Political Philosophy Podcast
Season 2
______________________
DON'T TRUST THE WORLD TO BE RIGHT
45. HOW TO BE HAPPY
With Peter Singer
Why are so many of us unhappy? Peter Singer, ‘The world’s most influential philosopher’ joins the podcast to discuss the link between doing good and being happy, money and happiness, working for a charity, right-wing self-help guru’s, and his advice for living a happy life.
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44. POLITICS WITHOUT GUARANTEES
With Jacob T. Levy
In the second part of my conversation with professor Jacob T. Levy we look at the need people have for guarantees in their political and moral systems; guarantees that their will of the world will both be actualized and be morally correct. We ask what the world looks like in the absence of such certainty.
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43. JUSTICE IN A FALLEN WORLD
With Jacob T. Levy
Can we know the nature of justice before confronting the conditions of injustice? I’m joined by Jacob T Levy to discuss his upcoming work Justice in Babylon, we cover Ideal theory, Rawls, the nature of politics and the nature of the human condition.
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42. WHAT IS IDEOLOGY?
With Matto Mildenberger and Jonathan Leader Maynard
What is an ideology? What do intellectuals studying it in opinion polls, contemporary debates, and historical texts understand it to mean? I’m joined by the authors of a recent survey of the study of ideology in different disciplines, Matto Mildenberger and Jonathan Leader Maynard, to help make sense of it all.
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41. IDEOLOGY & BREXIT
A conversation with Helen Thompson
Helen Thompson joins me to discuss the role of ideology in Brexit. How has this crisis been driven by structures, chance, and people’s commitment to ideals? What has been the role of emotion, and what will win in the end, dogmatism or compromise?
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41. PHILOSOPHY & HARRY POTTER
A conversation with Brenden Weber
I’m joined by Brenden Weber, host of the Philosophy Guy podcast. We chat about the current state of public philosophy from the podcasting community to the intellectual dark web. We then go into depth on his analysis of the moral philosophy of Harry Potter: Is death part of life - and accepting it a part of a moral life – or is it a problem to be solved?
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40. FUTURISM, FASCISM,
& Other audience questions
I take questions from Facebook and Twitter on Ancient Stoic Philosophers, J S Mill, randomization in democracy, ethical consumerism, futuristic concerns about body modification and if fascism is left wing or right wing.
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39. LIBERTARIANISM 4
The nature of change
In the finale I continue the story of liberalism vs libertarianism into the middle of the twentieth century. We explore the Keynes vs Hayek debate, the formulation of the modern welfare state and the 1945 general election. The finale also covers the different battlegrounds of ideological competition and ends by arguing for a particular understanding of what political change is and how it is possible.
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38. BREXIT, IRELAND, AND THE CONSTITUTION
A conversation with Cathy BArry
What does Brexit mean for peace in Ireland, Parliamentary democracy, and the British constitution? How should we think about the motivations and actions of all involved? Is there any way forward from here? Cathy Barry joins the podcast to help me make sense of it all.
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37. INTO THE VOID
A conversation with Aaron Rabinowitz (2)
Without free will or agency is morality possible? What could we ever really say we know about morality, is such knowledge possible and how would we go about knowing it? I go deep in my second part with Aaron from the Embrace The Void podcast.
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35. MORAL LUCK
A conversation with Aaron Rabinowitz
I’m joined by Aaron from Embrace the Void podcast. We discuss moral Luck. Can we really hold people morally accountable for things outside of their control? What, though, is really, deeply within our control? Can we construct a morality on the foundation of conscious experience alone?
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34. JESUS, SEX, AND THE FAMILY
A conversation with Dale Martin (2)
What was the sexuality of the historical Jesus? Did he have romantic partners? What did Jesus and Paul teach about the desirability or permissibility of sex, what where their views on the family, and how should all of that impact how we live today?
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33. GENDER IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
A conversation with Dale Martin
Dale Martin returns to the podcast! We cover Paul’s ideas about resurrection, the gender of the resurrected dead, the gender spectrum in the ancient world, the modern invention of the male/ female dichotomy, and postmodernism.
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32. LIBERTARIANISM 3
War and the Elite
The first world war and economic crisis explode into the world in the 3rdpart of our series on the ideologies of libertarianism and progressive liberalism. How do ideologies deal with huge system shocks like these? What is the role of elites in ideological creation and consumption?
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31. LIBERTARIANISM 2
Evolution and Equilibrium
In the second part of my series on the history of libertarianism I look at how the competition between libertarianism and progressive liberalism escalated to competition over scientific metaphors. The origin, and ideological weaponization of, the phrase “survival of the fittest”, and the introduction to the ideological fight of Newtonian mechanics.
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30. ESCAPING THE POLITICAL
A conversation with Rupert Read (2)
In the second part of my conversation with Rupert Read, we cover private language, essential contestability, and political ideologies. We also discuss if it is possible to escape political ideologies or the use of power: Can we carve out true friendships separate from the forms of oppression that surround us?
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29. WITTGENSTEIN, LANGUAGE, AND POWER
A conversation with Rupert Read
Dr. Rupert Read returns to the podcast to provide an introduction to Wittgenstein’s philosophy of language. We cover Wittgenstein’s life, his approach to philosophy, his value to us, and the metaphors of family resemblances, word games, and money.
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28. LIBERTARIANISM
An ideological history (1)
By audience selection, I cover the intellectual and ideological history of libertarianism. What were its origins and what was is reacting against? I also attempt to place these developments in their historical context and discuss how they affected the world, our current institutions, and even how we think now.
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28. LIBERTARIANISM
An ideological history (1)
By audience selection, I cover the intellectual and ideological history of libertarianism. What were its origins and what was is reacting against? I also attempt to place these developments in their historical context and discuss how they affected the world, our current institutions, and even how we think now.
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27. THE FOUNDATIONS OF LIBERALISM
A conversation with Shadi Hamid (2)
In the second part of our conversation, Shadi Hamid and I get into a conversation about the contradictions of liberal universality. Should we want Islamists to become liberals for instance? Shadi argues for a liberalism that can appeal to the most possible people and I argue that, given we can never escape contestable premises, a liberalism based on progress best makes sense of these contradictions.
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25. WHAT ISLAMISTS BELIEVE
A conversation with Shadi Hamid
Shadi Hamid discusses the different types of Islamism and their beliefs about government, democracy, and Islamic law. We also cover perceptions of Islam and its relationship with liberalism.
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24. CHARACTER
A conversation with Christian Miller
Christian Miller joins the podcast to discuss his book The Character Gap. What does it mean to have good character? What are, if any, the meta ethical foundations of this? Why should we develop character, and what are the factors that determines if people exhibit positive character traits in any given situation?
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23. THE BIRTH OF ETHICS
A conversation with Philip Pettit (2)
In the second part of our conversation Philip Pettit gives his answer to the challenge of the first; creating a reconstructive account of morality that explains its nature, the origins of desirability and responsibility, and why we should be moral.
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22. RECONSTRUCTING MORALITY
A conversation with Philip Pettit
Philip Pettit returns to the podcast to discuss his latest work The Birth of Ethics. We set of the challenge of resolving the seeming paradox of ethical truth in a naturalistic universe: In a world explained by science with 'nothing spooky' going on, how, and why, would morality emerge?
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21. FREE WILL, RACE & IQ,
And other listener questions.
I Answer listener questions on a range of topics then give extended answers defending my views on free will (and how they relate to my views on religion and social justice and explaining my I think the arguments that race and IQ are genetically linked are both flawed and dangerous.
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20, RACE AND NATIONAL IDENTITY
A conversation with Glenn Loury
What role should race play in how we think of ourselves as Americans? I discuss the race debate with Professor Glenn Loury. We cover the role of culture, the wealth gap, high levels of inner city-violence, the case for reparations, and police killings.
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19. KNOWLEDGE AND PSEUDO KNOWLEDGE
A conversation with Brian D. Earp (2)
In the second part of my conversation with Brian Earp we discuss replicability, pre-registration, pseudoscience, science in popular culture, and the limits of scientific knowledge. We also apply this epistemically cautious empiricism to the difficult cases of implicit bias, affirmative action, and workplace diversity quotas.
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18. THE REPLICATION CRISIS
A conversation with Brian D. Earp
The replication crisis has rocked the world of academic phycology but how far do its implications go? In this episode, I cover the incentive structures, institutional patterns, and faulty ways of thinking about statistics and evidence that lead to this with Brian Earp.
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17. DISCRIMINATION. AND FREE SPEECH
A conversation with Existential Comics' Corey Mohler (3)
In the final episode of my conversation with Corey, we discussed the role of discrimination in our society. I also gave a reply to concerns raised by Jorden Peterson fans.
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16. HARRIS, PETERSON, & PINKER
A conversation with Existential Comics' Corey Mohler (2)
In this episode, I discuss the 'Intelectual Dark Web' with Existential Comic's Corey Mohler. We cover Sam Harris, Jordan Peterson, and Steven Pinker, arguing that for supposed free thinkers, they often just seem to want to maintain the world of their youth.
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15. COMEDY AND PROPAGANDA
A conversation with Existential Comics' Corey Mohler
In this episode, I talk with Corey Mohler, author of the popular philosophy webcomic existential comics. We discuss the role of jokes in philosophy and politics, why he hates George Carlin, the state of the Democratic party in the US, and more.
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14. UNIVERSAL MORALITY
A crossover with Matt Teichman of the Elucidations podcast
In this episode, I talk with Matt Teichman, host of the elucidations podcast. We debate if there is such a thing as a universal morality that's common to all cultures, and what we learn from the diversity of moral and political thought in history.
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13. THE CASE FOR REPARATIONS
A conversation with Professor Colleen Murphy (2)
We continue our discussion of transitional justice with Colleen Murphy, comparing the end of apartheid in South Africa with the civil rights movement in the US. From this contrast, we explore the idea of reparations for lynching and redlining in the form of truth and reconciliation commissions and financial payments.
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12. TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE
A conversation with Professor Colleen Murphy
In this episode professor Colleen Murphy discusses justice in countries attempting to transition to democracy following conflict or repression. Professor Murphy argues that the demands of transitional justice are distinct from other forms of justice such as retributive, corrective, or distributive.
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11. CIVIL RIGHTS FROM NIXON TO OBAMA
A conversation with Professor Mary Frances Berry
In this episode professor Mary Frances Berry discusses her work in US civil rights from Nixon through to the present day. I also ask a personal question about how to stay motivated in the demanding and draining life of a professional activist.
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10. ROME, CHRIST, AND THE WESTERN MIND
A conversation with Professor Orlando Patterson (3)
In the third and final part of the Freedom series with Orlando Patterson we discuss how freedom, invented in Greece, was universalized by Rome and survived, buried in Christianity. We argue that these ideological developments in the ancient world ultimately made the modern world, including our minds and how we think, what it is today.
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9. THE UNIQUENESS OF ATHENS
A conversation with Professor Orlando Patterson (2)
In the second part of the series Orlando Patterson to discuss the emergence of the value of freedom in Ancient Greece and its relation to slave society. We argue that Athens was unique in developing this value and western history was forever shaped by this, however uncomfortable we are with the seeming triumphalism of this narrative.
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8. SLAVERY AND FREEDOM
A conversation with Professor Orlando Patterson (1)
I'm joined by the great historical sociologist Orlando Patterson to discuss the nature and history of slavery and how this lead to the creation of the "strange and un-innocent" value of freedom. In the first part we discuss Professor Patterson's background, his account of slavery and the history of slavery in the earliest peoples.
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7. THE POINT OF MORAL PHILOSOPHY
A conversation with Professor Tamler Sommers (2)
In the second part of my conversation with Tamler Sommers we discussed/debated moral consequentialism vs. virtue ethics, Gregg Caruso, Will MacAskill and J S Mill, and what is the relationship between analytic reasoning and our lived experience.
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6. COLLECTIVE PUNISHMENT
A conversation with Professor Tamler Sommers
Professor Tamler Sommers, co-host of the Very Bad Wizards podcast, joins the podcast to discuss pubic philosophy, taking a joke, campus culture, social justice, honor, collective responsibility and collective punishment.
5. CIVILITY AND TONE POLICING
A conversation with Professor Teresa Bejan (2)
In the second part of the conversation with Professor Teresa Bejan we discuss civility on the left and right of U.S politics. Professor Bejan agues that both sides should be more willing to continue the conversation and 'tolerate the disagreeableness of disagreement." Toby gives some objections from a social justice perspective ,and we end with how we , personally, deal with difficult conversations.
4. EARLY AMERICAN RELIGION
A conversation with Professor Teresa Bejan
Professor Teresa Bejan of Oxford University joins the podcast to discuss religion, civility, and toleration in early modern Europe and America. We consider the case of Roger Williams, the puritan minister who founded the colony of Rhode Island.
3. CONTAINMENT AND DETERRENCE
A conversation with Professor Gregg Caruso (2)
In the second part of my conversation with Professor Gregg Caruso we discuss the containment theory of crime prevention, deterrence, the death penalty, and the meta ethics of justice and punishment.
2. THE ILLUSION OF FREE WILL
A conversation with Professor Gregg Caruso
Professor Gregg Caruso joins the podcast, we argue that not only is free will an illusion, but a dangerous one that is leading to a lot of needless suffering. We cover voluntariness vs origination, retribution, the emotional need for revenge, containment, and quarantine.
1. THE FIRST PHILOSOPHERS
A conversation with Professor Peter Adamson
Peter Adamson, host of he History of Philosophy Without any Gaps podcast, joins us to discuss the very first records of philosophy and philosophy and politics amongst the earliest peoples.