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"The program that questions everything -- except your intelligence."Philosophy on the radio? You've got to be kidding? Well, sometimes we do (kid, that is). Mostly we look at today's important ideas... more
FAQs about Philosophy Talk: Select Episodes:How many episodes does Philosophy Talk: Select Episodes have?The podcast currently has 113 episodes available.
August 13, 2011Time, Space, and Quantum MechanicsMore at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/time-space-and-quantum-mechanics.Quantum physics is regarded by many as the most powerful predictive theory science has produced. But there is no interpretation of what the theory means that all knowledgeable scientists and philosophers agree on. For example, quantum mechanics delivers no very clear message about the difference between past, present and future. What are the implications for our everyday experience of space and time? John and Ken welcome back Jenann Ismael from the University of Arizona, author of "The Situated Self" and many essays on the interpretation of quantum mechanics....more51minPlay
June 07, 2009The Mind and the WorldMore at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/mind-and-world.What kinds of contact can the mind have with the world? Can we know how the world is in itself, or can we only know shadows of the world in our own minds? Are we trapped behind a veil of our own mental states? Is there a world outside my mind – or our minds – at all? John and Ken tackle the big questions of perception, the external world, and the nature of reality, with Howard Robinson from the Central European University, author of "Perception."...more51minPlay
May 09, 2009WorshipMore at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/worship.Worship is the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for something. The attitude of worship towards God or gods or ancestors is a universal of human culture. But why do we worship? Do objects of worship need to fulfill certain criteria? Does worship play a positive or negative role in human culture? Is it clear that a perfect, omnipotent and omniscient God truly wants to be worshipped? Some pagan religions worship the earth, or the aspects of nature that make human life possible and rewarding. Does this make more sense than worshipping an imperfect God? The Philosophers express their reverence with Daniel Speak from Loyola Marymount University....more50minPlay
March 07, 2009Challenges To Free WillMore at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/challenges-free-will.We seem to be able to decide our behavior for ourselves – what we do is up to us. But if everything that we do can be explained by physics, does this leave room for freedom? Are all of our actions pre-determined? Are we slaves to fate? Is freedom compatible with determinism, or does science teach us that we're nothing but complex machines, following out a complicated program that a good enough physicist could have predicted centuries ago? And what are the implications for morality and responsibility? John and Ken exercise their will with Manuel Vargas from the University of San Francisco....more50minPlay
January 24, 2009CreativityMore at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/creativity.What makes an idea or work of art creative? Can creativity be measured? Can a computer be creative? What is the relationship between creativity and consciousness? John and Ken explore their creative sides with Margaret Boden from the University of Sussex, author of "The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms."...more50minPlay
November 23, 2008Levels of RealityMore at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/levels-reality.Are there levels of reality, with each level emerging from the other in a way that provides a truly new aspect of reality? The concept of emergence has been seen as an alternative to mere reducibility in discussion of the relation of the physical world to the biological world, consciousness, the social world, and God. Ken and John probe the nature of reality with Tim O'Connor, Professor of Philosophy at Indiana University and author of "Theism and Ultimate Explanation.:...more50minPlay
August 08, 2008DualismMore at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/dualism.What is the relationship between the mind and the brain? Monists believe that there is only one substance or property in the Universe, be it physical (Materialists) or mental (Idealists). But Dualists, like the 17th Century French philosopher Rene Descartes, hold that mental stuff exists side by side with physical stuff. Can this view be defended, in light of modern science? John and Ken probe the mind-body with David Rosenthal from City University of New York, author of "Consciousness and Mind."...more51minPlay
June 29, 2008AltruismMore at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/altruism.Are people genuinely altruistic, or is altruism just a type of selfish-behavior? Are other animals altruistic? Should we strive to be altruistic, or is selfishness a higher virtue? John and Ken take the moral high ground with their guest Jeff Schloss, Professor and Chair of Biology at Westmont College and co-editor of "Altruism and Altruistic Love: Science, Philosophy, and Religion in Dialogue."...more50minPlay
June 27, 2008AltruismMore at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/altruism.Are people genuinely altruistic, or is altruism just a type of selfish-behavior? Are other animals altruistic? Should we strive to be altruistic, or is selfishness a higher virtue? John and Ken take the moral high ground with their guest Jeff Schloss, Professor and Chair of Biology at Westmont College and co-editor of "Altruism and Altruistic Love: Science, Philosophy, and Religion in Dialogue."...more50minPlay
June 06, 2008The Problem of EvilMore at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/problem-evil.Many religions tell us that God is perfect: all-knowing, all-powerful, and beneficent. Why then do bad things happen? John and Ken discuss the problem of evil with their guest, Michael Tooley from the University of Colorado at Boulder, co-author of "Knowledge of God."...more50minPlay
FAQs about Philosophy Talk: Select Episodes:How many episodes does Philosophy Talk: Select Episodes have?The podcast currently has 113 episodes available.