Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ philosophy and critical thinking • ethics, virtue, meaning, happiness • culture through film, music, TV, sci‑fi • AI, privacy, surveillance, free will, mind • law, justice, media, misinformation • work, education, community, social issues, intimacy
This podcast blends academic philosophy with education and public-facing conversations about how people make sense of their lives and the world around them. Across interviews with scholars, authors, and practitioners, it returns to the Socratic idea of the examined life, using ethical theory, political philosophy, psychology, and cultural analysis to illuminate everyday choices and public problems.
A consistent theme is critical thinking as a practical skill: how to reason clearly, spot bias, evaluate sources, and resist simplistic narratives in emotionally charged or information-saturated environments. The show applies these tools to contemporary issues such as the decline of local journalism, conspiracy thinking, online outrage dynamics, health misinformation, homelessness policy, privacy and surveillance law, and the moral challenges of institutional decision-making.
Another throughline is identity and agency—how people understand themselves and pursue meaningful work, relationships, and self-knowledge. Conversations address career dissatisfaction and reinvention, negotiating values at work, memoir and memory, intimacy and sexuality (including asexuality and changing patterns of desire), and shifting cultural expectations around masculinity and fatherhood. The podcast also explores the boundaries between individual responsibility and structural forces through social psychology and public policy.
Pop culture and the arts frequently serve as gateways into philosophy, with discussions of film, music, television, and major franchises used to examine virtue, attachment, authenticity, nihilism, and happiness. The scope extends to history and comparative philosophy as well, including Indigenous and non-Western ethics, overlooked episodes in U.S. history, and classic thinkers in moral philosophy and metaphysics.
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Episodes:
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Are You Living in an Echo Chamber? The Psychology of Misinformation & Critical Thinking | Matthew Facciani
2026-Jul-16
50 minutes
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Rewind, Play, Repeat: Nicole Morrison on Music, Memory, Coming Out, and Memoir
2026-Jul-01
40 minutes
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How To Critically Think About Career Choices: Hope for Unhappy Lawyers
2026-Jun-16
43 minutes
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How To Navigate The Homeless Crisis With Humanity and Reason
2026-May-25
40 minutes
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The Good in Getting There: Thinking Critically About Your Career/Skills and The Meaning of Your Life's Work
2026-May-15
51 minutes
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Encore: The Philosophy of Star Wars. Eastern Wisdom, Attachment, and the Search for Happiness
2026-Apr-30
47 minutes
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The Slow Death of Local News and Its Impact on Critical Thinking
2026-Apr-15
41 minutes
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The Sex Recession Is Real: A Sex Coach Explains How to Find Your Way Back to Intimacy
2026-Mar-31
27 minutes
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Your Phone Is Watching You: Privacy, Surveillance, and the Law with Prof. Andrew Guthrie Ferguson
2026-Mar-21
44 minutes
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How To Be Mindful about our Brains: Brain Surgery, Free Will, and the Illusion of Mind?
2026-Mar-01
58 minutes
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Introduction to Philosophy and Critical Thinking: Bill Tomlinson on Reasoning, Paradox, and AI as a Tool for Thinking
2026-Feb-20
37 minutes
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Thinking Clearly When Everything Feels Heavy: A Conversation on Media, Bias, and Context
2026-Feb-02
31 minutes
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Revisiting The Challenger Space Shuttle Disaster
2026-Jan-28
40 minutes
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Everyday Philosophy and Wisdom from the Aztecs
2026-Jan-15
46 minutes
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Socrates, Wisdom, and Thinking Critically: Philosophy for Everyday Life
2025-Dec-29
15 minutes
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Arts Education, Community, and Creativity
2025-Dec-16
47 minutes
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The Problem With Self-Help: Critical Psychology, Philosophy, and the Real Causes of Distress
2025-Nov-30
51 minutes
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Biography, History, and Philosophy: Iris Murdoch, Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, & Mary Midgley
2025-Nov-13
33 minutes
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Encore: The Ethics of Sexbots
2025-Oct-28
50 minutes
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Artificial Intelligence, Free Will, and Consciousness
2025-Oct-16
43 minutes
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The Human Experience and AI
2025-Sep-29
48 minutes
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Individual Choices, Challenges, and Social Changes
2025-Sep-17
50 minutes
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Masculinity, Red Pill, & The Anger Economy
2025-Aug-30
43 minutes
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Health, Influencers, and The Truth
2025-Aug-21
45 minutes
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The Paranormal, Ghosts, and Aliens
2025-Jul-30
39 minutes
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Hidden History of Los Angeles: Mexican Repatriation, Immigration, and Forgotten Stories
2025-Jul-10
36 minutes
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Confidence and Presence
2025-Jun-26
28 minutes
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Fatherhood, Masculinity, Generational Shifts
2025-Jun-16
37 minutes
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Discretion, Laws, and Moral Questions
2025-May-29
46 minutes
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Romantic Love, Attraction, and Asexuality
2025-May-13
47 minutes
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Memoir, History, and the Ambiguity of Color with Martha S. Jones
2025-Apr-30
53 minutes
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Existentialism, Myth, and Film with Dr. Lewis Gordon
2025-Apr-15
64 minutes
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Murder, Politics, and The Law with Matt Murphy
2025-Mar-27
69 minutes
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Natural Disasters & Recovery with George Siegal
2025-Mar-06
52 minutes
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Justice, Tradition, and the FBI
2025-Feb-24
38 minutes
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God, Eternity, and Spinoza
2025-Feb-08
34 minutes
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Ethics, Action, and Intention
2025-Jan-25
45 minutes
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2024 Moments and Behind the Scenes
2025-Jan-11
15 minutes
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Truth vs Conspiracy with Jason Cavanagh
2024-Dec-27
53 minutes
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Infrastructure Details: The History of Traffic, Car Dependency, and the Ethics of Urban Design
2024-Dec-09
48 minutes
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The Philosophy of Star Wars: Eastern Wisdom, Attachment, and the Search for Happiness
2024-Nov-21
47 minutes
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How to Advocate for Yourself at Work: Negotiation, Career Growth, and Finding Meaning
2024-Nov-08
51 minutes
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The Public Square Post Covid
2024-Oct-18
51 minutes
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Encore: The Climate is Above Politics
2024-Oct-11
50 minutes
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Why Post-Punk Is the Most Philosophical Music Ever Made: Two Philosophy Professors Explain
2024-Oct-02
43 minutes
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Critical Thinking Details: Beware of Con Women
2024-Sep-16
50 minutes
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Business Details: The Story Behind Success
2024-Sep-05
51 minutes
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Life Lessons from "The Dude": Philosophy in The Big Lebowski
2024-Aug-17
47 minutes
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What Do We Learn From Reality TV?
2024-Aug-06
43 minutes
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How to be Philosophical About Romance
2024-Jul-23
55 minutes
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What We Learn About Virtue From Captain America
2024-Jul-06
50 minutes
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Engineering Ethics: Lessons from The Challenger Disaster
2024-Jun-20
39 minutes
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What Makes Decisions Difficult?
2024-Jun-09
40 minutes
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Self Actualization and Relationships
2024-May-21
40 minutes
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Encore: On Women Serial Killers
2024-May-11
53 minutes
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Innocent Until Proven Guilty. Is That Still True? A Constitutional Law Professor on Equal Justice in America
2024-May-01
45 minutes
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A Dialogue about Consent
2024-Apr-20
50 minutes
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Rhetoric Is Not a Dirty Word: How an Ancient Art Can Help You Think for Yourself in a Polarized World
2024-Apr-10
46 minutes
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To Envy is Human: The Philosophy of Our Most Misunderstood Emotion with Dr. Sara Protasi
2024-Mar-27
44 minutes
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Who Are You Becoming? Kierkegaard, Faithfulness, and the Philosophy of Living Well
2024-Mar-09
56 minutes
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Daredevil, Ethics, and Romance
2024-Feb-27
46 minutes
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What Your Worst Date Reveals About You: The Philosophy of Modern Dating Culture
2024-Feb-15
52 minutes
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The WHY of Podcasting
2024-Jan-31
30 minutes
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How We Speak About Morality
2024-Jan-22
34 minutes
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Wisdom Is Knowing What to Embrace and What to Release: The World's Happiest Philosopher on Living Well
2024-Jan-12
57 minutes
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Inside the Alcohol Marketing Machine: An Industry Insider Reveals How Your Drinking Habits Were Designed
2023-Dec-30
50 minutes
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Is Punk Rock Secretly Stoic? The Philosophy of Punk Rock
2023-Dec-12
35 minutes
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Embrace the New: Ideas, Career Shifts, and Happiness
2023-Dec-01
52 minutes
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BMI, Health, and the Holidays
2023-Nov-19
33 minutes
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Writing, Divesting, and Questioning with Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodriguez
2023-Nov-05
39 minutes
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The Hidden Resume: Why Caregiving Is the Most Undervalued Skill Set in the American Workforce
2023-Oct-21
33 minutes
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Medical Ethics and The Retrievals
2023-Oct-03
29 minutes
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Honor your Talent
2023-Sep-27
2 minutes
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Encore: How to Recover Creativity and Empathy in Work Life
2023-Sep-15
53 minutes
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True Crime and Society: The Black Dahlia, Media, and Human Curiosity
2023-Aug-31
40 minutes
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Does Free Will Exist?
2023-Aug-14
38 minutes
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Leave the Gun, Take the Philosophy: What The Godfather Teaches Us About Moral Corruption, Power, and Who We're Becoming
2023-Jul-31
35 minutes
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What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy?
2023-Jul-13
42 minutes
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Encore: The Virtue of Captain America with Mark D White
2023-Jul-04
59 minutes
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The Wisdom of Women Entrepreneurs
2023-Jun-30
52 minutes
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Is the "Good Husband" a Myth? What Philosophy and Data Say About Modern Marriage
2023-Jun-23
48 minutes
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The WHY of True Crime
2023-Jun-07
44 minutes
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The Philosophy and Future of Journalism
2023-May-30
46 minutes
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Know Your Goals: Job Search & Happiness for 2023
2023-May-16
46 minutes
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Does the Universe Have a Moral Status? Drew Dalton on Evil, Entropy, and the Fire Worth Walking Into
2023-Apr-25
47 minutes
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The Climate is Above Politics
2023-Apr-13
49 minutes
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The Magnetism of True Crime with Matthew Kraig Kelly
2023-Mar-29
47 minutes
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The Rockstar Educator: Breaking Rules with Rich Balling
2023-Mar-17
62 minutes
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The Power of Creativity in Education
2023-Mar-01
36 minutes
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Is Roy Batty Human? The Philosophy of Blade Runner: What the Greatest Sci-Fi Film Ever Made Teaches Us About Being Alive
2023-Feb-18
57 minutes
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What Does Inclusion Mean in the Work Place?
2023-Jan-23
47 minutes
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Happy New Year
2023-Jan-04
16 minutes
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Faith, The Meaning of Life, and Great Expectations
2022-Dec-31
61 minutes
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The Invisible Labor Killing Your Relationship — And What to Do About It
2022-Dec-16
45 minutes
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Money and Morality: A Philosophical Approach
2022-Dec-08
48 minutes
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100 Episodes!
2022-Nov-28
20 minutes
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How To Be Worthy: Thor and Philosophy
2022-Nov-13
44 minutes
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Tapping into Creativity Through Screenwriting
2022-Oct-28
51 minutes
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Lady Killers: The Deadly Women History Forgot — and the Sexist Myths That Let Them Get Away With It
2022-Oct-09
53 minutes
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The Science of Movement
2022-Sep-23
40 minutes
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When Philosophy and Psychology Meet
2022-Sep-04
56 minutes
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It IS Sexy: More on Infrastructure with Liz Farmer
2022-Aug-11
49 minutes
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How Do You Maternity? Part VI
2022-Aug-03
27 minutes
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The City of Angels Has a Dark Side: Film Noir, L.A. Private Eyes, and What They Reveal About Power and Corruption
2022-Jul-26
52 minutes
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What is Corruption?
2022-Jul-05
58 minutes
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Praise for A Good Kind of Trouble
2022-Jun-15
52 minutes
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Book Banning Culture: A Discussion with Mari Naomi
2022-Jun-01
43 minutes
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Was Killmonger Really the Villain? The Ethics of Black Panther
2022-May-15
45 minutes
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Monthly Monster or Miracle? What is PMS?
2022-May-01
56 minutes
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A Cardiologist, A Lawyer, and A Philosopher Walk Into A Podcast
2022-Apr-21
53 minutes
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How Do You Maternity?
2022-Apr-07
44 minutes
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An incredible search: Finding Uncle Dave, a WWII Paratrooper
2022-Mar-30
40 minutes
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What Do Haunted Home Films Reveal About American Culture?
2022-Mar-18
48 minutes
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How Do You Maternity? Part IV
2022-Mar-02
30 minutes
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Some Pop and Spiracy
2022-Feb-23
51 minutes
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How To Recover Creativity and Empathy in Work Life
2022-Feb-09
53 minutes
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How Does Genetic Engineering Reflect Our Humanity?
2022-Jan-30
49 minutes
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Season 3 Teaser
2022-Jan-21
less than a minute
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It's A Wrap!
2021-Nov-24
42 minutes
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On Otherness and Filmmaking: More with The Philosopher-Documentarian
2021-Nov-08
42 minutes
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The Philosopher-Documentarian on Race
2021-Oct-28
38 minutes
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How To Be Philosophical About Grief
2021-Oct-16
41 minutes
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What is Time Hacking?
2021-Oct-06
51 minutes
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What is Philosophy of Science?
2021-Sep-23
52 minutes
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How Do You Maternity? Part III
2021-Sep-12
25 minutes
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Social Epistemology, Arguments, and the Internet
2021-Sep-02
44 minutes
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Bringing Sexy Infrastructure Back
2021-Aug-22
50 minutes
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For the Love of Poetry
2021-Aug-13
48 minutes
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Answering Your Personal Finance Questions
2021-Aug-01
54 minutes
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The Ethics of Sexbots
2021-Jul-15
50 minutes
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Let's Overthink
2021-Jun-30
54 minutes
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Podcast in Review
2021-Jun-21
33 minutes
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The Creative Process: Comedy, Film, and Storytelling
2021-Jun-13
61 minutes
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A Lesson in Asian American History: What Every American Should Know
2021-May-16
52 minutes
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Understanding Anxiety
2021-May-04
43 minutes
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Make Me A Match
2021-Apr-24
38 minutes
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To Infinity and Beyond
2021-Mar-28
49 minutes
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From We to Me
2021-Mar-16
53 minutes
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Examining the Social Media Landscape
2021-Feb-28
49 minutes
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Don't Spoil That!
2021-Feb-12
33 minutes
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Too young and Too Early: On the Hyper-sexualization of Girls in Media
2021-Jan-29
43 minutes
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About January 6th 2021
2021-Jan-16
46 minutes
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New Year New You: Talking Finance and Real Estate
2021-Jan-08
40 minutes
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The Value of Sex Education
2020-Dec-28
48 minutes
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How to Learn from Heartbreak
2020-Dec-21
46 minutes
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Let's Be Objective
2020-Dec-17
48 minutes
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Gig Economy and the Fate of Cities
2020-Nov-28
42 minutes
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Swiping For Romance
2020-Nov-18
44 minutes
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The Gravity of Joy: A Theologian on Finding Joy in the Midst of Grief, Loss, and Suffering
2020-Nov-08
47 minutes
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Her Phil-Life-Sophy
2020-Oct-27
40 minutes
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How to Navigate Social Media
2020-Oct-15
51 minutes
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It's a Men's Issue
2020-Oct-04
57 minutes
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The Psychology of Social Distancing
2020-Sep-21
40 minutes
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What is Existential Sociology?
2020-Sep-10
47 minutes
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Ancient Ideas Everyday Life
2020-Sep-01
46 minutes
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Season 2 Teaser
2020-Aug-18
1 minute
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Politics, meet Science
2020-Jul-31
43 minutes
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Ex Machina: Consciousness, Freedom, and the Ethics of Creation
2020-Jul-19
49 minutes
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Desire, Communication, and Sex Therapy
2020-Jul-11
39 minutes
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Captain America and the Virtuous Life
2020-Jul-05
59 minutes
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The Crossroads of Literature and Politics
2020-Jun-28
49 minutes
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Naming Parts, Reproductive Health, and Sex Positive
2020-Jun-20
45 minutes
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Tasteless Jokes and the State of Comedy
2020-Jun-13
45 minutes
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Working From Home-Life Balance
2020-Jun-07
46 minutes
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Corruption in the Time of Coronavirus
2020-May-29
58 minutes
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Fitness as Process
2020-May-20
35 minutes
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The Morality of Batman
2020-May-15
39 minutes
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What Is Bully Culture?
2020-May-04
68 minutes
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When Pandemic Life Imitates Art: Part II
2020-Apr-24
37 minutes
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When Pandemic Life Imitates Art: Part I
2020-Apr-17
35 minutes
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Podcast in the time of Coronavirus: Part IV
2020-Apr-11
42 minutes
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What is Existential Ethics?
2020-Apr-06
27 minutes
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Podcast in the Time of Coronavirus: Part III
2020-Mar-30
23 minutes
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Podcast in the Time of Coronavirus: Part II
2020-Mar-24
30 minutes
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Podcast in the time of Coronavirus
2020-Mar-20
35 minutes
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What Can Comedy Do?
2020-Mar-13
22 minutes
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Love and the Graphic Memoir with Mari Naomi
2020-Mar-03
31 minutes
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Reflections on Blackness
2020-Feb-24
39 minutes
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Masculinity and Gender Roles
2020-Feb-12
43 minutes
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An FBI agent, a Lawyer, and a Philosopher walk into a podcast. Part II
2020-Feb-03
45 minutes
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An FBI agent, a Lawyer, and a Philosopher walk into a podcast. Part I
2020-Jan-29
58 minutes
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How Do You Maternity? Part II
2020-Jan-20
11 minutes
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CRISPR Me This
2020-Jan-14
44 minutes
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This Is Your Brain on Love
2020-Jan-06
42 minutes
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How Do You Maternity? Part I
2019-Dec-31
11 minutes
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Beauty, Self Love, and Comedy
2019-Dec-13
54 minutes
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All About The Funny
2019-Dec-01
59 minutes
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Moody Responsibility
2019-Nov-19
41 minutes
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How To Be A FemDom
2019-Oct-22
52 minutes
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How We Speak About Madness
2019-Aug-29
48 minutes
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Lessons from Outbreak and Zombie Narratives
2019-Aug-02
50 minutes
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Ancient Philosophical Therapy
2019-Jul-14
21 minutes
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A Plastic Surgeon's Notes on Beauty
2019-Jul-09
48 minutes
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Dentistry: Truths, Ethics, & General Health
2019-Jun-23
67 minutes
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What's It Like To Meet Beauvoir?
2019-Jun-16
54 minutes
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All About LA Infrastructure
2019-Jun-09
55 minutes
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On Writing
2019-Jun-03
38 minutes
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