Philosophy After Hours

In this episode we discuss the act of apology. Is it always necessary in response to a perceived transgression? What purpose does it serve? And are any among us exempt from the demand? Hear what we think.

If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo.

Text:

Pablo Neruda, "Don't Go Far Off" [Can't locate exact source. Look it up I guess :)]

In this episode we discuss whether or not belief in God is good. Does God serve an essential function to the social and cultural fabric? Is it useful? Necessary? Important? Hear what we think.

If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo.

Text:

Matthew 5:1-16

In this episode we discuss desire, and the extent to which we should police it (if ever). What if our desires are not hurting anyone? Does over-policing desire inhibit the possibility of genius? Hear what we think.

If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo.

Text:

Theodor S. Geisel [Dr. Seuss], The Cat in the Hat (New York: Random House, 1985), 1-7.

In this episode we discuss the nature of plastic surgery. Is it inherently egoistic and superficial? Or does cosmetic surgery offer a means of better expressing and realizing our "deeper" self? Can it ever be taken too far? Hear what we think.

If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo.

Text:

Wright Mills, The Power Elite (New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 360-361.

In this episode we discuss whether or not we should have the choice to end our own life. What obligations (if any) do we have to stay alive? Is our life truly our own, to do with what we like? Under what conditions is taking our own life permissible? Hear what we think.

If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo.

Text:

Jens Peter Jacobsen, Niels Lyhne, trans. Tiina Nunnally (New York: Penguin Books, 2006), 63-64.

In this episode we discuss various conditions by which a democracy flourishes. Do we have a responsibility to vote? Is there a moral obligation to be an informed voter? Ought we ever vote beyond our own interests? Hear what we think.

If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo.

Text:

Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault, The Chomsky-Foucault Debate (New York: The New Press, 2006), 54-55.

In this inaugural "shooting the shit" episode, we're playing it a bit loose. We discuss the absurdity of God's promise to Abraham in the book of Genesis, online bullying, whether we could avoid the drive to masturbate if it meant we would contract coronavirus, and the little pleasures that come with teaching undergraduates. Hear what we think.

If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo.

Text:

Genesis 22:1-14

In this episode we talk about video games. What kinds of skills are involved in playing video games? Are such skills less impressive than the skills put on display by, say, athletes? Do video games offer only escapism or can they prove instructive for navigating life? Hear what we think.

If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo.

Text:

Fernando Pessoa, The Book of Disquiet, ed. Richard Zenith (New York: Penguin Books, 2003), 234.

In this episode we air our grievances with U.S. military power and operations. Hear what we think.

If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo.

Text:

Frantz Fanon, The Wretched of the Earth, trans. Richard Philcox (New York: Grove, 2004), 2-3.

In this episode we talk about the nature and practice of open marriage as opposed to monogamy. Are open marriages more trusting? Is monogamy outdated and out of step with human nature? Hear what we think.

If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo.

Text:

Rainer Maria Rilke, Book of Hours: Love Poems to God, trans. Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy (New York: Riverhead Books, 2005), 43.