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 30, 2004 • 50min
Humor
What is humor? What makes some jokes funny? Why did the chicken cross the road? Tune in for deep thoughts and big laughs as Ken, John and guest Ted Cohen, author of Jokes: Philosophical Thoughts on Joking Matters, discuss the philosophical aspects of humor.
Mar 23, 2004 • 49min
Has Science Replaced Religion?
Has science replaced religion? Can one be religious and maintain a scientific viewpoint? Does belief in evolution undermine morality or belief in God, or vice versa? Ken and John take on the big questions with George Ellis from the University of Cape Town, author of On the Moral Nature of the Universe.
Mar 16, 2004 • 51min
Nietzsche
Nietzsche. Ken and John and Übermensch-at-large Brian Leiter discuss everyone’s favorite syphilitic philosopher. Was he a mysogynistic Nazi-supporter, or an artistic visionary who sought to set us free from our moralistic chains? Boring radio is dead.
Mar 9, 2004 • 50min
Markets and Morality
Does the free market provide incentives for behavior that is problematic from a moral perspective? Or does the free market punish morally problematic behavior? Is respecting the free market itself moral, insofar as respecting the free market is also respecting individual freedom of choice? John and Ken enter the marketplace of ideas with Elizabeth Anderson from the University of Michigan, author of Private Government: How Employers Rule Our Lives (and Why We Don’t Talk about It).
Mar 2, 2004 • 50min
Genetic Engineering and Cloning
When is genetic manipulation morally permissible? For health? Beauty? Wit? What sorts of animals is it acceptable to clone? Should we ban stem cell research? John and Ken discuss cloning and the ethical issues surrounding genetic engineering with Hank Greely from the Stanford Law School.
Feb 24, 2004 • 52min
Drug Legalization
Does America’s drug problem rest on confused philosophy? Ken and John discuss the philosophical issues underlying arguments for and against the legalization of drugs with Peter De Marneffe from Arizona State University, co-author of The Legalization of Drugs.
Feb 17, 2004 • 50min
The Insanity Defense
Ken and John debate (use?) the insanity defense. What difference does it make if the person who commits a crime is, in one way or another, mentally ill? Does this make punishment illegitimate? Why is punishment, rather than therapy, ever legitimate? Which sorts of mental illness should exempt a criminal from punishment? Inability to know right from wrong? Inability to resist compulsion? Irrational depravity? John and Ken defend themselves with Susan Wolf from UNC Chapel Hill.
Feb 10, 2004 • 52min
Patriotism versus Cosmopolitanism
Patriotism versus Comopolitanism: Is your loyalty to America and Americans more important than the common humanity you share with everyone on the globe?
Feb 2, 2004 • 51min
Marriage and the State
With what right does the state say who can and cannot marry? The state has, at various times, said that people of different races cannot marry, that people of the same sex cannot marry, that no one can marry more than one person at at time. But with what legitimate authority can the state make such prohibitions? John and Ken welcome Richard Mohr from the University of illinois at Urbana-Champaign, author of The Long Arc of Justice: Lesbian and Gay Marriage, Equality, and Rights.
Jan 28, 2004 • 51min
What Is Race?
Is race a discredited pseudo-scientific category? Or a real dimension of difference among humans? Or a socially constructed reality? What difference does it make? John and Ken question the category of race with Anthony Appiah from Princeton University.
