Philosophy Talk Starters

More at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/american-pragmatism.

Pragmatism is perhaps America's most distinctive contribution to philosophy. Developed by Pierce, Dewey, and James in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, pragmatism holds that both the meaning and the truth of any idea is a function of its practical outcome. The pragmatists rejected all forms of absolutism and insisted that all principles be regarded as working hypotheses that must bear fruit in lived experience. Join John and Ken as they dig into this intellectually vibrant, still influential, and distinctly American philosophical tradition with John McDermott from Texas A&M University, author of "The Culture of Experience: Philosophical Essays in the American Grain."

More at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/what-child.

Back in the middle ages, people thought of children simply as little adults. Modern psychology has destroyed that theory. But then, what is a child? How are their minds different? And what are the moral implications of these differences for how we should treat them? Join John and Ken as they reflect on the nature of childhood with Tamar Schapiro from Stanford University.

More at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/dreaming.

A scary dream brings all the fears that a scary real situation can, and a happy dream can make us feel truly happy. But what are dreams? Where do they come from? And why do they feel so real? Thinkers from Descartes to Freud have been fascinated by dreams and their philosiphical significance. Join John and Ken as they explore one of the mind's greatest mysteries.

More at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/separation-powers.

In America, there's not just one governing body, there are three: executive, legislative, and judicial. You might think that separating those powers is just less efficient. But the founding fathers put a lot of philosophical thought into coming up with a system of checks and balances. In this episode, John and Ken discuss the separation of powers with Stanford law professor Kathleen Sullivan in front of a live audience on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

More at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/believing-god.

Some have argued that there aren't any good arguments for believing in God. Is belief in God just an act of faith without reason? Plenty of philosophers would disagree. Why are philosophers so divided on the matter? In this episode Ken and John discuss the rational arguments for believing in God with Philip Clayton from the Claremont School of Theology.

More at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/language-and-thought.

You might think our thoughts simply determine what we say. But maybe the language we speak is what really determines the thoughts we can have. As Wittgenstein famously wrote, "The limits of my language mean the limits of my world." And Benjamin Lee Whorf held that the language you speak has a systematic influence on how you think about and interact with reality. John and Ken wrestle with the relationship between language and thought with Lera Boroditsky from Stanford University.

More at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/jewish-philosophy.

Rabbis and Talmudic scholars have spent centuries puzzling over theology, texts, and life. In the process they came up with many philosophical ideas that have inspired the work of more recent philosophers such as Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas. Who or what is God? By what rules should people live? And what does Maimonides have to say about diets and bathing? Join John and Ken as they investigate the past, present, and future of Jewish philosophy with Paul Franks from the University of Toronto.

More at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/philosophy-music.

Most people enjoy music daily and have strong listening preferences. Music – along with love – is often thought of as a universal language. But what makes a collection of sounds a piece of music as opposed to just noise? Can music teach us anything? And is the value of music objective? John and Ken explore what philosophy has to tell us about music – and vice versa – with Peter Kivy from Rutgers University, author of "Sounding Off: Eleven Essays in the Philosophy of Music."

More at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/war-crimes.

In war, people do awful things to other people. But the concept of 'war crime' suggests that some things are worse than others. How do we disentangle what's fair play from what's criminal? What are the ethical justifications for regarding some of the evils of war as worse than others? John and Ken bring on David Luban from Georgetown University to explore the challenging subject of war crimes.

More at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/liberty-vs-security.

Edward Gibbon and James Madison both noted how liberties in Rome were among the victims of its growing empire. Is our society facing a similar problem, given what some public figures have said about choosing between how much liberty and how much security we want? Or is this a false choice put forward by those in power? John and Ken take a philosophical lens to the relationship between liberty and security with Stephen Holmes from the NYU Law School.