Philosophy Talk
Philosophy Talk
"The program that questions everything—except your intelligence." Philosophy Talk began as a weekly one-hour radio series and has been on the air for more than two decades. The host-professors bring clarity, depth, and humor to everyday topics that are lofty (Truth, Beauty, Justice), arresting (Terrorism, Intelligent Design, Suicide), and engaging (Baseball, Love, Happiness). This is not a lecture or a college course; it's philosophy in action! From timeless philosophical questions about the ultimate nature of things to contemporary social and political issues, as well as our most fundamental beliefs about science, morality, and the human condition, Philosophy Talk invites you to challenge your assumptions and think about things in new ways.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 16, 2025 • 51min
Wise Woman: Judith Jarvis Thomson
Judith Jarvis Thomson is best known for arguing that abortion is morally permissible, even granting the fetus the status of person. Her colorful thought experiments illustrate that a right to life does not mean the right to use another person’s body to survive. So, what exactly is a right to life and what does it permit or prohibit? Does pregnancy come with certain moral obligations to the fetus? And how can thought experiments, like the Trolley Problem, shed light on these questions? Josh and Ray explore Thomson’s life and thought with Elizabeth Harman from Princeton University, author of When to Be a Hero (forthcoming). Part of our Wise Women series, generously supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Mar 2, 2025 • 52min
The 2025 Dionysus Awards
What movies of the past year challenged your assumptions and made you think about things in new ways? Josh and guest co-host Jeremy Sabol present our annual Dionysus Awards for the most thought-provoking movies of the last twelve months, including: Best Movie About Religious People Who Aren’t Entirely What They Seem Most Moving Meditation on Fierce Female Friendship Best Film in Which Character Change Is Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be
Feb 16, 2025 • 51min
The Philosophical Worlds of Borges
Argentinian writer Jorge Luís Borges wrote some of the world’s most brilliant, mind-bending, and philosophical stories. Drawing on sources from Europe, India, China, and Persia, these stories tackled topics like time, reality, selfhood, and art. Yet Borges also said “I don’t think ideas are important.” So what can we get out of philosophical stories that don’t try to teach us what to think? And how can Borges help us grapple with our mortality, our confusion, our doubts? Josh and Ray explore the labyrinth with Héctor Hoyos from Stanford University, author of Beyond Bolaño: The Global Latin American Novel.
Feb 9, 2025 • 52min
Alan Turing and the Limits of Computation
Alan Turing was a 20th-Century English mathematician and cryptologist who is widely considered to be the father of theoretical computer science. In 1950, he published a definition of a computer that is both universal, general enough to apply to any specific computing architecture, and mathematically rigorous, so that it lets us prove claims about what computers can and can’t do. What does Turing’s writing teach us about the bounds of reason? Which thoughts are too complicated for a computer to express? Is the human brain just another kind of computer, or can it do things that machines can’t? Josh and Ray calculate the answers with Juliet Floyd from Boston University, editor of Philosophical Explorations of the Legacy of Alan Turing.
Jan 19, 2025 • 51min
How to Create Virtuous Leaders
Ancient philosophers like Socrates and Plato believed that an education focused on developing good character could create virtuous leaders who work for the people, not their own benefit. Nowadays, though, it seems too many politicians are power hungry, corrupt, and out of touch. So how do we train our leaders to be more virtuous? Is good character something that can be taught? And what can we learn from the Ancients about how we can each lead an excellent life? Josh and Ray virtuously welcome back Massimo Pigliucci from the City College of New York, author of The Quest for Character: What the Story of Socrates and Alcibiades Teaches Us about Our Search for Good Leaders.
Jan 13, 2025 • 51min
Elizabeth Anscombe
Elizabeth Anscombe made hugely influential contributions to contemporary action theory, moral theory, and philosophy of mind. She also famously protested Truman’s decision to drop the atomic bomb when he was awarded an honorary degree at Oxford. Josh and Ray explore her life and thought with Rachael Wiseman from the University of Liverpool, co-author of Metaphysical Animals: How Four Women Brought Philosophy Back to Life.
Part of our Wise Women series, generously supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Dec 29, 2024 • 53min
The Examined Year: 2024
What happened over the past year that challenged our assumptions and made us think about things in new ways? Josh and Ray talk to philosophers and more about the events and ideas that shaped the last twelve months:
The Year in Philosophy with Justin Weinberg, creator and editor of the Daily Nous
The Year in Unjust Deserts with Elie Honig, author of Untouchable: How Powerful People Get Away With It
The Year in Electoral Futility with Alex Guerrero, author Lottocracy: Democracy Without Elections
Dec 15, 2024 • 52min
Crisis and Creativity in Mayan Mythology
The Popol Vuh, written in 1702, was based on a Mayan oral tradition encompassing creation myths, history, and cosmology. These stories were written in a time of crisis: European colonialism had decimated the Mayan population and destroyed much of their cultural knowledge. How do stories help a society survive and thrive? Can they console us in times of crisis? How much of a culture can historians save in times of devastation? Josh and Ray rewrite history with Edgar Garcia from the University of Chicago, author of Emergency: Reading the Popol Vuh in a Time of Crisis. This episode was generously sponsored by the Stanford Humanities Center.
Dec 1, 2024 • 52min
What’s So Special About Humans?
Human beings share the planet with many different organisms with vastly diverse ways of life. We like to think we’re a higher form of intelligence. But are we really that unique? How different are we as a species when it comes to language, thought, and culture? Where does our specifically human form of consciousness come from? And if other animals are so similar to us, should we stop eating them? The Philosophers walk the Earth with Peter Godfrey-Smith from the University of Sydney, author of Living on Earth Forests, Corals, Consciousness, and the Making of the World.
Nov 17, 2024 • 51min
Wise Woman: Emma Goldman
Activist and anarchist philosopher Emma Goldman fought for human liberation in every realm of life. While she opposed the women’s suffrage movement, she was a staunch advocate for women’s rights. So why did she think the right to vote was so unimportant? What did she think was required to achieve her anarchist goals? And how ahead of her time was she on labor, prison abolition, and sexual liberation? Josh and Ray explore her life and thought with Candace Falk, editor of Emma Goldman: A Documentary History of the American Years. Part of our Wise Women series, generously supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
