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
Jan 20, 2004 • 50min
Would You Want to Live Forever?
Pick your favorite age. You are healthy, career thriving, family intact (at least pretend!). Would you like to live forever at that age, in that health, with those friends and family members also living forever with you? Immortality, on earth? How about an extra fifty or one hundred years or two hundred beyond your present life expectancy?
Yes! Think of all I could get done!
No. I would be bored!
Yes, I could sit on the beach, and be in no hurry to do anything.
No, life gets its meaning from having a shape, and things without boundaries have no shape.
Would an immortal human life be incredibly boring or is a good human life so good it’s worth living to eternity?
Jan 13, 2004 • 50min
The Bush Doctrine of Preemptive Self-Defense
What is the difference between mere aggression and preemptive self defense? Can you really permissibly “defend” yourself against an attack that hasn’t even begun? How does preemptive self defense differ from preventive war, from humanitarian intervention? John and Ken do not pre-empt their questions to George R. Lucas Jr., Professor of Ethics and Public Policy at the U.S. Naval Academy.
Aug 20, 2003 • 50min
Live Pilot: Is Lying Always Bad?
Many philosophers have been tempted to condemn lying as an absolute evil. The problem is that as soon as you articulate some absolute principle such as “Never lie!” you can almost immediately think of circumstances in which lying seems the better course.
Jan 1, 2003 • 59min
Demo #2: What Is Terrorism?
What is terrorism? Is terrorism morally worse than other forms of warfare. Was Truman’s decision to drop the A-bomb and act of terrorism? Is the US a terrorist State? Is terrorism an insult the powerful use to deligitimate the only means of resistance open to the disempowered?
Jan 1, 2002 • 57min
Demo #1: Can Machines Think?
Will Computers someday be able to have humanlike consciousnes and intelligence? Will they someday outstrip the thinking of humans? Would it matter if they did? Or is Artificial Intelligence on fundamentally the wrong track?
