Philosophy After Hours

In this episode we discuss the aesthetic significance of "mumble rap". Is the genre simply about having fun? Is it an artistic revolt against the "old heads"? Does the genre need to further mature or "come into its own" before it can be appreciated in a richer sense (whatever that means)? Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patre...

In this episode we discuss the possible virtue of idleness. Are work, labor, and productivity the only measures of human value? What if you just sit around and binge watch a Netflix series? Can there be any value in that? And must the value of our activities always be determined in terms of its measurable accomplishments? Hear what we think? If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at...

In this episode we interrogate the metaphor of depth as it relates to human understanding. We often say a remark was "deep," that analysis has "depth," or maybe that we wish to make a "deeper" point. But what is signified in that "depth"? And is that spatial metaphor a felicitous one? Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon a...

In this episode we discussion renunciation. What does it mean to renounce something or someone? When and why should you do it? Should you renounce family and friends to pursue a path of religious purity? Should you renounce alcohol because "once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic"? Hear what we think? If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at pa...

In this episode we stumble onto a discussion about the sacred, the profane, and what each of them mean for us. Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo . Text: Izumi Shikibu, "Come Quickly," in  Love Poems , ed. Peter Washington (New York: Knopf, 1993), 43.

After an extended discussion on nostalgia, in this episode we consider the idea of "politicization". Does our culture too often bring politics into places where politics doesn't belong? Why can't you just watch a sports game without people kneeling in protest? Does politics need to be kept on the margins? Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also,...

In this week's Last Call episode we begin a reading series on Nnedi Okorafor's sci-fi, fantasy novel Lagoon (2014). Even though we only look at the first few pages of the book, we explore a series of interesting themes that Nnedi introduces, ultimately focusing on the morally vexed relationship between oppressors and oppressed. How can the oppressed at once claim that their oppressors are morally...

In this episode we discuss Covid-19 and the possibility or impossibility of thinking of life "after" Covid. How will the time after Covid come about? Is having a vaccine sufficient? Can liberal reforms within a capitalist system save us? Hear what we think? If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo . Text: Masatoshi Na...

We're sorry we've been gone so long, folks. We'll get back on track in the next couple of weeks. For now, please enjoy this unlocked Last Call episode from our Patreon feed. Thanks for listening. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo .

In this episode we discuss the riots that have been taking place across the globe since the murder of George Floyd. We specifically discuss the role police should play in any vision of a better world. Is defunding enough? Are calls for the abolition of the cops "unrealistic"? Do police serve a good social function? Hear what we think? If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail....

This week we sit back and listen. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo . Text: James Baldwin, "A Report from Occupied Territory, " in  The Nation , June 11, 1966.

In this second "shooting the shit" episode we discuss Shakespeare's King Lear and wax Hegelian about the protagonist, consider how overloading on tv during quarantine has ruined tv, and opine about "stoner culture". Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo . P.S. "Groundlings" were people who could...

In this episode we discuss the madness of Nietzsche's madman. What's the madman (Nietzsche?) mad about? Can this madness be overcome? Are we today still ill-equipped to register the death of God? Has the madman still "come too soon"? Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo . Texts: Mary Oliver, A...

In this episode we discuss protests. What function do they serve? Do they only ever express frustration or are they necessary and effective components of political transformation? How should we think about solidarity with those protesting for/against things that are not clearly related to our own interests? Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, his us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Als...

In this episode we discuss whether or not blood ties have any significance. We often believe we have certain responsibilities or obligations to blood relatives because  they are blood relatives. But why? Is it something mystical? Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo . Text: Nikki Giovanni, "400...

In this episode we discuss the act of apology. Is it always necessary in response to a perceived transgression? What purpose does it serve? And are any among us exempt from the demand? Hear what we think.  If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo . Text: Pablo Neruda, "Don't Go Far Off" [Can't locate exact source. Loo...

In this episode we discuss whether or not belief in God is good. Does God serve an essential function to the social and cultural fabric? Is it useful? Necessary? Important? Hear what we think.  If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo . Text: Matthew 5:1-16

In this episode we discuss desire, and the extent to which we should police it (if ever). What if our desires are not hurting anyone? Does over-policing desire inhibit the possibility of genius? Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo . Text: Theodor S. Geisel [Dr. Seuss], The Cat in the Hat  (New...

In this episode we discuss the nature of plastic surgery. Is it inherently egoistic and superficial? Or does cosmetic surgery offer a means of better expressing and realizing our "deeper" self? Can it ever be taken too far? Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo .  Text: Wright Mills, The Power E...

In this episode we discuss whether or not we should have the choice to end our own life. What obligations (if any) do we have to stay alive? Is our life truly our own, to do with what we like? Under what conditions is taking our own life permissible? Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo . Text:...

In this episode we discuss various conditions by which a democracy flourishes. Do we have a responsibility to vote? Is there a moral obligation to be an informed voter? Ought we ever vote beyond our own interests? Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo .   Text: Noam Chomsky and Michel Foucault, ...

In this inaugural "shooting the shit" episode, we're playing it a bit loose. We discuss the absurdity of God's promise to Abraham in the book of Genesis, online bullying, whether we could avoid the drive to masturbate if it meant we would contract coronavirus, and the little pleasures that come with teaching undergraduates. Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[...

In this episode we talk about video games. What kinds of skills are involved in playing video games? Are such skills less impressive than the skills put on display by, say, athletes? Do video games offer only escapism or can they prove instructive for navigating life? Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/the...

In this episode we air our grievances with U.S. military power and operations. Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo . Text: Frantz Fanon,  The Wretched of the Earth , trans. Richard Philcox (New York: Grove, 2004), 2-3.

In this episode we talk about the nature and practice of open marriage as opposed to monogamy. Are open marriages more trusting? Is monogamy outdated and out of step with human nature? Hear what we think. If you want to contact us, hit us up at therilkeanzoo[at]gmail.com. Also, find us on Patreon at patreon.com/therilkeanzoo . Text: Rainer Maria Rilke, Book of Hours: Love Poems to God , trans. Ani...