On episode 123, we welcome philosopher Ben Burgis to discuss the intellectual development of the late Christopher Hitchens, his early socialist ideals, the different versions of socialism and why Stalinist communism is sometimes considered to be state capitalism, Hitchens’ criticisms of the Clintons and Mother Teresa, Hitchens’ hopelessness about fostering widespread socialism and what he may have thought about the popularity of current grassroots movements, the false dichotomy of capitalism vs communism and social democracy as a more humane alternative, and why Hitch hated Donald Trump.

Ben Burgis is a columnist for Jacobin Magazine, an adjunct philosophy professor at Rutgers University, an online instructor at the School for Social and Cultural Change, and the host of the podcast and YouTube show “Give Them An Argument.” He's the author of several books including “Canceling Comedians While the World Burns: A Critique of the Contemporary Left” and his newest book, “Christopher Hitchens: What He Got Right, How He Went Wrong, and Why He Still Matters.” 

| Ben Burgis |

► Website | https://benburgis.com/

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/BenBurgis

► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/benburgis

► Podcast Link (GTAA) | https://www.youtube.com/c/BenBurgisGTAA/videos?view=57

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On episode 122, we welcome philosophers Constantine Sandis and Gary Browning to discuss the cultural legacy of the iconic singer Bob Dylan, what separated him from other artists of his era, his creative genius in piecing together elements from varied sources (including literature, film, and poetry), his desire to buck the trends for the sake of authenticity, Dylan’s political activism (including civil rights and Black Lives Matter), how he continued to remain relevant, and Constantine’s and Gary’s process of developing the book ‘Dylan at 80’.

Constantine Sandis is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire, founding director of Lex Academic, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, UK. Gary Browning is a Professor of Political Thought at Oxford Brookes University. He is the author of many books, including Why Iris Murdoch Matters (Bloomsbury, 2018) and A History of Modern Political Thought: The Question of Interpretation  (OUP, 2016), and is co-editor of The Political Art of Bob Dylan. Constantine Sandis and Gary Browning are coeditors of the new book, “Dylan at 80: It used to go like that, and now it goes like this”.

| Constantine Sandis |

► Website | https://www.constantinesandis.com/

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/csandis

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/csandis

► Dylan at 80 Book (Use discount code, CAT21, for a large discount with your purchase)  | http://books.imprint.co.uk/book/?gcoi=71157100599460

► Dylan at 80 Book Link 2 | https://amzn.to/3tu7pvg 

| Gary Browning |

► Website | https://www.brookes.ac.uk/templates/pages/staff.aspx?uid=p0070230

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/GaryBrowning15

► Dylan at 80 Book (Use discount code, CAT21, for a large discount with your purchase)  | http://books.imprint.co.uk/book/?gcoi=71157100599460

► Dylan at 80 Book Link 2 | https://amzn.to/3tu7pvg 

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On episode 121, we welcome podcaster Chris Boutté to discuss his journey from drug dependency to becoming a YouTube sensation, tribalism and how cognitive biases help foster disdain for outsiders, the Joe Rogan controversy, how Chris was cancelled and his resiliency, content creation and the elements of growing a platform, how cancel culture tends to harm the ones cancelling, and why understanding the sources of others’ behaviors can help us became better able to manage our negative feelings toward them.

Chris Boutté is a Las Vegas-based author, influencer and podcaster. He is the author of CANCELED: Inside YouTube Cancel Culture, multiple mental health books, and he often contributes to wellness publications such as Thrive Global and Tiny Buddha. Chris reads hundreds of non-fiction books each year and speaks with authors on a diverse range of subjects at the popular, The Rewired Soul Podcast. You can also find his expert quotes in publications such as VOX, INSIDER, and VICE. 

| Chris Boutté |

► Website | https://www.therewiredsoul.com/trs-books

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/TheRewiredSoul/

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/therewiredsoul/

► Substack | https://therewiredsoul.substack.com/

► Patreon | https://www.patreon.com/TheRewiredSoul

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On episode 120, we welcome philosopher Jack Symes of The Panpsychast to discuss the major competing theories of consciousness, the illusions of panpsychist idealism and materialist illusionism, Philip Goff and how his version of pansychism allows for the existence of a material universe, Massimo Piggliuci’s understanding of consciousness as having evolved to help us plan and simulate difficult situations, psychedelic experiences as potential evidence of a universal consciousness, what view of consciousness Jack subscribes to, why a new science may be necessary to understand consciousness, and the greatness of Adam Sandler’s films.

Jack Symes is the producer of the popular, The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast and the editor of the Bloomsbury series, Talking about Philosophy. He is currently Teacher and Researcher of Philosophy at the University of Liverpool, UK. His new book is called Philosophers on Consciousness: Talking about the Mind (Talking about Philosophy) which features a number of prominent contributors, some of which we’ve had on the show before like Keith Frankish and Massimo Pigliucci. 

Contributors to the book include: Miri Albahari, Susan Blackmore, David Chalmers, Patricia Churchland, Daniel Dennett, Keith Frankish, Philip Goff, Frank Jackson, Casey Logue, Gregory Miller, Michelle Montague, Massimo Pigliucci and Galen Strawson.

| Jack Symes |

► Website | https://thepanpsycast.com/panpsycast2

► Twitter 1 | https://twitter.com/ThePanpsycast

► Twitter 2 | https://twitter.com/_JackSymes

► Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/thepanpsycast/

► Philosophers on Consciousness Book | https://amzn.to/3gKgudm

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On episode 119, we welcome political scientist Bonnie Honig to discuss John Rawls’ A Theory of Justice, utilitarianism vs Kantianism and whether the majority has the right to impose their will on the minority, neurodiversity and why peculiarities scare us, the happy grass-counter as a symbol of homosexuality, our incessant drive to be useful and tendency to shame people who aren’t, and the reasons for cultivating a high degree of humility when examining another’s life-choices.

Bonnie Honig is Nancy Duke Lewis Professor of Modern Culture and Media and Political Science at Brown University. Her books include the prizewinning Political Theory and the Displacement of Politics and Emergency Politics, A Feminist Theory of Refusal, Shell Shocked: Feminist Criticism After Trump, and is one of contributing authors prominently featured in Helen De Cruz’s new book in which we are going to discuss today, Philosophy Illustrated: Forty-two Thought Experiments To Broaden Your Mind.

| Bonnie Honig |

► Website | https://vivo.brown.edu/display/bhonig

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/bonnie_honig

► Philosophy Illustrated Book | https://amzn.to/3r2NRyh

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On episode 118, we welcome neuroscientist and literary scholar Angus Fletcher to discuss literary tools for personal character development; how literature can be therapeutic and spark creativity, reduce stress and anxiety, and promote personal growth; why archetypes in storytelling don’t exist and stories are actually helpful adaptations to various environments; the downsides of formulaic thinking and why uniqueness leads to true success; how stories help us foster positive traits through inspiration and guidance and why we ought to mainly focus on developing them; Angus’ work with the US military and helping them cultivate more creative strategies; how professional wrestling helped Leon become a better podcaster; and the importance of trusting our intuition despite not knowing where it stems from.Angus Fletcher is a professor of story science at Ohio State’s Project Narrative, the world’s leading academic think-tank for the study of stories. He has dual degrees in neuroscience and literature, received his PhD from Yale, taught Shakespeare at Stanford, and has published two books and dozens of peer-reviewed academic articles on the scientific workings of novels, poetry, film, and theater. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He has done story-consulting for projects for Sony, Disney, the BBC, Amazon, PBS, and Universal and is the author/presenter of the Audible/Great Courses Guide to Screenwriting. Today we will be discussing his book, Wonderworks: The 25 Most Powerful Inventions in the History of Literature.  | Angus Fletcher |

► Website | https://www.angusfletcher.co

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/pnohiostate

► Wonderworks Book | https://amzn.to/3r2NRyh

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On episode 117, we welcome philosopher Richard Pettigrew to discuss ‘The Russian Nobleman’ thought experiment, what makes you a self, whether we should be held to the commitments made earlier in life, the notion of the perpetually dying self and how it can alleviate the terror of death, how the philosophical construct of the self can help but also harm others, the self in clinical psychology and what constitutes pathology, and whether “inauthentic” sources can create “authentic” choices.

Richard Pettigrew is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Bristol, with particular interests in formal epistemology, philosophy of mathematics, logic, and the theory of rational choice. He set up the Foundation Year in Arts and Humanities. He has worked, outside the university, on projects addressing literacy in prisons and supporting adults with learning disabilities. He is a contributing author to Helen De Cruz’ book, Philosophy Illustrated: Forty-two Thought Experiments to Broaden Your Mind.

| Richard Pettigrew |

► Website | https://richardpettigrew.com/

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/Wiglet1981

► Philosophy Illustrated Book | https://amzn.to/3r2NRyh

Where you can find us:

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On episode 116, we welcome philosopher Lewis Gordon to discuss his new book ‘Fear of Black Consciousness’, how Critical Race Theory is misunderstood and why it’s challenged, the parable of the Anglican minister and what it teaches us about systemic oppression, Harriet Bailey and how her radical love for Frederick Douglass fostered his sense of responsibility for the well-being of marginalized people, human nature and why we can’t predict people’s behaviors based on stereotypes, the feminine roots of Enlightenment thinking, Hedy Lamarr and inventing the predecessor to WiFi, and the difference between liberty and freedom and utilizing the latter to cultivate meaning.

Lewis R. Gordon is Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy at UCONN-Storrs, Honorary President of the Global Center for Advanced Studies, and Chair of the Committee on Public Philosophy for the American Philosophical Association. His books include Freedom, Justice, and Decolonization (2021) and his new book, Fear of Black Consciousness, which was just published on January 11, 2022.

 

| Lewis R. Gordon |

► Website 1 | https://www.macmillanspeakers.com/speaker/lewis-gordon/ 

► Website 2 | https://philosophy.uconn.edu/person/lewis-gordon/

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/lewgord

►Fear of Black Consciousness Book | https://amzn.to/33pY3rt

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On episode 115, Alen and Leon discuss how having boundaries is crucial to the wellbeing of the relationship to yourself and others, the challenges that people face with setting boundaries for themselves and in their relationships, the difference between being liked and respected, passive-aggressive behavior and its consequences, when jokes are just jokes and when they aren’t, the boundaries that therapists set with their clients and how to deal with resistance, how our boundaries can polarize others, and the link between boundaries and self-respect/self-worth.

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On episode 114, we welcome philosopher Christian Miller to discuss the nuances of moral character; why most people aren’t fully good or fully bad; how their ethical choices fluctuate in various situations and sometimes because of minor environmental influences; the famous Stanley Milgram experiment and the more obscure versions of it, which highlight the brighter sides of human nature; the roles emotions play in influencing our moral decisions; why human nature isn’t hopeless and the ways with which we can make ourselves better people; and the importance of role models in fostering character development.

Christian Miller is the A. C. Reid Professor of Philosophy at Wake Forest University, science contributor at Forbes, and Past Director of the Character Project, which researched moral character from the perspectives of psychology, philosophy, and theology.  He is the author of “The Character Gap: How Good Are We?” and “Honesty: The Philosophy and Psychology of a Neglected Virtue.”

| Christian Miller |

► Website | https://www.christianbmiller.com

► Twitter | https://twitter.com/CharacterGap

► Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/charactergap

► The Character Gap Book | https://amzn.to/3JxkISN

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