Philosophy Talk Starters

the thinking, and where? Or is truth relative to backgrounds, cultures, creeds, times, and places? Can it be true that what is right for me isn't right for you? John and Ken search for truth with Helen Longino, Professor of Philosophy and Women's Studies at the University of Minnesota.

More at: http://philosophytalk.org/shows/truth-and-relativism

More at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/truth-and-relativism.

Is there such a thing as absolute truth, independent of who is doing the thinking, and where? Or is truth relative to backgrounds, cultures, creeds, times, and places? Can it be true that what is right for me isn't right for you? John and Ken search for truth with Helen Longino, Professor of Philosophy and Women's Studies at the University of Minnesota.

Time is the most familiar thing in the world, and yet philosophically one of the most puzzling. Is the present what's left when you subtract what has already happened, and what is yet to happen? Then it seems to vanish into a mere instant. Are future events completely unreal? Or are they just the things we can't know yet? Is time unreal, as many philosophers have thought? Columbia's Dave Albert joins John and Ken for a fascinating hour.

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

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

Time is the most familiar thing in the world, and yet philosophically one of the most puzzling. Is the present what's left when you subtract what has already happened, and what is yet to happen? Then it seems to vanish into a mere instant. Are future events completely unreal? Or are they just the things we can't know yet? Is time unreal, as many philosophers have thought? Columbia's Dave Albert joins John and Ken for a fascinating hour.

America prides itself on being the oldest continuous democracy in the world. But criticisms of the America system are widespread. Our system is tailored to narrow interests and wealthy elites. Our two parties lock out alternative voices. Our voting procedures discourage participation and lead to unrepresentative outcomes. Is this really the best way to run a democracy? Join John and Ken as they examine the philosophical underpinnings of democracy in America with Josh Ober from Princeton University, author of "Athenian Legacies: Essays on the Politics of Going On Together."

More at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/any-way-run-democracy

More at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/any-way-run-democracy.

America prides itself on being the oldest continuous democracy in the world. But criticisms of the America system are widespread. Our system is tailored to narrow interests and wealthy elites. Our two parties lock out alternative voices. Our voting procedures discourage participation and lead to unrepresentative outcomes. Is this really the best way to run a democracy? Join John and Ken as they examine the philosophical underpinnings of democracy in America with Josh Ober from Princeton University, author of "Athenian Legacies: Essays on the Politics of Going On Together."

The ideas of Karl Marx vie with those of Rousseau, Locke and Jefferson for shaping the politics of the twentieth century. Are Marx's ideas of real philosophical value and interest, or simply relics of interest only in trying to understand the benighted century we have left behind? John and Ken divide their labor with Jonathan Wolff from University College London, author of "Why Read Marx Today?"

More at: http://philosophytalk.org/shows/karl-marx

More at http://philosophytalk.org/shows/karl-marx

The ideas of Karl Marx vie with those of Rousseau, Locke and Jefferson for shaping the politics of the twentieth century. Are Marx's ideas of real philosophical value and interest, or simply relics of interest only in trying to understand the benighted century we have left behind? John and Ken divide their labor with Jonathan Wolff from University College London, author of "Why Read Marx Today?"

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

Some feminists hold that there are specially feminine ways of knowing, and the current scientific research is flawed for not recognizing them. Some hold that philosophy itself is a thoroughly phallocentric enterprise, and deeply flawed. Other feminists vigorously reject these views. Join John and Ken as they discuss the philosophies of feminism with Barrie Thorne from UC Berkeley, co-author of "Feminist Sociology: Life Histories of a Movement."

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

Some feminists hold that there are specially feminine ways of knowing, and the current scientific research is flawed for not recognizing them. Some hold that philosophy itself is a thoroughly phallocentric enterprise, and deeply flawed. Other feminists vigorously reject these views. Join John and Ken as they discuss the philosophies of feminism with Barrie Thorne from UC Berkeley, co-author of "Feminist Sociology: Life Histories of a Movement."