Wisdom at Work

Tom Morris was doing public philosophy before it was a thing.

At the peak of academic success–a full professor at Notre Dame for 15 years, an accomplished scholar and acclaimed teacher–Morris found another calling: bringing philosophy into the business world. After discovering he had a knack for making philosophy practical for audiences outside the academy, he started appearing on TV and eventually found himself on the Today Show and Live! With Regis and Kathy Lee. From his website:

Imagine the wisdom of Yoda, Gandalf, and Dumbledore, rolled together and linked to the spirit and energy of the world’s most winning athletic coaches. Stir in the unexpected humor of a Seinfeld or Fallon, and you have an idea of what Tom’s audiences experience.

After this conversation, I definitely felt like I had had “the Tom Morris experience.” Listening to it, I think you will, too.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE:

SUPPORT:

SPONSORED BY:

SHOW NOTES:

• Tom’s Website
• Tom’s most recent book:

• Tom on Live! With Regis and Kathy Lee:

• Tom on the Today Show:

TIP JAR

Podcasting is a time-intensive labor of love. Your support is most appreciated!

$1.00

Grace is a philosophy teacher, trainer, facilitator, scholar and advocate. Over the last fifteen years – through her many projects in the places people live, learn, work and play – she has enjoyed philosophical conversations with thousands of thinkers of all ages, backgrounds and levels of experience. Through her workshops, training, talks and writing, she has shared her thinking and practice nationally and internationally.

Working in the community, she founded Thinking Space in 2008. She is also an accredited trainer with SAPERE and Dialogue Works, a specialist with The Philosophy Foundation, a contributor to P4C.com and a board member of the European network SOPHIA.

Working in academia, she is a Teaching Fellow at the University of Leeds where she runs ‘Philosophy Exchange’ – a project that brings together philosophy students, teachers and children in weekly philosophical enquiry. She also consults with other UK universities, helping to set up similar programmes. Grace is currently finishing a PhD in Philosophy at UCL Institute of Education where she writes on ethics, education and aesthetics, funded by an Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) doctoral award.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE:

SUPPORT:

SPONSORED BY:

SHOW NOTES:

• Grace’s co-authored book:

• Thinking Space

• Joe Humphreys, “Does Philosophy Belong to the Academy or the Community?” Irish Times
• Grace’s YouTube page

TIP JAR

Podcasting is a time-intensive labor of love. Your support is most appreciated!

$1.00

Steve McIntosh is the founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution, a think tank devoted to solving the problem of political polarization. His recent book, Developmental Politics, draws on integral philosophy to drill down into the causes of the culture wars, and proposes a bold new vision for how America can become a better version of itself.

More recently, Steve has collaborated with thought leaders such as John Mackey, the founder of Whole Foods, and Carter Phipps on the book Conscious Leadership, and started an organization called the Post-Progressive Post.

Steve’s diagnosis of the hyper-polarization plaguing our political culture is the best I have ever come across; better, in my judgment, than those of media luminaries such as Ezra Klein and Jonathan Haidt. Join us for a philosophical tour de force of a conversation.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE:

SUPPORT:

SPONSORED BY:

SHOW NOTES:

• Institute for Cultural Evolution

• Post-Progressive Post

• Steve’s Books:

TIP JAR

Podcasting is a time-intensive labor of love. Your support is most appreciated!

$1.00

Steve McIntosh is the founder of the Institute for Cultural Evolution, a think tank devoted to solving the problem of political polarization. His recent book, Developmental Politics, draws on integral philosophy to drill down into the causes of the culture wars, and proposes a bold new vision for how America can become a better version of itself.

More recently, Steve has collaborated with thought leaders such as John Mackey, the founder of Whole Foods, and Carter Phipps on the book Conscious Leadership, and started an organization called the Post-Progressive Post.

Steve’s diagnosis of the hyper-polarization plaguing our political culture is the best I have ever come across; better, in my judgment, than those of media luminaries such as Ezra Klein and Jonathan Haidt. Join us for a philosophical tour de force of a conversation!

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE:

SUPPORT:

SPONSORED BY:

SHOW NOTES:

• Institute for Cultural Evolution

• Post-Progressive Post

• Steve’s Books:

TIP JAR

Podcasting is a time-intensive labor of love. Your support is most appreciated!

$1.00

Ian Olasov is a doctoral candidate in philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York and a public philosopher at large. In his new book, Ask a Philosopher: Answer to Your Most Important and Most Unexpected Questions, Ian weighs in on the results of a social experiment he has run for years: philosophers travel to public places like parks, street fairs, and farmers markets, set up a booth, and invite people to talk about whatever is on their mind. He has written for Slate, Vox, and other publications.

In this episode, Ian regales us with tales from the popular Brooklyn Night of Philosophy, considers what speech act theory can tell us about the rhetoric of the Black Lives Matter movement, and shares what he has learned running the “Ask a Philosopher” booth–from the funky to the weird, provocative, and profound.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE:

SUPPORT:

SPONSORED BY:

SHOW NOTES:

• Ian’s website: www.ianolasov.com
• Buy Ian’s book:

• Slate, “How Did ‘All Lives Matter’ Come to Oppose ‘Black Lives Matter’? A Philosopher Weighs In”

• Vox, “Offensive political dog whistles: you know them when you hear them. Or do you?”

TIP JAR

$1.00

Cameron Keys is a Financial Specialist at the Army Research Laboratory, but his intellectual journey started with philosophy. After studying the intersection of science, policy, and philosophy at ASU, Cameron was awarded a Presidential Management Fellowship that eventually brought him to work at the Department of Defense. In this episode, we talk about his work researching emerging technologies like nanotech and synthetic biology, laboratory ethnography, and what it’s like working at the largest organization at the world–as well as baseball, Buddhism, and how he accidentally ended up working as a production assistant on the film, Tropic Thunder in Hawaii.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE:

SHOW NOTES:

SPONSORED BY:

SUPPORT:

TIP JAR

$1.00

Marci Baranski destroys greenhouse gases for a living. After getting her PhD in biology and society, Marci became a Presidential Management Fellow and pursued a career as public servant, working for the US Department of Agriculture as a climate change specialist. Due in part to the Trump administration’s systematic rollback of climate policies, Marci transitioned into the private sector. Today, she works as a Research Asssociate at Tradewater, a new company that tracks down CFCs around the globe, destroys them, and sells the carbon credits on carbon markets.

At a time when understanding the interaction of biology and society has never been more important, Marci and I explore the epistemic and ethical issues around science and technology policy; the controversies over GMOs; the challenges of working on climate under the Trump administration; and more.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE:

SPONSORED BY:

SUPPORT:

SHOW NOTES:

• “How to Improve the Social Benefits of Agricultural Research,” Issues in Science and Technology (Spring 2020)
• National Geographic profile of Marci’s employer, Tradewater

TIP JAR

$1.00

Conventional wisdom regards the “STEM” disciplines as diametrically opposed to the humanities in general, and philosophy in particular. But Zachary Pirtle is living proof that this view is wrong headed. After studying philosophy and engineering as an undergraduate, Zach went on to receive an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Arizona State University and his PhD in Systems Engineering from George Washington University. His training and research in engineering was deeply informed by science policy and the philosophy of science.

During his graduate studies, Zach became a Presidential Management Fellow and a civil servant in the federal government. In addition to his day job, Zach has continued publishing his research, and has helped organize the Forum on Philosophy, Engineering, and Technology (fPET).

In this episode, he explains what philosophy–particularly ethics and epistemology–can contribute to engineering. We explore what engineering is; how the philosophy of science helped him stick with the study of engineering; and how to think about the obligations engineers have in and to a democratic society. At a time of waning public confidence in the federal government, on the one hand, and big tech, on the other, Zach helps us reflect on how science and technology policy might be intelligently designed to better serve the public and improve society.

We also talk about the power of science fiction to offer inspiring visions of the future…and his experience helping to organize a citizens forum on asteroids!

 (Note: Pirtle’s views are his own and do not represent his employer)

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE:

SUPPORT:

SHOW NOTES:

• Forum on Philosophy, Engineering, and Technology
• More background on Zach and his research

TIP JAR

$1.00

SPONSORED BY:

What can philosophy tell us about immigration and identity?

Amy Reed-Sandoval, assistant professor of philosophy at UNLV, is the founder of two Philosophy for Children (P4C) initiatives: one in Oaxaca, Mexico, and one at the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso. She is the author of the new book, Socially Undocumented: Identity and Immigration Justice.

Amy was recently awarded the Public Engagement Fellowship from the Whiting Foundation to expand her P4C work. In this episode, she shares her experience working in the conceptual and geographical borderlands between American and Mexican culture, between teaching children and college students, between philosophy and everyday life.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE:

SUPPORT:

SPONSORED BY:

SHOW NOTES:

• Amy’s Website
• Amy’s New Book, Socially Undocumented: Identity and Immigration Justice (Oxford)

• Oaxaca Philosophy for Children Initiative:

• Philosophy for Children in the Borderlands:

• Whiting Foundation Public Engagement Fellowship

TIP JAR:

$1.00

Tim Richardson is a Washington, DC based multi-client government affairs and media
consultant. After extensive political and business publishing and two congressional aide
stints, Richardson has become the nation’s only private sector consultant that has worked
on Exxon Valdez and Deepwater Horizon oil spill restoration. In addition, he has served
as Wildlife Forever’s Washington, DC representative since 1995.

In our conversation, Tim sings the praises of what he calls “normative careers,” and explains why studying the humanities and philosophy can not only lead to a fulfilling life, but a successful career. Tim has worn many hats throughout his career–journalist, speechwriter, fundraiser, consultant, lobbyist–and worked for a number of politicians, including Lloyd Bentsen. But what unites his efforts is his grounding in philosophy.

LISTEN and SUBSCRIBE:

SUPPORT:

SPONSORED BY:

SHOW NOTES:

• Tim’s Website
• Tim’s Book:

• Tim’s Presentations:

• Tim’s former boss Senator Lloyd Bentsen eviscerating Dan Quayle:

TIP JAR

Podcasting is a time-intensive labor of love. Your support is greatly appreciated!

$1.00