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Theory Talk is a philosophy podcast and critical thinking jam session, featuring in-depth discussions of contemporary thought and thinkers. The show is produced by Joseph Weissman and Taylor Adkins.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Contemporary philosophy discussions • Futurity, mind science, social organization, transcendental computation • Laruelle, critique of philosophical belligerenceThis podcast is a philosophy and critical-thinking conversation series built around in-depth discussion of contemporary theory and major thinkers. It takes the form of an open-ended “jam session” in which the hosts develop and test ideas collaboratively, moving between close engagement with specific philosophers and broader speculative questions. Across the content here, the emphasis is on conceptual exploration rather than practical advice, with attention to how philosophical methods shape what can be thought, argued, or modeled.
A recurring concern is the problem of the future—how to think about what has not yet taken shape, and what kinds of concepts are needed to describe emerging possibilities. The discussions connect futurity to topics in philosophy of mind and cognitive science, including the limits of current theories of mentality and the prospect of an “inchoate” science capable of addressing aspects of mind that remain underexplained. Alongside this, the podcast considers social and political implications of future-oriented thinking, such as forms of collective organization that may not fit existing categories and therefore resist present-day theorization.
The show also engages with technical and metaphysical ideas at the intersection of philosophy and computation, including questions about computation as a transcendental or world-structuring framework rather than merely a tool. Threaded through these inquiries is an interest in how philosophy positions itself—sometimes combatively—toward other domains of knowledge and toward its own assumptions. Contemporary figures in continental theory, including François Laruelle, serve as starting points for examining philosophy’s “belligerence,” its posture of critique, and alternative ways of doing theory.
Overall, listeners can expect dense, idea-driven dialogue that links contemporary continental thought with speculative themes about mind, social organization, and computation, with the future used as a lens for rethinking what philosophy can and cannot account for.
| Episodes: |
Ep. 74: Futurality2020-Apr-01 71 minutes |