Think Hard

Think Hard

By Danielle LaSusa & José MuñizSociety & CultureEducationPhilosophy
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Think Hard episodes

  • #34: 1000 Islands, 1000 Lives
    Why do we get paralyzed in the face of freedom? Why are we left spinning
    our wheels, unable to make a decision, when faced with too many options?
    Danielle and José suggest that freedom paralysis happens when we are
    unclear about our values and priorities. Choosing one option means killing
    off the others. We make some suggestions for how to get unstuck.
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  • #33: Boredom's Cure(iosity)
    José claims boredom sucks because it shows us how meaningless the world is.
    This realization leads us to either make something meaningful or to wallow
    in the emptiness. Danielle explores how we can cultivate our attention to
    things we might otherwise dismiss, thus finding a cure for boredom.
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  • #8: Where is the Pain?
    Danielle and José talk about perception and meditation. Danielle claims
    that meditation is the key to seeing, feeling, and perceiving the world in
    a radically new way. Can meditation change the brain so much that we can
    cease to feel pain? Where is sensation: in the nerves or in the mind’s
    response? And what happens if, indeed, we do have responsibility for how we
    interpret sense data?
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  • #32: Anger is a Hasty Servant
    When is anger a justified or appropriate response to a situation? Guest
    Greg Sadler, founder of ReasonIO which puts philosophy into practice, is on
    the show to talk about when, how, and with whom we should be angry. We
    consider anger’s role in political movements, its relationship to clear and
    rational thinking, and how to cope with anger so that it doesn’t swallow us
    up.
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  • #31: Hitler's Flowers
    Do morally bad artists always make bad art? Should knowing that an artist
    drugged and raped women (Cosby), married his semi-teenage step-daughter
    (Allen), or killed several million Jews (Hitler) change how judge their
    art? José claims that the artist can never be separated from the art, while
    Danielle wonders if the art and artist should be judged independently.
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  • #30: Playing Chess with Yourself
    José gives an extended response to a listener question about what it means
    to be yourself. Who are you, really, and how do you know if you’re being
    yourself? Is the self a fixed identity that is sustained through time, or
    is it fractured into lots of different selves? How do you become a certain
    kind of person?
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  • #29: The “I” in Us
    Danielle suggests that identity politics—organizing and motivating
    political action through features of your identity such as race, gender,
    class, nationality, religion, etc.—is insufficient for the type of
    collective action needed to solve some important global problems. How do
    we, as a society, tackle issues like climate change or global poverty when
    we see ourselves as fractured groups, each with its own concerns? José
    believes that all political action must necessarily begin with the
    interests, needs, and perspectives of identity.
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  • #28: Our Patron Saint
    We welcome guest Dr. Jack Russell Weinstein, Director of the Institute for
    Philosophy in Public Life at the University of North Dakota and host of the
    public radio show and podcast Why? Philosophical Discussions About Everyday
    Life, to talk about public philosophy. How is talking to a public audience
    about philosophy different than speaking to those in traditional academic
    settings? What do philosophers have to offer the public? What exactly are
    we doing here on Think Hard?
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  • #27: Of Friends and Flatulence
    Why is it so hard to make friends in adulthood? José suggests that the very
    work it takes to make and maintain friendships is self-defeating because
    friendships are meant to be easy, spontaneous, and effortless. Danielle is
    not so sure.
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  • #26: My Baby, My Moral Mistake
    Danielle wonders if the choice to have a child is morally unjustifiable.
    Given over-population, the current environmental crisis, and the potential
    for a future full of hardship and suffering, is it ethical to have kids?
    José defends parenthood as an expression of human development.
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About Think Hard

From the publisher's feed

Philosophy is sometimes seen as impractical and impenetrable, but on Think Hard, two trained philosophers have accessible and lively conversations about contemporary culture, politics, and society.…