

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

Oct 6, 2019 • 39min
Episode 67, Flowers for Algernon (Part II - The Story: The Rise of Charlie Gordon)
Report: March 2nd After the successes we have had with Algernon, and with much deliberation, I have officially chosen our first research subject. Charlie Gordon, 32, was recommended to us by Alice Kinian from the Beekman School for Retarded Adults and she has assured us of his desire to increase his intellect. I have scheduled for Charlie to come to the lab over the next few days where Burt Selden will run some preliminary psych tests. We are also going to test his mental flexibility with a few maze puzzles with Algernon. All that remains is the consent of a family member to grant permission for the operation. According to Alice Kinian, his sister Norma might be the most appropriate person to seek out. Providing there are no warning signs during the testing, and consent is provided, we will be on the cusp of something truly ground-breaking. All these years of hard work will be vindicated and the trust of my wife and those who fund me will have been justified. Dare I say it, I might be remembered amongst the pantheon of great scientists. Strauss has insisted that we keep a close eye on his mental state and emotional growth. I am inclined to agree but feel we cannot be held fully accountable for the man's personality. The success or failure of this experiment will rest on his increased intelligence, or lack thereof. One thing is certain, if the experiment works, Charlie Gordon's life will change forever. Professor Harold Nemur Contents Part I. Life and Context. Part II. The Story: The Rise of Charlie Gordon. Part III. The Story: The Fall of Charlie Gordon. Part IV. The Meaning. Part V. Further Analysis and Discussion. Links Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes (Amazon). Algernon, Charlie, and I: A Writer's Journey, Daniel Keyes (Amazon). Charly (1968), Full Movie (YouTube).

Sep 29, 2019 • 59min
Episode 67, Flowers for Algernon (Part I - Daniel Keyes: Life and Context)
Dive into the thought-provoking journey of Charlie Gordon, who seeks to enhance his intelligence through a radical experiment. The hosts tackle the ethical dilemmas surrounding this groundbreaking study while celebrating Daniel Keyes' insights in 'Flowers for Algernon.' Enjoy humorous banter alongside deep philosophical reflections on Nietzsche's views on suffering and autonomy. Discover Keyes' evolution from comic book writing to crafting profound literature, all while exploring the complexities of intelligence, alienation, and the problem of evil.

Sep 22, 2019 • 60min
Episode 66, Niccolò Machiavelli (Part IV - Further Analysis and Discussion)
No book can teach you how to tame the raging river of fortune, for it has many plans contrary to ambitious minds. Yet to submit powerlessly to fate with lamentation, as if God has not instilled you with freedom of the will, is a sign of disrespect and the ultimate folly of our kind. For the river splits into many paths and those that appear to drag us towards the abyss, may, in the end, lead us to glory if only we persist in our efforts. That is not to say that fortune always favours the brave. The acts of life should be understood as drama rather than science, and sometimes the heroes lose. Nevertheless, if it just so happens that you wish to play the role of the Prince or Princess, and be responsible for guiding others to a better future, there is wisdom you can learn from your time and through history to aid your cause. Before we go any further, however, I must warn you that the practicalities of ruling come with demands that are not for the faint-of-heart. Human nature dictates that at times, you will need to adopt the methods of the Fox and the Lion. You must be like the Fox in order to spot the traps laid by those who wish to see you fail and you must be like the Lion so that those same people will never try too hard for fear of the repercussions. This might sound harsh, but let me remind you that the road to hell is often pathed with good intentions and that sometimes to be good you must learn… to be cruel. This episode is sponsored by Rachel Poulton's The Little Book of Philosophy. For more information about the book, please click the following link: https://tinyurl.com/y4csq4no. Contents Part I. Life and Context Part II. The Prince Part III. Machiavellianism Today Part IV. Further Analysis and Discussion Links Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince (Amazon). Niccolò Machiavelli, The Discourses on Livy (Amazon). Quentin Skinner, Machiavelli: A Very Short Introduction (Amazon). Erica Benner, Be Like the Fox (Amazon). The Great Courses, Machiavelli in Context (Audible). Alan Ryan, On Politics (Amazon). Cary J. Nedermand, Machiavelli: A Beginner's Guide (Amazon). Dick Morris, New Prince: Machiavelli Updated for the Twenty-First Century (Amazon).

Sep 15, 2019 • 48min
Episode 66, Niccolò Machiavelli (Part III - Machiavellianism Today)
No book can teach you how to tame the raging river of fortune, for it has many plans contrary to ambitious minds. Yet to submit powerlessly to fate with lamentation, as if God has not instilled you with freedom of the will, is a sign of disrespect and the ultimate folly of our kind. For the river splits into many paths and those that appear to drag us towards the abyss, may, in the end, lead us to glory if only we persist in our efforts. That is not to say that fortune always favours the brave. The acts of life should be understood as drama rather than science, and sometimes the heroes lose. Nevertheless, if it just so happens that you wish to play the role of the Prince or Princess, and be responsible for guiding others to a better future, there is wisdom you can learn from your time and through history to aid your cause. Before we go any further, however, I must warn you that the practicalities of ruling come with demands that are not for the faint-of-heart. Human nature dictates that at times, you will need to adopt the methods of the Fox and the Lion. You must be like the Fox in order to spot the traps laid by those who wish to see you fail and you must be like the Lion so that those same people will never try too hard for fear of the repercussions. This might sound harsh, but let me remind you that the road to hell is often pathed with good intentions and that sometimes to be good you must learn… to be cruel. This episode is proudly sponsored by Gaston Luga. Head over to www.gastonluga.com and get 15% off any purchase with the discount code PANPSY. Contents Part I. Life and Context Part II. The Prince Part III. Machiavellianism Today Part IV. Further Analysis and Discussion Links Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince (Amazon). Niccolò Machiavelli, The Discourses on Livy (Amazon). Quentin Skinner, Machiavelli: A Very Short Introduction (Amazon). Erica Benner, Be Like the Fox (Amazon). The Great Courses, Machiavelli in Context (Audible). Alan Ryan, On Politics (Amazon). Cary J. Nedermand, Machiavelli: A Beginner's Guide (Amazon). Dick Morris, New Prince: Machiavelli Updated for the Twenty-First Century (Amazon).

Sep 8, 2019 • 1h 7min
Episode 66, Niccolò Machiavelli (Part II - The Prince)
No book can teach you how to tame the raging river of fortune, for it has many plans contrary to ambitious minds. Yet to submit powerlessly to fate with lamentation, as if God has not instilled you with freedom of the will, is a sign of disrespect and the ultimate folly of our kind. For the river splits into many paths and those that appear to drag us towards the abyss, may, in the end, lead us to glory if only we persist in our efforts. That is not to say that fortune always favours the brave. The acts of life should be understood as drama rather than science, and sometimes the heroes lose. Nevertheless, if it just so happens that you wish to play the role of the Prince or Princess, and be responsible for guiding others to a better future, there is wisdom you can learn from your time and through history to aid your cause. Before we go any further, however, I must warn you that the practicalities of ruling come with demands that are not for the faint-of-heart. Human nature dictates that at times, you will need to adopt the methods of the Fox and the Lion. You must be like the Fox in order to spot the traps laid by those who wish to see you fail and you must be like the Lion so that those same people will never try too hard for fear of the repercussions. This might sound harsh, but let me remind you that the road to hell is often pathed with good intentions and that sometimes to be good you must learn… to be cruel. This episode is proudly sponsored by Gaston Luga. Head over to www.gastonluga.com and get 15% off any purchase with the discount code PANPSY. Contents Part I. Life and Context Part II. The Prince Part III. Machiavellianism Today Part IV. Further Analysis and Discussion Links Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince (Amazon). Niccolò Machiavelli, The Discourses on Livy (Amazon). Quentin Skinner, Machiavelli: A Very Short Introduction (Amazon). Erica Benner, Be Like the Fox (Amazon). The Great Courses, Machiavelli in Context (Audible). Alan Ryan, On Politics (Amazon). Cary J. Nedermand, Machiavelli: A Beginner's Guide (Amazon). Dick Morris, New Prince: Machiavelli Updated for the Twenty-First Century (Amazon).

Sep 1, 2019 • 1h 8min
Episode 66, Niccolò Machiavelli (Part I - Life and Context)
No book can teach you how to tame the raging river of fortune, for it has many plans contrary to ambitious minds. Yet to submit powerlessly to fate with lamentation, as if God has not instilled you with freedom of the will, is a sign of disrespect and the ultimate folly of our kind. For the river splits into many paths and those that appear to drag us towards the abyss, may, in the end, lead us to glory if only we persist in our efforts. That is not to say that fortune always favours the brave. The acts of life should be understood as drama rather than science, and sometimes the heroes lose. Nevertheless, if it just so happens that you wish to play the role of the Prince or Princess, and be responsible for guiding others to a better future, there is wisdom you can learn from your time and through history to aid your cause. Before we go any further, however, I must warn you that the practicalities of ruling come with demands that are not for the faint-of-heart. Human nature dictates that at times, you will need to adopt the methods of the Fox and the Lion. You must be like the Fox in order to spot the traps laid by those who wish to see you fail and you must be like the Lion so that those same people will never try too hard for fear of the repercussions. This might sound harsh, but let me remind you that the road to hell is often pathed with good intentions and that sometimes to be good you must learn… to be cruel. This episode is proudly sponsored by Gaston Luga. Head over to www.gastonluga.com and get 15% off any purchase with the discount code PANPSY. Contents Part I. Life and Context Part II. The Prince Part III. Machiavellianism Today Part IV. Further Analysis and Discussion Links Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince (Amazon). Niccolò Machiavelli, The Discourses on Livy (Amazon). Quentin Skinner, Machiavelli: A Very Short Introduction (Amazon). Erica Benner, Be Like the Fox (Amazon). The Great Courses, Machiavelli in Context (Audible). Alan Ryan, On Politics (Amazon). Cary J. Nedermand, Machiavelli: A Beginner's Guide (Amazon). Dick Morris, New Prince: Machiavelli Updated for the Twenty-First Century (Amazon).

Aug 25, 2019 • 35min
Episode 65, 'The Awe-Some Argument' with Ryan Byerly (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
University of Sheffield philosopher, Assistant Professor Ryan Byerly is best known for his work in philosophy of religion, epistemology and virtue theory. Publishing widely in these areas, Ryan is also Reviews Editor for the European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Treasurer for the British Society for Philosophy of Religion, and a member of Sheffield's Centre for Engaged Philosophy. Amongst many other fascinating papers in philosophy of religion, Ryan is the author of 'The Awe-Some Argument for Pantheism', which forms our focus for today's discussion. Ryan's argument for pantheism (the belief that 'God is the universe and the universe is God') provides an exciting and unique take on not just the type of god we should believe in, but also the way in which we might come to establish its existence. In short, Ryan thinks that the emotion of awe - that profound, ineffable feeling that one has when they see Van Gogh's Starry Night or a meteor burning up in the atmosphere - can point us in the direction of things which are divine. The greatest object of awe, says Byerly, is the cosmos, and therefore, the cosmos is the most divine thing. Contents Part I. The Awe-Some Argument for Pantheism. Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion. Links Ryan Byerly, The Awe-Some Argument for Pantheism. Ryan Byerly: University of Sheffield Profile. Ryan Byerly: Website.

Aug 18, 2019 • 31min
Episode 65, 'The Awe-Some Argument' with Ryan Byerly (Part I - Pantheism)
University of Sheffield philosopher, Assistant Professor Ryan Byerly is best known for his work in philosophy of religion, epistemology and virtue theory. Publishing widely in these areas, Ryan is also Reviews Editor for the European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Treasurer for the British Society for Philosophy of Religion, and a member of Sheffield's Centre for Engaged Philosophy. Amongst many other fascinating papers in philosophy of religion, Ryan is the author of 'The Awe-Some Argument for Pantheism', which forms our focus for today's discussion. Ryan's argument for pantheism (the belief that 'God is the universe and the universe is God') provides an exciting and unique take on not just the type of god we should believe in, but also the way in which we might come to establish its existence. In short, Ryan thinks that the emotion of awe - that profound, ineffable feeling that one has when they see Van Gogh's Starry Night or a meteor burning up in the atmosphere - can point us in the direction of things which are divine. The greatest object of awe, says Byerly, is the cosmos, and therefore, the cosmos is the most divine thing. Contents Part I. The Awe-Some Argument for Pantheism. Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion. Links Ryan Byerly, The Awe-Some Argument for Pantheism. Ryan Byerly: University of Sheffield Profile. Ryan Byerly: Website.

Aug 11, 2019 • 31min
Episode 64, 'The Given - Experience and its Content' with Michelle Montague (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
Michelle Montague is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. As well as publishing extensively in phenomenology and philosophy of mind, Michelle is also the author of Non-Propositional Intentionality, Cognitive Phenomenology, and our focus for this episode, her 2016 book, The Given: Experience and its Content. This episode is all about what some philosophers have called 'the given', that is, what is given to us in our immediate experience. From Aristotle to Hume, philosophers have tried to account for the categories, types, and distinctions within the mind. Michelle's work continues in this tradition, however it takes a new and exciting turn away from the orthodox positions in philosophy of mind - she thinks that phenomenology comes first, that phenomenology is responsible for our mind's ability to represent the world, and that there are many more types of phenomenology than we've currently admitted.

Aug 4, 2019 • 41min
Episode 64, 'The Given - Experience and its Content' with Michelle Montague (Part I - The Given)
Michelle Montague is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin. As well as publishing extensively in phenomenology and philosophy of mind, Michelle is also the author of Non-Propositional Intentionality, Cognitive Phenomenology, and our focus for this episode, her 2016 book, The Given: Experience and its Content. This episode is all about what some philosophers have called 'the given', that is, what is given to us in our immediate experience. From Aristotle to Hume, philosophers have tried to account for the categories, types, and distinctions within the mind. Michelle's work continues in this tradition, however it takes a new and exciting turn away from the orthodox positions in philosophy of mind - she thinks that phenomenology comes first, that phenomenology is responsible for our mind's ability to represent the world, and that there are many more types of phenomenology than we've currently admitted.


