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What is your second-life? Living Philosophy is dedicated to exploring the inspiring second lives of people who have successfully made significant changes to their careers and lives through self-reflection, insight, and practice. Listen also to our Public Philosophy podcasts, which you can find by topic and the bespoke logo artwork. Hosted by Dr Todd S. Mei, former Head of Philosophy at the University of Kent (UK), and founder, consultant, and freelance author at Philosophy2u.com.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Applied philosophy in everyday life • career “second lives” and change • ethics, rights, disability, abortion law • technology, cryptocurrency • trauma, medicine, emotions • interpretation, translation, misinformation • animals, nature, climate • creativity, music, leadership, work meaningThis podcast uses philosophy as a practical lens for thinking about how people live, work, and change. Hosted by philosopher Todd S. Mei, it combines conversations with academics and professionals to explore “second lives”: major career shifts, personal reinvention, and the reflective practices that make transformation possible. Alongside these biographies of change, the show regularly tackles applied philosophical questions that connect everyday experience to ethics, politics, law, and culture.
Across the episodes, recurring themes include how values shape our choices and institutions, and how difficult it can be to understand one another in a world marked by polarization, misinformation, and conflicting interpretations. Listeners encounter discussions of interpretation and communication (including translation and hermeneutics), the limits of objectivity, and the social conditions that affect recognition, rights, and justice. The podcast also examines contemporary controversies through a philosophical-legal frame, emphasizing how moral debates often intersect with constitutional reasoning, policy, and public life.
Many conversations focus on embodied experience and well-being, treating mind and body as intertwined in topics such as trauma, illness, disability, and emotional life. Other episodes extend ethical inquiry beyond the human, asking what respectful relationships with non-human animals and the natural world require amid environmental and climate pressures.
Technology and modern economies are another thread, with attention to how devices, digital systems, and innovations—such as cryptocurrency and blockchain—reshape relationships, power, and everyday purposes. Cultural practices are treated as philosophically significant as well: music, dance, food, literature, and mathematics appear not only as creative pursuits but also as ways of forming identity, building community, and cultivating meaning.
Overall, the podcast alternates between conceptual analysis and lived testimony, using stories of artists, educators, athletes, entrepreneurs, and advocates to ground philosophical reflection in work, creativity, perseverance, leadership, and mortality.
| Episodes: |
Philosophy of Gastronomy with Kelly Donati2022-Dec-17 55 minutes |
Philosophy of Disability with Chris Riddle2022-Oct-11 59 minutes |
Philosophy of Technology with Dominic Smith and Mark Coeckelbergh2022-Sep-16 51 minutes |
Valerie Noble on Turning a Passion for Science Fiction into a Career2022-Aug-08 53 minutes |
Is Abortion Constitutional?2022-Jul-11 71 minutes |
Embodied Trauma with Anna Westin2022-Jun-09 56 minutes |
Kat Batchelor on Performing and Teaching Folk Music2022-Jun-06 55 minutes |
Animal Crisis with Alice Crary & Lori Gruen2022-May-12 58 minutes |
Philosophy & Cryptocurrency with Sebastian Purcell2022-Apr-29 73 minutes |
The Problem of Translation with Lisa Foran2022-Apr-16 59 minutes |
Mind and the Philosophy of Medicine with David Corfield2022-Mar-31 56 minutes |
Hillary Hutchinson on Transitioning into Change2022-Mar-16 56 minutes |
Arvind Gupta on Improving the World through Venture Capitalism2022-Mar-08 55 minutes |
Why Does Hermeneutics Matter?2022-Feb-22 51 minutes |
Charlie Undershaw on the Musical and Philosophical Life2022-Feb-15 63 minutes |
The Difficulty of Understanding Others with Constantine Sandis2022-Jan-19 64 minutes |
Hans Florine on the Virtue of Speed, Climbing, and Learning How to Fail in Order to Succeed2022-Jan-10 49 minutes |
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Bringing Us Together by Questioning (2021 Annual End Roll) 2021-Dec-28 12 minutes |
Paula Leach on the Essential Features of Leadership in a Changing World2021-Dec-13 54 minutes |
Time & Temporality with Graeme A. Forbes2021-Dec-02 55 minutes |
Practices, Traditions, Innovations with Anna Mudde & Robert Piercey2021-Nov-22 63 minutes |
Brendan Mills on the Music Industry, Jazz, and Getting Inspired2021-Nov-05 58 minutes |
Ashna Sen on Re-Imagining Mathematics2021-Oct-28 67 minutes |
Fake News and Fiction with Hannah Kim2021-Oct-16 52 minutes |
Geoffrey Moore on How We Can Be Ethical Without Religion2021-Sep-28 64 minutes |
Negative Emotions with Krista Thomason2021-Sep-06 67 minutes |
Rights & Recognition with David Utsler2021-Aug-19 57 minutes |
Nature & Climate Change with Martin Bunzl2021-Aug-08 64 minutes |
Children & Philosophy with Amy Reed-Sandoval2021-Jul-30 51 minutes |
Tina Rath on Requiem, the Collective Grief Project for COVID-19 Victims2021-Jul-19 65 minutes |
Lazy Dancer Tips (Alessia Lugoboni & Iacopo Di Luigi) on Helping Others through Dance and Making Bold Changes in Life2021-Jun-29 69 minutes |
Francesca Catlow on the Benefits of Creativity and Performance for Life and Caring for Loved Ones2021-Jun-17 58 minutes |
Joe Smart on Compassion, the Future of Work, and Organizational Development2021-May-23 64 minutes |
Zara Davis on Speed Windsurfing, Osteopathy, and Overcoming Mental and Physical Barriers2021-May-17 54 minutes |
Sam Holden on Playing Professional Poker and Learning about Luck and Humility2021-Apr-20 47 minutes |
Kenji Haroutunian on the Challenges of Making the Outdoors Accessible to Everyone2021-Apr-01 58 minutes |
Susie Belanger on Perseverance and Getting Justice for Military Veterans2021-Mar-16 34 minutes |
Kate Tomas on Women's Spiritual Empowerment and the Failings of Academia2021-Feb-15 58 minutes |
Gregory Crouch on Writing Narrative Non-Fiction, American History, and the Importance of Time and Place2021-Feb-03 41 minutes |
Alan Bell on Being a Hollywood Film Editor, Rock Climber, and Silversmith2021-Jan-16 38 minutes |
Patricia Baker on Academia, Roman Floristry, and Well-being2021-Jan-11 38 minutes |