Philosophy Talk Starters

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Bite-size episodes from the program that questions everything... except your intelligence. Learn more and access complete episodes at www.philosophytalk.org.

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540: Righteous Rage

02.05.2023

More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/righteous-rage. Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote that anger is a form of madness. Other philosophers share this suspicion, viewing anger as a destructive emotion that leads to cruel and vengeful acts. But don't certain kinds of injustice, like the ...

Philosophy Talk Starters episodes:

02.05.2023 540: Righteous Rage More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/righteous-rage. Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote that anger is a form of madness. Other philosophers share this suspicion, viewing anger as a destructive emotion that leads to cruel and vengeful acts. But don't certain kinds of injustice, like the ...
01.29.2023 509: Citizenship and Justice More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/citizenship-and-justice. Securing citizenship to a developed country could guarantee people enormous privileges and opportunities. Some condemn those who try illegally to reap the benefits that come with such citizenship. But are our ways of determining who gets to ...
01.20.2023 559: Why Trust Science? More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/why-trust-science. According to a recent survey conducted by the Pew Research Center, the number of Americans who trust in science is steadily declining. While politicization is partly to blame, another reason may be that the “truths” of science ...
01.15.2023 508: The Merits of Meritocracy More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/merits-meritocracy. For centuries, the promise of the “American Dream” has been that as long as someone buckles down and works hard, she can achieve her goals. In other words, we’ve perpetuated the meritocratic notion that the more effort ...
01.08.2023 507: Can Streets Disciminate? More at www.philosophytalk.org/shows/can-streets-discriminate. City streets play an important role in our everyday lives. We commute to work, walk our dogs, meet our friends, and stage protests on city streets. In theory, streets are open for anyone to physically access. But ...
01.01.2023 558: The Examined Year – 2022 More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/examined-year-2022. What happened over the last twelve months that challenged our assumptions and made us think about things in new ways? • The Year in Developed Nations at War with Tamsin Shaw from NYU, author of "Nietzsche's Political ...
12.25.2022 211: How Relevant Is Jesus? More at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/how-relevant-jesus. Some people think Jesus was the son of God, though many who are skeptical about that still think he was a great moral teacher. But if we really knew what Jesus would think about moral issues that ...
12.18.2022 551: Effective Altruism More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/effective-altruism. Most people agree that it's good to help others, but philosophers disagree about how much good we need to do, and for whom. Effective altruists claim that you have a moral obligation to do the most good ...
12.11.2022 506: The Ethical Jerk More at www.philosophytalk.org/shows/ethical-jerk. Ethics philosophers are more ethical than the average person — right? Well, maybe not. Studies show that philosophy professors are just as biased as the rest of us, and no more generous in their charitable giving. So ...
12.05.2022 557: Thinking Like a Conspiracy Theorist More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/thinking-conspiracy-theorist. The moon landing was faked! JFK Jr. is still alive! Finland doesn’t exist! Conspiracy theories of all sorts have been gaining traction, thanks partly to the ease with which they spread online. But what makes someone more ...
11.27.2022 499: (Why) Money Matters More at www.philosophytalk.org/shows/why-money-matters. Money, they say, does not buy happiness; but having none can make life extraordinarily hard. Whether we have a little or a lot, we are all familiar with how much money matters in our daily lives. But ...
11.20.2022 503: Covid Conundrums and Moral Dilemmas More at www.philosophytalk.org/shows/covid-conundrums. In just months the world changed radically, and we have all had to adjust our lifestyles to stop the spread of Covid-19. Those working on the frontlines are taking on great personal risk while the rest of ...
11.14.2022 556: In Search of Proust's Philosophy More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/search-prousts-philosophy. Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time challenges us to think hard about what we can know, who we really are, why memory matters, and how we can find enchantment in a world without God. But some ...
11.06.2022 504: Pet Ethics More at www.philosophytalk.org/shows/pet-ethics. Many of us, even the staunchest animal activists, usually take it for granted that keeping a pet is morally acceptable. But regardless of how well we treat our animal “companions,” by keeping pets we are declaring ownership ...
10.31.2022 555: How to Create Virtuous Leaders? More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/how-create-virtuous-leaders. Ancient philosophers like Socrates and Plato believed that an education focused on developing good character could create virtuous leaders who work for the people, not their own benefit. Nowadays, though, it seems too many politicians are power ...
10.23.2022 498: Philosophy and the Superhero More at www.philosophytalk.org/shows/philosophy-and-superhero. Philosophy is replete with thought experiments featuring characters like Descartes’ “Evil Genius” and Davidson’s “Swampman.” Some of the scenarios philosophers conjure up seem like they could’ve been plucked from a superhero comic. Or is it the other ...
10.17.2022 554: Liberty and Justice For Who? More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/liberty-and-justice-who. Many democracies are founded on the ideals of 18th- and 19th-Century British Liberalism: the idea that human beings deserve the right to self-government because we are born free, equal, and capable of rationality. Yet Liberalism was used ...
10.09.2022 496: Is the Self an Illusion? More at www.philosophytalk.org/shows/self-illusion. Most of us think it’s obvious that we have a self, but famously, both Buddhism and British philosopher David Hume are skeptical that such a thing exists. What in the world could it mean to deny that ...
10.02.2022 553: Climate Change and Collective Action More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/climate-change-and-collective-action. Catastrophic storms, floods, droughts, and fires are increasing in frequency all over the globe, and the polar ice caps are melting twice as fast as initially predicted. Despite this, we struggle to take meaningful action that could ...
09.25.2022 378: Heidegger More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/heidegger. Best known for his work "Being and Time," Martin Heidegger has been hailed by many as the greatest philosopher of the twentieth century. He has also been criticized for being both nearly unreadable and a Nazi. Yet ...
09.16.2022 552: Who Owns Culture? More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/who-owns-culture. Fashion designers, musicians, and Halloween costume wearers have been accused of engaging in cultural appropriation. In some cases, the alleged appropriator is quick to apologize; in others, they defend their actions as a way of appreciating a ...
09.11.2022 491: Hobbes and the Ideal Citizen More at www.philosophytalk.org/shows/hobbes-and-ideal-citizen. Seventeenth century philosopher Thomas Hobbes believed that without government to control our worst impulses, life would be 'solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short.' Consequently, he thought that absolute monarchy is the best form of government. So is ...
09.03.2022 548: Summer Reading List – Banned Books Edition More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/summer-reading-list-banned-books-edition. The American Library Association reports that last year 1,597 books were challenged or removed from libraries, schools, and universities, a record high number (compared to 273 books in 2020). Most of the challenged or removed books deal ...
08.21.2022 495: Death of the Sentence More at www.philosophytalk.org/shows/death-sentence. A child’s first sentence is a pivotal moment in her development when she is recognized as now capable of communicating complete thoughts. But in the twenty-first century, thoughts have become increasingly mediated by technology, and language more ...
08.14.2022 550: What Is Political Inequality? More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/what-political-inequality. We all know our society is economically unequal: some people have more money and resources than others. But equality isn't just a matter of who has which things. Political equality involves respect and participation in the political ...
08.07.2022 542: The 2022 Dionysus Awards More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/2022-dionysus-awards. What movies of the past year challenged our assumptions and made us think about things in new ways? Josh and guest co-host Jeremy Sabol present our annual Dionysus Awards for the most thought-provoking films of 2021, including: ...
07.31.2022 449: James Baldwin and Social Justice More at www.philosophytalk.org/shows/james-baldwin. Sometimes, we struggle to tell the truth -- especially when it's the truth about ourselves. Why did James Baldwin, a prominent Civil Rights-era intellectual and novelist, believe that telling the truth about ourselves is not only difficult ...
07.22.2022 549: Is Optimism Rational? More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/optimism-rational. When the odds are against you, believing in yourself can be a source of strength—but it seems to require a cavalier disregard for the evidence. So is optimism a rational way to improve your life, or an ...
07.17.2022 505: Walter Benjamin and the Re-Enchanted World More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/walter-benjamin. Walter Benjamin was a German Jewish critical theorist, essayist, and philosopher who died tragically during the Second World War. His thoughts about modernity, history, art, disenchantment, and re-enchantment are still discussed today. So who was Benjamin, and ...
07.03.2022 494: Comedy and the Culture Wars More at www.philosophytalk.org/shows/comedy-and-culture-wars. Comedy can often give offense, especially when it concerns such sensitive topics as race, gender, and sexuality. Should comedy like that be shunned, boycotted, even banned? Can it be enjoyed without danger? Or could it even, at ...
06.19.2022 547: The Changing Face of Antisemitism More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/changing-face-antisemitism. Antisemitism is an old problem with roots that reach back to medieval Europe. While earlier forms focused more on religious bigotry, antisemitism in the modern period became increasingly racialized and politicized. So what is the connection between ...
06.12.2022 396: Jean-Paul Sartre More at www.philosophytalk.org/shows/sartre. Jean-Paul Sartre was one of the first global public intellectuals, famous for his popular existentialist philosophy, his works of fiction, and his rivalry with Albert Camus. His existentialism was also adopted by Simone de Beauvoir, who used ...
06.05.2022 490: Conscious Machiness More at www.philosophytalk.org/shows/conscious-machines. Computers have already surpassed us in their ability to perform certain cognitive tasks. Perhaps it won’t be long till every household has a super intelligent robot who can outperform us in almost every domain. While future AI ...
05.30.2022 546: The Scandalous Truth About Memoir More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/scandalous-truth-about-memoir. A memoir is a personal narrative written about a pivotal time in the author’s life. While the story is told from a particular perspective, the events recounted are supposed to be fact, not fiction. But what exactly ...
05.22.2022 489: The Allure of Authoritarianism More at www.philosophytalk.org/shows/allure-authoritarianism. In George Orwell’s 1984, the party’s “final, most essential command” was “to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears.” Authoritarian regimes call on us to accept as fact whatever they tell us; or worse, as Hannah ...
05.15.2022 482: J.S. Mill and the Good Life More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/mill-and-good-life. John Stuart Mill was one of the most important British philosophers of the 19th century. As a liberal, he thought that individuals are generally the best judges of their own welfare. But Mill was also a utilitarian ...
05.06.2022 545: What Is Ideology? More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/what-ideology. Political polarization seems to be deepening, both in the U.S. and around the globe. Some believe that the rise of ideology is to blame for growing polarization. But can increased polarization really be attributed to ideology? What ...
05.01.2022 492: Sanctuary Cities More at www.philosophytalk.org/shows/sanctuary-cities. In the U.S. there are over 500 sanctuary cities—municipalities that limit their cooperation with the federal government’s immigration law enforcement. Although opponents portray sanctuary cities as besieged by crime, empirical data does not bear out such claims. ...
04.24.2022 488: Explanation at Its Best More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/explanation-its-best. In both everyday life and science, we often feel the pull of simpler, more elegant, or more beautiful explanations. For example, you notice the street is wet and infer the best explanation is that it rained earlier. ...
04.17.2022 544: What Would Kant Do? More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/what-would-kant-do. German idealist and moral philosopher Immanuel Kant is probably best known for his "Categorical Imperative," which says that you should act following moral rules you could rationally support as universal law. In other words, do only what ...
04.10.2022 543: Why Poetry Matters More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/why-poetry-matters. Some people say they find poetry impenetrable. Yet readership is increasing: in a 2017 survey, the National Endowment for the Arts found that nearly 12% of adults in the US had read poetry in the last year. ...
04.03.2022 485: The Doomsday Doctrine More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/doomsday-doctrine. The doctrine of mutually assured destruction is supposed to deter both sides in a war from launching the first nuclear strike. However, the strategy of the US, NATO, and other super powers has been to plan the ...
03.27.2022 487: Changing Minds on Climate Change More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/changing-minds-climate-change. There is consensus among scientists that global warming is real and that it’s caused by human activity. Despite the overwhelming evidence and the urgency to act, there are still many who are skeptical of or flat-out deny ...
03.13.2022 486: Reading the Troubled Past More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/reading-troubled-past. Nigerian writer Chinua Achebe lambasted Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart of Darkness as a deeply racist work that should be removed from the Western canon. Defenders of Conrad say the novel is simply an expression of its time ...
03.07.2022 541: #MeToo: Retribution, Accountability, and Justice More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/metoo-retribution-accountability-and-justice. The #MeToo movement exposed how pervasive sexual harassment and abuse are, and how rare it is for perpetrators to be held accountable. Although some recent high profile cases have resulted in convictions, more often punishment is meted ...
02.27.2022 484: Is Postmodernism Really to Blame for Post-Truth? More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/postmodernism-really-blame. Postmodernism is often characterized by its rejection of concepts championed by the Enlightenment, like meaning, truth, reason, and knowledge. Some philosophers blame postmodernism for making cynicism about truth and facts now respectable in political debate. So is ...
02.20.2022 532: Akan Philosophy and Personhood More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/akan-philosophy. The Akan people of West Africa have developed a system of metaphysics, epistemology, and moral philosophy with a special focus on personhood. For the Akan, their conception of a person is not just a matter of theoretical ...
02.13.2022 437: Polyamory More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/polyamory. In most if not all modern Western societies, monogamy is the dominant form of romantic relationship. In polyamorous or "open" relationships, however, each person is free to love multiple partners at once. Just as our friendships are ...
01.31.2022 539: Marcus Aurelius More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/marcus-aurelius. Marcus Aurelius was a 2nd century Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher. He is most famous for his Meditations, which was written as a private guide to himself on how to live a life where virtue is the ...
01.23.2022 477: Hacking the Brain – Beyond the Five Senses More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/hacking-brain. Humans evolved to have a variety of senses—smell, sight, touch, etc.—that provide information about the world around us. Our brains use this sensory information to construct a particular picture of reality. But what if it were technologically ...

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