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
Jun 29, 2004 • 49min
Humans: The Irrational Animal
Some psychologists claim to have demonstrated that humans are systematically, deeply and perhaps irredeemably irrational in their reasoning and decision making. But what is rationality and why does it matter? If we are really so irrational, how have we managed to get this far as a species? Maybe rationality isn’t such a big deal after all. Tune in as Ken Taylor and guest host Nadeem Hussain size up the human mind with Stephen Stich from Rutgers University, author of From Folk Psychology to Cognitive Science: The Case Against Belief.
Jun 15, 2004 • 50min
Virtue
What is virtue? Is virtue the key human happiness and flourishing, as the ancients held, or a quaint notion of at best secondary interest for ethics, as many modern theorists hold? Does the return of virtue ethics to contemporary philosophy mark an advance in our thinking about morality or is it just a nostalgia for morally simpler times? John and Ken sing the praises of Julia Driver from Dartmouth College, author of Uneasy Virtue.
Jun 8, 2004 • 51min
Dignity and the End of Life
Is physician assisted suicide morally okay? What about active euthanasia for patients suffering terminal illnesses? If we begin traveling down this path, how do we put a break to our slide down the slippery slope toward a world in which we license physicians to kill or assist the suicide of severely depressed but not terminally ill patients? John and Ken have a dignified discussion with Margaret Battin from the University of Utah, author of Ending Life: Ethics and the Way We Die.
Jun 1, 2004 • 51min
Terrorism
We like to think that terrorism is always wrong. But what if the cause is just? Do the ends ever justify the means? And how do we define “terrorism” anyway?
May 18, 2004 • 50min
Meaning of Life
Does life have a meaning? If we were created by a powerful God, would that give our lives meaning? Who gave God’s existence meaning? What if we were created by a crazy scientist wholly for the purpose of irritating their spouse? John and Ken search for meaning with Howard Wettstein from UC Riverside.
May 11, 2004 • 50min
Animal Rights
We shouldn’t be mean to animals. Is that because animals have rights, like people do? Or is it just because people care about animals? Is it intrinsically worse to step on dog than on a spider? John and Ken play nice with Lori Gruen from Wesleyan University, author of Ethics and Animals: An Introduction.
May 4, 2004 • 52min
Whose Language Is It?
Is there a right and a wrong way to speak English? Is there really something wrong with saying, “Hopefully, we’ll have a good century,” or “Where is the library at?” or “There is no way to correctly split an infinitive”? Is grammatical purity just snobbism? John and Ken don’t hold their tongues with linguist and NPR commentator Geoff Nunberg.
Apr 27, 2004 • 51min
Baseball
What can we learn from baseball? Are the passions we have for our baseball teams and heroes irrational? If so, what makes passions for families, cities, countries, universities, or radio stations more rational? Are all allegiances and loyalties ultimately arbitrary? Eminent Kant scholar and baseball fan extraordinare Allen Wood visits.
Apr 14, 2004 • 51min
Taxation
How is taxation different from stealing? What right does the government have to take some of our money? No taxation without representation? What difference does representation make? John and Ken pay their dues with Barbara Fried from the Stanford Law School.
Apr 6, 2004 • 50min
Consciousness
Is the conscious mind just the brain or something more? Can science explain consciousness? How does Ken know that John is a conscious being and not just an automaton programmed to act like a conscious being? Or is John just an automaton? John and Ken consciously welcome David Chalmers from the Australian National University, author of The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory.
