So. It seems like you’ve decided to spend your free time listening to a podcast about dead guys who spent their entire lives asking questions that have no answers, and somehow you think this is a good use of your finite existence on this pale blue dot hurtling through an indifferent universe. Very chill. Very normal.
Welcome to our roundup of the best episodes of Philosophize This!, the podcast that has a truly diabolical talent for making you feel like a complete intellectual fraud one minute and an absolute galaxy-brained genius the next, often within the same episode. So sit back, suspend your assumptions, and try not to have an existential crisis before the end of the page. No promises, though.
Episode #083 … Henry David Thoreau
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This episode takes a look at Henry David Thoreau’s views on the individual, society, and civil disobedience.
Episode #073 … How to Win an Argument Pt. 1
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This episode examines several common logical fallacies and how to identify them.
Episode #151… The Frankfurt School – Erich Fromm on Freedom
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The continued exploration of the work of Erich Fromm.
Episode #056 … Kant pt.1 – An Introduction to the Introduction
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In this episode, the host begins an exploration of Immanuel Kant, his historical context, the philosophical challenges posed by David Hume, and Kant’s own views on the limits of human knowledge.
Episode #001 … Presocratic Philosophy – Ionian
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This episode covers the “Out of Africa” theory, the hardships faced by early humans, the term “Pre-Socratic,” the first philosopher Thales, the notoriously cantankerous philosopher Heraclitus, and Democritus, the godfather of atomism.
Episode #094 … A Look at Suffering
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An examination of the concept of suffering from multiple angles, drawing on the philosopher Fyodor Dostoyevsky and the Transhumanist movement known as The Hedonistic Imperative.
Episode #239 … Authenticity and the history of the self. (Charles Taylor)
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This episode explores the work of philosopher Charles Taylor, tracing the historical origins of the modern self from the Greeks to Descartes to Rousseau, and examining Taylor’s views on authenticity as a moral ideal and why he believes it is so widely misunderstood.
Episode #180 … What if everything is consciousness? Phillip Goff on Panpsychism
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An exploration of one theory of consciousness known as Panpsychism.
Episode #131 … Gramsci – Cultural Hegemony
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This episode examines the work of Antonio Gramsci, an Italian Marxist philosopher who was also a vocal critic of Benito Mussolini.
Episode #089 … Simone De Beauvoir – The Second Sex
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This episode takes a look at the groundbreaking work of Simone De Beauvoir, entitled The Second Sex.
Episode #205 … Why a meritocracy is corrosive to society. (Michael Sandel)
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This episode takes a look at the dark side of meritocracy, its effects on the way people perceive one another, the dialectic of pride and humility, education reform, and a reimagining of how society views government officials.
Episode #172 … Simone Weil – Attention
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This episode opens with a broad exploration of the thought of Simone Weil, accompanied by stories drawn from her life.
Episode #005 … Aristotle Pt. 1
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This episode explores various applications of Aristotle’s ethics in modern life, examining the idea of crafting a life plan, the underlying similarities among all human desires, and what it truly means to live well.
Episode #163 … The Creation of Meaning – Escape From Evil
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This episode continues the exploration of the work of Ernest Becker.