Twitter: @twophilpodcast
Site: linktr.ee/twophilpodcast
32 episodes
2020 to 2022
Average episode: 39 minutes
Open in Apple Podcasts • RSS
Categories: Popular Culture • Two Hosts
Podcaster's summary: Listen to Dr Daniel Murphy and Dr Gregory David Jackson offer philosophical readings of popular films, whilst drinking beer. Follow us on instagram.com/twophilpodcast or twitter.com/twophilpodcast to get involved with the discussion.
| Episodes |
| 2022-Oct-21 • 34 minutes Episode 32: End Credits This is the final episode of 'Two Philosophers Drink Beer & Discuss Film'. In it, we talk about our experience of doing the podcast and why we have decided to end it. We also make one final film recommendation before having a farewell toast courtesy of some delicious beers from Mescan Brewery and Whiplash Beer. Thank you so much for listening to our podcast over the last couple of years. All of the episodes will remain online for another year, if you would like to listen to them again. |
| 2022-Jan-14 • 47 minutes Episode 31: Her In this episode, we examine the 2013 film 'Her', directed by Spike Jonze and starring Joaquin Phoenix with Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, and Olivia Wilde. Our conversation highlights a mood of loneliness as central to the film and explores Hannah Arendt's view that loneliness constitutes one of the main characteristics of modern life. We then consider the manner in which, what Shoshana Zuboff labels, 'surveillance capitalism' functions as an central aspect of the operating system that Theodore... |
| 2021-Sep-10 • 45 minutes Episode 30: Trainspotting In this episode, we consider the 1996 cult classic 'Trainspotting', directed by Danny Boyle and starring Ewan McGregor. Our discussion consults the early writings of Emmanuel Levinas to offer an existential phenomenological analysis of addiction, before considering some of the more totalitarian aspects of the society depicted in the film with reference to Francis Fukuyama, Ayn Rand, and Herbert Marcuse. Greg also makes a surprising revelation that may threaten the very premise of our show! Follow us on twit... |
| 2021-Aug-27 • 59 minutes Episode 29: Calvary In this episode, we discuss the 2014 film 'Calvary', directed by John Michael McDonagh and starring Brendan Gleeson. Our discussion highlights, as central to this film, an examination of whether or not Christianity holds any relevance for today's society. Along these lines, we start by outlining the contemporary situation of nihilism that each of the characters seem to occupy in the film. We then explore the difference between Christianity, as a particular worldview with an accepted doctrine upheld by the c... |
| 2021-Aug-13 • 52 minutes Episode 28: Interstellar In this episode, we consider the 2014 film 'Interstellar', directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Matthew McConaughey with Anne Hathaway and Jessica Chastain. Our discussion critiques the manner in which the film appears to support a notion of scientific progress that falls in line with the political projects of imperialist expansion and extractive capitalism. Following an historical exploration of these themes, we consult Karl Popper to help us properly understand the scientific method in order to dete... |
| 2021-Jul-30 • 39 minutes Episode 27: The Farewell In this episode, we discuss the 2019 film 'The Farewell', directed by Lulu Wang and starring Awkwafina. Our conversation ponders the ethics of lying, the link between the awareness of one's own death and personal identity, the clash of Western and Eastern cultures in the film, as well as the idea that all communities and traditions are founded upon, what Plato called, a noble lie. These reflections are accompanied by some beers from Bryghuset Braustein and Wicklow Wolf Brewing Company. Follow us on twitter.... |
| 2021-Jul-16 • 42 minutes Episode 26: Get Out In this episode, we consider the 2017 film 'Get Out', directed by Jordan Peele and starring Daniel Kaluuya, with Allison Williams and Lakeith Stanfield. Our discussion primarily analyses the film in relation the concepts of race, language, and colonialism as expounded by Frantz Fanon in his seminal work 'Black Skin, White Masks'. Nevertheless, we also examine the particular manner in which consciousness is depicted in the film with the help of Edmund Husserl's research in phenomenology. Along these lines, w... |
| 2020-Nov-27 • 38 minutes Episode 25: High Life (with Dr Isabel Millar) In this episode, we are joined by Dr Isabel Millar to analyse the 2018 film 'High Life', directed by Claire Denis and starring Robert Pattinson with Juliette Binoche, Mia Goth, and André 3000. Our discussion focuses on the psychoanalytic aspects of the film, particularly in relation to the concepts of taboo, sexuation, jouissance, the gaze, and time. We also reflect upon the significance of these concepts with respect to a central feature of the film, namely, the black hole. Over the course of our conversat... |
| 2020-Nov-21 • 35 minutes Episode 24: American Psycho In this episode, we consider the film 'American Psycho' from 2000, directed by Mary Harron and starring Christian Bale as the infamous Patrick Bateman. Our discussion attempts to make sense of the fact that Bateman's two heroes are Donald Trump and Ted Bundy. We thus reflect upon the relationship between capitalism and sadism. In doing so, we make reference to Karl Marx, Theodor W. Adorno, Sigmund Freud, Edward Bernays, Dan Stein, Jon Ronson, Matthew McManus, Fredric Jameson, and Gilles Deleuze. Our convers... |
| 2020-Nov-13 • 36 minutes Episode 23: Groundhog Day In this episode, we consider the 1993 film 'Groundhog Day', directed by Harold Ramis and starring Bill Murray with Andie MacDowell. We begin by highlighting the manner in which the film incites thoughts relating to the monotony of everyday life in the modern world, before moving on to an exploration of Arthur Schopenhauer's ontological pessimism in relation to Friedrich Nietzsche's existential optimism. Central to our discussion here are Nietzsche's concepts of the eternal recurrence of the same and amor fa... |
| 2020-Nov-07 • 40 minutes Episode 22: A Fantastic Woman In this episode, we discuss the 2017 film 'A Fantastic Woman', directed by Sebastián Lelio and starring Daniela Vega. Our discussion focuses on the question, what is gender? We begin with a critique of the biological essentialist understanding of gender. Here, our conversation references Talia Mae Bettcher, Gloria Anzaldúa, Immanuel Kant, and Sandy Stone. The second half of this episode analyses Judith Bulter's understanding of gender as performativity. These reflections are accompanied by a couple of beers... |
| 2020-Oct-30 • 39 minutes Episode 21: The Matrix We're back for Season 2 of Two Philosophers Drink Beer & Discuss Film, with Episode 21 on 'The Matrix' from 1999, directed by The Wachowskis and starring Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss. Our discussion focuses on the philosophical question, what is reality? Toward the conclusion of this discussion, we also offer some reflections on Robert Nozick's famous 'experience machine' thought experiment. Our conversation is accompanied by some beers from Svaneke Bryghus and The Foxes Rock. Follow us on twitter.com/... |
| 2020-Aug-29 • 40 minutes Episode 20: Blade Runner This is the final episode of Season 1 of Two Philosophers Drink Beer & Discuss Film. In it, we consider the 1982 film 'Blade Runner', directed by Ridley Scott. Our discussion identifies, as central to the film, a dramatic examination of the philosophical question, 'What does it mean to be human?' We thus demonstrate how the film problematises this question through its replicant characters who, owing to their existential condition, challenge many of the answers given to it throughout the history of philosoph... |
| 2020-Aug-22 • 43 minutes Episode 19: The Big Lebowski In this episode, we consider the 1998 film 'The Big Lebowski', directed by the Coen Brothers and starring Jeff Bridges with Julianne Moore. We start by contextualising the film in relation to the Gulf War, before outlining and assessing the idleness of The Dude as a critique of American imperialism. We conclude by analysing the character of Walter with respect to the different political elites of the film as well as America's general international policy of military interventionism. These reflections are ac... |
| 2020-Aug-08 • 36 minutes Episode 18: Room In this episode, we consider the 2015 film 'Room', directed by Lenny Abrahamson and starring Brie Larson with Jacob Tremblay. We start by drawing some parallels between the film and Plato's famous allegory of the cave, before exploring some of the ways that the film critiques this understanding of reality. We conclude by highlighting the difference between abstract geometric space and our concrete lived experience of space in order to make sense of Jack's claim that room, the small shed where he was impriso... |
| 2020-Aug-01 • 38 minutes Episode 17: Woman At War In this episode, we discuss the 2018 film 'Woman At War', directed by Benedikt Erlingsson and starring Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir. We start by highlighting the dangers involved with the Western appropriation of Buddhism as a response to injustice and suffering, before considering how the issue of climate change makes us reassess the legal principle on which modern democratic republics are founded. We conclude by considering the musical accompaniment of the film in line with the ancient Greek idea of the muses... |
| 2020-Jul-25 • 42 minutes Episode 16: The Lobster In this episode, we examine the 2015 film 'The Lobster', directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Colin Farrell with Rachel Weisz. We begin by consulting Hannah Arendt to help us understand how bureaucracy can easily transform into tyranny, before considering how the film relates to three different stories from ancient Greek mythology: Echo & Narcissus, Oedipus, and Icarus. We conclude with some reflections on veganism and animal rights. This conversation is accompanied by beers from 9 White Deer Brewery a... |
| 2020-Jul-10 • 40 minutes Episode 15: Pulp Fiction In this episode, we consider the 1994 film 'Pulp Fiction', directed by Quentin Tarantino. Our discussion highlights the lack of a stable source of meaning in the film with reference to Jean-François Lyotard's description of the postmodern condition, before contemplating the ethical possibilities of this contemporary situation in relation to the famous scene at Jack Rabbit Slim's diner. We also evaluate the character of Jules Winnfield's reformation in the film relative to Max Weber's views on the protestant... |
| 2020-Jul-03 • 40 minutes Episode 14: Do The Right Thing In this episode, we consider Spike Lee's 1989 classic 'Do The Right Thing'. Our discussion begins by highlighting the historical and pedagogical issues between philosophy and race, before continuing to explore the different ways that white supremacy manifests itself throughout the film. We reference several thinkers in this episode, including Archie Mafeje, Kwame Nkrumah, Enrique Dussel, Akala, Charles W. Mills, Renni Eddo-Lodge, Angela Davis, and James Baldwin. These reflections are accompanied by beers fr... |
| 2020-Jun-26 • 41 minutes Episode 13: A Clockwork Orange In this episode, we consider the 1971 film 'A Clockwork Orange', directed by Stanley Kubrick. Our discussion comments on the violence depicted in the film with reference to the work of Michel Foucault and Jacques Derrida, before contemplating the relationship between morality and freedom in consultation with Thomas Aquinas and Immanuel Kant. We accompany these reflections with some beers from To Øl and 9 White Deer Brewery. Follow us on twitter.com/twophilpodcast or instagram.com/twophilpodcast to get invol... |
| 2020-Jun-19 • 39 minutes Episode 12: Arrival In this episode, we consider the 2016 film 'Arrival', directed Denis Villeneuve and starring Amy Adams. Our discussion explores what the film reveals about the nature of language by examining the contemporary philosophical debate between 'designative-instrumental' and 'expressive-constitutive' theories of language. It also highlights Aristotle's stance against implementing a particular method of study prior to familiarising oneself with the topic of that study and concludes by analysing the manner in which ... |
| 2020-Jun-12 • 37 minutes Episode 11: Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind In this episode, we consider the 2004 film 'Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind', directed by Michel Gondry, written by Charlie Kaufman, and starring Jim Carrey with Kate Winslet. Our discussion consults Augustine of Hippo in order to shed light on what the film reveals about the nature of memory, critiques Nietzsche's understanding of forgetfulness as a virtue, and references Plato to highlight true love as a type of the madness. We accompany these reflections with some beers by Wicklow Wolf Brewing Comp... |
| 2020-May-29 • 38 minutes Episode 10: Midsommar In this episode, we consider the 2019 film 'Midsommar', directed by Ari Aster and starring Florence Pugh. This film was suggested by and features Maryam Ali, the winner of our first listener's choice competition. Our discussion examines both the lure and danger of so-called 'authentic communities', in relation to hippy collectives, cults, and national socialist movements. It also touches upon the current debate around the issue of euthanasia, psychedelic and transcendent experiences, as well as the problem ... |
| 2020-May-22 • 34 minutes Episode 9: Knives Out In this episode, we discuss 'Knives Out', directed by Rian Johnson. We consider this film as a commentary on the current political and social landscape of the United States by outlining the different facets of contemporary American society represented by each character in the film. Our discussion also highlights Angela Nagle's analysis of the alt-right movement in her book 'Kill All Normies' and touches on the current debate surrounding the issues of political correctness and the freedom of speech. These re... |
| 2020-May-15 • 35 minutes Episode 8: Mother! In this episode, we consider the 2017 film 'Mother!', directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Jennifer Lawrence. Our discussion highlights the issue of the climate crisis with respect to the work of Carolyn Merchant, Silvia Federici, and Naomi Klein. It also examines the ambiguous relationship between the character of God and the earth in the Bible. Our reflections on this film are accompanied by a couple of beers from To Øl and Wold Top Brewery. Follow us on twitter.com/twophilpodcast or instagram.com/tw... |
| 2020-May-08 • 35 minutes Episode 7: Annihilation In this episode, we consider Alex Garland's 2018 film 'Annihilation', starring Natalie Portman. Our discussion explores some of the different creation myths from the history of thought, the metaphysics of the Ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus, the unhuman element of the human body, as well as a few snippets of wisdom from the Eastern tradition of Daoism. Follow us on twitter.com/twophilpodcast or instagram.com/twophilpodcast to get involved with the discussion. |
| 2020-May-01 • 36 minutes Episode 6: One Hour Photo In Episode 6, we discuss the 2002 film 'One Hour Photo', directed by Mark Romanek and starring Robin Williams. Our conversation highlights Shoshana Zuboff's analysis of 'surveillance capitalism' as well as Søren Kierkegaard's existential critique of conceptual truth. Follow us on twitter.com/twophilpodcast or instagram.com/twophilpodcast to get involved with the discussion. |
| 2020-Apr-24 • 38 minutes Episode 5: Minority Report In this episode, we discuss the 2002 film 'Minority Report', directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise. We do so in relation to the issue concerning the moral justification of punishment, whilst also touching on the free will/determinism debate. Follow us on twitter.com/twophilpodcast or instagram.com/twophilpodcast to get involved with the discussion. |
| 2020-Apr-17 • 32 minutes Episode 4: Fight Club In this episode, we examine David Fincher's 1999 film 'Fight Club', starring Edward Norton. Our discussion touches on Friedrich Nietzsche’s proclamation that 'God is dead' as well as Sigmund Freud's reflections on the story of Oedipus. Follow us on twitter.com/twophilpodcast or instagram.com/twophilpodcast to get involved with the discussion. |
| 2020-Apr-10 • 32 minutes Episode 3: The Truman Show In this episode, we consider 'The Truman Show' from 1998, directed by Peter Weir and starring Jim Carrey. We do so in relation to Guy Debord's concept of 'the spectacle', whilst also making reference to the work of Jean Baudrillard. Follow us on twitter.com/twophilpodcast or instagram.com/twophilpodcast to get involved with the discussion. |
| 2020-Apr-04 • 37 minutes Episode 2: Under The Skin In this episode, we discuss the 2013 film 'Under The Skin' and examine it with respect to some of the concepts expressed in the philosophy of Simone de Beauvoir and Martin Heidegger. Follow us on twitter.com/twophilpodcast or instagram.com/twophilpodcast to get involved with the discussion. |
| 2020-Mar-28 • 36 minutes Episode 1: Parasite For our inaugural episode, we discuss the 2019 film 'Parasite' and raise some points concerning the philosophers Karl Marx, G.W.F. Hegel, and Albert Camus. We also try some beers from Grimbergen Brewery and Mongozo. Follow us on twitter.com/twophilpodcast or instagram.com/twophilpodcast to get involved with the discussion. |