Prof Noël Carroll (CUNY) discusses the nexus between cruelty and humour, comedy and tragedy, by way of responding to Montaigne:

“Democritus and Heraclitus were two philosophers, of whom the first, finding the condition of man vain and ridiculous, never went out in public but with a mocking and laughing face; whereas Heraclitus, having pity and compassion on this same condition of ours, wore a face perpetually sad, and eyes filled with tears." 

Image: Hieronymus Bosch 

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Valery interviews three philosophers influenced by Friedrich Nietzsche:

Leila Toiviainen (PhD, University of Tasmania)

Catherine F. Botha (Professor, University of Johannesburg)

Babette Babich (Professor, Fordham University)

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In this episode, Arnold Berleant (Emeritus Professor of Philosophy/Founding Editor of Contemporary Aesthetics) and Michael Alpert (Writer/Director of the University of Maine Press) discuss ageing as an everyday process, chiefly from a phenomenological perspective.

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Leading post-anarchists, Prof Saul Newman (Goldsmiths, University of London) and Prof Lewis Call (Cal Poly State University), situate the most misrepresented political movement against the left-right spectrum. They then demonstrate the anarchist ethos by responding to a series of everyday situations, such as "Maggie's Superannuation" and "Land Forces 2021", as well as prompts by Vishwam Heckert and Mahmood Fazal.

The audio interlude at 63:00 is taken from Sergei Loznitsa's "The Event" (2015): no copyright infringement intended.

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Terre Thaemlitz/Dj Sprinkles (Comatonse Recordings) and Seth Horvitz/Rrose (Eaux) discuss pessimism, their contrasting philosophies of music, and other curious things. To appreciate this hybrid podcast, please ensure you have the appropriate equipment! 

Tracklist:

Cleveland -- Payback [Hivern Discs, Spain, 2017] 

Men with Secrets -- Elle Est Nihiliste [The Bunker New York, USA, 2020]

Litüus -- 09152015_1822_001 [Avian, Germany, 2017]

Brian Eno & Harold Budd -- Lost in the Humming Air [Editions EG, USA, 1984]

Rrose -- Columns [Eaux, 2019]

Terre Thaemlitz -- What is Between is Missing [Comatonse, Japan, 2019 [1998]]

Seth Horvitz -- Study No. 1: Octaves, Systematically Filled and Folded [LINE, USA, 2011]

No copyright infringement intended. Support artists -- buy their art, if it's worth it.

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Philosopher and art critic Dr Majid Heidari (Ferdows, Mashhad, Iran) and multi-talented storyteller Soretti Kadir (live from Nairobi, Kenya) talk about the role of art/artist, about evil and our responsibilities, art as a weapon of resistance and as a natural means to feel free from oppression, when it's real!

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In this episode, the eclectic Australian philosopher Dr Damon Young and Valery are sitting in a vehicle on the top, seventh floor of a car park in Hobart, Tasmania. It's 10.30 am, and we are chatting with professor Graham Priest, located in New York  

We grapple with the ways the philosophical method and aspirations can be sharpened by martial arts, and the ways martial arts can sharpen a philosophical life.

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