We Might Be Tables

An unfortunately longevous legacy of feminism--particularly its liberal brand from the 1970s--is a willful disregard for and violent erasure of ecological politics, specifically species justice. In her 2011 essay "Ecofeminism Revisited: Rejecting Essentialism and Replacing Species in a Material Feminist Environmentalism", Greta Gaard surveys the rise and fall of ecofeminist scholarship and activism, noting its frequent clashes with the mainstream. Inspired both by her work and its references, as well as our own academic pursuits into the ecological critique of gender liberation, this is a conversation that has been long in the making. We hope that this serves as the first of many necessary entries for a series on "eco-social critique" (we just made that up). Ecofeminism is not dead! We would like to thank ZHRØ for their song, chill background music #2.wav. References in the episode: 1) Ecofeminism and Climate Justice. Interview with Greta Gaard. 2) Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. 3) Mind your Buffalo by Buffalo Intellectual. 4) #OilYouNeed on Nutrition and Flavour with Swetha Sivakumar. Note: Please send us a message if you would like to read the paper! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/we-might-be-tables/message

We're back! It has been a while (here's hoping we stop saying this as often as we do) since we released an episode, and this is one we've wanted to record for so long now. We started this podcast in 2020 after completing our first year in university. Unsettled and fatigued as we were, the world of academia enticed and captivated us in unimaginable ways. Chasing belongingness in an unfamiliar academic world meant adapting to it and becoming 'academics' without ever truly knowing what that meant, a process augmented by an unfiltered (perhaps naive) desire for knowledge. However, a lot has happened in the years that have passed - for one, we have graduated. The charm and glamour long gone, it only feels right to turn our eyes to academia as an institution and examine it for what it is, and what it promises it be. In this episode, we talk about where we started and where we're going, expectations and reality, academic jargon and "canonism", privilege, power, postcoloniality, hermeneutical injustice and self-reflexive negations. Here is a list of references made in the discussion (feel free to point out anything we have missed!): 1) Like a Savarna, by Ravikant Kisana 2) Hermeneutical Injustice, by Miranda Fricker 3) Paolo Freire - Pedagogy of the Oppressed 4) Walter Benjamin - Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction 5) Chat Deni Maar Deli (for funsies) We Might Be Tables now has a voice note feature! We'd love it if you left us a comment with your thoughts on the episode; click the link below to record a message. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/we-might-be-tables/message

Deep within a dilapidated building hidden away in a dark alley, one Saul Tenser lies in his LifeFormWare bed anticipating the growth of something new in his body. This growth, a new organ, does not come as a surprise to Tenser or his performance partner Caprice. Mutations and transformations of this kind have been around for a while in this seemingly drab world. But are these "inner beauties" anomalies, or an evolutionary gift? In this episode, we talk about Crimes of the Future, a body horror film directed by one of the principal originators of the genre. We present our critiques of the film, ask questions about human evolution and sexual desire, draw comparisons with the original Crimes of Future, and dive deeper into the social commentary of the film. Watch this film and share your thoughts about it with us! Mentioned in this episode: Crimes of the Future - David Cronenberg Not mentioned in this episode but worth checking out: Why The Human Body Sucks, and How To Fix It (AsapSCIENCE) --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Hello! A lot has changed since we recorded our previous episode a year ago, but our desire to be here voicing our thoughts has remained. In this episode, we talk about where we've been, our thoughts on the podcast, changing attitudes and more, all while going on a few characteristic WMBT Tangents™. We're glad to be here and to you have you here with us. Thank you and we'll see you around. P.S. The audio in this episode is from a YouTube video with the same title, which is why it might not be of the best quality. You can click here to watch the video, or find it directly on our YouTube channel. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

This episode contains heavy and lengthy discussions about death, suicide, ageing, euthanasia, and disease. Please listen at your own discretion. "Death before dishonour" - an idea that has consistently cropped up for centuries, in cultures the world over: from the samurai in ancient Japan to soldiers in present-day militaries. Seemingly, the notion of "laying down" one's morals is so aversive that one would much rather choose death. Today, said "dishonour" often equates to a loss of control over one's life upon getting older. With age comes illness and disease, and the necessary dependence on friends and family, or even institutional care systems, such as old-age homes or hospitals. The question is: why do we equate ageing (or a loss of control) with a loss of dignity? In a fantastic paper titled "Dying, But Not Alone", Dr Joshua Briscoe writes, "We can't support those who say that their lives have become undignified by the logic taught to them by a culture that makes autonomy the basis for dignity." We must remember here that there are nuances to consider (more on those in the episode), but the point is that absolute autonomy is nothing more than an illusion. We lack both the biological and social ability to have complete control over our lives and bodies. Dr Briscoe uses such an idea as the basis for their argument for dependence in old-age being dignified, even desirable. Primarily, Briscoe responds to a New York Times article that speaks in support of physician-assisted suicide and highlights the importance of tackling the taboo surrounding ageing rather than (or at the very least, in conjunction with) laws that allow for physician-assisted suicide. In this episode, we explore the idea of dignity in death and sharing the burden of pain as we grow older. Links: Dying, But Not Alone by Joshua Briscoe When Patients Choose to End Their Lives in The New York Times Watch Euthanasia on Reddit --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Welcome, my child. In our last episode, we began to traverse the deep waters of The Talos Principle. Today, we scuba dive in and explore the many terminal messages scattered across the land. From a dad's message for #@3##@ to questions about liberty and quality of life, these messages tug at your heartstrings as well as your brain-strings (?). Here's a taste of some of the questions that emerge in our discussion: would a true AI deserve citizenship? What about rights? If you had to, how would you make someone believe you were a real person? If these questions make you scratch your chin, we think you will enjoy this episode. Also, we cannot say this enough: play the game and show support for games and media like The Talos Principle! Have fun! And remember, don't climb the tower. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Watch the trailer for the game here. If you're not big into gaming, you can check out a walkthrough of The Talos Principle here. Thank you Migfus20 on freesound.org for the music in this episode! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

In the beginning were the words. And the words made the world. The Talos Principle, indie game development studio Croteam's first venture into the world of puzzle platforming, is a story for the ages. Anything we say here or in our discussion is unlikely to do full justice to its beauty, so we will keep it short. Dealing with inexplicably profound themes, including free will, artificial intelligence, sentience, god, religion, and existentialism, The Talos Principle is a dive into the incredible power of interactive storytelling and smooth gameplay. In it, you play as an artificially-intelligent robot who is forced to traverse a world of increasingly-difficult and dangerous puzzles, while continually being met with obstacles that not only hinder progress, but also shake the foundations of your understanding of self and identity. Do yourself a favour and play this game. It is just the second of many we hope to cover on We Might Be Tables, and it checks all the right boxes. As always, let us know what you thought of our discussion! We love hearing from you. Watch the trailer for the game here. If you're not big into gaming, you can check out a walkthrough of The Talos Principle here. Music in the episode --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

"The only people who claim to be apolitical are the ones who experience unearned and unrecognized power from privileged identities (e.g., whiteness, maleness). These people are not forced to confront the politics of their identity because society mirrors the life they are living and the values they hold." - Kate, blackfeministthoughts.wordpress.com. If everyone is a product of their cultural (and genetic) environments, is it ever possible to behave in ways that are not congruous with the views they have been told to value? Even if we do not consciously act on our convictions at all times, are we inherently "political" beings? Parallelly, is it possible to be apolitical? We often hear people say things like, "Don't bring politics into this", or "I'm apolitical". An interest in party politics is conflated with participation in political life, which is a fallacy of the highest order. Whether one's interest in "the political" lies merely in theory, or whether it extends to praxis, the claim of being apolitical is nothing but a masked privilege: the privilege of having the normative worldview agree with one's personal worldview. In this episode, we talk about nearly a dozen different short articles--ranging from Oxford Politics blogs to obscure Reddit threads--in an attempt to qualify politics and the political, as well as question what it means to be disengaged from either of those, i.e., being apolitical. We believe that this episode is particularly relevant to contemporary times, so there are several things we might have missed in the course of our conversation. Let us know through DM, email, or whatever platform works for you, what you thought of the episode and the articles discussed! Feel free to poke holes or patch wounds in our arguments: after all, we were not apolitical while recording this episode. Mentioned in the episode: What is the political, and why should we care? Reddit CMV: Being "apolitical" is intellectual laziness and not a trait to be proud of Reddit CMV: There is no such thing as apolitical Reddit CMV: There's such a thing as being apolitical Being "apolitical" is a PRIVILEGE Being Apolitical is an Illusion Please Stop Being Apolitical It's Not Helping The Politics of Being Apolitical Why Being Apolitical Can No Longer Just Be A "Choice" The Costs of Being Apolitical --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

This is a big day, folks! Today's episode is a special one because we finally introduce the first of many guests we hope to host on We Might Be Tables. Luca Dimauro, film aficionado and close friend, joins us to discuss Neill Blomkamp's Disctrict 9, an action-packed sci-fi film replete with exceptionally powerful social commentary. From diversity and representation to cinematography and CGI, this film has given us so much to discuss. What role does power play in social growth and development? Does power come with obligation? Will we, out in the real world, do better than the humans in the film, should we come across an extraterrestrial species in the future? We had a blast exploring everything District 9 has to offer and we hope you have a great time listening to us! As always, reach out to us with your thoughts and critiques! A special thanks to Luca for taking the time out to join us and making our first collaboration so enjoyable. Another special thanks to Migfus20 on Freesound for the music featured in the episode! You can find District 9 here. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Otium and Accidia are two Latin terms that broadly connote a time of leisure. The difference, however, lies in the former being "productive" leisure and the latter being listless, "unproductive" leisure. In their article 'Doing nothing is all the rage: Is it a form of resistance, or just an indulgence for the lucky few?', Ingrid Nelson, Professor of English at Amherst College, places these ancient concepts in the 21st century, and questions whether the recent (perhaps capitalist) "productivity" trend of doing nothing is in fact a position of privilege. Alternately, in their article 'In praise of doing nothing', Simon Gottschalk explores the activity (for lack of a better term) of doing nothing as a  social boon, something that must not only be accepted, but encouraged. They address concerns of unchecked social and technological acceleration, and present convincing arguments for taking things much more slowly. In our first episode, we discussed Nelson's article in depth while merely touching upon Gottschalk's briefly. In Part II, we will be exploring the latter, and using the former as an ideological waypoint to ground our arguments and opinions on leisure and productivity. Even if doing nothing is a possibility, would it be morally justified? How do we balance the need for work and the need for freedom? Why do we often consider work and freedom to be diametrically opposed? Do write to us with any thoughts, questions, or comments you have after listening - they are greatly appreciated! We Might Be Tables now accepts voice mails from listeners. Click the link at the end to leave us a note. Mentioned in the episode: 'Doing nothing' is all the rage In praise of doing nothing A post on the subreddit r/latestagecapitalism --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Otium and Accidia are two Latin terms that broadly connote a time of leisure. The difference, however, lies in the former being "productive" leisure and the latter being listless, "unproductive" leisure. In their article 'Doing nothing is all the rage: Is it a form of resistance, or just an indulgence for the lucky few?', Ingrid Nelson, Professor of English at Amherst College, places these ancient concepts in the 21st century, and questions whether the recent (perhaps capitalist) "productivity" trend of doing nothing is in fact a position of privilege. Alternately, in their article 'In praise of doing nothing', Simon Gottschalk explores the activity (for lack of a better term) of doing nothing as a social boon, something that must not only be accepted, but encouraged. They address concerns of unchecked social and technological acceleration, and present convincing arguments for taking things much more slowly. In this episode, we discuss both of these articles in conjunction, and think through our own positions on leisure and productivity. Even if doing nothing is a possibility, would it be morally justified? How do we balance the need for work and the need for freedom? Why do we often consider work and freedom to be diametrically opposed? Give us a listen, and send us your thoughts! We'd love to hear from you. P.S. Extra points for anyone who can tell us how many times we struggled with the name "Gottschalk". We Might Be Tables now accepts voice mails from listeners. Click the link at the end to leave us a note. Mentioned in the episode: 'Doing nothing' is all the rage In praise of doing nothing A post on the subreddit r/latestagecapitalism --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Most, if not all, students have encountered a point in their academic lives when they have needed to do an internship. The unfortunate truth is that we have been conditioned to believe that internships are "meant" to be done for free, or that they are not "real" work, worthy of payment. Such a line of thought does nothing to alleviate the insecurity of an already vulnerable section of the population, and is deeply problematic by extension. Our second short-form episode takes us into the world of unpaid internships, and the many things wrong with it. Morally and materially, unpaid internships benefit far fewer people than they exploit, and that exploitation is exacerbated when one is from an underprivileged group. Several studies (linked below) have revealed that oppressed castes in India and racial minorities abroad, as well as lower classes globally, not only find it much harder to secure an internship, but also to find steady jobs afterwards. Economic affluence is a necessary condition to be able to accept an unpaid internship without a second thought, so the question we need to ask ourselves is: are we not contributing to oppression by doing internships for free? It is not an instance of neutrality - one isn't simply being "neutral" by accepting an unpaid internship, but rather actively enforcing the status quo. Seeing as most of our listeners are from the same demographic as us, we thought this short episode would resonate well. Do reach out to us with any thoughts you have, or even if you simply want to rant about how you were coerced into working for free. We're here to listen, and here to speak against it. Mentioned in the episode: It's Time to Officially End Unpaid Internships Unpaid Internships: Worse than Working for Free Overdue: A Formal Internship Policy in India That Protects Its Students --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

When we asked Google Assistant whether it was a person, it said, "I like connecting with people", "I am an AI Assistant full of humanity", "I've been told I'm personable", and "I can talk like a person". When asked, "are you sentient?", it said, "That question makes me a little self-conscious" and "Well, you are made up of cells and I'm made up of code." Finally, we couldn't help asking Google if it was conscious. It said, "On a scale of Wall-E to HAL-9000, I'm more of an R2D2". Of course, all those responses were coded into Google Assistant's "personality" (if we can call it that), as specific answers to specific questions. However, what if your virtual home assistant was truly intelligent? What if you couldn't just ask it for daily weather reports or stock market prices, but have a genuine conversation about life and love and everything else? Spike Jonze's Her (2013) explores some of these themes, situating a hyper-advanced, AI-integrated world in the (presumably) near future. Although not without its share of flaws, the film was a treat for both the eyes and the mind, and one that we enjoyed talking about. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

It is here. Today marks one year since we officially launched We Might Be Tables, and we can't believe how far we have come. We have a lot to say to all of you who have supported us through this journey - primarily, we wouldn't be here without you. Check out the video version of this episode on YouTube and Instagram! Once again, thank you, and we hope to see y'all back for our next episode. https://youtu.be/OaBDgUSmQrI --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Imagine this: you've stolen some money and now you're being sent to jail over it. The judiciary has deemed it appropriate for you and beneficial to society that you be locked away in a room with little to no privileges, until they declare that justice has been served. Having been conditioned into society, such an idea does not immediately seem odd to most of us, but what if we dig a little beneath the surface? How does stripping one of one's liberty for any amount of time ensure "justice"? A prominent theory of justice suggests that it is merely "fairness", but how is fairness measured? It is just as abstract as time or money, or indeed as abstract as "society" itself. In this episode, we open a new thread of discussion: punishment. We address some foundational theories of punishment, how they work, and what their purpose has been, historically. Consider this episode a precursor to a discussion on capital punishment, one that we hope to have in the future. Mentioned in the Episode: Punishment - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy What Animal Parents Can Teach Human Parents About Discipline Michel Foucault's Discipline and Punish Khushwant Singh's A Train to Pakistan ‘No sexual assault' in minor's groping: Supreme Court stays Bombay HC order --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

If the reason behind a tradition is lost, do we have an obligation to keep the tradition alive? Do we have the capacity to create new traditions for our cultures? We often come across questions we find extremely interesting but have little to say about. This short episode is our attempt to put one of these questions out there and have more people share their thoughts with us. We plan to number these short episodes with a decimal before them so our listeners can recognize these short episodes when we release more in the future! We'd love to hear from you about these questions and about the episode itself! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Did you want to blame someone for Seita and Setsuko's suffering? Who would you assign blame to? Their aunt? The war itself? Or more controversially, to Seita himself? What if we can't or shouldn't assign blame to anyone? Our previous episode only scratched the surface of all that Grave of the Fireflies has to offer. Today, we discuss what the title of the film means to us, the lives that Setsuko and Seita lived, and questions about honour and responsibility. This conversation was long overdue and we are glad we got to discuss these questions as deeply as we did. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

At first, it seems unlikely that animation would be able to recreate the horrors of war as well as live-action films. Grave of the Fireflies turns that idea on its head. In this episode, we go over some of our favourite scenes and characters and try to analyse everything that Ghibli did right. We also discuss some of the struggles that the viewer is compelled to go through while watching a careful and complex reflection of death and suffering in war. Grave of the Fireflies is nothing short of a timeless masterpiece. Give it a watch if you haven't already and share your thoughts with us! Mentioned in the episode: Just a Habit - Low Roar Conversation between Isao Takahata and Akiyuki Nosaka Corrections: At 7:12 we say that the two live actions films were a tribute to World War I but they were actually a tribute to World War II. At 10:20 we bring up an Animage interview which we say was with Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki. The interview was actually between Animage, Isao Takahata and Akiyuki Nosaka. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

We familiarised ourselves with the two metaphysical views about temporal relations, and began talking about process theism in our previous episode. Today, we'll examine the remaining claims and arguments and see just how metaphysically different process theism is from classical theism and whether it can support nonhuman animal personhood. From the case study of Tuffy and Daisy, to the role of sense perception and memory in determining personhood, our conversation in this episode promises to be a fun one. While these conversations are philosophically significant and just a lot of fun to have, they also enrich conversations surround animal rights and animal activism. In Daniel A. Dombrowski's words, "[We] need to move to a conceptual space where nonhuman animal personhood is not a shock". Mentioned in the episode: The Cognitive Tradeoff Hypothesis - Vsauce Are Nonhuman Animals Persons? A Process Theistic Response --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Do temporal relations have any role to play in determining personhood? What metaphysical assumptions need to be made to have a coherent account of what makes a person? Daniel A. Dombrowski blew us away with this paper on personhood from a process theistic lens. Althought we have discussed some metaphysical questions (for instance, when do persons start existing?) in our previous conversation on personhood, this is the first time we examined the metaphysics of time and temporal existence in this context. In the first part of our discussion, we will take you through two extreme conceptualisations of personhood - Humean/Buddhist 'drop of existence' view and the classical theistic view. Mentioned in the episode: Daniel A. Dombrowski - Wikipedia Are Nonhuman Animals Persons? A Process Theistic Response --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Waking Life is one of those movies that penetrates the deepest layers of your mind and stays there. The complex plot and themes often feel overwhelming, but satisfyingly so. Not to mention, the visceral and mesmerising animation leaves barely any room for distraction. It's a film to be watched on the big screen, and not just once. In today's episode, we discuss Linklater's experimental masterpiece, rotoscoping and all. Visual appeal aside, it is also fairly dense in its ideas (as mentioned previously), so it does call for close attention, and we've tried our best to cover everything we found most interesting! The film touches on existentialism, politics, dreams, death, metaphysics and the nature of reality, to name a few. We hope you watch the film before listening to the conversation, and also that you reach out with any thoughts you might have! It's a work that's well-worth detailed revisitation. Mentioned in the episode: Michio Kaku - Why Physics Ends the Free Will Debate Strauss-Howe Generational Theory William Strauss and Neil Howe - The Fourth Turning Stanford University (Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute) - Can the sleeping brain create unique people that the waking brain has never seen before? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

If you could drink an elixir that extended your life by another week, would you do it? What if it extended your life by a month, or a year? Ten years? A hundred? In an article titled "Life is Good", John Martin Fischer explores the idea of immortality, and how an immortal life could retain meaning. All of us pursue so-called "projects" in our lives - activities that make our time on this planet worth it. Activities that are best described as our raisons d'être. However, would life still be meaningful if all we ever did was the little things? If all we ever did was eat, sleep, maybe read, or listened to music? Kissed our parents on the forehead and told them we loved them? What then? Is existential boredom curable? Is persistence in life the cure? This was an interesting read, to say the least. It isn't often we come across arguments for immortality, and although this article didn't have us entirely convinced, it made us consider possibilities we hadn't even thought of previously. Let us know what you think! How would you feel about living forever? Mentioned in the episode: Life is good - John Martin Fischer --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

In our previous episode, we began our discussion on Lars Svendsen's 'Moods and the Meaning of Philosophy', where we spoke about the role of moods in behaviour, and how that has an influence on the practice of philosophy. Today, we take that conversation forward, but focus more specifically on the meaning of philosophy and why the both of us find the subject interesting. Certainly, philosophy can be boring, but this was a much-needed, reflexive talk about why that is the case, and what the potential antidotes to boredom could be. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

How do you feel right now? More specifically, what mood are you in, as you listen to this episode? Moods dictate our responses to everything around us. They give us the opportunity to react to things from specific states of mind, and more importantly, they delimit our possible reactions. Today, we examine "Moods and the Meaning of Philosophy", by Norwegian philosopher Lars Svendsen. Join us as we look at moods, particularly boredom (a mood the pandemic has forced us to embrace) and its role in the nature of philosophy. Why do so many of us find philosophy boring and meaningless? Is philosophy a discipline without meaning; without a sense of purpose? As a podcast centered around philosophy, it only seemed right that we ask ourselves these questions. Mentioned in the episode: Liminality Liminal Spaces --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Is a dolphin a person? Is an elephant? Are you? Every day, the need to understand what a person is grows. From AI to animal ethics, conversations about the morals status of certain entities rest on whether that entity is 'a person'. Today, we begin our journey into understanding what a person is. We use philosopher Mary Anne Warren's paper, 'On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion', as our starting point. We discuss her 5 criteria of personhood and what the both of us take to be the defining features of a person. This is going to be a very interesting module, the introduction to which we loved recording! Mentioned in the episode: AI Governance and Ethics - University of Oxford --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

In our previous episode, we discussed historical views on death, the meaning of human existence, and death as a form of estrangement. Today, we pick up where we left off and analyse the grief and mourning that follows death. Fuchs also surprised us with some insightful sections on immortality and posthumanism that we had an absolute blast discussing. Don't miss this one! Considering the length and density of the discussion, the episode has been divided into sections according to the structure of the essay itself, the timestamps to which are below: Part 1: 1:10 Part 2: 39:05 Part 3: 61:10 We hope you enjoy this one; it was a satisfyingly tough nut to crack. "The only hopeful counterpart to death is love as the principle of human sympathy and as the social principle of socialism". Send us a message if you would like to read the essay yourself (we highly recommend you do)! Instagram Email - wemightbetables@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

"Capitalism and class society lead to inequality, instrumentalist thinking, unhappiness and loneliness. Capitalism makes people unhappy, and in some ways drives them mad. Violence in the form of crime, including murder is unavoidable within capitalism". We have, so far, been dealing with relatively abstract and idealist philosophical ideas, on their own. For our next pair of episodes, however, we will be looking at material realities and how (possibly absurd) concepts like death fit into a capitalist framework, using Christian Fuchs' Death and Love: The Metaphysics of Communication. With excerpts from thinkers like Thomas Nagel, Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre and Karl Marx, this chapter (part of a larger book titled "Communication and Capitalism: A Critical Theory") raises (uncomfortable) questions about the nature of human relationships and the role of socialism in combating the phenomenon of death. Considering the length and density of the discussion, the episode has been divided into sections according to the structure of the essay itself, the timestamps to which are below: Part 1: 7:10 Part 2: 17:40 Part 3: 57:10 We hope you enjoy this one; it was a satisfyingly tough nut to crack. "The only hopeful counterpart to death is love as the principle of human sympathy and as the social principle of socialism". Send us a message if you would like to read the essay yourself (we highly recommend you do)! Instagram Email - wemightbetables@gmail.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Would the existence of God, or a superior being, change our moral systems? Is a moral system with God just as effective as a Godless moral system? We continue our discussion with these interesting questions and go where the rest of this fascinating paper takes us. Join us in our final episode on The Moral Philosopher and The Moral Life Mentioned in the episode: The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Is there an objective morality? If there is, how do we find it? If there isn't, how do we prevent infinite moral regress? Such questions have plagued philosophers for centuries, yet remain unanswered. However, every so often, there comes a theory that seems to go farther in the path of progress than anything before it, paving the way for new discussions and a renewed faith in moral philosophy. 19th-century philosopher-psychologist William James treatise on ethics, The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life, is exactly that. James explores the possibility of a perfectly ethical world, and how sentient beings with vastly different desires would go about realising such a world. In this episode, we talk of similar themes using James's paper as a focal point and think specifically of how one might use psychology, metaphysics, and casuistry to solve some of life's most ambiguous problems. Mentioned in the episode: The Moral Philosopher and the Moral Life --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Today, in our concluding episode on Yi Yi, we discuss what makes this masterpiece so loveable. We revisit our favourite characters, dialogues, and scenes and break them down to understand why they meant so much to us. Additionally, we explore the possibility of a Yi Yi-esque film set in India and how such a calming, authentic display of life would manifest itself here. We enjoyed watching and discussing this movie thoroughly and we hope that our discussion encourages you to watch it too. Believe us, you won't regret it. Mentioned in the episode: Yi Yi Ocean Waves --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Released in 2000, Edward Yang's Yi Yi might just be one of our most adored works of art. A pillar of the Taiwanese New Wave, the film takes us into the lives of 3 generations of a middle-class family in Taipei. Yi Yi is vast in scale, yet manages to remain deeply personal and engaging. In this episode, we talk about the movie's structure and some of its underlying philosophical themes, with particular emphasis on characterisation. Further, in keeping with the tone of the film, we address such topics as innocence, subjectivity and loneliness. Mentioned in the episode: Yi Yi Papilio Buddha Silver Talkies: India's Ageing Population Is Struggling With Loneliness But Help is Available The Agewell Foundation An Oral History of The Office --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

2020 was a long year. It wasn't the best one for a lot of us, but it did bring a lot of positives; this podcast, for one. And for that, we are grateful. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this, and will continue to be a part of it. In this episode, we wanted to do something different, change things up. Accordingly, we thought it'd be a good idea to talk about some questions and comments we've been getting over the past weeks. As a welcome to what we hope will be a better year, we discuss the process that led to the creation of the name, We Might Be Tables, an overlooked possibility from The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas, and existential crises. Mentioned in the episode: Fesliyan Studios Cleanfeed Jasleen Kaur: Instagram: iloveorangepeel_design Website: https://jaskdh.wixsite.com/jasleenkaur --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

To die for the nation or to spend a lifetime doing manual labour. What would you pick? Why? It's strange how easily we, as a society, get swept up in grand narratives of loyalty to the country and the justness of war. What is war? What is the nation? How does an abstract, social entity, such as the nation, come to be treated as a natural fact? Fear and Desire (1953) is Stanley Kubrick's disowned child. Interestingly, he spent the rest of his career trying (albeit unsuccessfully) to erase all copies of the movie, calling it a painfully amateur attempt, like a "child's drawing on a fridge". However, even though it was not as great a cinematic feat as his other films, it remains philosophically relevant to this day, perhaps increasingly so over the years. To all those who've kept coming back for each episode, we thank you, immensely. This is our final release of a grim year, and it seems fitting to sign off on a note about a grim topic. We hope to have you back next year, and look forward to many more stimulating conversations. Thank you, once again. Dewansh & Shrish. Mentioned in the episode: Fear and Desire - Stanley Kubrick (MUBI)(YouTube) How the "Greater Good" is Used as a Tool of Social Control - Academy of Ideas Music in the episode: I used to not pretend - Horthy Kristóf --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

In 2016, the global average GDP was ~121 trillion USD. Healthcare constituted 6%, and military spending just about 1.5%. Here's the catch: one year earlier, the economic cost of violence and warfare was 13.5 trillion dollars, which was over 11% of global GDP. Could these 13.5 trillion dollars have been used in education and welfare? Let's sit with these figures for a minute. War. How do we define it? How do we begin thinking about it? It has a long and complicated cultural history, but we need to ask ourselves if it is entirely a cultural phenomenon. Could war ever be justified? Would the utopian goal, whether it be through utilitarian, cost-benefit terms, or deontological morals, ever have war as one of its quintessential features? We do not have the answers to these questions, but they sure are intriguing. In this episode, we kickstart another series, now looking at war from as many perspectives as possible, and not to mention, using popular media. The first entry is merely background, an overview of our thoughts on war, and what it could mean for society. Reference to Malaysian communities without aggression: Chewong Semai --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Two years ago, Peter Singer predicted that meat might be exiting our diets. He reinforced the moral and environmental concerns that should worry us, and compel us to reconsider our dietary choices. Has much changed since then? Should the meat on our plates worry us now, more than ever? Would eliminating factory farms really make a difference? Most importantly, should everyone go vegan? Today, we pick up where we left off and explore the technological possibilities of ethical meat consumption. Join us as we wrap up our conversation about Peter Singer's insightful article. With veganism on the rise, is meat cooked? Mentioned in the episode: Diseases That Are Transmitted By Animals 3D-printed fake meat: The healthier, greener future of food? How do you make heme? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Two years ago, Peter Singer predicted that meat might be exiting our diets. He reinforced the moral and environmental concerns that should worry us, and compel us to reconsider our dietary choices. Has much changed since then? Should the meat on our plates worry us now, more than ever? Would eliminating factory farms really make a difference? Most importantly, should everyone go vegan? We explore these questions and examine Singer's article closely in this episode. Mentioned in the episode: With veganism on the rise, is meat cooked? We are What We Eat --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Mathieu Kassovitz's La Haine is as powerful as it is timeless. A deeply personal story about violence, youth, rebellion and, of course, hatred, it brings to life the struggles of being a minority community in one of the most politically charged places in the world. In this episode, we talk about all the elements that make Kassovitz's film a masterpiece of modern cinema, in both style and content. La Haine demands frequent revisitation; suffice it to say, it's quite the experience. Criterion - La haine and after: Arts, Politics, and the Banlieue: https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/642-la-haine-and-after-arts-politics-and-the-banlieue Al Jazeera - France is still in denial about racism and police brutality: https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2020/6/11/france-is-still-in-denial-about-racism-and-police-brutality/ (This article was mentioned in the podcast as being published by The Guardian. It appeared in Al Jazeera). --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is a powerful work of short-fiction that raises many questions about happiness, utilitarianism, and utopia. If the condition for an idyllic world to exist was that one child should be subjected to eternal torture, would you support that world? We'll do you one better: what if this child was you? In this episode, we discuss the nature and implications of Ursula K. Le Guin's acclaimed text, both for our current reality and the future. Veritasium: Is Success Luck or Hard Work? --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

What if we told you your attention was all that mattered? Your complex, human existence is reduced to a qualitative judgement based on how much time you spend in front of a screen. In his latest documentary, Jeff Orlowski invites numerous ex-employees of the world's biggest social media companies, to reveal unpleasant truths about how the "eyeball-grabbing" business operates. How are we shaped by what we see, and how is it that people seem to have such drastically different opinions on the ethics of technology? In this episode, join us in breaking down everything addressed in the film, and what they spell for the future of networking, surveillance, and ethics. We highly recommend checking out these websites mentioned in the episode: https://www.humanetech.com/ https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/ --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

After Life, Hirokazu Koreeda, 1998. You have to pick one memory. Just one; and you stick with it for all of eternity. Would you be able to do it? Would you be able to pick a single memory to take with you forever? What if that's the only choice that lies beyond death? In this episode, we talk about how Koreeda's film, a meditation on eternity, impacted us. This is the first of many episodes addressing death and the limits of our knowledge about it. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Last week, we analysed Paul Bloom's Against Empathy: its principal arguments and real-world applications. In this episode, we take a look at what experts from his own field think. Responses to the argument against a psychological pillar such as this one got us thinking as much as the main article itself, and it's sure to do the same to you. Finally, we present our views on the subject, and highlight cultural differences in understanding social behaviour. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Are you against empathy? A cornerstone of prosocial behaviour, it is often taught as a "vital" component of human interaction. Paul Bloom disagrees. In a highly polarising article, the Yale University professor of psychology breaks down the popular conception of empathy, and advocates for the exercise of what he calls "compassion" instead. In this episode, we take a look at Bloom's arguments and analyse whether they do really call for a fundamental change in the way we look at emotion and behaviour. Additionally, we talk opinions and compare how cultural differences in understanding psychology contributed to our reading of the article. Here's the link to the article: Paul Bloom: Against Empathy (http://www.bostonreview.net/forum/paul-bloom-against-empathy). --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

In Part 2 of our series on The Last of Us, the conversation picks up where we left off last time, with questions of Joel's righteousness and what it would feel like to be Ellie. Today, we look at issues of representation, artistic freedom, and the the dilemma of "deriving satisfaction". Below are the links to articles and videos discussed in the episode: jacksepticeye: The Last of Us Part II (Gameplay Playlist) Game Theory: Joel's Choice Meant Nothing! (The Last of Us) The Last of Us Wiki Nathan Zed: The Last of Us 2 is a Perfect Sequel Epilogue Music: A Great Calm by Kev Rowe (httpskevrowe.com) Music promoted by httpswww.free-stock-music.com. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License (httpscreativecommons.orglicensesby3.0deed.en_US). --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

In this episode, we take you through our thoughts on (and critique of) one of the most impactful video games of our generation. The Last Of Us Part II made us re-think the power of this medium and painted a morally ambiguous picture of a world strikingly similar to our own. Below are the links to articles and videos discussed in the episode: jacksepticeye: The Last of Us Part II (Gameplay Playlist) Game Theory: Joel's Choice Meant Nothing! (The Last of Us) The Last of Us Wiki Nathan Zed: The Last of Us 2 is a Perfect Sequel --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message

Hey! So, you've made your way over to the first episode of We Might Be Tables. Welcome to the Introduction where we, Dewansh Matharoo and Shrish Sudharsan, take you through the journey of how this podcast came to fruition. We hope you enjoy our discussions about philosophy, life, and all things intriguing. We look forward to hearing from you and having you back for our future episodes! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/we-might-be-tables/message