Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
In this series of podcasts Marianne Talbot uses some famous arguments in the history of philosophy to examine philosophy as a discipline. By harnessing participants’ intuitions on both sides of the various arguments she encourages her audience actually to do philosophy. In listening to these podcasts you can yourself learn how to do philosophy, not by listening to someone else do it, but by starting to do it for yourself.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Beginner-friendly philosophical method • Evaluating arguments and logic • Descartes’ cogito • Freedom vs equality • Deontology vs utilitarianism • Gettier problems and knowledge • Possible worlds and metaphysics • Objective facts in scienceThis podcast introduces complete beginners to philosophy by using well-known arguments and thought experiments to show how philosophers build, analyze, and challenge claims. It emphasizes active participation: listeners are encouraged to test their own intuitions, consider objections, and practice constructing and evaluating arguments rather than simply absorbing conclusions.
Across the series, the content focuses on core areas of the discipline and how they connect. A central thread is philosophical method—how to identify premises and conclusions, assess whether an argument is valid or persuasive, and understand what makes reasoning rigorous. Classic examples, including Descartes’ attempt to establish certainty, are used to illustrate these tools.
The podcast also surveys major topics in ethics and political philosophy, including tensions between individual freedom and equality, and compares prominent moral frameworks such as utilitarianism and deontology. In epistemology and metaphysics, it examines what it takes to have knowledge, including challenges to standard definitions through Gettier-style cases, and explores debates about possible worlds and the status of unactualized possibilities. In philosophy of science, it considers what “objective facts” might be and what sort of facts can ground scientific theories.
A concluding question-and-answer session addresses audience queries arising from the lectures, clarifying concepts and revisiting key disputes introduced throughout the series.
| Episodes: |
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Questions and Answers Session 2014-Nov-11 82 minutes |
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The Philosophy of Science 2014-Nov-11 75 minutes |
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Epistemology and Metaphysics 2014-Nov-11 77 minutes |
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Moral and Political Philosophy 2014-Nov-11 90 minutes |
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Logic and Argument: the Methodology of Philosophy 2014-Nov-11 83 minutes |