Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchEpisode #243 ... Hamlet - William Shakespeare
Today we talk about the play Hamlet written by William Shakespeare. We compare more traditional takes on the themes of the play to a more modern, philosophical analysis of the play done by Simon Crit…
Published on 10 hours ago
Episode #242 ... Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
Today we talk about the philosophy behind the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. We talk about how ineffective violence and honor codes are as ways of maintaining the stability of a societ…
Published on 3 weeks, 6 days ago
Episode #241 ... The Tragedy of Julius Caesar - William Shakespeare
Today we talk about the philosophical themes of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. We talk about the hypocrisy and false nostalgia of political violence. The ironies of living by a …
Published on 1 month, 1 week ago
Episode #240 ... Varieties of Religion Today (Charles Taylor)
Today we talk more about the work of Charles Taylor and his book The Varieties of Religion Today. We look at different answers to a classic question around religious belief. The sociological and stru…
Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Episode #239 ... Authenticity and the history of the self. (Charles Taylor)
Today we talk about the work of the philosopher Charles Taylor. First, we trace the historical origins of how he views the modern self. From the Greeks to the Reformation. From Descartes to Rousseau.…
Published on 2 months, 1 week ago
Episode #238 ... Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
Today we talk about the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. We talk about the mix of Romantic and Enlightenment attitudes and how it leads to problems without the proper oversight. We talk about techn…
Published on 2 months, 2 weeks ago
Episode #237 ... The Stoics Are Wrong - Nietzsche, Schopenhauer
Today we talk about two famous critiques of Stoicism. One by Friedrich Nietzsche who thought the Stoics weren’t life affirming enough and so rob themselves of some of the best parts of life. The othe…
Published on 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Episode #236 ... Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
Today we talk about the collection of journals known as Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. We mark the differences between Stoicism, modern Stoic ethics, and the journals of Marcus Aurelius. We talk abo…
Published on 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Episode #235 ... The Philosophy of Zen Buddhism - Byung Chul Han
Today we talk about one of Han's earlier books where he offers an alternative to classic western ideas about subjectivity. We talk about Zen as a religion without God. Substance and emptiness. Altern…
Published on 3 months, 3 weeks ago
Episode #234 ... The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera
Today we try to produce a philosophical guide for the book The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. We talk about Parmenides, Nietzsche's eternal recurrence, kitsch as something more than …
Published on 4 months, 1 week ago