

The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast
Jack Symes | Andrew Horton, Oliver Marley, Rose de Castellane, Gregory Mill
An 'informal and informative' philosophy podcast inspiring and supporting students, teachers, academics and free-thinkers worldwide. All episodes are available at www.thepanpsycast.com.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 23, 2020 • 56min
Episode 75, 'Christian Animal Ethics' with David Clough (Part I - The Rise of the Vegangelicals)
With the dominance of humankind has come a new age, an age of global warming, ecological collapse, and sixth mass extinction. In 2018, it was reported that of all the Earth's mammals, 96% are humans and livestock. Our overpopulation, overconsumption, and exploitation have caused a climate catastrophe, but we are not our only victims. Each year, over 70 billion land creatures and 7 trillion sea animals are killed for food, and despite growth in public awareness, the overwhelming majority of these animals continue to endure unimaginable suffering throughout their lives. The religions of ancient India - Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism - are no strangers to practicing ahimsa and vegetarianism. Their Abrahamic cousins have a very different past. For the advocate of animal rights, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have a long and dark history in their treatment of our fellow creatures. A history, many theologians, want to condemn to the history books. One such theologian is David Clough, professor of theological ethics at the University of Chester. Through his systematic theology On Animals, Professor Clough has inspired a new wave of scholarship on Christian attitudes towards our fellow creatures, and the Earth as a whole, calling Christians to unshackle themselves from Aristotelian ways of thinking and embrace Darwinian theories of the natural world. Contents Part I. The Rise of the Vegangelicals. Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion.

Feb 16, 2020 • 43min
Episode 74, 'Football' with Stephen Mumford (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
Football is the most popular sport on the planet. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's experienced the excitement of matchday. It's hard to remain indifferent when thousands of tightly packed fans, each patriotically sporting the colours of their team, sing, cheer and heckle in unison. The thrill of a crunching challenge, a derby victory, or a last-minute winner will undoubtedly elicit excitement. For the sceptic, there is nothing beyond this superficial appeal. Fool-ball is simply a game of chance, in which the sport's novelty appeal is only sustained through blind patriotism. Football is push-pin, and it is not to be confused with poetry. Durham University's Stephen Mumford defends football in the face of this attack. For Mumford, football has an intellectual depth that rewards more detailed consideration. When we watch football through a philosophical lens, we are called to deliberate a great wealth of ideas; from categories of aesthetic virtue, and the role of chance, control and victory, to the nature of a team, and the persistence of a 'club' throughout time. __ Contents Part I. The Philosophy Behind the Game. Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion.

Feb 9, 2020 • 1h 5min
Episode 74, 'Football' with Stephen Mumford (Part I - The Philosophy Behind the Game)
Football is the most popular sport on the planet. This shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's experienced the excitement of matchday. It's hard to remain indifferent when thousands of tightly packed fans, each patriotically sporting the colours of their team, sing, cheer and heckle in unison. The thrill of a crunching challenge, a derby victory, or a last-minute winner will undoubtedly elicit excitement. For the sceptic, there is nothing beyond this superficial appeal. Fool-ball is simply a game of chance, in which the sport's novelty appeal is only sustained through blind patriotism. Football is push-pin, and it is not to be confused with poetry. Durham University's Stephen Mumford defends football in the face of this attack. For Mumford, football has an intellectual depth that rewards more detailed consideration. When we watch football through a philosophical lens, we are called to deliberate a great wealth of ideas; from categories of aesthetic virtue, and the role of chance, control and victory, to the nature of a team, and the persistence of a 'club' throughout time. __ Contents Part I. The Philosophy Behind the Game. Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion.

Feb 2, 2020 • 50min
Episode 73, Plato's Phaedo: The Death of Socrates (Part IV - The Death of Socrates, Further Analysis and Discussion)
Let me tell you about the day Socrates drank the poison. You must be aware of his trial and apology? The Athenians have not stopped talking about it since Meletus and the others condemned him. Do not worry, he did not die in fear and nor is he truly gone. He argued his case much like he always had. He died the philosopher's death, having practiced for it his entire life. What does this mean? Socrates spoke persuasively about matters concerning the immortality of the soul. He said the life of a true philosopher helps the prisoner, chained hand and foot in their body, to escape from the dark cave of ignorance and into the light of wisdom. This, in turn, provides the soul with the perfect means to release itself from the body after death. When the hour arrived, and Socrates finally took the hemlock, he did not flinch. Those of us who bore witness could not help but shed a tear – we were not as brave as the wise man who lay before us. What? You would like to hear more? Are you not convinced of the immortality that Socrates proposed? Come, take a seat, I will tell you the full story… Contents Part I. The Soul and Body Part II. Arguments for the Soul's Immortality Part III. In Defence of Immortality Part IV. The Death of Socrates, Further Analysis and Discussion Attributions Thank you to the following creators for allowing us to use their work in this episode. Tri-Tachyon: https://soundcloud.com/tri-tachyon/albums. PSOVOD: https://freesound.org/people/PSOVOD/sounds/416057. All other music and sound effects used in Episode 73, Plato's Phaedo (Parts I-IV) are fully licensed. To request certificates, please contact jack@thepanpsycast.com. Links Plato, The Complete Works (pdf). David Bostock, Plato's Phaedo (Amazon).

Jan 26, 2020 • 49min
Episode 73, Plato's Phaedo: The Death of Socrates (Part III - In Defence of Immortality)
Let me tell you about the day Socrates drank the poison. You must be aware of his trial and apology? The Athenians have not stopped talking about it since Meletus and the others condemned him. Do not worry, he did not die in fear and nor is he truly gone. He argued his case much like he always had. He died the philosopher's death, having practiced for it his entire life. What does this mean? Socrates spoke persuasively about matters concerning the immortality of the soul. He said the life of a true philosopher helps the prisoner, chained hand and foot in their body, to escape from the dark cave of ignorance and into the light of wisdom. This, in turn, provides the soul with the perfect means to release itself from the body after death. When the hour arrived, and Socrates finally took the hemlock, he did not flinch. Those of us who bore witness could not help but shed a tear – we were not as brave as the wise man who lay before us. What? You would like to hear more? Are you not convinced of the immortality that Socrates proposed? Come, take a seat, I will tell you the full story… Contents Part I. The Soul and Body Part II. Arguments for the Soul's Immortality Part III. In Defence of Immortality Part IV. The Death of Socrates, Further Analysis and Discussion Attributions Thank you to the following creators for allowing us to use their work in this episode. Tri-Tachyon: https://soundcloud.com/tri-tachyon/albums. PSOVOD: https://freesound.org/people/PSOVOD/sounds/416057. All other music and sound effects used in Episode 73, Plato's Phaedo (Parts I-IV) are fully licensed. To request certificates, please contact jack@thepanpsycast.com. Links Plato, The Complete Works (pdf). David Bostock, Plato's Phaedo (Amazon).

Jan 19, 2020 • 41min
Episode 73, Plato's Phaedo: The Death of Socrates (Part II - Arguments for the Soul's Immortality)
Let me tell you about the day Socrates drank the poison. You must be aware of his trial and apology? The Athenians have not stopped talking about it since Meletus and the others condemned him. Do not worry, he did not die in fear and nor is he truly gone. He argued his case much like he always had. He died the philosopher's death, having practiced for it his entire life. What does this mean? Socrates spoke persuasively about matters concerning the immortality of the soul. He said the life of a true philosopher helps the prisoner, chained hand and foot in their body, to escape from the dark cave of ignorance and into the light of wisdom. This, in turn, provides the soul with the perfect means to release itself from the body after death. When the hour arrived, and Socrates finally took the hemlock, he did not flinch. Those of us who bore witness could not help but shed a tear – we were not as brave as the wise man who lay before us. What? You would like to hear more? Are you not convinced of the immortality that Socrates proposed? Come, take a seat, I will tell you the full story… Contents Part I. The Soul and Body Part II. Arguments for the Soul's Immortality Part III. In Defence of Immortality Part IV. The Death of Socrates, Further Analysis and Discussion Attributions Thank you to the following creators for allowing us to use their work in this episode. Tri-Tachyon: https://soundcloud.com/tri-tachyon/albums. PSOVOD: https://freesound.org/people/PSOVOD/sounds/416057. All other music and sound effects used in Episode 73, Plato's Phaedo (Parts I-IV) are fully licensed. To request certificates, please contact jack@thepanpsycast.com. Links Plato, The Complete Works (pdf). David Bostock, Plato's Phaedo (Amazon).

Jan 12, 2020 • 52min
Episode 73, Plato's Phaedo: The Death of Socrates (Part I - The Soul and Body)
Let me tell you about the day Socrates drank the poison. You must be aware of his trial and apology? The Athenians have not stopped talking about it since Meletus and the others condemned him. Do not worry, he did not die in fear and nor is he truly gone. He argued his case much like he always had. He died the philosopher's death, having practiced for it his entire life. What does this mean? Socrates spoke persuasively about matters concerning the immortality of the soul. He said the life of a true philosopher helps the prisoner, chained hand and foot in their body, to escape from the dark cave of ignorance and into the light of wisdom. This, in turn, provides the soul with the perfect means to release itself from the body after death. When the hour arrived, and Socrates finally took the hemlock, he did not flinch. Those of us who bore witness could not help but shed a tear – we were not as brave as the wise man who lay before us. What? You would like to hear more? Are you not convinced of the immortality that Socrates proposed? Come, take a seat, I will tell you the full story… Contents Part I. The Soul and Body Part II. Arguments for the Soul's Immortality Part III. In Defence of Immortality Part IV. The Death of Socrates, Further Analysis and Discussion Attributions Thank you to the following creators for allowing us to use their work in this episode. Tri-Tachyon: https://soundcloud.com/tri-tachyon/albums. PSOVOD: https://freesound.org/people/PSOVOD/sounds/416057. All other music and sound effects used in Episode 73, Plato's Phaedo (Parts I-IV) are fully licensed. To request certificates, please contact jack@thepanpsycast.com. Links Plato, The Complete Works (pdf). David Bostock, Plato's Phaedo (Amazon).

Jan 5, 2020 • 42min
Episode 72, Plato's Crito: Socrates in Prison (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
Have you ever considered the invisible power of the law? How a contract is signed without ever putting pen to paper? Do not underestimate the importance of that which cannot be seen or grasped, since you unknowingly benefit from its presence and would suffer greatly in its absence. Therefore, if the law has kept you safe for all your best years, should you look to criticise it the moment it accuses? Be careful not to pull too hard at that thread, for the social fabric appears tightly woven but is actually patched over the ages by many inadequate tailors. If you decide that the law doesn't suit you now, are you not making yourself a special case? Isn't everyone a special case? Would not everyone be pardoned? So, what will it be: accept the law and therefore your fate, or set a precedent that demonstrates the contract is in fact as real as it is visible? Contents Part I. The Dialogue Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion Links Plato, The Complete Works (pdf).

Dec 29, 2019 • 45min
Episode 72, Plato's Crito: Socrates in Prison (Part I - The Dialogue)
Have you ever considered the invisible power of the law? How a contract is signed without ever putting pen to paper? Do not underestimate the importance of that which cannot be seen or grasped, since you unknowingly benefit from its presence and would suffer greatly in its absence. Therefore, if the law has kept you safe for all your best years, should you look to criticise it the moment it accuses? Be careful not to pull too hard at that thread, for the social fabric appears tightly woven but is actually patched over the ages by many inadequate tailors. If you decide that the law doesn't suit you now, are you not making yourself a special case? Isn't everyone a special case? Would not everyone be pardoned? So, what will it be: accept the law and therefore your fate, or set a precedent that demonstrates the contract is in fact as real as it is visible? Contents Part I. The Dialogue Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion Links Plato, The Complete Works (pdf).

6 snips
Dec 22, 2019 • 37min
Episode 71, Plato's Apology: Socrates on Trial (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
Gentleman of our most prestigious Court of Athens, may I praise your patience and diligence in the presentation of the prosecution. I, Meletus stand before you unequivocally convinced that the criminal is guilty as charged. The hideous, snub-nosed Socrates is charged with corrupting the young men of Athens with his rhetoric and poisonous oratory skill, an undeniable fact. Socrates also stands before you charged with denying the gods their authority and challenging the beliefs of every genuine Athenian. He insults our great city with his relentless irritating presence, a fly in great need of a spider. He shows no signs of remorse for his conduct or apology for his crimes, a true reflection of his guilt. I beg you loyal judicators of Athens, listen to his words, hear him twist them for his own malevolent purpose. Look into his eyes, see his lack of contrition. He says he knows nothing! I know at least one thing, the evidence presented by the prosecution proves Socrates is guilty, and he should accept the judgement of the Athenian Court. Contents Part I. The Dialogue Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion Links Plato, The Complete Works (pdf).


