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A course in interdisciplinarity by Mario Veen. In each episode I travel through Plato's Allegory of the Cave together with a guide. Together, we examine the question of what it means to learn, grow and develop in life on earth. We do so from a new perspective every time. You can use this course to study whatever interests you through the lens of philosophy, film, art, physics, spirituality and many more. All you need is the willingness to think things through and the openness to have your preconceived notions challenged.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Interdisciplinary readings of Plato’s Cave • philosophy of truth, learning, education • art/film and image-thinking • technology, social media, disinformation, science denial • physics/cosmology, neuroscience/meditation • ecology, climate activism, governance, health • trauma, racism, ethics, spiritualityThis podcast is an interdisciplinary philosophy course structured around repeated “travels” through Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. Each conversation uses the allegory as a conceptual map for examining how humans form beliefs, encounter uncertainty, and revise their understanding of reality. Guests from a wide range of fields interpret the cave in relation to learning, development, and what it means to “turn around” when familiar frameworks no longer suffice.
Across the episodes, philosophy appears alongside concrete domains of inquiry. Discussions draw on figures in continental and political philosophy and on philosophy of technology, exploring questions of truth, interpretation, attention, desire, and the effects of media environments. Art and film are treated not just as illustrations but as ways of thinking, with attention to images, identity, affect, and the social urgency of artistic practice. Scientific perspectives recur as well, including geology and deep time, astrophysics and cosmology, neuroscience and cognition, biology and evolution, and broader questions about how science works and how it is communicated.
A prominent thread connects epistemology to public life: science denial, disinformation, and the ethics and politics of images in contemporary society. Another thread engages the climate and ecological crisis through multiple lenses—earth systems, activism and civil disobedience, universities and advocacy, rights of nature, and health impacts—often linking knowledge to responsibility and action. The show also addresses trauma and memory (including Holocaust-related theory and intergenerational trauma), spirituality and contemplative practice, and professional domains such as medicine and health professions education, including how practitioners think and learn. Overall, the episodes use Plato’s cave to stage dialogue between disciplines about perception, meaning-making, and living in complex modern conditions.
