Philosophy Talk - 2/8/12

Black Solidarity

From the abolition of slavery to the Black Power movement, black unity has been considered a powerful method to achieve freedom and equality.  But does black solidarity still make sense in a supposedly post-racial era?  Or should we be moving past all racial identities and identity politics?  And how should we think about racial solidarity versus class or gender solidarity?  In celebration of Black History Month, John and Ken join forces with Tommie Shelby from Harvard University, author of We Who Are Dark: The Philosophical Foundations of Black Solidarity.

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Philosophy Talk - 02/02/12

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Philosophy Talk - 01/25/12

Philosophy In Fiction

Philosophers think a lot about fiction. But do novelists think about philosophy? Do philosophers make good fictional characters? Can good stories be built around philosophical problems? When awarding its Genius prize to philosopher-novelist Rebecca Goldstein, the MacArthur Foundation said "[her] writings emerge as brilliant arguments for the belief that fiction in our time may be the best vehicle for involving readers in questions of morality and existence.'' Ken and John explore philosophy in fiction with Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of The Mind-Body Problem and 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction.

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Philosophy Talk - 01/18/12

REPEAT PROGRAM

Philosophy Talk - 01/11/12

The Examined Year - 2011

A new year offers an opportunity to reflect on significant moments of the past twelve months.  But what ideas and events that took shape over the past year have prompted us to question our assumptions and to think about things in new ways?  What significant events – in politics, in science, and in philosophy itself – have called into question our most deeply-held beliefs?  Join John, Ken, and their special guests as they celebrate the examined year with a philosophical look back at 2011.

Philosophy Talk - 01/04/12

Nihilism and Meaning

The ancients believed in an enchanted universe – a universe suffused with meaning and purpose. But with the dawn of modernity, philosophy and science conspired together to disenchant the universe, to reveal it as entirely devoid of meaning and purpose. Must any rational and reflective person living in the 21st century accept such nihilism? Or is there a way to re-infuse the disenchanted universe with meaning and purpose? John and Ken welcome Hubert Dreyfus, co-author of All Things Shining: Reading the Western Classics to Find Meaning in a Secular Age, for a thought-provoking discussion of nihilism and meaning. This program was recorded live at the Marsh theatre in San Francisco.

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Philosophy Talk - 12/28/11

How Relevant Is Jesus?

Some people think Jesus was the son of God, though many who are skeptical about that still think he was a great moral teacher.  But if we really knew what Jesus would think about moral issues that he didn't confront while he lived – abortion, terrorism, euthanasia, gay marriage or the destruction of old-growth redwoods – would it be that helpful?  Would his moral vision have any implications for these issues?  John and Ken discuss the moral philosophy of Jesus and its contemporary relevance with Andrew Fiala, Director of the Ethics Center at Fresno State University and author of What Would Jesus Really Do? The Power and Limits of Jesus' Moral Teachings. This program was recorded live at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California.

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Philosophy Talk - 12/21/11

Is It Wrong to Wreck the Earth?

There are too many people, doing too much damage to the ecosystem, essentially guaranteeing that future generations will have a damaged Earth, and will have to invest incredible amounts of time, money and labor to repairing what can be repaired.  But future generations are made up of people who don't yet exist – what obligations do we have to them?  And what obligations, if any, do we have to our fellow fauna and the flora we all depend on?  John and Ken welcome environmental ethicist and celebrated author Kathleen Moore for a program recorded live at Oregon State University in Corvallis.

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Philosophy Talk - 12/14/11

Forgive and Forget

At least forgive OR forget.  Get things behind you.  All good advice for those who don't want their life dominated by the bad things that have happened to them at the hands of others. This advice has also been applied to aggrieved populations following liberating reforms and revolutions, as in South Africa.  But what is forgiveness?  What are its limits?  Does it make sense to forgive those who attempt genocide, for example?  Does forgiveness entail a sacrifice of pride and dignity?  John and Ken let bygones be bygones with their guest, Paul Hughes from the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

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Philosophy Talk - 12/7/11

Fear!

Fear is an emotion, but it is one with a long history in both political theory and politics in the real world. In many versions of social contract theory, it is a fear of the state of nature that leads to government in the first place. From McCarthy to post-9/11 politics, fear has played a leading role in American public discourse. Ken and John examine fear as theme in politics and political philosophy with Corey Robin from the City University of New York, author of Fear: The History of a Political Idea.

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Philosophy Talk - 11/30/11

Military Service and Public Life

Is the military draft a natural expression of democratic values, or a challenge to our most basic concepts of individual rights and liberties?  Are the values that make for an effective military consistent with the values that make for a free and democratic republic? If the government must have the power to defend the nation, does it follow that it must have the power to control events around the entire world?  John and Ken enlist themselves in a discussion of military service and public life with Pulitzer Prize winning historian David Kennedy.  This program was recorded in front of a live audience at the Marsh theatre in San Francisco.

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Philosophy Talk - 11/23/11

Kierkegaard

Philosophy usually suggests a striving for rationality and objectivity.  But the Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard advocated subjectivity and the leap of faith – his conception of how an individual would believe in God or act in love.  Kierkegaard, whose best-known work is Fear and Trembling, is often considered the father of Existentialism.  John and Ken explore the life and thought of this passionate philosopher with Lanier Anderson from Stanford University.

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Philosophy Talk - 11/16/11

Is Nothing Sacred Anymore?

Tribal societies lived in a world of the sacred and profane, ritual and taboo.  Is there anything left of this structure in the modern world?  Is anything really taboo, or are things just inadvisable, problematic, unhealthy, unwise, and less than optimal under the circumstances?  John and Ken consider what, if anything, is still sacred with Cora Diamond from the University of Virginia.  This program was recorded in front of a live audience at Pacific University's 15th annual undergraduate philosophy conference in Forest Grove, Oregon.

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Philosophy Talk - 11/09/11

Miracles

Religions rely on miracles to demonstrate the authenticity of figures thought to have supernatural powers.  Many people feel that key events in their lives were literally miracles.  Many even claim to have witnessed miracles.  But what counts as a miracle?  Is it true, as Hume argued, that it is always more rational to disbelieve the testimony of a miracle than to believe in the miracle itself?  John and Ken explore what miracles are, and what would constitute good reasons for believing in them, with Peter Graham from the University of California Riverside.

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Philosophy Talk - 10/19/11

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Cooperation and Conflict

The Prisoner’s Dilemma is a problem studied in game theory that shows how two people might not cooperate even if it is in both their best interests to do so.  It highlights the inherent tension between individual interests and a larger society.  Should you pick up your trash at the lunch table?  Should you push in your chair after getting up?  Should you take performance-enhancing drugs?  Should you preserve the earth for the next generation?  John and Ken find their mutual interests in a discussion of cooperation and conflict with Cristina Bicchieri from the University of Pennsylvania, author of The Grammar of Society: The Nature and Dynamics of Social Norms.