Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Academic philosophy debates • epistemology, metaphysics, realism, truth, persons, consciousness • ethics, moral realism, obligation • free speech, censorship, activism, academic freedom • gender/sex politics • democracy, conservatism, Marxism • education grading • pop-culture criticism (film, TV, comics, wrestling)
This podcast features wide-ranging, conversational discussions in contemporary philosophy, often framed around how philosophical ideas intersect with public life, institutions, and culture. Across episodes, the hosts and guests examine core philosophical questions in epistemology and metaphysics—how beliefs are justified, what counts as knowledge, the nature of truth and objectivity, realism versus anti-realism, ontological commitment, and what it means to be a person or a mind. Philosophy of religion also appears, with attention to what the field should be doing beyond traditional arguments about God.
A recurring theme is the state of academic philosophy itself: professional incentives, norms of debate and reviewing, disciplinary fragmentation, and whether philosophers function as experts. The conversations frequently move into political and moral philosophy, including debates about moral realism, the limits of “morality everywhere,” democratic participation and electoral strategy, censorship and social pressure, boycotts, and how liberal institutions handle escalating moral and political conflict.
Several episodes focus on controversies around gender, feminism, and standpoint theory, alongside broader disputes about activism, academic freedom, and the changing dynamics of public discourse—especially under social media and polarization. The show also treats philosophy as a lens for interpreting cultural artifacts and industries, with discussions of film, television, comics, special effects, professional wrestling, and the economics and aesthetics of popular entertainment. Overall, listeners can expect a mix of abstract philosophical analysis, critique of institutional and intellectual trends, and applied reflection on current cultural and political debates.
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Episodes:
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Questioning the Practice of Grading in Schools (Robert Gressis & Kevin Currie-Knight)
2021-Feb-18
60 minutes
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Free Speech and Academic Freedom in 2020 (Daniel Kaufman & David Ottlinger)
2021-Feb-10
60 minutes
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The Cultural Contradictions of Conservatism (Daniel Kaufman & Kevin Currie-Knight)
2021-Jan-04
60 minutes
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Is Philosophy of Religion Still Necessary? (Daniel Kaufman & Megan Fritts)
2020-Dec-23
60 minutes
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The Decline of Great Philosophers (Daniel Kaufman & Robert Gressis)
2020-Dec-21
60 minutes
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How to Make a Comic Book (Daniel Kaufman & Milton Lawson)
2020-Dec-14
60 minutes
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Justifying Our Beliefs (Daniel Kaufman & Joshua Rasmussen)
2020-Dec-09
60 minutes
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Lesser Evils (Daniel Kaufman & Kevin Currie-Knight)
2020-Nov-19
60 minutes
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Debating Standpoint Theory (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)
2020-Nov-06
60 minutes
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Who Is Entitled? (Daniel Kaufman & Robert Gressis)
2020-Oct-07
60 minutes
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The Microfoundations of Marxism (Robert Gressis & Jaime Edwards)
2020-Sep-22
60 minutes
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Persons, Minds, and Thingy Things (Daniel Kaufman & Joshua Rasmussen)
2020-Sep-15
60 minutes
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The Past and Future of Marvel Movies (Daniel Kaufman & Milton Lawson)
2020-Sep-03
60 minutes
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Prolegomena: Ontological Commitments (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)
2020-Aug-18
60 minutes
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The Lacanian Principle of Special Effects (Daniel Kaufman & David Ottlinger)
2020-Aug-10
60 minutes
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The Tyranny of Opinion (Daniel Kaufman & Russell Blackford)
2020-Jul-26
60 minutes
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Prolegomena: What Are Persons? (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)
2020-Jul-13
60 minutes
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Philosophy and Professional Wrestling (Robert Gressis & Douglas Edwards)
2020-Jul-06
60 minutes
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Objectivity and Realism (Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2020-Jun-14
60 minutes
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To Boldly Go (Daniel Kaufman & Milton Lawson)
2020-Jun-05
60 minutes
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Prolegomena for a Pluralist Metaphysics (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)
2020-May-20
60 minutes
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Gender Critical (Daniel Kaufman & Jesse Singal)
2020-May-11
60 minutes
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Epidemiological Modeling, Policy, and Covid-19 (Daniel Kaufman, Eric Winsberg, and John Symons)
2020-Apr-24
60 minutes
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Consciousness, Panpsychism, and Illusionism (Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2020-Apr-10
60 minutes
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Overdoing Democracy (Daniel Kaufman & Robert B. Talisse)
2020-Mar-31
60 minutes
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Gender Trouble (Daniel Kaufman & Helen Joyce)
2020-Mar-07
60 minutes
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Is Pansexuality Obligatory? (Daniel Kaufman & Robert Gressis)
2020-Feb-24
60 minutes
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"Uncut Gems" and "Dolemite Is My Name" (Daniel Kaufman & Milton Lawson)
2020-Feb-18
60 minutes
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Debating Moral Realism (Daniel Kaufman & Spencer Case)
2020-Feb-08
60 minutes
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Philosophy and the City (Daniel Kaufman & Joseph Biehl)
2019-Dec-28
60 minutes
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What Is Philosophy For? (Daniel Kaufman & Spencer Case)
2019-Dec-17
60 minutes
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Are Philosophers Experts? (Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2019-Dec-05
60 minutes
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On Social Censorship (David Ottlinger & J.P. Messina)
2019-Nov-23
60 minutes
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The Problem with Everything (Daniel Kaufman & Meghan Daum)
2019-Nov-11
60 minutes
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Is Wittgenstein Overrated? (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)
2019-Oct-23
60 minutes
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Natural Kinds (Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2019-Oct-01
60 minutes
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The Ethics of Boycotts (David Ottlinger & Carson Young)
2019-Sep-25
60 minutes
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Activism and Philosophy (Daniel Kaufman & David Ottlinger)
2019-Sep-16
60 minutes
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Postmodernism in Life and Literature (Daniel Kaufman & E. John Winner)
2019-Sep-03
60 minutes
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Western Philosophy as White Supremacism (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)
2019-Aug-09
60 minutes
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The Great Disintegration (Daniel Kaufman & Oliver Burkeman)
2019-Jul-25
60 minutes
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"Stranger Things" and Generation X (Daniel Kaufman & Milton Lawson)
2019-Jul-18
60 minutes
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Gender Noncomformity and Feminism (Daniel Kaufman & Jane Clare Jones)
2019-Jul-08
60 minutes
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Should the Humanities Strike? (Daniel Kaufman & Nathan Eckstrand)
2019-Jun-29
60 minutes
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Morality's Limit (Daniel Kaufman & Robert Gressis)
2019-Jun-18
60 minutes
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Is Philosophy OK? (Daniel Kaufman & Robert Gressis)
2019-May-30
60 minutes
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Realism, Anti-Realism and "Rabbity Moments" (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)
2019-May-07
60 minutes
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Analytic vs. Continental Philosophy (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)
2019-Apr-11
60 minutes
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The Truth about "Truth" (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)
2019-Feb-12
60 minutes
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Identitarianism in Academic Philosophy (Daniel Kaufman & Oliver Traldi)
2019-Jan-19
60 minutes
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Is Punk Dead? (Daniel Kaufman & E. John Winner)
2018-Dec-31
60 minutes
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What Is Action? (Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2018-Dec-06
60 minutes
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Gun Control and the Social Contract (Daniel Kaufman & David Ottlinger)
2018-Nov-09
60 minutes
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The Aesthetics of Politics (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)
2018-Sep-26
60 minutes
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On the Profession of Philosophy (Daniel Kaufman & Justin Weinberg)
2018-Aug-15
60 minutes
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Has Marxism lost its way? (Daniel Kaufman & Brian Leiter)
2018-Aug-01
60 minutes
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Ontology and Materialism (Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2018-Jun-27
60 minutes
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Thoughts on Sex and Gender (Daniel Kaufman & Richard Thompson)
2018-May-24
60 minutes
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America's Children: Our Treasure, Our Target (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)
2018-Apr-26
60 minutes
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Why Michelangelo sucks (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)
2018-Mar-02
60 minutes
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Philistinism and philosophy (Daniel Kaufman & Daniel Tippens)
2018-Feb-23
60 minutes
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Eudaimonia, Stoicism, and "the good life" (Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2018-Jan-05
60 minutes
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A Multicultural Manifesto (Daniel Kaufman & Bryan Van Norden)
2017-Dec-12
60 minutes
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What art is (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)
2017-Nov-01
60 minutes
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The scope of morality (Daniel Kaufman & Daniel Tippens)
2017-Oct-10
60 minutes
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Does "the self" exist? (Daniel Kaufman & Robert Wright)
2017-Aug-01
60 minutes
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ENTANGLEMENTS, PART 2 (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)
2017-Jul-21
60 minutes
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Entanglements, Part 1 (Daniel Kaufman & Crispin Sartwell)
2017-Jul-16
60 minutes
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The Evolution of TV Shows (Daniel Kaufman & David Ottlinger)
2017-Jun-25
60 minutes
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“Purpose” in science & morality (Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2017-Jun-06
60 minutes
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How to Be a Stoic (Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2017-May-15
60 minutes
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Existentialism & Stoicism: compare & contrast (Daniel Kaufman, Massimo Pigliucci, & Skye Cleary)
2017-Apr-05
60 minutes
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The Scientific Image of Man (Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2017-Mar-26
60 minutes
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Can evolution explain ethics? (Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2017-Feb-06
60 minutes
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Classical Liberalism, Part 2 (Daniel Kaufman & David Ottlinger)
2017-Jan-24
60 minutes
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Classical liberalism, part 1 (Daniel Kaufman & David Ottlinger)
2017-Jan-18
60 minutes
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Ancient vs. modern philosophy (Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2016-Dec-06
60 minutes
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David Hume on reason and feelings (Daniel Kaufman & Robert Wright)
2016-Oct-31
60 minutes
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The Skepticism of David Hume (Daniel Kaufman & Robert Wright)
2016-Oct-24
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2016-Sep-19
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & David Ottlinger)
2016-Aug-28
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2016-Aug-15
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2016-Jul-04
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2016-May-31
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2016-May-01
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Daniel Tippens)
2016-Mar-25
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2016-Feb-13
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Robert Wright)
2016-Feb-12
60 minutes
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(Massimo Pigliucci & Daniel Fincke)
2016-Feb-02
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Barbara Block)
2016-Jan-11
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2015-Nov-28
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Leslie Baynes)
2015-Nov-17
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Daniel Tippens)
2015-Oct-31
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2015-Oct-03
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Glenn Loury)
2015-Sep-18
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2015-Aug-28
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Ian Ground)
2015-Aug-14
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2015-Aug-04
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2015-Jul-11
60 minutes
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(Daniel Kaufman & Massimo Pigliucci)
2014-Nov-01
60 minutes
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