Philosophy Talk

From his theory of the Forms, to his views about morality, justice, and the soul Plato was one the greatest and most influential philosophers of all time. Indeed, it has been said that all of philosophy is but a footnote to Plato. Find out why as John and Ken dig into the philosophical views of Plato, with their guest, Chris Bobonich, author of Plato’s Utopia Recast.

Is happiness a mere psychological state? And if so, what’s so important about it? Is there anything more to being happy than just thinking you’re happy? Or is happiness a way of life? John and Ken get happy with Robert Solomon from the University of Texas at Austin, author of True to Our Feelings: What Our Emotions Are Really Telling Us

Rolling the dice in a game you’re rigged to lose sounds like a bad idea. So why is it so much fun? Is gambling an exciting pastime, or a vicious addiction? John and Ken take their chances with Will Barrett from the University of Melbourne, author of “Luck and Decision.”

Is affirmative action a way of balancing out inequality? Or is it just another form of bias in admissions and hiring practices? And where’s the line between fostering diversity and lowering standards? John and Ken affirmatively welcome Elizabeth Anderson from the University of Michigan, auhor of The Imperative of Integration.

You can own a car or a bicycle. But what about an idea? If you invent a program it seems like you should have some say about its use. But can you really own the idea itself? Listen in and steal an idea or two from Larry Lessig, author of The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World.

Paternalism and Health: Some diseases such as Alzheimer’s inhibit our abilities to make decisions and lessen our quality of life. In cases like these, we often think that others are justified in stepping in and making decisions for that person. But what about the case where the person in question is relatively healthy but suffers, perhaps, from minor depression, or an anxiety disorder? When (if ev...

Some psychologists claim to have demonstrated that humans are systematically, deeply and perhaps irredeemably irrational in their reasoning and decision making. But what is rationality and why does it matter? If we are really so irrational, how have we managed to get this far as a species? Maybe rationality isn’t such a big deal after all. Tune in as Ken Taylor and guest host Nadeem Hussain size u...

What is virtue? Is virtue the key human happiness and flourishing, as the ancients held, or a quaint notion of at best secondary interest for ethics, as many modern theorists hold? Does the return of virtue ethics to contemporary philosophy mark an advance in our thinking about morality or is it just a nostalgia for morally simpler times? John and Ken sing the praises of Julia Driver from Dartmout...

Is physician assisted suicide morally okay? What about active euthanasia for patients suffering terminal illnesses? If we begin traveling down this path, how do we put a break to our slide down the slippery slope toward a world in which we license physicians to kill or assist the suicide of severely depressed but not terminally ill patients? John and Ken have a dignified discussion with Margaret B...

We like to think that terrorism is always wrong. But what if the cause is just? Do the ends ever justify the means? And how do we define “terrorism” anyway?

Does life have a meaning? If we were created by a powerful God, would that give our lives meaning? Who gave God’s existence meaning? What if we were created by a crazy scientist wholly for the purpose of irritating their spouse? John and Ken search for meaning with Howard Wettstein from UC Riverside.

We shouldn’t be mean to animals. Is that because animals have rights, like people do? Or is it just because people care about animals? Is it intrinsically worse to step on dog than on a spider? John and Ken play nice with Lori Gruen from Wesleyan University, author of Ethics and Animals: An Introduction.

Is there a right and a wrong way to speak English? Is there really something wrong with saying, “Hopefully, we’ll have a good century,” or “Where is the library at?” or “There is no way to correctly split an infinitive”? Is grammatical purity just snobbism? John and Ken don’t hold their tongues with linguist and NPR commentator Geoff Nunberg.

What can we learn from baseball? Are the passions we have for our baseball teams and heroes irrational?  If so, what makes passions for families, cities, countries, universities, or radio stations more rational? Are all allegiances and loyalties ultimately arbitrary?  Eminent Kant scholar and baseball fan extraordinare Allen Wood visits.

How is taxation different from stealing? What right does the government have to take some of our money? No taxation without representation? What difference does representation make? John and Ken pay their dues with Barbara Fried from the Stanford Law School.

Is the conscious mind just the brain or something more? Can science explain consciousness? How does Ken know that John is a conscious being and not just an automaton programmed to act like a conscious being? Or is John just an automaton? John and Ken consciously welcome David Chalmers from the Australian National University, author of The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory.

What is humor? What makes some jokes funny? Why did the chicken cross the road? Tune in for deep thoughts and big laughs as Ken, John and guest Ted Cohen, author of Jokes: Philosophical Thoughts on Joking Matters, discuss the philosophical aspects of humor.

Has science replaced religion? Can one be religious and maintain a scientific viewpoint? Does belief in evolution undermine morality or belief in God, or vice versa? Ken and John take on the big questions with George Ellis from the University of Cape Town, author of On the Moral Nature of the Universe.

Nietzsche. Ken and John and Übermensch-at-large Brian Leiter discuss everyone’s favorite syphilitic philosopher. Was he a mysogynistic Nazi-supporter, or an artistic visionary who sought to set us free from our moralistic chains? Boring radio is dead.

Does the free market provide incentives for behavior that is problematic from a moral perspective? Or does the free market punish morally problematic behavior? Is respecting the free market itself moral, insofar as respecting the free market is also respecting individual freedom of choice? John and Ken enter the marketplace of ideas with Elizabeth Anderson from the University of Michigan, author o...

When is genetic manipulation morally permissible? For health? Beauty? Wit? What sorts of animals is it acceptable to clone? Should we ban stem cell research? John and Ken discuss cloning and the ethical issues surrounding genetic engineering with Hank Greely from the Stanford Law School.

Does America’s drug problem rest on confused philosophy? Ken and John discuss the philosophical issues underlying arguments for and against the legalization of drugs with Peter De Marneffe from Arizona State University, co-author of The Legalization of Drugs.

Ken and John debate (use?) the insanity defense. What difference does it make if the person who commits a crime is, in one way or another, mentally ill? Does this make punishment illegitimate? Why is punishment, rather than therapy, ever legitimate? Which sorts of mental illness should exempt a criminal from punishment? Inability to know right from wrong? Inability to resist compulsion? Irrational...

Patriotism versus Comopolitanism: Is your loyalty to America and Americans more important than the common humanity you share with everyone on the globe?

With what right does the state say who can and cannot marry? The state has, at various times, said that people of different races cannot marry, that people of the same sex cannot marry, that no one can marry more than one person at at time. But with what legitimate authority can the state make such prohibitions? John and Ken welcome Richard Mohr from the University of illinois at Urbana-Champaign,...