Drunken Philosophy

The Harlem Renaissance was an explosion of culture, art, and philosophy in Black America. At the head of one of the many movements dominating the conversation during that time was a Jamaican-born, controversial figure named Marcus Garvey. This week, Connor and Dan dig into Garvey's particular brand of pan-Africanism and how he clashed with other black intellectuals of his time. They also talk abou...

As members of global capitalists societies, we're all well aware of what economic capital is and how it effects our lives. But did you know there are other kinds of capital? Pierre Bourdieu knew that, and he outlined them over the course of his sociological career. This week, Connor and Dan discuss the various forms and functions of Cultural Capital, Social Capital, Symbolic Capital, and Tom from...

This week, your two favorite narc-ass uncles decide to put aside the beers and vodka sodas so they can partake in a little something the kids are calling "Jazz Grass." That's right. In honor of having an episode that's vaguely in the vicinity of 4/20, Connor and Dan did a drug. They also discussed the 1857 book "The Hasheesh Eater" written by American essayist, poet, and explorer Fitz Hugh Ludlow....

Plato once pined for a day when philosopher kings would rule civilization. A handful of centuries later he sort of got his wish when devout Stoic Marcus Aurelius took the reins as Emperor of Rome. To see what that this thoughtful bearded hunk was all about, Connor and Dan read some excerpts from his personal diary, later known as Meditations. This is basically CrossFit for your soul, so get pumped...

You've heard of Anarchy in the U.K. But Anarchy in the U.S.A.??? That's right! This week, Connor and Dan don their liberty spikes and chuck their molotov cocktails as they travel back to 19th century America and examine the various flavors of anarchism taking shape in the flailing union. Do these Free Love abolitionists have any good ideas? Or are they just trying to avoid going to the post office...

This New England philosopher was famous for wearing a red and white stripped shirt and getting lost in large crowds. He had a girlfriend, a dog, an evil cousin, and a friend who was also a wizard. Today we remember and celebrate him by talking about that stuff for five minutes and then focusing on the actual philosophy in the essay "Self-Reliance." Sorry.  

Hey guys, remember Hamilton? That famous rap-tap-tapping musical that swept the nation some years ago? Well, Connor and Dan finally got around to doing a podcast episode that's minimally and tangentially related to that. Sure, John Locke gets a lot of the credit for inspiring the Founding Fathers but your boy Montesquieu deserves a second look (with apologies to King Ralph).

Happy St. Paddy's Day to all the lads and lasses! To celebrate this holiest of high holidays, Connor and Dan take a look back at two very different Irish philosophers from the 17th century. George Berkeley's philosophical legacy is secure, though his ideas are a bit nonsense. John Toland is often forgotten, though his ideas were revolutionary. They were contemporaries, men of God, and Irishmen. Bu...

If you're tired of all your podcasts sounding the same, fitting into the same cookie-cutter shape, and convincing you to remain sedate and complacent, you might be confronting a little thing called the Culture Industry. German philosophy Theodor Adorno along with Max Horkheimer developed this Marxist critique of capitalist society before joining the highly influential Frankfurt Group in the wake o...

After struggling to succinctly summarize multiple suggested topics, Dan decides to pull the rip cord and dedicate an entire episode to his passion: Lord of the Rings. But it's not just pure fandom here. He and Connor discuss the philosophy at work in Tolkien's fantasy epic which was at least partially inspired by his experiences in WWI. Tolkien fever is spreading. Catch it!

The fact that Simone de Beauvoir is a straight-up genius is established canon on this podcast. But Connor and Dan have somehow made it over 250 episodes without ever discussing her second, incredibly influential essay, "The Ethics of Ambiguity." Get ready to get uncomfortable (not in a sexual way!). Also, there are some loud dogs near Dan's house and, baby, you can hear 'em!

No, he's not the Superman guy. But he does have a lot to do with the movies! This week, Connor and Dan discuss American philosopher Stanley Cavell, a pioneer in the realm of ordinary language philosophy and intellectual discussions of pop culture. He made dumb stuff sound smart! Kind of the opposite of this podcast!

Before Connor runs out the door to get to work, he and Dan manage to sit down for a brief, impassioned chat about the philosophy and culture of Japanese Samurai. Of course, a lot of their information comes from cool movies they like, but there is some concrete info in here from books like  Bushido: The Soul of Japan  and  Hagekure . Hopefully this is interesting to someone besides Dan! Only time w...

This week the boys talk about a topic that was suggested by a great and wonderful and nice listener, 'Topher: Modern Stoicism! The updated millennial version! We also derail into a very funny topic that is not philosophy. You know the show! (I also did not listen to it before editing and posting, I can only assume we did that.) Enjoy!

Hello Sliders! This week, Connor from a nearby bubble universe talks with a Dan that never quit his job at Bevmo! about parallel universes. They also get pretty stoked about the upcoming MIB international movie. Enjoy!

Since they're always talking about Netflix, streaming television, and the internet in general, Connor and Dan figured it was time they checked out Marshall McLuhan and his whole "Medium is the Message" thing. Turns out Dan is pretty interested in media studies (or so he claims) and they both have some thoughts on Black Mirror's new choose your own adventure experiment. But first! They have a ten m...

Trigger warning: Stuff gets aggressively horny in this episode! Based off a listener suggestion, Connor and Dan dive into the twisted world of French intellectual figure Georges Bataille who dabbled in everything from economics to mysticism to eroticism because that's just the kind of eclectic dude he was! We're talking transgressive art here, so you know Wikifeet is going to be referenced multipl...

It's the new year! Time to turn over a new leaf and then immediately think about how pointless it is to turn over a new leaf because we're all going to die someday. But, whether you're ushering in the end of humanity or not, this will be an informative (and depressing) look at the persistence of German pessimism throughout the years. Schopenhauer-heads, this one is for you!

Tis the season mother f-er's! That means it's time to talk about giving to charity and whether or not it's a good thing. Peter Singer and Larry Temkin stand in opposition (sort of) when it comes to how we should be doling out charitable efforts. Also, some kid keeps falling in a damn pond. Enjoy this holiday episode ya filthy animals!

Just in time for the Christmas Holidays (and Connor's spur of the moment trip to Vegas) the Drunken Philosophy boys are here to put a damper on everyone's hopes of becoming a millionaire. The American Dream says that we can achieve a better future for ourselves and our children if we work hard enough. But is it a lie? And what kind of bad shit have we done because we thought it was true?

Long before the Decepticons battled the Autobots, an English philosopher by the name of Jeremy Bentham came up with a building design called a Panopticon. What benevolent reason did he design these buildings for? Prisons of course! This week, Connor and Dan discuss the bizarre misguided attempt and utilitarian harmony Bentham made when he designed the Panopticon. They also talk about Transformers...

In a special "ripped from the headlines" edition of Drunken Philosophy, Connor and Dan discuss the semi-recent establishment of a social scoring system in China that's straight out of an episode of  Black Mirror . This autocratic, dystopian nightmare begs the question: What is society's role in the betterment of its people? Hopefully, the Alibaba surveillance network isn't listening in on this epi...

Don't get your hopes up robot-heads. We're discussing gender theory on this episode. Donna Haraway's 1985 essay "A Cyborg Manifesto" used an extended, ironic metaphor to argue for a new approach to feminism, and here in 2018, Connor and Dan are nodding in agreement. We hope your gender fluids are primed and ready for this extra-postmodern episode.

A few years ago, Connor and Dan discussed the paradox of duplication that teleportation can cause. Now that Connor has taken a dip into the cool waters of Star Trek, Dan figures it's time to revisit this sci-fi heavy thought experiment. Together, they attempt to answer the question: Who is coming out of the transporter? Me? Or just a copy of me? And what if we both survive and continue to exist. H...

Sure, we know bad things happen and there are bad people in the world. But are people truly "evil?" And, if so, what do we even mean when we say "evil?" In this slightly loosey-goosey episode of Drunken Philosophy, Connor and Dan discuss the different philosophical approaches to the question of evil and try to outline a more helpful definition of this taboo word. Before you listen, they'd just lik...