Podcast Episodes

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 2 days, 18 hours 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 3 weeks, 3 days ago

Episode #233 ... A philosophy of self-destruction. (Dostoevsky, Bataille)

Today we talk about two different theories for why we ritualize self-destructive behavior. We check out a lesser-known work from Dostoevsky called The Gambler. We consider how much we can hold people…

Published on 1 month ago

Episode #232 ... Byung Chul Han - The Crisis of Narration

Today we talk about the book The Crisis of Narration by the philosopher Byung Chul Han. We talk about the history of storytelling. Walter Benjamins distinction between a Paris fire and a revolution i…

Published on 1 month, 4 weeks ago

Episode #231 ... The Late Work of Wittgenstein - Language Games

Today we talk about the late work of Wittgenstein in Philosophical Investigations. We talk about the meaning of words. Augustine's theory. Forms of life. Rules and practices. Grammar. Geometry. Famil…

Published on 2 months, 1 week ago

Episode #230 ... Hope as an Existentialism (Ernst Bloch)

Today we talk about the early work of Ernst Bloch. Hope as anticipatory consciousness. The darkness of the lived moment. Educated hope vs false hope. Music as an experiential metaphysics and gateway …

Published on 2 months, 3 weeks ago

Episode #229 - Kafka and Totalitarianism (Arendt, Adorno)

Today we talk about Kafka's book The Castle and how the symbolism is interpreted by two powerhouse philosophers: Theodore Adorno and Hannah Arendt. Hope you love it! :)

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Published on 3 months, 1 week ago

Episode #228 ... Albert Camus - Kafka and The Fall

Today we talk about Camus' book The Fall and what the main character represents in his larger project. We also talk about someone Camus deeply admired, Franz Kafka, and how to think of the images he …

Published on 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Episode #227 ... Albert Camus - On Exile

Today we talk about the concept of exile from the work of Camus. We focus on a couple stories from his book Exile and The Kingdom. We talk about why Camus insists that true lucidity can only arise fr…

Published on 4 months, 2 weeks ago

Episode #226 - Albert Camus - The Rebel

Today we talk about Camus’ concept of rebellion and how it offers a powerful alternative to abstract ideologies. We talk about solidarity as the foundation for justice without systems. We talk about …

Published on 5 months ago