Philosophy Talk

What is the relationship between the mind and the brain?  Monists believe that there is only one substance or property in the Universe, be it physical (Materialists) or mental (Idealists).  But Dualists, like the 17th Century French philosopher Rene Descartes, hold that mental stuff exists side by side with physical stuff.  Can this view be defended, in light of modern science?  John and Ken probe...

From Star Trek and the Grateful Dead to South Park and Stephen Colbert, philosophical questions are everywhere in popular culture: Is time travel possible?  Can a person survive being disintegrated and reassembled?  Does humor enable the expression of deep truths, political or otherwise?  John and Ken look at the Big Questions in pop culture with Richard Hanley from the University of Delaware, aut...

How should people allocate their assets – however modest or grand – ethically and effectively?  What kinds of giving should the government encourage through tax incentives and other measures?  Is providing for loved ones more worthy than self-expression through philanthropy?  John and Ken are joined by Rob Reich, Associate Professor of Political Science and Ethics in Society at Stanford University...

Sometimes it isn’t possible to distribute goods evenly. When this happens, we often leave it up to randomness – in the form of lotteries – to decide who gets what.  Is this just?  Or is it merely the best we can do?  What distinguishes fair systems of randomization from unfair ones?  John and Ken take their chances with Stanford political scientist Peter Stone.

Are people genuinely altruistic, or is altruism just a type of selfish-behavior?  Are other animals altruistic? Should we strive to be altruistic, or is selfishness a higher virtue?  John and Ken take the moral high ground with their guest Jeff Schloss, Professor and Chair of Biology at Westmont College and co-editor of Altruism and Altruistic Love: Science, Philosophy, and Religion in Dialogue.

Hannah Arendt was one of the most original and influential philosophers of the 20th century.  Her work considered historical and contemporary political events, such as the rise and fall of Nazism, and drew conclusions about the relation between the individual and society. John and Ken tackle Arendt’s political philosophy and its enduring influence with Seyla Benhabib from Yale University, editor o...

Many religions tell us that God is perfect: all-knowing, all-powerful, and beneficent.  Why then do bad things happen?  John and Ken discuss the problem of evil with their guest, Michael Tooley from the University of Colorado at Boulder, co-author of Knowledge of God.

Summer’s just around the corner – what books are you going to pack with your Speedo? John and Ken leaf through some of this summer’s philosophy, fiction, and non-fiction reading with Danielle Marshall from Powell’s City of Books.

What is a promise: a prediction?  A statement of intention?  Is promising rational?  Does it create an obligation?  John and Ken promise to raise these issues and more with Sir Neil MacCormick from the University of Edinburgh, author of Rhetoric and the Rule of Law.

Philosophical reasoning relies on intuitions.  John Rawls called this method “reflective equilibrium.” But where do we get our data about “intuitions”? John and Ken welcome back Anthony Appiah from Princeton University, author of Experiments in Ethics.  They discuss psychological experiments that determine what people really think.

Is love a single thing, or just a word we use to express any number of unrelated emotions? Is love intrinsically irrational? What have philosophers said about love? Did they know what they were talking about? Christopher Phillips, author of Socrates in Love: Philosophy for a Die-Hard Romantic, joins John and Ken for a program recorded live at Powell’s City of Books in Portland, Oregon.

Can cognitive science explain the difference between liberals and conservatives?  Do we elect our presidents on the basis of stale metaphors and the manipulations of pernicious language mavens? We put these questions to George Lakoff, Professor of Linguistics at UC Berkeley and author of Thinking Points: Communicating Our American Values and Vision.

The discriminating wine palate: bouquet, nose, great vintages, genius vintners.  Are these just myths perpetrated by winemakers and taken up by snobs with too much money to spend?  John and Ken raise a philosophical glass with Barry Smith from the University of London, editor of Questions of Taste: The Philosophy of Wine.

Can you be sorry without intending to change your behavior in the future? Without being ashamed? Do other cultures have different concepts of sorrow and guilt? John and Ken unapologetically explore the language and philosophy of contrition with Nick Smith from the University of New Hampshire, author of I Was Wrong: The Meanings of Apologies.

Astronomy is science; Astrology is pseudo-science. Evolutionary Biology is science; Creationism is pseudo-science. How about cultural anthropology, abstract economics, string-theory, and evolutionary psychology – science or pseudo-science? Is pseudo-science just politically incorrect science? Or is there an objective difference? John and Ken tackle these questions with Stuart Vyse from Connecticut...

 Infinity is a puzzling concept. Mathematicians say there are as many odd numbers as there are numbers altogether. That seems like saying there are as many men as there are people altogether – which we know is untrue. And if you subtract infinity from infinity, you are still left with infinity – but which infinity? Some infinities are larger than others – how can this be? John and Ken unravel the...

Does the human mind work like a computer? If so, what kind of computer? A theory known as connectionism offers a revolutionary perspective on these issues. Ken and John delve into cutting-edge cognitive science with Jay McClelland from Stanford University, an architect of the connectionist view.

The philosopher Saint Augustine of Hippo is one of the most important figures in the history of Christianity. His efforts against the Manichean, Arian and Pelagain heresies shaped the fundamentals of Christian doctrine. His Confessions tells the story of his own conversion from Manicheanism to Christianity. His philosophical ideas anticipated Saint Thomas Aquinas and Descartes. His three-volume Ci...

Can a self, a consciousness, an “I” arise out of mere matter? If it cannot, then how can you or I be here? And if it can, how does THAT work? These and other questions of identity are central to I Am A Strange Loop, the latest book by Indiana University Philosopher Douglas Hofstadter, author of the acclaimed Godel, Escher, Bach. He joins John and Ken for a probing discussion of the self, the soul,...

There is something deeply mysterious about music. Why does it affect us so powerfully? Is it like a language, telling us something? A subtle form of communication? Are there universal interpretations of the emotions that various pieces of music expresses? Or does one need to be part of a music “community” in order to appreciate musical expression? John and Ken explore how music matters with musici...

Is work the curse of the working class? Or a human’s best opportunity for happiness and meaning? What is work, and what is leisure? Are you what you do? And how does American society differ in its attitude towards work, and holidays, from others? John and Ken discuss these issues and more with Al Gini from Loyola University Chicago, author of My Job, My Self: Work and the Creation of the Modern In...

What is necessary for a person to survive over time?  Is it the continued existence of the living body?  Or is it just the living brain?  Or is it one’s psychology, which might persist even without one’s original brain in a computer or in an entirely new brain?  How important are questions of personal identity for ethics and rationality? John and Ken are joined by Raymond Martin, Professor of Phil...

What does “God” mean?  Is God a concrete thing like a chair or a human; or is it an abstract thing, like love or goodness?  Is there something that all concepts of God have in common, some feature that all cultures attribute to God?  Richard Swinburne, Emeritus Nolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion at the University of Oxford, joins John and Ken to explore the many ways in...

What is political correctness?  Has it always existed?  What’s “political” about it?  Some people think that concerns over being PC lead to censorship and the stifling of free debate.  Others think the label “politically correct” is nothing but a demeaning term for values we should espouse anyway, like appropriateness, politeness, fairness, and respectfulness.  Is “politically correct” just a nast...

Some of the many topics discussed in Islamic philosophy are the Qur’an, knowledge, dreams, justice, poetry, reality, prophethood, peace, and the State.  How has Islamic philosophy interacted historically with other philosophical traditions?  How has philosophy influenced the popular practice and interpretation of Islam?  When has Islamic philosophy melded with or clashed with Islam’s religious tea...