Twitter: @lifeplatoscave • @MarioVeen (@MarioVeen followed by 17 philosophers)
Site: lifefromplatoscave.com
35 episodes
2020 to present
Average episode: 85 minutes
Open in Apple Podcasts • RSS
Categories: Interview-Style
Podcaster's summary: 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.
| Episodes |
| 2023-Mar-19 • 119 minutes Episode 32 - Climate Science Rebellion with Ernst-Jan Kuiper Ernst-Jan Kuiper obtained his Master's degree in Climate Physics In 2014, after which he focused on research into the dynamics of the Greenland ice sheet. After 5 years, including 6 weeks of fieldwork on the Greenland ice sheet, he obtained his doctorate (PhD) in 2019. Ernst-Jan currently works at Milieudefensie on the appeal against oil giant Shell. He also writes articles about climate change for the Dutch program Tegenlicht and gives lectures about climate change. He also spends time on climate activism,... |
| 2023-Mar-09 • 79 minutes Episode 31 - How to Talk to a Science Denier with Lee McIntyre Lee McIntyre is a philosopher and a scholar of science denial. He is a Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University and a recent Lecturer in Ethics at Harvard Extension School. Lee is the author of many books for MIT Press, I will just mention three now. In The Scientific Attitude (2019), Lee argues that we can best understand what is distinctive about science not by focusing on its method or achievements, but on those instances of failure to live up to one of i... |
| 2023-Feb-24 • 78 minutes Episode 30 - Henri Bergson’s Philosophy with Jeanne Proust Jeanne Proust has studied Humanities, Philosophy and Visual Arts in Bordeaux, Berlin, and Paris. She has been teaching Philosophy for the last 12 years in the US. Her PhD dissertation (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) focused on the pathologies of the willpower, both in philosophical and psychological perspectives, but her interests are wide: among many fields, she does research in Ethics, Philosophy of Technologies, Bioethics, Feminist theory, and Aesthetics. While teaching at different universities i... |
| 2023-Feb-12 • 59 minutes Episode 29 - Philosophy of Science with Rani Lill Anjum Rani Lill Anjum is a philosopher at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), working in philosophy of science and medicine. She leads the Centre for Applied Philosophy of Science (NMBU CAPS), together with Yevgeniya Tomkiv. Her expertise is in the philosophy of causality, complexity, probability and risk, and other philosophical biases in science that influence choice of theory, method, policy and practice. She uses Twitter for professional networking. She loves experimenting in her teaching and sh... |
| 2023-Jan-27 • 76 minutes Episode 28 - Medical Education with Lara Varpio Our guide through Plato's Cave and medical education is Lara Varpio. Dr. Lara Varpio is Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Philadelphia and the Co-Director of Research in Medical Education at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. She started these positions in 2022, after serving for 9 years at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS). Prior to that, She spent the first 6 years of her career at the University of Ottawa, Canada. Dr. Varp... |
| 2023-Jan-13 • 98 minutes Episode 27 - Michel Serres’ Philosophy with Aldo Houterman Our mountain guide through Plato's Cave and the philosophy of Michel Serres is Aldo Houterman. Aldo teaches Medical Ethics and Philosophy at the Amsterdam University Medical Center and is doing his PhD research at the ESPRIT center for sports, integrity and transition at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. His book 'We are our body' is about the meaning of the body, sports and movement for human existence His area of research is the philosophy of the body: How is the body regarded in sport... |
| 2022-Dec-14 • 85 minutes Episode 26 - Dealing with Collapse with Chris Julien Chris Julien mixes research and practice in the fields of public innovation, theory and culture, with a focus on ecology and epistemology. He is currently pursuing a PhD at Utrecht university that combines new materialisms and eco-thinking to constitute a field of so-called ‘ecological governance’. Furthermore, he is active in Extinction Rebellion and XR Nieuwsmedia and works on urban ecology and artistic research projects with Waag Futurelab, besides siting on various boards and committees. He holds cum la... |
| 2022-Dec-09 • 71 minutes Episode 25 - Conversation Analysis with Mike Huiskes Mike Huiskes is professor of Language and Social Interaction at the University of Groningen in The Netherlands. His work focuses on social interaction as an embodied phenomenon in both mundane and professional settings. His studies topics like intersubjectivity, epistemics and action coordination. Currently, his work focuses on learning and teaching as action coordination in various professional settings. For instance, studying how surgeon supervisors and residents construct a learning environment. This ... |
| 2022-Nov-25 • 75 minutes Episode 24 - Extinction Rebellion with Hannah Prins Hannah Prins is a climate activist and studies criminal law and international law in Amsterdam. She is active in the Extinction Rebellion Legal Circle and is passionate about protecting the right to demonstration. Sources: Merchants of Doubt documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8ii9zGFDtc... Oreskes, Naomi; Conway, Erik M. (2010). Merchants of Doubt: How a Handful of Scientists Obscured the Truth on Issues from Tobacco Smoke to Global Warming The Smoke Filled Room Study: https://www.youtube.com/... |
| 2022-Oct-25 • 72 minutes Episode 23 - How Science Works with Vincent Icke If the idea in society about how science works does not match how it actually works, how can society provide the optimal conditions for science? Vincent Icke is Professor of theoretical Astrophysics at Leiden University, where he founded the Astronomy Theory Group, and Professor of Cosmology at the University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands. His main research interests are cosmology, the relationship between dark matter and dark energy, the formation of structure in the Universe, and radiative hydrodynami... |
| 2022-Sep-02 • 89 minutes Applied Philosophy for Health Professions Education - Megan Brown, Mario Veen & Gabrielle Finn The book Applied Philosophy for Health Professions Education by Megan Brown, Mario Veen and Gabrielle Finn considers the practical application of philosophical concepts to teaching, learning, and research, covers philosophical concepts such as Stoicism and Practical Wisdom, and includes practice points for educators within each chapter of the book. *To skip to a specific presentation, scroll down to the end for all the times* In this episode (and if you're a regular listener of this podcast you may skip to ... |
| 2022-Aug-31 • 101 minutes Episode 22 - World-Centered Education with Gert Biesta We discuss World-Centered Education by Gert Biesta. Gert Biesta (gertbiesta.com/) is Professor of Public Education in the Centre for Public Education and Pedagogy, Maynooth University, Ireland, and Professor of Educational Theory and Pedagogy at the Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, UK, where he is also deputy head of the Institute for Education, Teaching and Leadership. He holds a Visiting Professorship at the University of Agder, Norway, and has recently completed a Visit... |
| 2022-Jul-28 • 115 minutes Episode 21 - Image-Thinking & Travelling Concepts with Mieke Bal We discuss Image-Thinking: Artmaking as Cultural Analysis by Mieke Bal. Mieke (www.miekebal.org) started as a literary scholar. Her commitment is to interdisciplinary approaches to cultural artifacts and their potential effects. She focuses on gender, migratory culture, psychoanalysis, and the critique of capitalism. Mieke published 45 books and curated many exhibitions. She directed films and documentaries, many of which are exhibited as video installations in museums over the world. Her books include a tr... |
| 2022-Jul-10 • 53 minutes Episode 20 - Being Better Earthlings with Marcia Bjornerud Marcia Bjornerud is Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies at Lawrence University in Appleton. Her research focuses on the physics of earthquakes and mountain-building, and she combines field-based studies of bedrock geology with quantitative models of rock mechanics. Marcia was named Outstanding Educator in 2011 by the Association of Women Geoscientists. She is the author of Reading the Rocks: The Autobiography of the Earth, Timefulness: How thinking like a geologist can help save the world and a... |
| 2022-Jun-14 • 85 minutes Episode 19 - Love and/of Philosophy with Jeanne Proust Jeanne Proust has studied Humanities, Philosophy and Visual Arts in Bordeaux, Berlin, and Paris. She has been teaching Philosophy for the last 12 years in the US. Her PhD dissertation (Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne) focused on the pathologies of the willpower, both in philosophical and psychological perspectives, but her interests are wide: among many fields, she does research in Ethics, Philosophy of Technologies, Bioethics, Feminist theory, and Aesthetics. While teaching at different universities i... |
| 2022-May-31 • 110 minutes Episode 18 - How Doctors Think with Camillo Coccia Camillo is a medical doctor from South Africa. Currently he works as a senior house officer at Letterkenny University Hospital department of Hematology. He has a special interests in existentialist philosophy, German idealism and phenomenology. We published a paper together called "Because We Care: a philosophical investigation into the spirit of medical education". We discuss that paper at length in another podcast, [link will appear here when it is out]. Camillo also published a book chapter with Sven Sch... |
| 2022-Apr-29 • 106 minutes Episode 17 - Racism & Blackness with Ian Partman Ian Partman (he/they) is a 19-year old student, writer, activist, and artist based in New York City. He is the founder of Ignite Collective, a national organization of young activists who work to resist police violence through mutual aid and direct action. He currently works at the Brennan Center for Justice in the Office of the President. Their academic research explores how histories of exclusion within everyday institutions shape contemporary forms of racial violence, especially within spaces of higher e... |
| 2022-Mar-31 • 140 minutes Episode 16 - Visual Politics with Mark Reinhardt We've been looking at what Plato's allegory means. But what happens when we examine what it does? We'll discuss political scientist Mark Reinhardt's article "The Cave of Images: Understanding Visual Politics in and through Plato’s Republic" and what we can learn from it for the visual in contemporary politics, such as images of racism and violence. The article appears in the April issue of Theory & Event. What's YOUR interpretation of Plato's allegory? I would love to hear! Leave me a voicemail. It's really... |
| 2022-Feb-27 • 162 minutes Episode 15 - Bernard Stiegler’s Philosophy with Daniel Ross The returning soul in Plato's allegory of the Cave is not heard by the prisoners, who are too occupied with the shadows on the wall. In the most literal sense, Plato was probably speaking about how the people do not appreciate the philosophy of, for instance, his teacher Socrates, at the time when this philosopher is most needed. This is an independent educational podcast and I appreciate any support you can give me me on Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/lifefromplatosc... or in other ways. Which philosophe... |
| 2022-Feb-27 • 106 minutes Episode 14 - Food & Spirituality with Ilanta Sa What keeps Plato's prisoners chained in the cave? What keeps us grounded to our reality? Food is definitely one of those things. How can we develop a more conscious relationship to food, how can we turn our entire being (like Plato says) rather than just our intellect, and how can we integrate spiritual experiences in our daily life? Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lifefromplatoscave Our... guide for this episode is Ilanta Sa. Ilanta is a beauty and wellness consultant, breath coach and busin... |
| 2022-Jan-25 • 131 minutes Episode 13 - Flat Earth & Science Communication with I Can Science That Imagine you descended from the surface into Plato's Cave and told them "you're in Plato's Cave!" And they responded "No, YOU'RE in Plato's Cave!" In this episode, we will speak about how to deal with science denial. To learn about science communication in general, we focus on one particular extreme case of science denial, which is the idea that we live on a Flat Earth. Our guide is the creator of the youtube channel I Can Science That, which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC... Can S... |
| 2022-Jan-06 • 33 minutes Episode 12B - Plato’s Cave is Getting Hotter (discussing episodes 1-11) Welcome (or welcome Back) to Life From Plato's Cave. This is a course in interdisciplinary philosophy in which we look at life - the part of life that interests you - from a new perspective in every episode. In each of the other episodes, I will interview a guest about their intepretation of Plato's Allegory of the Cave: philosophers, artists, literary scholars, phycisists, actors, psychologists, geologists and many more. In this second part of this episode, I give an overview of the eleven episodes so far ... |
| 2022-Jan-02 • 18 minutes Episode 12A - Travelling through Plato’s Cave Welcome (or welcome Back) to Life From Plato's Cave. This is a course in interdisciplinary philosophy in which we look at life - the part of life that interests you - from a new perspective in every episode. In each of the other episodes, I will interview a guest about their intepretation of Plato's Allegory of the Cave: philosophers, artists, literary scholars, phycisists, actors, psychologists, geologists and many more. In this first part of this episode, I'm speaking about how you could work with this po... |
| 2021-Dec-27 • 130 minutes Episode 11 - Biology, Technology & Human Evolution with Pieter Lemmens The prisoners in Plato's Cave have their eyes fixed on the the cave wall. Their attention is literally captured by the shadows. They cannot turn their head so they cannot see each other. Since they have been there all their lives that means they have never seen a human being! In this conversation we will take a journey through Plato's Cave by following Pieter Lemmens' intellectual journey, his thinking path. We will start with in biology, that sees human beings as an organism. Then we discuss Heidegger's... |
| 2021-Nov-16 • 79 minutes Episode 10 - Social Media & Infinite Distraction with Dominic Pettman "It's almost as if Plato saw Media Studies coming and invented this allegory for us to sort of set the stage from the beginning of western modernity. It's kind of uncanny how appropriate it remains. It's like it becomes more and more relevant as time passes." Today I speak with Dominic Pettman about social media, distraction and libido. About Dominic Pettman: Dominic is University Professor of Media and New Humanities at The New School in New York, where he teaches courses on posthumanism, animal studies, ... |
| 2021-Oct-26 • 84 minutes Episode 9 - The Biggest Question in Physics with Vincent Icke After the prisoner in Plato's cave has been released, and while they are climbing up to the surface, they no longer have the familiarity and comfort of their everyday life. But neither do they have the insight that comes with arriving at the surface. They are in between worlds, in between realities. They're in a state of profound confusion. And yet they must continue to climb upwards. Today I speak with Vincent Icke for the second time. We discuss discovery in theoretical physics. How do you navigate whe... |
| 2021-Sep-06 • 91 minutes Episode 8 - Neuroscience, Meditation & Dance with Marieke van Vugt The prisoners in Plato's Cave live in a world of projections. They think they see a cat, but it is actually a shadow of a statue of a cat. Is it the same for us? Do we live in a kind of illusion? And if so, what are ways to see through this illusion and lift the fog at least a little? We explore these questions with neuroscientist, Buddhist and ballet dancer Marieke van Vugt. About Marieke: Marieke is an assistant professor in the cognitive modeling group at the University of Groningen (The Netherlands)... |
| 2021-Jun-24 • 90 minutes Episode 7 - Astrophysics & Exolife with Vincent Icke When we look at the situation of the prisoners in Plato's cave, their world is only one tiny part of all there is. They think that all that exists is the shadows on the wall. They're unaware of the fire, the way upwards, and everything at the surface. Have you ever looked at the stars at night and wondered what else is out there? Our guide today, astrophycisist Vincent Icke, writes: “There is nothing special about our Sun and the planets. [...] The matter that we consist of is the most common stuff in th... |
| 2021-May-04 • 76 minutes Episode 6 - Trauma & the Holocaust with Ernst van Alphen When the prisoner in Plato's cave is released and turns around, the light of the fire is painful and terrifying. Running back to their seat, it makes no sense at all and they have no language to even speak about it. When we experience something that does not fit in the framework within which we make sense of our reality, can we even call it "experience"? Ernst van Alphen calls trauma "failed experience". In this episode, we discuss the Holocaust in relation to trauma, experience, memory, archives and affect... |
| 2021-Apr-11 • 80 minutes Episode 5 - Geology & Timefulness with Marcia Bjornerud Sometimes a cave is just a cave. Geologist Marcia Bjornerud will give us a guided tour of Plato's Cave. Marcia Bjornerud is Professor of Geology and Environmental Studies at Lawrence University in Appleton. Her research focuses on the physics of earthquakes and mountain-building, and she combines field-based studies of bedrock geology with quantitative models of rock mechanics. Marcia was named Outstanding Educator in 2011 by the Association of Women Geoscientists. She is the author of Reading the Rocks: ... |
| 2021-Mar-13 • 94 minutes Episode 4 - Life as Film with Masha Bronnikova Plato's description of the Cave is kind of like a cinema: an audience watching shadows on a screen, projected by a fire behind them. Have you ever felt like your life is a film? Have you noticed how many films have incorporated a Plato's Cave theme - The Matrix, Inception and The Truman Show, just to name a few? How can we learn from film, especially in this time when we are watching so many series and films? Our guide for this cinematic journey through the Cave is Masha Bronnikova. About Masha Bronnikova... |
| 2021-Feb-02 • 91 minutes Episode 3 - Art, Urgency & Inter-ship with Mieke Bal In Plato's Cave, the prisoners start out being limited to only one perspective, one way to look at life. But they turn around and go on a journey, where they encounter images that challenge what they have always believed about who they are and how the world works. In this episode, we will look at the way we can look at the world from different angles. We discuss how art can not only help us do that, but is in fact necessary and urgent. How can image-thinking bring new ideas into society? Is it necessary to ... |
| 2021-Jan-05 • 73 minutes Episode 2 - Philosophy & Truth with Johannes Niederhauser Ask not what you can do with philosophy, but what philosophy can do with you! In this episode, I discuss life from Plato's Cave from a philosophical perspective with Johannes Niederhauser. We discuss, among other things, Heidegger's Essay Plato's Doctrine of Truth. A superficial reading of Plato's Cave might suggest that there are two worlds, and that the truth is something out there to be found like an island out in the ocean (or like a sun-drenched paradise outside the cave). But is that really the case? ... |
| 2020-Dec-09 • 15 minutes Episode 1 - Welcome to Plato‘s Cave lifefromplatoscave.com Welcome to Life From Plato's Cave. This is a course in interdisciplinary philosophy in which we look at life - the part of life that interests you - from a new perspective in every episode. In each of the following episodes, I will interview a guest about their intepretation of Plato's Allegory of the Cave: philosophers, artists, literary scholars, phycisists, actors, psychologists, geologists and many more. In this first episode, I introduce the podcast and Masha will read the alleg... |
| 2020-Dec-06 • 2 minutes Trailer Trailer for Life From Plato's Cave. | lifefromplatoscave.com | Follow me on Twitter for updates: https://twitter.com/lifeplatoscave | Illustration © by Julien Penning, Light One Art: https://www.instagram.com/light_one_art/ |