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PODCAST

Philosopher"s Zone

The simplest questions often have the most complex answers. The Philosopher"s Zone is your guide through the strange thickets of logic, metaphysics and ethics.

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

28:27

In the wild

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/12/20

For centuries, “the wild” has been thought of as the place where humans rarely or never go. Our cities are meant to be refuges from the wild, and the policies that govern our lives are intended to impose order on chaos. But climate change is showing us that the wild and the urban environments are closely intertwined – and as Indigenous communities know well, policy is beset with incoherences and cruelties that make it anything but rational. Is it time to rethink “the wild” for the

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28:22

The inside of anger

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/12/13

Anger is a normal human emotion, we seem to be hard wired for it. And there's a body of ethical opinion that says anger can be useful - as a means of communication, as a means of appreciating injustice rather than just recognising it, as as a spur to restorative action. But could we get along without it?

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28:22

Phenomenology

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/12/06

What if even the most ordinary experience could reward close and detailed analysis, revealing fascinating insights into the structures of consciousness and the world? This is the question asked by phenomenology, which investigates the experience of experience, and this week’s guest has written a new book exploring phenomenology from the ground up.

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28:27

Anti-social media

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/11/29

What can social media platforms deliver in the way of genuine personal connection and moral truth? And how good - or bad - are Facebook and Twitter for the philosophy community?

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28:38

Science, misinformation and dissent

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/11/22

Science welcomes dissent. Scientific progress depends on challenging and dismantling theories as well as verifying them. But how should we deal with misinformation about science, and the ways it can erode such liberal democratic values as personal autonomy?

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28:35

Refugees and moral obligation

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/11/15

Refugees have been with us for millennia, but the modern refugee exists under a distinctively modern set of circumstances. Moral philosophers addressing the refugee issue often fail to take these circumstances into account, and to acknowledge the ways in which the West can be responsible for refugee crises.

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28:40

Philosophy in a nutshell pt 6: Becoming a woman

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/11/08

Simone de Beauvoir wrote that “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman”. It’s a much-quoted phrase that appears to speak presciently to modern concerns around sex and gender. But how well is Beauvoir understood by contemporary feminists?

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28:29

Philosophy in a nutshell pt 5: Ubuntu

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/11/01

Ubuntu is an African tradition of thought whose ethical orientation is captured in the well-known aphorism “I am, because we are”. But what gets lost when Ubuntu is framed as a philosophical discourse in the Western intellectual tradition? And where do we see its successes and failures in the reconstruction of post-colonial Africa?

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28:37

Philosophy in a nutshell pt 4: Nietzsche and nihilism

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/10/25

"God is dead, and we have killed him" — a statement that's fuelled the popular misapprehension of Nietzsche as a crusading atheist, or militant nihilist. In fact, he was neither of those things, and "God is dead" is a much more interesting proposition than is often thought.

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28:37

Philosophy in a nutshell pt 3: Derrida and the text

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/10/18

In 1967, French philosopher Jacques Derrida wrote "There is nothing outside the text". Or did he? It's a bad translation that's launched a thousand bad interpretations - but it's gone on to become a key element of Derrida's work.

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28:36

Philosophy in a nutshell pt 2: Confucius, wealth and...

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/10/11

In the Analects, Confucius is recorded as saying "When a country is well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. When a country is badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of". It's an interesting aphorism to consider in the light of China today, as the government seeks to promote Confucian ethics, while at the same time running an economy that's delivered vast wealth to a small political elite.

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28:38

Philosophy in a nutshell pt 1: The aphorism

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/10/04

First program in a series exploring famous philosophical fragments. Philosophy is often thought of as proceeding via elaborate conceptual systems. But sometimes, a choice phrase is all you need to get you thinking.

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28:37

Politics at the extremes

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/09/27

Politics has never been a gentle pursuit, but these days the gloves are well and truly off. How did we get here? What are the implications for political philosophy, and for politics in general? As for where we might be headed, there are fascinating – if rather terrifying – clues in the work of French thinker René Girard.

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06:01

PRESENTS — Ideas

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/09/21

Ideas is a program from CBC Canada and it's about... well, ideas. Each episode takes a concept and dives deep into its past, present and possible future. Whether you're interested in the meaning of community, the history of the saxophone, the environmental downside to jean manufacturing, the lure of political authoritarianism or our cultural obsession with serial killers, Ideas has an idea that's going to keep you listening.Pulling apart concepts, seeing how they work, and

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34:37

Progressive Islam

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/09/20

Progressive Muslim thought seeks to establish an Islam that's equipped for the modern world - and still embedded within the Islamic intellectual tradition.

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29:07

The abominable heretic

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/09/13

In July 1656, the young philosopher Baruch Spinoza was cast out of his Jewish community for "abominable heresies". We don't know what those crimes were, but we do know that Spinoza has remained a polarising figure within Judaism ever since.

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28:52

Shifting the frame on COVID-19

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/09/06

When we think about COVID-19 as a medical issue first and foremost, what are we missing? This week we explore the ways in which legal, economic, cultural and ethical perspectives on COVID-19 could be just as important as the medical.

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28:22

Lev Shestov: staying awake in the dark

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/08/30

Lev Shestov is one of the great forgotten modern philosophers, and now could be the time to rediscover him. His was a philosophy of hope in the face of hopelessness, and the parallels between his time and our own are compelling.

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28:37

Moral grandstanding

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/08/23

Moral grandstanding is not a harmless pastime. It’s insidious and corrosive, eating away at the foundations of public discourse and deepening the divisions between us. But how to stop it?

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28:37

AI home devices: A feminist perspective

Philosopher"s Zone ·

2020/08/16

Smart home devices make life easier, and they're increasingly popular. But are they gender-neutral entities, or "smart wives"?

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