Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Public philosophy conversations • ethics of suffering, charity, animal rights, violence • metaphysics: Plato/Aristotle, forms, idealism • consciousness, sensation, memory, personhood • postmodernism, atheism • technology, AI, politics/war • love, friendship, music • learning, teaching, grades • hermeneutics, understanding
This podcast is a public-facing philosophy show hosted by two New Jersey professors as part of a broader project aimed at bringing philosophical discussion beyond academia. Across the episodes, the hosts use extended, question-driven conversations to clarify major concepts in metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, political philosophy, aesthetics, and the philosophy of mind. A recurring format is to take a familiar word or contested idea and ask what it is, what assumptions it involves, and what follows from different answers.
Much of the content centers on foundational issues about reality and knowledge, including comparisons between classical thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle, debates over idealism and the status of matter, and questions about universals, particulars, and the theory of forms. Another prominent thread examines consciousness and experience: sensation, memory, language, understanding, and the difficulty of knowing what subjective experience is like for nonhuman animals. Related discussions extend into personhood and personal identity, including how concepts of personhood connect to rights.
The show also frequently moves from theory to practical ethical and political implications. Topics include obligations to alleviate suffering (with particular attention to global poverty, charity, and animal ethics), the moral status of violence and state power, and the aims and nature of politics and war. Contemporary concerns appear through episodes on technology and artificial intelligence, including how digital systems reshape truth, relationships, and the self. Alongside these larger themes, the hosts also treat aspects of everyday life—love, friendship, music, learning, and grading—as subjects for philosophical analysis. Occasional updates and listener Q&A episodes round out the feed.
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Episodes:
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Summer Hiatus Update
2024-Jul-20
less than a minute
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Ep. 119: How Do We Minimize Suffering? (Part II)
2024-Jul-02
58 minutes
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Ep. 118: How Do We Minimize Suffering? (Part I)
2024-Jun-20
58 minutes
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Ep. 117: Ancient Metaphysics (Part II)
2024-Jun-04
51 minutes
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Ep. 116: Ancient Metaphysics (Part I)
2024-May-22
50 minutes
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Ep. 115: Tradition vs. Novelty (Part II)
2024-May-07
64 minutes
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Ep. 114: Tradition Vs. Novelty (Part I)
2024-Apr-23
63 minutes
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Delay Update
2024-Mar-27
1 minute
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Ep. 113: What is Postmodernism? (Part II)
2024-Mar-05
59 minutes
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Ep. 112: What is Postmodernism? (Part I)
2024-Feb-20
61 minutes
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Ep. 111: What is NOT Philosophy? (Part II)
2024-Feb-06
52 minutes
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Ep. 110: What is NOT Philosophy? (Part I)
2024-Jan-23
55 minutes
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Ep. 109: What is Atheism? (Part II)
2024-Jan-09
63 minutes
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Ep. 108: What is Atheism? (Part I)
2023-Dec-12
54 minutes
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Ep. 107: What is Music? (Part II)
2023-Nov-22
89 minutes
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Ep. 106: What is Music? (Part I)
2023-Nov-07
57 minutes
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Ep. 105: What is (Metaphysical) Idealism? (Part II)
2023-Oct-26
50 minutes
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Ep. 104: What is (Metaphysical) Idealism? (Part I)
2023-Oct-10
51 minutes
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Ep. 103: What is it like to Be an Octopus? (Part II)
2023-Sep-26
57 minutes
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Ep. 102: What is it Like to Be an Octopus? (Part I)
2023-Sep-12
56 minutes
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Ep. 101: What is Love? (Part II)
2023-Aug-15
72 minutes
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Ep. 100: Audience Q & A
2023-Aug-01
89 minutes
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Ep. 99: What is Love? (Part I)
2023-Jul-18
68 minutes
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Ep. 98: What is Friendship? (Part II)
2023-Jul-06
52 minutes
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Ep. 97: What is Friendship? (Part I)
2023-Jun-20
72 minutes
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Ep. 96: How Do We Understand Things? (Part II)
2023-Jun-06
72 minutes
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Ep. 95: How Do We Understand Things? (Part I)
2023-May-23
63 minutes
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Ep. 94: What is Artificial Intelligence? feat. ChatGPT (Part II)
2023-May-09
73 minutes
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Ep. 93: What is Artificial Intelligence? feat. ChatGPT (Part I)
2023-Apr-25
51 minutes
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Ep. 92: The Ethics of Violence (Part II)
2023-Apr-11
43 minutes
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Ep. 91: The Ethics of Violence (Part I)
2023-Mar-28
46 minutes
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Ep. 90: The Theory of Forms (Part II)
2023-Mar-15
47 minutes
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Ep. 89: The Theory of Forms (Part I)
2023-Feb-28
53 minutes
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Ep. 88: What Is Human Nature? (Part II)
2023-Feb-14
59 minutes
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Ep. 87: What Is Human Nature? (Part I)
2023-Jan-31
58 minutes
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Ep. 86: What Are Grades? (Part II)
2023-Jan-19
70 minutes
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Ep. 85: What Are Grades? (Part I)
2023-Jan-03
57 minutes
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Ep. 84: Politics and War (Part II)
2022-Dec-20
69 minutes
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Ep. 83: Politics and War (Part I)
2022-Dec-08
63 minutes
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Ep. 82: What is Technology? (Part II)
2022-Nov-22
67 minutes
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Ep. 81: What is Technology? (Part I)
2022-Nov-08
60 minutes
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Ep. 80: What is Personhood? (Part II)
2022-Oct-25
66 minutes
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Ep. 79: What is Personhood? (Part I)
2022-Oct-11
61 minutes
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Ep. 78: On Learning and Teaching (Part II)
2022-Sep-27
62 minutes
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Ep. 77: On Learning and Teaching (Part I)
2022-Sep-13
58 minutes
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Ep. 76: What is Sensation? (Part II)
2022-Aug-30
65 minutes
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Ep. 75: What is Sensation? (Part I)
2022-Aug-16
60 minutes
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Ep. 74: What is Memory? (Part II)
2022-Aug-03
44 minutes
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Ep. 73: What is Memory? (Part I)
2022-Jul-19
54 minutes
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Ep. 72: Analytic vs. Continental Philosophy (Part II)
2022-Jul-05
64 minutes
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Ep. 71: Analytic vs. Continental Philosophy (Part I)
2022-Jun-21
61 minutes
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Ep. 70: What is a Paradox? (Part II)
2022-Jun-07
63 minutes
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Ep. 69: What is a Paradox? (Part I)
2022-May-24
56 minutes
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Ep. 68: What is Disagreement? (Part II)
2022-May-10
49 minutes
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Ep. 67: What is Disagreement? (Part I)
2022-Apr-26
46 minutes
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Ep. 66: Are We Born With Innate Ideas? (Part II)
2022-Apr-12
44 minutes
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Ep. 65: Are We Born With Innate Ideas? (Part I)
2022-Mar-29
47 minutes
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Ep. 64: Control, Desire, and Attachment (Part II)
2022-Mar-15
43 minutes
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Ep. 63: Control, Desire, and Attachment (Part I)
2022-Mar-01
38 minutes
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Ep. 62: What is History? ft. Gene Nassar, Ph.D. (Part II)
2022-Feb-15
58 minutes
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Ep. 61: What is History? ft. Gene Nasser, Ph.D. (Part I)
2022-Feb-02
52 minutes
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Ep. 60: What is Property? (Part II)
2022-Jan-18
67 minutes
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Ep. 59: What is Property? (Part I)
2022-Jan-04
56 minutes
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Ep. 58: Holiday Special - What is a Holiday? ft. Claire Celi and Sal Mignano
2021-Dec-21
110 minutes
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Ep. 57: What is Philosophy? (Part II)
2021-Dec-07
50 minutes
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Ep. 56: What is Philosophy? (Part I)
2021-Nov-23
57 minutes
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Ep. 55: Language, Thought, and Reality (Part II)
2021-Nov-09
55 minutes
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Ep. 54: Language, Thought, and Reality (Part I)
2021-Oct-26
48 minutes
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Ep. 53: What is Phenomenology? (Part II)
2021-Oct-12
63 minutes
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Ep. 52: What is Phenomenology? (Part I)
2021-Sep-28
54 minutes
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Ep. 51: What is Propaganda? ft. Claire Celi, M.A. (Part II)
2021-Sep-14
58 minutes
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Ep. 50: Audience Q & A
2021-Aug-31
66 minutes
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Ep. 49: What is Propaganda? ft. Claire Celi, M.A. (Part I)
2021-Aug-17
46 minutes
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Ep. 48: What is Beauty? (Part II)
2021-Aug-03
57 minutes
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Ep. 47: What is Beauty? (Part I)
2021-Jul-20
56 minutes
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Ep. 46: What is Conversation? (Part II)
2021-Jul-06
47 minutes
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Ep. 45: What is Conversation? (Part I)
2021-Jun-22
44 minutes
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Ep. 44: Objectivity and Subjectivity (Part II)
2021-Jun-08
57 minutes
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Ep. 43: Objectivity and Subjectivity (Part I)
2021-May-25
53 minutes
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Ep. 42: Presocratic Metaphysics (Part II)
2021-May-11
55 minutes
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Ep. 41: Presocratic Metaphysics (Part I)
2021-Apr-27
50 minutes
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Ep. 40: What is Critical Thinking? (Part II)
2021-Apr-13
56 minutes
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Ep. 39: What is Critical Thinking? (Part I)
2021-Mar-30
52 minutes
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Ep. 38: What is the Good Life? (Part II)
2021-Mar-16
49 minutes
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Ep. 37: What is the Good Life? (Part I)
2021-Mar-02
45 minutes
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Ep. 36: What is Intelligence? (Part II)
2021-Feb-16
46 minutes
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Ep. 35: What is Intelligence? (Part I)
2021-Feb-02
43 minutes
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Ep. 34: What is Death? ft. Sal Mignano, D.O. (Part II)
2021-Jan-19
46 minutes
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Ep. 33: What is Death? ft. Sal Mignano, D.O. (Part I)
2021-Jan-05
39 minutes
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Ep. 32: What is Science? (Part II)
2020-Dec-22
50 minutes
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Ep. 31: What is Science? (Part I)
2020-Dec-08
44 minutes
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Ep. 30: Knowledge and Truth (Part II)
2020-Nov-24
49 minutes
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Ep. 29: Knowledge and Truth (Part I)
2020-Nov-10
34 minutes
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Ep. 28: What is Democracy? (Part II)
2020-Oct-27
40 minutes
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Ep. 27: What is Democracy? (Part I)
2020-Oct-13
40 minutes
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Ep. 26: The Role of Work (Part II)
2020-Sep-29
46 minutes
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Ep. 25: The Role of Work (Part I)
2020-Sep-15
43 minutes
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Ep. 24: What is Education? (Part II)
2020-Sep-01
40 minutes
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Ep. 23: What is Education? (Part I)
2020-Aug-18
42 minutes
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Ep. 22: What is Language? ft. Claire Kelly, M.A. (Part II)
2020-Aug-04
41 minutes
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Ep. 21: What is Language? ft. Claire Kelly, M.A. (Part I)
2020-Jul-21
42 minutes
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Ep. 20: Freedom of Speech (Part II)
2020-Jul-07
42 minutes
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Ep. 19: Freedom Of Speech (Part I)
2020-Jun-23
39 minutes
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Ep. 18: What is Time?
2020-Jun-09
44 minutes
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Ep. 17: What is Justice? (Part II)
2020-May-26
46 minutes
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Ep. 16: What is Justice? (Part I)
2020-May-12
40 minutes
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Ep. 15: Aesthetics (Part II)
2020-Apr-28
40 minutes
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Ep. 14: Aesthetics (Part I)
2020-Apr-14
38 minutes
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Ep. 13: Existentialism (Part II)
2020-Mar-31
41 minutes
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Ep. 12: Existentialism (Part I)
2020-Mar-17
38 minutes
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Ep. 11: Do We Have Free Will? (Part II)
2020-Mar-03
37 minutes
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Ep. 10: Do We Have Free Will? (Part I)
2020-Feb-18
34 minutes
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Ep. 9: Ethics (Part II)
2020-Feb-04
62 minutes
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Ep. 8: Ethics (Part I)
2020-Jan-21
45 minutes
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Holiday Hiatus Update
2020-Jan-08
less than a minute
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Ep. 7: Perception and Reality (Part II)
2019-Nov-26
35 minutes
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Ep. 6: Perception and Reality (Part I)
2019-Nov-12
28 minutes
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Ep. 5: Is There a God? (Part II)
2019-Oct-29
26 minutes
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Ep. 4: Is There a God? (Part I)
2019-Oct-15
32 minutes
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Ep. 3: What is Consciousness? (Part III)
2019-Oct-01
19 minutes
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Ep. 2: What is Consciousness? (Part II)
2019-Sep-16
27 minutes
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Ep. 1: What is Consciousness? (Part I)
2019-Sep-01
33 minutes
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