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The new philosophy podcast! Philosopher Rebecca Lowe talks with philosophical guests about philosophical concepts, with the aim of providing rigorous yet accessible rough working definitions.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Accessible philosophical conversations • Defining core concepts • Political philosophy: rights, freedom, democracy, liberalism, politics • Ethics and obligation • Privacy and transparency • Institutions, law, and public life • Happiness and wellbeingThis podcast features philosopher Rebecca Lowe in conversation with guests about major philosophical concepts, aiming to arrive at rigorous but accessible “working definitions.” Across the episodes, the discussions focus on political and moral philosophy and on concepts that matter both in theory and in public life.
Recurring themes include how contested ideas are used in everyday and academic contexts, whether they can be defined precisely, and what follows from adopting one definition rather than another. The show often explores the relationships among concepts—for example, how freedom connects to questions about free will and consciousness, how transparency and privacy can be valued and constrained, and how democracy and liberalism depend on particular institutions and civic expectations. Several conversations examine normative structure: the difference between rights and preferences, how rights relate to obligations, what it means to “ground” a right, and whether rights can conflict.
The podcast also treats these ideas as practical as well as conceptual, considering how liberal commitments operate in political action, what legal protections might be appropriate for privacy, and what it could mean for a country or society to be “free” or “democratic.” Alongside political themes, it also addresses human well-being through philosophical questions about happiness, including what happiness consists in and potential complications such as being pleased by morally bad outcomes.
| Episodes: |
Working Definition episode 8: Rights, with John Tasioulas2026-Feb-18 65 minutes |
Working Definition episode 7: Happiness, with Henry Oliver2025-Dec-26 47 minutes |
Working Definition episode 6: Liberalism, with Michael Ignatieff2025-Dec-12 54 minutes |
Working Definition episode 5: Politics, with Oliver Traldi2025-Nov-12 59 minutes |
Working Definition episode 4: Privacy, with Ignacio Cofone2025-Sep-29 48 minutes |
Working Definition episode 3: Freedom, with Tyler Cowen2025-Aug-29 60 minutes |
Working Definition episode 2: Democracy, with Josiah Ober2025-Aug-03 61 minutes |
Working Definition episode 1: Transparency, with Tom Hoenig2025-Jul-20 39 minutes |