Sophia

Moti Gorin (Colorado State) talks with Holly Lawford-Smith (University of Melbourne) about her new book, "Gender Critical Feminism" (Oxford University Press).

Sheena (SUNY Oneanta) and Kevin (East Carolina University) continue an ongoing conversation about the idea of race and Sheena's arguments about racelessnes. This episode gets more personal about Sheena's and Kevin's respective connections to "transracial" families. Sheena was adopted into a "transracial" family and Kevin is adopting a daughter who is differently raced than he. What does all of this mean for how we should think about race, racism, and the idea of racelessness? :009 - Sheena's book on racelessness will be out soon 10:33 - Kevin and Sheena get personal about racialization and their connections to "transracial" adoption. 31:24 - Different ways that different people experience and talk about racialization. Kevin talks about 'the wrong kind of colorblindness." 41:13 - All the ways in which race is a clunky signifier 53:08 - The ways race unavoidably limits us. Can racelessness liberate us? 1:13:13 - Kevin talks to his son about race with the help of a t-shirt and a children's book. Kevin's article ("Race Talk") that is referred to in the middle of the show: https://theelectricagora.com/2022/04/19/race-talk/

Robert Gressis (UC Northridge), Dan Kaufman (Missouri State) and Kevin Currie-Knight (East Carolina) discuss what is and isn't realistic to expect of philosophy. Topics include realism (Rob) and antirealism (Dan and Kevin), foundationalism (maybe Rob) and antifoundationalism (Dan and Kevin), and what we do when we attempt to ground and justify our positions to others. The conversation sprang from a set of articles at Electric Agora. In one, Dan argued that philosophy is largely incapable of making sense of even basic moral considerations; in two others, Kevin argued that individual temperament plays a significant role in forming our philosophies. 2:10 - Dan Thinks Philosophy is Poor at Talking About Moral Commitments. Kevin Thinks Philosophy Owes Significantly to Individual Temperament. Rob Disagrees with Both Claims.13:08 - Is Foundationalism Just a Bad Metaphor (of Philosophy to Physical Space)? Can Philosophy Be Done From Outside a Particular Framework?25:14 - Rob Disagrees with Dan and Kevin's "Wittensteinian" Critiques of Foundationalism and Realism. (Freaky Friday is Also Discussed.)32:17 - Kevin's Pragmatic Account of What Kind of Truth Philosophy Can and Cannot Attain. Talking about Foundationalism.... Again.45:37 - Is (Particularly Moral) Philosophy "Just" a Matter of Opinion or Taste? (Are the Quotation Marks Necessary?)52 40 - When Should, and Why Do, We Give Reasons to "Justify" Moral Positions? 1:11:46 - Preview of a Promised Part 2 of This Discussion

Robert, Kevin and I inaugurate a new feature at EA: a New Year's Contributors' Roundtable. Publication was delayed due to my father's death, so please excuse the discussion's lateness. Most if not all of what we discussed remains relevant -- Covid-19, though of course, this was recorded well before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Kevin Currie-Knight (East Carolina University) chats with Wendy Syfret (VICE Asia) about her new book The Sunny Nihilist: How a Meaningless Life Can Make You Truly Happy. They talk about such things as why the modern world relentlessly seeks meaning in everything, whether nihilism is a viable or liberating response, and whether/how nihilism is reconcilable with strong belief and activism. 3:00 - What is nihilism? 10:35 - When did Wendy come to nihilsm and find it liberating? 16:48 - Why do we in the modern world "find" meaning in everything? 25:41 - Why does "finding" objective meaning satisfy more than creating subjective meaning? 30:38 - Are the young generally more nihilistic than their elders? Where is nihilism in pop culture? 38:59 - How to reconcile nihilism with activism (another thing that Wendy cares about)?

In this episode, Robert Gressis (philosophy, California State University, Northridge) and David Leitch (political science, California State University, Northridge) discuss the work of aspiring conservative public intellectual, Richard Hanania. 01:01 - Let’s talk about sex, baby!04:44 - Hanania’s master idea—give the right a policy program.15:57 - Wokeness and civil rights law.27:05 - Who is Hanania’s audience?32:46 - Are HR departments progressive?40:51 - What Hanania does and doesn’t try to explain56:29 - Hanania and Caesarism: will they or won’t they?1:13:32 - Two more criticisms of Hanania: children and churches.1:20:58 - Hanania’s weaknesses and strengths as a public intellectual.

Sheena Mason (SUNY Oneonta) and Kevin Currie-Knight dialogue about the perils and promises of discussion on social media. (Sheena is more optimistic about the potential than Kevin is.) Along the way, they talk about perspectives on truth and whether humans are capable of getting it in an objective way, the postmodern-y fiction of Percival Everett, and the incentive structure of social and legacy media. 0:41 - Some online heat Sheena is getting about an article she published at Free Black Thought (link below). 9:43 - Why Kevin is Increasingly Pessimistic About Conversation on Social Media (and Why Sheena Isn't).36:24 - Is (Constantly) Defending Positions in Public Forums Overrated? 47:21 - Is Social Media as Great When You Have Increasingly Less Faith in Objective Moral/Political Truths? 1:07:06 - Was Postmodernism Too Liberal in Its Assumptions? Do People Need to Feel Like Their Beliefs are Grounded and Objective? Sheena Mason's recent article on Free Black Thought; https://freeblackthought.substack.com/p/theory-of-racelessness-a-case-forCONNECT WITH SHEENA: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/queensheLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theory-of-racelessness Website: https://www.theoryofracelessness.org

EA's own Kevin Currie-Knight and I discuss our respective essays, Growing up Metal and Growing up Grunge. We talk about the appeal of heavy music and different conceptions of masculinity, the differences between early and late Gen Xers, growing up in the 1970's and '80's, authenticity, and much more. 01:00 On the "Growing Up" Essays by Dan and Kevin. And why music? 09:20 Why "Growing Up Metal"? Life as a kid and teenager in 70's and 80's Long Island. Dan's Bizarre Connection to Public Enemy. Metal and Masculinity. 34:30 Why “Growing Up Grunge?" Grunge and Hair Metal. Grunge and Masculinity. Kevin Sings. Grunge masculinity is a kind of "dirty Alan Alda." Grunge, Tone and Masculinity. The Paradox of Authenticity. Dan Tries to Imitate Grunge Vocals. 01:05:00 Clique Identification and Defensive Cliques

00:35 About Lise van Boxel and St. John’s College 06:00 Nietzsche and Nihilism 12:50 The Good, the Transcendent, and Nihilism 19:00 Philosophy as Genealogy 29:30 On the concept of “Warspeak” 41:00 On the question of Authority and authorities 47:00 Nietzsche and Hume 51:00 What is distinctive about van Boxel’s take on Nietzsche? 58:00 Nietzsche and Mill’s “experiments in living.” 1:05:00 Is it reasonable to characterize modern life as rooted in the transcendent and world-denying? 1:13:40 Nietzsche’s conception of “Superabundant Vitality”

Milton Lawson, author of Thompson Heller: Detective Interstellar (Source Point, 2021) and I do a deep dive into all things Doctor WHO. 03:50 Russell T. Davies returns to Doctor Who 10:00 Discontent with New WHO 13:00 How Milton and I got into Doctor WHO 27:50 Classic vs. New WHO 45:30 Favorite Doctors 1:17:00 Favorite Companions 1:25:00 Favorite Episodes

The second of a two-part conversation with Joshua Rasmussen of Azusa Pacific University on a broad variety of issues, related to the meaning of life, morality, the intelligibility of the world, and God. Technical difficulties interrupted us, so the conversation is being presented in two parts. 01:10 Does longevity add value, cont'd. 09:35 Morality and God 16:35 Morality and Consciousness 24:25 Dan: God cannot provide explanations for anything 50:40 Obligation and God

The first of a two-part conversation with Joshua Rasmussen of Azusa Pacific University on a broad variety of issues, related to the meaning of life, morality, the intelligibility of the world, and God. Technical difficulties interrupted us, so the conversation is being presented in two parts. 02:50 Meaning in vs. meaning of life 36:00 The nature of value 49:50 Is value added by longevity? 54:00 Narratives, lives, and Joan Didion

The second in a planned series of dialogues between Sheena Mason (SUNY Oneonta) and Kevin Currie-Knight (East Carolina) on philosophies of race. In this dialogue, Sheena and Kevin flesh out the difference between saying that race is a social construction and (Sheena's position) that race isn't real in any sense. 3:23 - Kevin's Confusion: what is the difference between saying that race isn't real at all, and saying that race isn't biologically real but IS a social construct? 9:53 - If we can use racialized language reliably in every day life, how can we then say that race doesn't signify anything 'real' in some way? 19:31 - Is there a strategic difference between saying that race is real as a social construction and saying that race isn't real at all? The benefits of race skepticism.39:14 - How belief in the reality of race causes us to bungle so many conversations (such as the viral confrontation in Arizona State's multicultural center).55:47 - Does social constructionism about race lock you into racialized thinking in a way race skepticism doesn't? 1:02:48 - Is it an indefensible stereotype to call someone a "sellout" or "traitor" to their "race"? The video we referred to about the skirmish at Arizona State U's multicultural center: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BzraMlg9Ek CONNECT WITH SHEENA: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/queensheLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theory-of-racelessness Website: https://www.theoryofracelessness.org

I talk with Helen Joyce, British editor of The Economist, about her new book: Trans: When Ideology Meets Reality (Simon & Schuster).

I talk with Dr. Louise Moody about perception, “illusion style” arguments, and J.L. Austin. Louise has a PhD in philosophy and is an independent philosopher and feminist campaigner.

Kevin Currie-Knight and Sheena Mason (SUNY Oneonta) discuss Sheena's theory of racelessness, why she is a race skeptic and eliminativist, and their mutual interest in the race satire of Harlem Renaissance writer George Schuyler. :05 - Why talk about race always seems so polarized and partisan7:45 - Sheena is a skeptic and eliminativist about race. What does that mean, and how does it compare to other approaches? 17:35 - Ibram Kendi's approach to thinking about race is understandable but wrong. 29:56: How to attempt racelessness in a world so used to the existence of race? 40:29 - what will "interracial" intimacy, marriage, and births do to current notions of race? 51:36 - Harlem Renaissance writer George Schuyler and satirizing the fiction of race1;07:25 - Is Schuyler's skepticism about race partly why he drifted to the political right-wing? CONNECT WITH SHEENA: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/queensheLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theory-of-racelessness Website: https://www.theoryofracelessness.org

I spoke with Robert Talisse of Vanderbilt University about his new book "Sustaining Democracy: What We Owe to the Other Side " (Oxford UP, 2021). 2:00 - The relationship between “Sustaining Democracy” and “Overdoing Democracy” 17:45 - The democrat’s dilemma and the conflict between the two moral requirements of democratic citizenship. 32:45 - Group/Belief Polarization. Partisan politics and conformism. 47:30 - More in depth on group/belief polarization. 54:01 - Robert’s recommendations on how best to address group/belief polarization: focus on its effects in-group, rather than across groups. 57:00 - Robert: Healthy democratic citizenship requires more solitude. 1:09:00 - Dan: Is this perhaps better viewed as a problem of catastrophic, system-wide immaturity? Is a clash of fundamental moral principles the best lens through which to frame the problem.

E. John Winner and Dan Kaufman (Electric Agora) talk about the Marx Brothers and their relationship to American Comedy. 1:30 Vaudeville, Burlesque, and Musical Theater 11:20 The Jewish Marx Brothers and “Playing in Peoria” 22:00 Writing for the Marx Brothers / Relationship with George Kaufman 27:40 Becoming the Marx Brothers 34:00 Marxian Themes 55:30 The Marx Brothers and post WWII Jewish Comedy 1:00:00 The Marx Brothers and American Comedy

Jay Jeffers (The Partially Examined Life) and Dan Kaufman discuss the beginnings of MTV and their recollections of it, on this 40th anniversary of the music channel. 3:40 - Aug 1 marks the 40th Anniversary of the launching of MTV in its “original iteration.” 6:20 - How Jay and Dan first got into KISS 13:30 - Jay and Dan discuss their personal histories with MTV / The importance of “Thriller.” 34:30 - Was MTV the beginning or the end of something? The 80’s vs. the 90’s. The impact of the Cold War. 51:30 - The atomization of music audiences and the fracturing of youth culture. 59:50 - Youth culture, social capital, and power. 1:18:25 - David Bowie confronts MTV on black representation on the channel. Links: Rob Tannenbaum’s, I Want My MTV (2012). https://www.amazon.com/Want-My-MTV-Uncensored-Revolution/dp/0452298563 Why MTV doesn’t show music videos anymore. https://slate.com/business/2013/08/why-mtv-doesn-t-show-music-videos-but-does-show-the-vmas.html David Bowie on black representation on MTV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZGiVzIr8Qg&ab_channel=MTVNews Jay at the Partially Examined Life. https://partiallyexaminedlife.com/author/jay-jeffers/ The Buggles, “Video Killed the Radio Star.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W8r-tXRLazs&ab_channel=TheBugglesVEVO Molly Ringwald on the cover of Time magazine in 1986. http://img.timeinc.net/time/magazine/archive/covers/1986/1101860526_400.jpg Dan's essay on “OK Boomer.” https://theelectricagora.com/2019/11/08/ok-boomer/

E. John Winner and Dan Kaufman (Electric Agora) talk about the Marx Brothers and their relationship to American Comedy. 1:30 Vaudeville, Burlesque, and Musical Theater 11:20 The Jewish Marx Brothers and “Playing in Peoria” 22:00 Writing for the Marx Brothers / Relationship with George Kaufman 27:40 Becoming the Marx Brothers 34:00 Marxian Themes 55:30 The Marx Brothers and post WWII Jewish Comedy 1:00:00 The Marx Brothers and American Comedy

In this episode, Amy Bentley (food historian, NYU) talks about the cultural and historical reasons we eat as we do. Amy and Kevin talk about why w eat three meals a day, how COVID might disrupt our eating habits, and the five historical factors that made baby food possible in the industrial age. 4:46 Why does Amy study food history? (Spoiler: it has to do with the role of gardening during World War II.)11:54: How industrialization led to our three-meal-a-day eating schedule23:01 - How has COVID messed with our three-meal-a-day cultural regimen? 34:29 - How baby food influenced (and was influenced by) culture36:38 - The perfect storm of factors that gave rise to baby food (industrialization, discovery of fruits and vegetables' importance, advertising, sexualization of breasts, etc) 54:10 - Baby food and its politicization via the "mommy wars"

Crispin Sartwell (Dickinson College, Entanglements) returns to Sophia to talk about the issues he has with compulsory, state-sponsored k-12 education. 10:50 - Crispin’s schooling experience in Washington DC 20:20 - The tension between learning and compulsion / Formal Compulsion and oppressive atmospheres 25:50 - Compulsion of minors considered more generally 32:20 - What, specifically, is wrong with the fact that my 10-year-old had to go to school? Economic motives; interference by tech moguls; and elitist social engineering. 35:50 - Preparing young people so they can function in the economy. And what would my ten-year-old be doing, if not going to school? 45:50 - Compulsory vaccination for children and more generally. 48:30 - Serious flaws in the way we educate children and adolescents. The negative influence of social and psychological science and pharmacology. 54:30 - Preparing young people for a world in which being coerced and compelled is part of life. 58:50 - Compulsory and public education and equality.

In this discussion, Bruce Janz (Central Florida) talks about his interest in African philosophy, and the importance of recognizing that all philosophy is affected by, and done from, a "place." We talk about what that means for how African philosophy can differ from philosophy in "the West" and the challenges this poses for Western ways of philosophy. 5:29 - Why and How a White Canadian Became Taken with African Philosophy18:53 - How and why African philosophy has had to prove that it has a valid place in philosophy26:31 - How African philosophy can help us highlight the importance of place/location to a philosophy's shape.36:45 - The underrated importance of audience to how philosophy is done49:07 - What does it mean to do philosophy from an African (and often colonized) place? 1:00:02 - Does the importance of place and "positionality" in philosophy mean the genetic isn't a fallacy?

In this episode, Dan talk with Crispin Sartwell of Dickinson College about Dan's essay, "Wanting and Doing." We discuss action, desire, and powerlessness as understood in Christian theology and contemporary addiction discourse.(Here's the article under discussion: https://theelectricagora.com/2021/05/25/wanting-and-doing/). 4:04 Wanting and doing in Christian and Addiction Discourse.36:54 Overeating and the Problem of Conflicting Desires.47:43 Habits.49:48 Actions and Events.

Dan Kaufman and Kathleen Stock (Sussex) discuss Kathleen's new book, "Material Girls: Why Reality Matters for Feminism." Among other things, we talk the implications of switching our focus from Sex to Gender Identity, why Sex remains essential, and the impact of gender identity politics on the gay and lesbian community. 4:02 - The current state of affairs, vis a vis sex and gender. Focus is on the UK.9:23 - On Material Girls’ overall aim.13:52 - The dramatic, recent increase in young people identifying as trans.20:14 - How we got here. Second Wave Feminism and Queer Theory.32:03 - Why Sex matters. Medicine. Athletics.41:59 - We discuss several different conceptions of gender identity.58:26 - A philosophical analysis of gender concepts.1:04:05 - Sex and Natural Kinds1:10:07 - Gay and Lesbian concerns

Robert Gressis (Cal State Northridge) and Kevin Currie-Knight (East Carolina University) talk about Kafkatraps. Kafkatrapping is a rhetorical technique where an objection to a particular charge will be used as evidence of that charge. (Are you a communist? If you say no, that just shows how sneaky a communist you are.) Rob and Kevin talk about how and why Kafkatraps work, their uses in cults, cospiracy theories, and other insular movements, and a few articles Kevin has written (for the Electric Agora) about Kafkatraps. 7:32 - When denials confirm the charge: what are Kafkatraps and how do they work? 16:31 - Kafkatrapping has a lengthy history23:15 - Why do people (even unintentionally) employ Kafkatraps? 40:38 - Plausible and implausible reasons to doubt/dismiss the testimony of others45:12 - Why cults often use Kafkatrapping techniques (and how Kevin almost became a scientologist)54:34 - Why cults have to be small to see themselves as special1:00:20 - How conspiracy theorists use Kafkatraps to dismiss naysayers

Stephen Davies (Institute of Economic Studies) chats with Kevin about Stephen's new book A Street-wise Guide to the Devil. They talk about the (monotheistic) history of the Devil, why the Devil keeps hanging around, "his" role in contemporary moral panics, and more. 6:13 - Why/How the Devil Had to Come About Within Monotheistic Religion21:48 - A Reinterpretation of Milton Leads to the Devil Being Worshipped as a Rebel30:10 - Satanic Burials, Satan's Role in Free Will, and Whether Satan-Worshippers Misunderstand Satan40:46 - Why Does the Devil Keep Hanging Around in a Christian (or Post-Christian?) World? 49:58 - The Satanic Ritual Child Abuse Scandal(s) and The Devil's Starring Role59:58 - Why the Devil is Necessary in a World So Influenced by Christianity

Kevin talks with Chandran Kukathas (Singapore Management University) about his new book Immigration and Freedom, as well as his pluralistic approach to political philosophy. In the book, Kukathas argues that immigration restrictions not only problematically restrict the freedom of immigrants but also of citizens, and that many gains that immigration proponents/skeptics think they make by keeping immigrants away are illusory. 3:36 - Chandran's Unique Approach (Contra Rawls) to Political Philosophy 12:52 - Is Chandran a... Libertarian? Cultural Relativist? Agonist? 24:00 - Why Immigration Control Steals Freedom Both From Immigrants and Citizens 30:51 - Are There Differences Between Those Bothered by Cultural Change (and Immigration) and Those Who Aren't? 39:52 - Objection to Chandran's Immigration-Friendly Case: "The things you think you're gaining are not real gains." 50:05 - Does a Society or Nation Need a Common Culture to Survive and Thrive? 59:21 - Chandran and Kevin Discuss Ayaan Hirsi Ali's Case for Immigration Restrictions

Daniel Kaufman and Crispin Sartwell talk about Crispin’s article for the New York Times, “Humans are Animals: Let’s Get Over It” (2/23/2021). (https://www-nytimes-com.newsproxy.inf...​) Topics include: Humanism and its roots; Racism; Hume’s Naturalism; and Normativity. :00 Crispin and Dan catch up after a hiatus7:50 Crispin gives some background on his latest NYT article, “Humans are Animals: Let’s Get Over It”11:15 The main thesis of “Humans are Animals”: Philosophy’s excessive investment in the humans/animals distinction since Antiquity.20:20 Dan raises the question of Hume’s naturalism and its impact on Crispin’s thesis.30:30 The Question of Humanism / Is a Materialist Humanism Possible?36:40 Humanism and Racism41:45 Etiology of the Human/Animal Distinction1:00:25 The Human and the Normative

In this wide ranging discussion, Kevin talks with youtuber Lewis Waller, of the philosophy/history youtube channel Then and Now. They talk about youtube as a venue for intellectual content, how and why Lewis does what he does with his channel, how postmodern influences his (and Kevin's) intellectual approach, and more. 00:00:07 - Introductions and Elon Musk, Not Necessarily in That Order00:04:46 - How Lewis Got Started as a Youtuber with Then and Now00:12:40 - Youtube, "Democratized" Media and Changes in How Knowledge Circulates00:22:28 - The Economics (and Day-to-Day) of Being and Independent Content Creator00:34:12 - What Lewis is Working on Next: A (Postmodern?) History of the Enlightenment00:46:10 - The Weaponization of Postmodernism (Particularly on the Cultural Right)00:53:52 - Are We Living in Postmodern Times? Is This For the Good or the Bad... or Both? 01:00:26 - Lewis: Modernism and Postmodernism are Two Sides to the Same Coin, Kevin: Postmodernism is a Diagnosis, Not a Cause

In this dialogue, Robert Gressis (UCal Northridge) and Hugo Mercier ( French National Center for Scientific Research, Not Born Yesterday) discuss how human belief and manipulation work, and Hugo's research about why people aren't as manipulable as we sometimes think. 01:24 Hugo’s thesis: when it comes to communication, people are not easily manipulated, but hard to manipulate.07:19 If people aren’t easily manipulated, then how does Hugo explain the success of Hitler, Pol Pot, and Trump?16:07 Aren’t people easily manipulated by leaders who share their political orientation?21:00 Do people really believe the crazy things they espouse?28:36 What is the connection between belief and behavior? 35:45 Sperber and Mercier’s “interactionist” theory of reason41:00 Twitter as a counterexample to the interactionist theory of reason48:18 Are people good at arguing?53:13 Rational rioters and the extraordinary heterogeneity of crowds

Robert Gressis (California State Northridge) and Kevin Currie-Knight (East Carolina University) hae a wide-ranging conversation about the (fraught?) relationship between schooling, learning, and A-F grading. The discussion centers around an essay Currie-Knight wrote called Against the Grade Economy: https://theelectricagora.com/2020/12/26/against-the-grade-economy/ 00:02:36 Rob and Kevin make small talk00:07:01 Kevin describes and laments the grade economy00:36:07 What's the relationship between grades and learning?00:57:19 Bryan Caplan's "The Case Against Education" and how it has traumatized Rob01:05:58 Unschooling01:21:35 If schools sucks so much, how did Rob and Kevin learn?

Kevin Currie-Knight (East Carolina University) and Andrew Jason Cohen (Georgia State University) are both philosophers who have experience providing foster homes to children. In this video, they talk about their experiences fostering and the philosophical elements of foster care. 0:11 Introduction, Andrew's Philosophical Work, and Teaching Online During COVID8:56 Why Kevin, Andrew, and Their Families Foster Children23:43 Being Attached to and Developing Bonds with Kids Who Aren't (Biologically or Legally) "Yours" 30:57 Should Reunification with Biological Parents Be the Overriding Goal? 47:27 Should Race be a Factor in Deciding Where to Place or Raise Foster Children? 57:58: Kevin: Fostering Has Taught Me More Empathy (for Struggling Biological Parents) 1:06:39 Jason and His (Foster-Care-Inspired) Argument that Parents Should be Licensed1:19:56 Similarities and Differences Between Drivers' Licensing and Parental Licensing

In the dialogue, David Ottlinger and Dan Kaufman discuss the ongoing effort to de-platform/cancel Professor Kathleen Stock for her writing and public statements on gender and sex related issues; an article and discussion on it in the Daily Nous; and issues regarding academic freedom and freedom of speech more generally. 0:00 Intro 02:32 The (latest) defenestration of Kathleen Stock 16:44 How sincere are pro-trans rights public intellectuals? 27:35 Justin Weinberg's essay on the Kathleen Stock incident 44:53 David: "It's the squishy middles that are gonna kill us" 59:34 Dan: deplatforming people on social media is effectively censorship 1:10:34 The death of public discourse and the rise of Trump 1:20:30 How consensus crumbles 1:28:10 David: we should get rid of the harm principle

Kevin's book, Education in the Marketplace ... Dan and Kevin's concern for Coleman Hughes' intellectual freedom ... How young is too young for movement conservatism? ... What was the Intellectual Dark Web? ... The IDW's central contradiction ... How Dan got involved with the conservative movement ... ... ... and why he left it ... Dan's advice to Hughes: don't trust the movement ...

Megan: philosophy of religion shouldn't focus on "proofs for God" ... Determining rational grounds for supernaturalism ... Why Dan rejects epistemic foundationalism ... Megan's Christian agnosticism, Dan's Jewish atheism ... Wittgenstein's engagement with philosophy of religion ... What kind of authority would it be good for us to submit to? ... Dan has a revelation ... Has philosophy forgotten that it's a humanistic discipline? ...

Robert's essay, "The Philosophy Rapture" ... What counts as "relevant" philosophy? ... Philosophy's "dirty insider game" ... Why are great philosophers overrepresented at elite universities? ... Generational decline, intellectual and attitudinal ... Do intellectual celebrity cultures produce shrinking intellectual gene pools? ... Dan: Our present-day celebrity philosophers will destroy the discipline ...

The new issue of Milton's comic book, Thompson Heller: Detective Interstellar ... Christopher Hitchens' influence on Milton's comic ... The anxieties of robot personhood ... The economic determinants of comic book production ... How a new comic writer finds an artist ... The comic book art division of labor ... Thompson Heller's future ...

Joshua’s views on basic beliefs ... How do we get from experience to justified belief? ... The connection between knowledge and awareness ... Is Dan actually a foundationalist? ... Where the chain of warrant ends ... Joshua’s engagement with the big questions in philosophy ... Running up against the boundaries of inquiry ...

Why Kevin chose not to vote ... The two-party system vs. a multiparty parliamentary system ... Dan accuses Kevin of not confronting what the election was about ... Is Kevin acting like a spoiled brat? ... The logic of straight-ticket voting ... Kevin accuses Dan of having a pessimistic view of democracy ...

The origins of "standpoint theory" ... Are Dan and Crispin white? ... Defining standpoint theory ... Dan: Standpoint theory presents an irrefutable hypothesis ... Crispin: "All knowledge is from some standpoint" ... Dan: There is no single black perspective on race ... Why don't people trust experts? ... Is this argument good for society right now? ...

A review of Kate Manne's book Entitled sparks an online philosophy feud ... Is America systematically misogynistic? ... How Twitter incentivizes bad behavior ... The professional norms around book reviewing ... Dan sees "no honor all the way down" on the other side ... Self-immolating philosophers ... Is there a case for keeping some topics off limits? ...

Jaime explains how Marx understood ideology ... Our tendency to get facts wrong in a self-serving way ... Cognitive biases that lead the working class astray ... Why do we have reason? ... "Thank God for the ruling class!" ... How do the elite get what they want? ... Imagining the meetings of the megarich ...

How can there be persons? ... Against hypostatic ontological commitment ... Things vs. thingy things ... Mind over matter, or vice versa? ... Are there minds? Dan isn't sure. ... Have philosophers gone beyond their ambit? ... Philosophy as service to people ...

The incredible achievement of the Marvel Cinematic Universe ... The choices that led to the MCU's greatness... ... ...and the choices that didn't quite work out ... Critiquing Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and Dr. Strange ... Milton foresees future "Has Marvel Lost Its Way?" thinkpieces ... Blatant speculation on upcoming films ... Dan fears wokeness ruining Marvel movies ...

Explaining Crispin’s position on explanatory unity ... Dan: Meaning is part of social reality, it’s not all in our heads ... What is the substance of our ontological commitments? ... Why Dan thinks philosopher W.V.O. Quine is almost right ... The conspicuous absence of philosophers from the public discourse about values ... Metaphysics is not as complicated and important as people think it is ...

Why does bad CGI make us feel weird? ... Where digital effects work (The Avengers) vs. where they don't (CATS) ... Gollum vs. Thanos, Roger Rabbit vs. Jar Jar Binks ... The tragic digital miscues of The Irishman ... Are practical effects dead? ... The closing of aesthetic diversity ...

Russell’s book, The Tyranny of Opinion: Conformity and the Future of Liberalism ... Preserving the liberal tradition ... Can the genie of stakes-inflation be put back in the bottle? ... Dan: Woke illiberalism is a kind of luxury ... Russell’s recommendations for keeping the liberal tradition alive ... The role of legislation and institutions in tamping down illiberalism ...

What are persons? ... Why don't we say "my legs went to the store"? ... Actions and intentions ... The case of the robot who voted ... Are addicts in control of their actions? ... The moral culpability of a naughty dog ...

Doug's new book, Philosophy Smackdown ... Plato's Cave and the three layers of wrestling reality ... What it means when wrestlers break the fourth wall ... Real life can be "just as scripted as wrestling, if not more so" ... How and why moral virtue changed in wrestling ... The only performance where people say "you know it's fake, right?" ... What philosophers could learn from professional wrestling ...

Are we really as social as the Stoics believed? ... Distinguishing between the “objective” and the “real”... ... ...and between the “real” and representations of the “real” ... Dan: It makes no difference whether or not values are objective ... Massimo’s solution to the omnivore’s dilemma ... Massimo: “Values are never separate from facts” ...