Around the Corner (Sêng-Gān)

A reflection on an emotional struggle that began around this time last year, and on what it means not to “move on” completely, but instead to learn how to live alongside one’s emotions. From years of emotional suppression to the moment those feelings finally overflowed, this episode explores therapy, friendship, and the gradual process of learning how to express emotion more honestly. It also look...

Using A Foggy Tale as a starting point, this cornoer reflects on the White Terror from a contemporary perspective: how historical amnesia in Taiwan has made it difficult for many people to understand the suffering of that era, and to see how state violence, surveillance, and the erasure of memory continue to shape Taiwan’s present political reality and collective loneliness. From the absurd symbol...

The film A Foggy Tale as a gateway to the White Terror era of 1950s Taiwan, following A-gueh’s journey to Taipei to retrieve her brother’s body after a political execution and revealing how state violence shattered individual lives and families amid historical obscurity. With the character Zhao Gongdao—who wraps tragedy in comedy—and the symbolism of the watch, reflecting on guilt, quiet mutual ca...

Three Days of Happiness reflects on whether the value of life can be measured by external standards, through three perspectives: money, the understanding of others, and self-identity. Ultimately, only what we define for ourselves—and what genuinely brings us happiness—constitutes the true meaning of life. ✉️ Collaboration inquiries: aroundthecornercast@gmail.com ☕️ Support the show: https://pay.s...

This episode explains how we use “distance” between possible worlds to judge counterfactuals like “If I hadn’t shot, he wouldn’t have died,” and why we usually choose worlds most similar to ours. It then introduces David Lewis’s “small miracle” idea to explain how one key event can differ while laws of nature stay effectively the same. ✉️ Collaboration inquiries: aroundthecornercast@gmail.com ☕️...

Returning to causation in the natural world, we use counterfactual conditionals to analyze “if not A, then no B.” To judge whether a counterfactual is true or false, we introduce possible worlds: in worlds highly similar to reality but with a key fact altered, we observe whether the outcome changes—thereby distinguishing genuine causation from mere coincidence. ✉️ Collaboration inquiries: aroundth...

The Imputable Cause Theory refines how law determines responsibility beyond mere causation. Unlike adequate causation, it asks whether someone created a legally prohibited risk and whether that risk actually caused the harm. Through examples like childbirth and traffic accidents, we know that the law focuses not just on causal links but on the social and legal purpose behind responsibility — disti...

The purpose of determining causation in law is to identify responsibility. If we rely solely on counterfactual conditionals to establish a “conditional causal relationship,” we risk including overly remote or accidental factors within the scope of liability. Therefore, the concept of “adequate causation,” judged according to general life experience and ordinary circumstances, is introduced to appl...

In philosophy, we can use what’s called a “counterfactual conditional” to judge causation: If A didn’t happen, then B wouldn’t happen either. This helps us tell the difference between mere correlation and real causation. But it’s not always so simple. Take this case: people eventually die no matter what. So when someone is shot, how do we define that death as being caused by the gunshot? ✉️ Collab...

When we face the most extreme acts of violence in society, we often hope to use the death penalty as a way to end evil. But does such punishment truly deliver justice? Are we relying too heavily on a simplified narrative—reducing human nature to black-and-white labels so we can quickly decide who “deserves sympathy” and who “deserves scorn”? When we support a form of punishment, are we also prepar...

The death penalty is an extreme form of punishment that demands an individual bear 100% responsibility for their actions. Yet in reality, our behaviors are often shaped by societal frameworks and the expectations of others, making it difficult to claim they arise purely from free will. If full responsibility cannot be clearly established, how can such an absolute punishment be justified? Is the de...

Three Main Arguments Against the Death Penalty: 1. The Deterrence Debate: Whether the death penalty effectively deters crime remains controversial. While some studies support its deterrent effect, others argue its impact is limited. 2. Risk of Judicial Error: No matter how advanced the legal system is, wrongful convictions can still happen. The irreversible nature of the death penalty makes such m...

At “Around the Corner,” I believe that if we take just one more step forward, truth or new knowledge lies waiting at the corner. Let’s stroll together through philosophy, current events, and social issues, in search of overlooked perspectives and thoughts. ✉️Collaboration inquiries: aroundthecornercast@gmail.com ☕️ Support the show: https://pay.soundon.fm/podcasts/f53cfad4-ca02-4b09-9b3a-ec899eef...