Exploring Minds

Angel was born and raised in a cult called The Family International which she left the age of 23. She shares her experiences living and growing up in a cult, how she was able to get out of it and live a normal life, and her process of recovery from religious trauma. Her YouTube channel can be found here, which has more information on her experiences in the cult and subsequent recovery. https://www.youtube.com/user/MrAngeladesantis

Tim returns in this episode to criticize the argument in favor of abortion that he built up in part 1 (episode 36). He argues that Marquis' argument against abortion results in contraception also being classified as immoral.

Tim & Hans are board members of Esperanto USA. Esperanto is a language created in 1887 by Polish opthamologist LL Zamenhof with the goal being to facilitate international communication between nations. They describe the history and advantages of the language of Esperanto, their reasons for learning Esperanto and later becoming fully fluent, as well as their vision for its future.

Tim Burkhardt returns for a talk on Don Marquis's essay, "Why Abortion is Immoral." This famous philosophy paper argues that abortion is, except in unusual circumstances, seriously morally wrong. Tim has since earned his Ph.D from Duke University, having successfully defended his dissertation on Epicureanism. He is now the Scholar in Residence at the Benson Center for the Study of Western Civilization at UC Boulder.

Dr. Francesca Minerva is a philosopher who has recently founded the Journal of Controversial Ideas. We discuss her motivations for founding the journal, her views on the ethics of anonymous publishing and engaging with dangerous ideas, and her perspective on the role of a philosopher in our society. We also talk about her work in lookism (discrimination against unattractive peope), plastic surgery, and representations of unrealistic beauty standards in the media. Here's a link to the journal: https://journalofcontroversialideas.org/

Nathan is a philosophy friend of Katelyn's. On voting, he defends the position that most people should not vote. On meta-ethics, we consider whether moral claims are objective facts that can be evaluted as true or false, or if they're just expressions of emotional dispositions towards certain practices (e.g. "Boo murder!"). At the beginning of the episode Katelyn said that he was currently a grad student in psychology, but he actually recently graduated.

Miles is a philosophy professor at Florida Gulf Coast University who shares his perspective on how to teach philosophy and create an atmosphere where students feel comfortable with having their views challenged. He also describes some of his ethical, political, and epistemological positions relating to Hegelian Marxism and Pyrrhonian skepticism. His introductory course at Stony Brook University ultimately inspired Bobby to pursue a degree in philosophy.

Brandon is a former heroin addict who lives in rural Ohio. He shares what it feels like to do heroin, stories about developing and living with an addiction as a teenager, and how he ultimately overcame his addiction 7 years ago. He describes the medical, financial, and mental health barriers he continues to face as he strives to put the past behind him. He also paints a picture of what the opioid epidemic currently looks like in his small town and speculates about why so many people are driven to abuse opioids. If you're currently struggling with addiction and would like to talk directly to Brandon about getting help, please contact us and we'd be happy to put you in touch with him.

Malachi talks about his experiences being raised as a Jehovah witness and his political philosophy as a left-leaning libertarian. He has a dicussion podcast called Honest For Goodness, which you can check out here: https://anchor.fm/malachi-mansfield

Mark Sargent, a prominent Flat Earther, believes that the Earth is a flat disk covered by a dome, physical phenomena and human behavior within the dome are determined by simulations created by unknown actors, and a small group of elites are aware of these facts but keep it hidden to stay powerful. He rejects mainstream established scientific facts such as gravity, heliocentrism, and the existence of a universe.

Ellen is a biology professor at UNC. She tells about her research on the human eye and about her experiences with exploring different faiths throughout her life.

MIT Philosophy PhD student Thomas Byrne argues that the bystander who pulls the lever in the trolley problem doesn't actually 'kill' anyone under most of definitions of killing and further argues that most definitions of killing are inadequate and inconsistent.

Mormon missionaries Elder Skimore & Elder Johnston share their reasons for becoming missionaries and their opinions on controversial topics related to Mormonism such as gay marriage, traditional gender roles, and polygamy. They've asked us to clarify that the views expressed here are their personal views and are not necessarily the official beliefs of the Mormon church.

Magnus Vinding is the author of Why We Should Go Vegan, You Are Them, and Suffering-Focused Ethics: Defense and Implications. He argues that the problem of extreme suffering is the greatest problem of all. He holds the view that not only it is the moral obligation of humans to minimize inflicting suffering on one another, but there is also a moral obligation to reduce suffering amongst animals in nature.

Will describes owns a vintage 90's clothing store in NYC that was frequented by celebrities like Aziz Ansari. He also talks about his experiences being on the MTV reality show '90s House' and describes the strategies they used to instigate drama between participants. His store is now exclusively online due to covid, and can be found at deepcoverny.com.

Nadir is an Islamic apologist who argues that the Qur'an makes numerous accurate scientific predictions, and these "scientific miracles" support the credibility of the Qur'an in areas that cannot be verified. He further argues that there are no scientific errors in the Qur'an, and he believes this distinguishes it from other religious texts. Here is a link to Nadir's youtube channel for a more in depth look on his perspective: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm8ah67Ank7CD42CUF51hRw/featured

Glen Cotten and his wife Isik have been prominent members of the Baha'i Faith and community for over three decades. With a lifetime of pursuing the mission of justice and unity of humanity, Glen lives and breathes the principles of the Faith every day. We discuss Glen's upbringing, how it affected his look on the world, his time serving in Haifa at the Baha'i World Center, and how he met and married his wife.

Ian shares his experiences delving into the hypercompetitive (but surprisingly wholesome) world of speedsolving Rubik's cubes whilst writing book on the topic. Currently an English teacher, he also shares his perspectives on ways that teaching and testing can be improved. His book is called Cracking the Cube: Going Slow to Go Fast and Other Unexpected Turns in the World of Competitive Rubik's Cube Solving.

Caroline is a 32-year veteran nurse. In this episode, Bobby and Caroline talk about some of the highlights and lowlights of being a medical professional for over three decades, and what Caroline has learned from her experiences in the hospital.

Angela is a Duke philosophy grad student who argues that some species of animals (and theoretically even plants and bacteria) can be considered moral agents. We also explore methods for studying animal cognition, personhood, and the nature of our ethical obligations towards other animals.

Formerly a Sanders-supporting San Francisco liberal, John's views have shifted in favor of conservatism, Donald Trump, and traditional values. He shares his perspectives on gender roles, gay marriage, adoption, and abortion. He is a programmer and the leader of the local Jordan Peterson meetup group.

Bobby is a Duke Philosophy PhD student. He argues that Buddhist perspectives on "no-self" and anger are not mutually exclusive with blame and moral responsibility.

Songyao is a Duke Philosophy PhD student. She advocates for a Zhuangist perspective on a good life, which is characterized openness to different paths (daos) and the absence of strong emotional responses such as anger, sadness, and even certain forms of happiness.

Amanda is the host of the "Exploring Antinatalism" Podcast. She subscribes to the philosophy of Antinatalism as well as EFILism (Life backwards), both of which advocate for the end of all sentient life in the universe by ceasing to procreate.

Math prodigy. 2013 US National Rubik's Cube Champion. Algorithmic trader.

Our host Bobby Mack's sister, Sarah.

Will is a lawyer and teacher at Wake Tech. Will, Katelyn and Bobby discuss education, as well as the problem of racism in America, and potential solutions.

Vicki is a veteran of the US Navy and New York Police Department. She was head of the Hate Crimes Division and was a dedicated worker at Ground Zero post-9/11.

Tim is a Duke Philosophy Ph.D Student. He is currently writing his dissertation on "Epicureanism and the Wrongness of Killing." He argues that killing may still be morally wrong, even if death may not be bad for you.

Carson is a Christian evangelist studying Christian Apologetics.

Statistician. Mathematician. Data scientist.

Duke Philosophy Ph.D student. Hedonist utilitarian.

Former President of Long Island Atheists, and political activist.

Solomon is an actor, public speaker, daycare worker, and parent.

Isik is a Turkish-American Baha'i and community organizer who uses the principles of her faith to foster worldwide unity.

Katelyn Bryant is a biomedical engineer and true-to-life philosopher.