Deadbeat Philosophy

Are philosophy and literature really so different? Dave takes on this question, and a number of others, with the help of German literature scholar and visiting assistant professor of German studies at Whitman College, Rob Mottram. Rob and Dave cover the possibility of tossing out the philosophy/literature distinction altogether, the history and magical power of the novel, the relationship between...

Dave sits down with Australian environmental activist and social organizer Andrew George. Andrew recounts his experience preparing for the cyclone then on his doorstep, and he and Dave use this as a jumping off point to examine questions about the human/nature relationship, the global climate and extinction crises, settler-colonialist land-use paradigms, the future of democratic organizing, and th...

Dave sits down with mycologist, microbial biologist, and soil ecologist Dan Thomas. Dave and Dan chat about their experiences as expatriate Americans stranded in Germany, Dan’s research in the Fichtelgebirge woodlands outside of Bayreuth, the fungal microbiomes we live with and as everyday, Dan’s experiences working in and advocating for the Los Cedros Forest Reserve in Ecuador, the concept of non...

Dave sits down with marketing writer, air force veteran, and medieval history aficionado Ross Heintzkill. Dave and Ross talk about institutions and bureaucracy—the good and the bad, in the US and in Germany. They chat about the US founding fathers (especially Hamilton), the value of reading primary historical texts, the 4th Crusade (1202–1204), and about Ross’s relationship to death, as a veteran,...

Dave sits down with fellow philosopher, academic adviser, and long-time friend and research-collaborator, Lauren Eichler. Dave and Lauren talk about their winding journeys majoring in philosophy and advising students potentially interested in doing the same. They also talk about Lauren’s body of research on and personal connection to genocide, dehumanization, and the holocaust.  Lauren’s recommend...

Dave gives you a nutshell introduction to the Deadbeat Philosophy multi-verse, then has a chat about asteroid destruction and anthropocentrism with Montreal-based political scientist Thibaud Henin. Thibaud's webpage: https://www.henin.net/thibaud-henin Become a deadbeat, and read Dave’s deadbeat philosophical scribblings, at https://deadbeatphilosophy.substack.com Deadbeat philosophy = sideways in...