Unlimited Opinions - Philosophy, Theology, Linguistics, & More

You know you're a good king when you have a giant bronze jar made specifically to hide in out of your own fear and cowardice! At least, that seemed to work for King Eurystheus as he sent Heracles out on his twelve famous labors. In this episode, we look at all twelve labors, including the Nemean Lion, the Lernaean Hydra, the Cretan Bull,  the capture of Cerberus, and all nine others! We also...

Join us in this episode of Unlimited Opinions as we look at the  real  Avengers of the Ancient Greeks: Jason and the Argonauts. We discuss every part of the journey, from how the quest to capture the Golden Fleece was begun, the members of the Argonauts, the trials they faced along the journey, and how Medea is just absolutely terrifying.  Follow us on Twitter! @UlmtdOpinions Give us your opinions...

We now come to the conclusion of Odysseus' story as he makes it back to his home of Ithaca. However, he still has many trials to face, as we discuss in this episode! Join us as we look at the reunion of Odysseus and Telemachus, Penelope's plan to keep the suitors away, the battle in Odysseus' palace, and much more!  Follow us on Twitter! @UlmtdOpinions Give us your opinions here!

In this episode, we break down Odysseus' famous journey to Ithaca from Troy. Every scene in this story is famous, from the Lotus-Eaters to the Cyclopes. from the sorceress Circe to the House of Hades, and from the Sirens to the Flock of Helius. Join us as we look at all of these famous adventures and discuss what to admire in Odysseus and what you should definitely not admire!  Follow us on T...

The Trojan War: just an Ancient Greek Avengers? Join us as we look at the stories surrounding the city of Troy, including the judgement of Paris, all the events leading up to the Trojan War, and the war itself, which is really a lot of miniature battles in one big battle. We also talk about the Latin language, the nature of warfare, and how the Siege of Gondor relates to the Trojan War. We also ha...

If I had a nickel for every story in this episode that featured a man stealing clothes from a woman and forcing her to marry him, I'd have two nickels! Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice. In this last episode focusing on Chinese mythology, we look at an assortment tales, including the story of how the silkworm came to be, the Crane Maiden, the Wooden Bridge Inn...

If you listen to a prerecorded form of entertainment, are you then engaging in a live performance? Of course not, right? Apparently that is up for debate in this episode as we look at various Chinese gods that are important to the connection between the mortal and immortal worlds. We look at the kitchen god who reports families' behavior to the Supreme Being of the Heavens, the door gods who...

Chang E: worst wife ever? This episode is rife with unfortunate relationships, including the terrible parenting of Dijun and Xihe, the atrocious mother of Hou Ji, and the sad tale of Nu Jiao and the dragon Yü. Join us as we look at how Yi hunted down the ten suns and various other monsters, the story of how Chang E is the worst and now rightfully lives on the moon alone, how Hou Ji survived a mult...

In this episode we look at two stories of giants in early Chinese mythology, and talk about how the word 'giant' is not to be confused with 'jötunn,' even though the words are clearly related! We talk about Xing Tian's battle with the Yellow Emperor, which could have been a much funnier story if it was played like the scene in the hit animated movie  Robots . We also discu...

Every fall, we'll talk about Chiyou and absolutely nobody but us will have any idea what we're talking about but us! Join us in this episode as we look at the Chinese Tales of the Five Emperors, including how Huang Ti became the Yellow Emperor and founded his palace, how the Red Emperor helped humanity in just about every way possible, and how Chiyou challenged the Yellow Emperor and hum...

What was the result of the War Between the Gods of Fire and Water? Steam, of course! This and more non-jokes are in this episode of Unlimited Opinions as we cover Chinese Creation Myths. We look at Pan Gu and how his body became the world, how Nü Wa created humanity, and the actual result of the War Between the Gods of Fire and Water, which was more than just a little steam. We also make connectio...

Adam Franklin Francis Finn mac Cumaill Bishop. That has a nice ring to it! Well, it's easier to pronounce than some of these other Celtic names. In this episode, we look at the last section of Celtic mythology: the Fenian Cycle, especially the stories of Finn mac Cumaill. We look at Finn's birth and how he became leader of the Fianna, how he pursued Diarmuid and Gráinne in his old age, a...

Our favorite Celtic hero? Well, it's that kooky guy, of course! Join us for this and more mispronunciations of Celtic names as we continue to dive into Celtic mythology. This time, we look at stories of Cuchulainn, from the birth of the famous hero , to how he earned his name, and the tragedies of his son Connla and his friend Ferdia. We also look at the significance of pride and how one can...

Misery! Never-ending misery! Join us as we look at impossible tasks, thousand-year punishments, bloody battles, and more fun stuff in Celtic mythology. We look at three major stories of the Invasion Cycle: The Quest of the Children of Tuirenn, The Tragedy of the Children of Lir, and the Wooing of Etain. We discuss the impossible tasks that Lugh of the Long Arm gives to Brian, Iucharba, and Iuchar...

Who in the world feeds flies? Apparently Sadaka, the hero of the Swahili story of the Three Tests! In this episode of Unlimited Opinions, we cover more than just fly-feeding as we look at African parables and how we can apply the morals of these stories to our lives today. We discuss the story of Walukaga the blacksmith and his order to be build an iron man, the hauntingly cyclical Mbundu story of...

What do Terminator 2 and Roadhouse have in common? African Animal Fables, apparently. In this episode, we look at tales about animals from all over Sub-Saharan Africa, including how Anansi became a story-telling spider, the slow-moving Tortoise's often devious tales, Gihilihili the Snake-Man, and many more! Join us in looking at these varied tales as we discuss their morals and how they can b...

Unlimited Opinions is back! In Season 2, we're reading Myths & Legends , a compendium of world mythologies edited by Jake Jackson. In this episode we look at Sub-Saharan African myths of Creation, especially the Yoruba stories of Olorun, Olokun, Obatala, and how they created the world and humanity. We also look at various stories of Death, including the Krache story of the giant Owuo and...

Join Mark and Adam for the heartfelt conclusion to Season 1 of Unlimited Opinions, in which they discuss modern philosophers' opinions on God! They discuss the various ideas that God is not real, from Ludwig Feuerbach's belief that God is just a projection of the human mind, Marx's "opium of the masses," and Nietzsche's famous "God is dead."  They also look...

Wow, there sure are a lot of bad political philosophies. Join Mark and Adam as they discuss the various political ideas of modern philosophers, including the horrors of utilitarianism, John Stuart Mill's classical liberalism, Schopenhauer's hatred of women, the nonsense of Marx's never-defined communism, and John Rawls' guide to making a perfect society. They also discuss their...

What is beauty, really? Well, Mark and Adam might not have an answer for that, but they sure know what beauty isn't! In this episode, they look at the philosophy of aesthetics in the Modern Era, discussing the beautiful and the sublime of Hume, Kant, and Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard's opinions of music, and Nietzsche's insane ramblings about the origins of music, epics, tragedy, and no...

Man, utilitarianism sure does suck. This and other groundbreaking ideas are discussed in this episode of Unlimited Opinions as Mark and Adam discuss ethics in the Modern Era of philosophy. They point out the flaws in Bentham's utilitarianism, discuss the strangeness of Schopenhauer's ethical will, and laugh at the absurdity of everything that is Nietzsche. They also discuss major plans f...

Nights at White Castle....The one on Big Bend... In this episode, Mark and Adam discuss the amazing KSHE 95 hit song Nights at White Castle , along with the philosophy of mind in the Modern Era. They look at Bentham's intentions and motives in relation to criminal law, Schopenhauer's will, Freud's psychology, and a whole lot of Wittgenstein. There is also a lengthy discussion of Tol...

Mark and Adam are here to talk about metaphysics, but man, are they angry about it! In this episode, they break down the various approaches to metaphysics in the Modern Era, from Schopenhauer's Idealism, the concept of teleology, to Peirce's triadic system. Even though they are not as entertained by metaphysics as they are by many other topics, they will discuss it all the same!  Follow...

The best epistemology chapter yet! In this episode, Mark and Adam heavily agree with a lot of what is being said about the philosophical approaches to knowledge in the Modern Era. John Henry Newman and Ludwig Wittgenstein are highlights with their respective opinions on the role of reason and the grounds for doubt. They also break down Peirce's scientific method, Frege's beliefs on logic...

Adam's favorite topic: language! In this episode, Mark and Adam break down the various philosophical opinions on language in the Early Modern Era of philosophy. They discuss Frege's sense and reference, Russell's theory of description, an Wittgenstein's picture theory, language-games, and private language. Well, they discuss these topics for about half the episode. The second h...