Tent Talks

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Walter Veit about the science and philosophy of consciousness. Walter is an interdisciplinary scientist and philosopher who is currently completing his PhD dissertation at the University of Sydney, Australia. He has published on a wide range of topics, including the topic of animal consciousness and animalContinue reading "63. Naturalizing Consciousness (with Walter Veit)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Dr. Heather Browning about animal ethics. Dr. Browning received her PhD from the Australian National University in 2020 and is currently a postdoctoral research officer at the London School of Economics working as a part of the Foundations of animal Sentience Project. Dr. Browning and IContinue reading "62. Animal Ethics (with Dr. Heather Browning)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with the philosopher Quassim Cassam on the topic of extremism. Dr. Cassam is a professor of philosophy at the University of Warwick and has made contributions to many different areas of the field. A lot of his earlier work focuses more on traditional topics in epistemology, likeContinue reading "61. Extremism (with Professor Quassim Cassam)"

In this episode I discuss virtual reality technology. Here are a few links to relevant articles:

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with my brother Brad Turner about Buddhism, the purpose of life, the possibility of the afterlife, the existence (or nonexistence) of God, the concept of rebirth and nirvana, and the nature of consciousness and the self.

In this episode I read a few poems that I’ve written. The text of the poems can be found at the following link:

In this episode I discuss the idea that we are currently living in an age of heightened existential risk. Here are links to articles/books that I reference in the episode: The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity (Toby Ord 2020): https://www.amazon.com/Precipice-Existential-Risk-Future-Humanity/dp/0316484911

In this episode I discuss the topic of artificial intelligence and automation. Here are links to articles that I reference in the episode: GPT–3 Guardian Article: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/sep/08/robot-wrote-this-article-gpt-3 MIT Task Force Article: https://news.mit.edu/2019/work-future-report-technology-jobs-society-0904 ‘What is AI?’ Article: https://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-ai-everything-you-need-to-know-about-artificial-intelligence/

In this episode I discuss how social media is deranging society and democracy by turning all of human communication into a public performance.

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Professor Susanna Siegel. Dr. Siegel is the Edgar Pierce Professor of philosophy at Harvard University.  She has made significant contributions in many different fields of philosophy, and is especially well known for the work that she’s done in the philosophy of perception.  In this episode IContinue reading "65. Schadenfreude and Authoritarianism (with Professor Susanna Siegel)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I have a wide ranging conversation with my friend Darian Spearman about many different topics, including healthcare, 2020 politics and culture, capitalism, social media, and the state of contemporary journalism.

In this episode of Tent Talks,  I speak with professor Michael Morrell about the nature of democracy. Dr. Morrell is currently a political science professor at the University of Connecticut.  He received his PhD in political science from Arizona State University in 1998.   Here I speak with Dr. Morrell about a range a differentContinue reading "63. The Nature of Democracy (with Professor Michael Morrell)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Hunter Gentry about the so-called extended mind thesis in philosophy. Hunter received his master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Houston, and is currently a PhD student in philosophy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His work primarily focuses on perception, memory, and control. Our discussionContinue reading "62. The Extended Mind (with Hunter Gentry)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with my brother Brad (aka B-rad 3) about Buddhism, the idea of karma, and the metaphysics of consciousness.

In this episode of Tent Talks I speak with my former student Andrew Burns about a popular app that he created. Andrew is a rising senior at the University of Connecticut, and a computer science major.  This past spring Andrew and a few of his friends created an app called VSBRO that went viral. TheContinue reading "60. The VSBRO App and What It’s Like to Go Viral (with Andrew Burns)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with my colleague Eric Berg about anarchism.  Eric is a self-described anarchist and is currently a PhD student in philosophy at the University of Connecticut.  Here we talk about many different things related to anarchism, such as the distinction between anarchism and chaos, the distinction between anarcho-communism,Continue reading "59. Anarchism (with Eric Berg)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with my friend Madame Z about a variety of topics, including the coronavirus, 2020 politics, and robots that feed off of biological matter!

In this episode of Tent Talks, I talk about the pros and the potential cons of open-mindedness, particularly in the current informational environment and cultural moment that we are living in.

In this solo episode of Tent Talks, I offer some thoughts on the protests that are currently happening in America in the aftermath of the George Floyd murder.

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with my friend Eduardo Lins about the 2020 election, Donald Trump, and the pros and cons of social media.

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with my friend Benji Buchanan. Benji is an entrepreneur and currently a computer science student at the University of Connecticut. We talk about a range topics, including Benji’s experience in the military and what it was like for him to undergo buds navy seal training, mindfulness, theContinue reading "54. Mindfulness and the Attention Economy (with Benji Buchanan)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with my friend Gundy about contemporary US politics and the 2020 election. Gundy has worked as a campaign staffer for the Pete Buttigieg campaign the past 8 months or so. He explains to me what his experience as a staffer was like and why he is aContinue reading "53. The Young Democratic Centrists of America (with Gundy)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Dr. Philip Goff, who is a professor of philosophy at Durham University.  Professor Goff’s research focuses on the philosophy of consciousness and the question of how to integrate consciousness into our scientific worldview.  In recent years, Professor Goff has become one of the leading proponents ofContinue reading "52. Is the Universe Conscious? (with Professor Philip Goff)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Zori Lane and Gino De Angelis, who are the leaders of the University of Connecticut chapter of the Young Democratic Socialists of America.  We discuss many topics, including socialism versus capitalism, the concept of ‘fully automated luxury communism’, healthcare, the 2020 presidential election, and cancel culture.

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Professor Evan Perkoski. Dr. Perkoski is a professor of Political Science at the University of Connecticut whose research focuses on terrorism and insurgency. Topics discussed include: terrorist technological innovations (e.g. suicide bombings, sarin gas attacks, aerial hijackings, cyberattacks), domestic terrorism, the logic of strategic nonviolence, theContinue reading "50. Terrorism (with Professor Evan Perkoski)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Professor Charles Lansing about Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.  Dr. Lansing is an associate professor of history at the University of Connecticut.  His research focuses on Germany in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, especially the Third Reich and the postwar German states, the Holocaust, European intellectualContinue reading "49. Nazi Germany and the Holocaust (with Professor Charles Lansing)"

In this Party in the Storm episode, I speak my friends Jacob Coverdale and RJ Silverio about everything under the sun: philosophy, culture, politics, and beyond.

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Dr. C Thi Nguyen, who is an associate Professor of Philosophy at Utah Valley University. Dr. Nguyen and I discuss work that he has conducted in social epistemology. Topics covered include the hyper specialization problem, the concept of a cognitive island, the distinction between filter bubblesContinue reading "47. The Intellectual Apocalypse (with Professor C Thi Nguyen)"

This is a solo episode in which I talk about internet meme culture. In the episode, I discuss the origin of the ‘meme’ concept, the increasing role that memes are playing in political discourse, and the absurdist nature of contemporary memes.

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Dr. Michael Patrick Lynch, who is Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut. Among other things, Professor Lynch is the author and editor of ten books and director of the Humanities Institute at the University of Connecticut. His research concerns truth,Continue reading "45. Know-It-All Society (with Professor Michael Patrick Lynch)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Dr. David Pizarro, who is a professor of psychology at Cornell University, and cohost of the popular podcast, Very Bad Wizards. In this episode, Professor Pizarro and I talk about his podcast, his work on moral judgment, disgust sensitivity and trustworthiness, and the art of rapContinue reading "44. Moral Judgment, Disgust Sensitivity, and Political Affiliation (with Professor David Pizarro)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Dr. Rowan Lockwood. Dr. Lockwood is currently Professor and Chair of the Geology Department at the College of William & Mary, having received her BA from Yale University and PhD from the University of Chicago. Professor Lockwood is a Paleontologist whose research seeks to understand howContinue reading "43. Dinosaurs and Extinction (with Professor Rowan Lockwood)"

In this episode, I speak with Bronx-based rapper Swank Davis about his music, artistic process, and perspective on the rap game. The audio quality of this episode is unfortunately less than ideal due to a poor internet connection. Check out some of Swank’s content at the following links: https://music.apple.com/us/album/vincent-van-gogh/1364161253 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgLp6Q1FaJ0

In this episode, I speak with my friend Caleb Wurster about his religious faith. Caleb is currently a pitcher for the University of Connecticut baseball team and a practicing Christian. We spend a lot of time in this episode talking about the pastor that brought Caleb back to Christ: Erwin Mcmanus. Check out one ofContinue reading "41. Christianity 2.0 (with Caleb Wurster)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Dr. Kate Harrigan. Dr. Harrigan is currently Lecturer of Psychology and Linguistics at the College of William & Mary, having received her PhD in linguistics from the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on language acquisition, social cognition, and how the two interact. In this episode,Continue reading "40. Language Acquisition (with Professor Kate Harrigan)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with my brother Brad Turner about various mental principles to live by. We cover a range of different topics, including authenticity, mindfulness, Buddhism, Existentialism, Social Media outrage culture, and psychological paradoxes.

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with my friend Dan Sequeira about a range of issues, including Marxism versus Capitalism, Structuralism, Critical Theory, Existentialism, Healthcare Policy, and the 2020 Presidential Election. Dan is currently a law student at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is particularly interested in studying Legal Theory from aContinue reading "38. Marxism, Critical Theory, and the 2020 Election (with Dan Sequeira)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Dr. Angela Mendelovici. Dr. Mendelovici is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Western Ontario, having received her PhD in philosophy from Princeton University. Her research is in the philosophy of mind, specifically on intentionality, consciousness, and the relationship between the two. Her most recentContinue reading "37. Intentionality, Consciousness, and Panpsychism (with Professor Angela Mendelovici)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with my friend Austin Menzies about a range of different issues, including Elliott Wave Theory, the directionality of history, human nature, fake news, and the state of contemporary politics and culture.

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Cormac Duffy and Preston Lennon about issues in the philosophy of mind, including introspection, the hard problem of consciousness, AI consciousness, and experiential thinking. Cormac is currently a masters student in philosophy at the University College Dublin, whereas Preston is a PhD student in philosophy atContinue reading "35. Mental Reality (with Cormac Duffy and Preston Lennon)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Takuya Niikawa, who is a postdoctoral researcher in philosophy at the Institut Jean Nicod in Paris. Takuya received his PhD in philosophy from Hokaiido University in 2015, defending the position of naive realism in the philosophy of perception. In this episode, Takuya and I discuss hisContinue reading "34. Dimensions of the Mind (with Takuya Niikawa)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with my friends RJ Silverio and Jacob Coverdale. RJ and Jacob are both students in the logic class that I am a teaching assistant for this semester at the University of Connecticut. Here, we discuss many topics, including conspiracy theories, the existence of aliens, the conspiracy theoryContinue reading "33. The Limits of Comprehension (with RJ Silverio and Jacob Coverdale)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Dr. James Kaufman, who is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Kaufman is one of the world’s leading experts on the study of creativity. He is the author/editor of more than 35 books, including Creativity 101 (2nd Edition, 2016) and the Cambridge Handbook of CreativityContinue reading "32. Creativity (with Professor James Kaufman)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Dr. Heather Battaly, who is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Battaly specializes in epistemology, ethics, and virtue theory, is one of the leading researchers in the world on the concept of intellectual humility, and is a pioneer on the topic of epistemicContinue reading "31. Intellectual Virtues and Vices (with Professor Heather Battaly)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with my friend and colleague Darian Spearman about many different topics, including contemporary politics, capitalism, socialism, the phenomenon of fake news, artificial intelligence and automation, universal basic income, race relations in America, the nature of science, the replication crisis, mythology, and psychedelic drugs.

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with my colleague Steve Nunez. Steve spent five years in the U.S. army as a Green Beret before moving into academia. He holds a BA in the philosophy of religion and anthropology from UNC W and an MA in theological studies from Harvard. Currently, Steve is aContinue reading "29. The Philosophy of Hip Hop and Trap Music (with Steve Nunez)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Dr. William Lycan. Dr. Lycan is William Rand Kenan, Jr. Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at the University of North Carolina, and currently Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Connecticut. Professor Lycan has made groundbreaking contributions in many areas of philosophy, including philosophy of mind, philosophyContinue reading "28. The Mystery of Consciousness (with Professor William Lycan)"

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with my good friend Matty Sheehan.  Matty and I discuss hip hop and a variety of hot button political issues, including rape culture, race relations in America, and identity politics.

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with my close friend Uzo Ndukwe in New York City. Uzo and I discuss artificial intelligence, our New Year’s resolutions, and whether life has meaning in the absence of mortality!

In this episode of Tent Talks, I speak with Dr. Harry van der Hulst.  Dr. van der Hulst is full professor of Linguistics and director of undergraduate studies in Linguistics at the University of Connecticut.  He is also, among other things, editor in chief of the peer-reviewed linguistics journal ‘The Linguistic Review’, a lifetime fellowContinue reading "24. The Science of Language (with Professor Harry van der Hulst)"