and came over-prepared for the drinking portion of the podcast. Luckily, Dan is there to sour his mood with some truly pessimistic philosophy. They're talking about John Gray's 2002 book Straw Dogs, which takes a big crap on humanism and basically tells everyone to give up. Oh also, these two drunk dummies solve all the problems in the Middle East. You're welcome, World!

Who better to discuss superintelligence then two of the most super-intelligent podcasters working today? Unfortunately John Hodgman in Ira Glass were unavailable, so Connor and Dan are taking a crack at discussing Nick Bostrom and his theories on the future of hard AI, specifically as expressed in his 2014 book Superintelligence. Topics discussed: the singularity, the danger of a superintelligence, and the danger of drinking rubbing alcohol. Also, Connor wants to put himself in a jerk-off machine. What else is new.

There's a new hot little video game out on the market and maybe you've heard of it. It's called Everything and, wouldn't you know it, it's semi-related to philosophy! Specifically, the philosophy of the rascal guru himself Mr. Alan Watts. This week, Connor and Dan get in touch with the everything that exists inside every individual. They're stripping themselves of their egos and their submerging their consciousness into the ocean of the universe. It's no surprise that mushrooms are discussed at length.