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PODCAST

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast

thelaughingphilosopher

Life is complicated. It is afflicted with more big questions than big answers. As one is tested by the suffering and irrationality of life, the questions become more compelling and imperative, and the answers become more urgent and necessary in order to be a good person and to live a happy life. What does it mean to be a good person? What is a happy life? What is love? Who am I before I was told who I am? Why haven’t I found myself yet? Why do I have regrets? Is the world just? Everything seems to

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

00:29:30

Retreat Is Not the Answer: How Do Great Philosophers...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2026/01/22

When the world feels broken, the temptation is to step back, tune out, and give up. But history’s greatest philosophers didn’t retreat when their societies were in turmoil. They stepped forward. In this episode of The Laughing Philosopher, we explore how Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Jesus, Siddhartha, Socrates, Aristotle, and Epictetus each faced a world as divided, chaotic, and uncertain as our own, but chose engagement over escape. From emperors battling plagues to sages challenging corrupt power,

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00:22:01

Hume’s Guillotine: Why What Is Doesn’t Decide What...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2025/12/04

What does a Scottish philosopher’s “guillotine” have to do with your daily decisions? In this episode, we explore David Hume’s famous Is-Ought Fallacy — why you can’t jump from what is to what ought to be — and how Hume’s Guillotine still shapes modern debates about right and wrong. With a mix of wisdom and practical examples, we cut to the heart of why facts alone can’t tell us what’s moral. From everyday life choices to serious ethical debates, we slice through the gap between facts and values

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00:26:22

Becoming Wise: Why Knowing Nothing Changes Everything

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2025/10/23

What if the first step to becoming wise is admitting you know nothing? In this episode, we discover how to think like Socrates and unlock the secrets of wisdom. We dive into the philosophy of questioning beliefs, challenging assumptions, and embracing curiosity — the core habits of truly wise people. Whether you’re curious about ancient philosophy for modern life or eager to learn how to become wise through the teachings of Socrates, this episode offers a serious yet playful guide to expanding your

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00:33:36

True to Oneself: Seven Ways Integrity Shapes Our Lives

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2025/09/25

What does it really mean to live with integrity? In this thought-provoking episode, we explore seven powerful ways integrity shapes our lives and why living by your principles and being true to oneself isn’t just noble, it’s the ultimate test of good character. Drawing on the timeless wisdom of history’s greatest philosophers, you will discover how honesty, accountability, and consistency can change your life and transform how you think, act, and connect with others. If you’ve ever wondered why

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27:49

Should You Care What the Majority Think? Socrates’...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2025/08/21

Should you care what other people think? Socrates says NO! In this episode, we explore what ancient philosophy can teach us about modern social pressure. Drawing from Socrates’ dialogue with Crito, we unpack why caring too much about public opinion can sabotage your clarity, confidence, and personal growth. You’ll learn how psychological traps like the Bandwagon Effect and Risky Shift distort your thinking, and how Socratic wisdom can help you think independently and live more authentically. If

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30:01

Seneca’s Stoic Method for Mastering Anger and...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2025/07/10

Got a temper? So did the ancient Romans. But one of them, the Stoic philosopher Seneca, had a radically different approach to anger, and it still works today. In this episode, we explore how Stoicism teaches us to master our emotions, especially the most destructive one of all, anger. Seneca didn’t just preach calm. He gave practical advice on how to keep your cool in the heat of an argument, respond instead of react, and settle disputes before they spiral. If you’ve ever said something you

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38:27

Socrates’ Path to Virtue: Ten Footsteps to Good...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2025/06/12

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle all believed that what you are matters far more than what you have. Good character is your most precious possession. In this episode, we dig deep into the ten unmistakable qualities of a person with good character, guided by the timeless wisdom of philosophy’s greatest minds. Socrates teaches that an examined life is paramount as we reflect on the kind of person we are and aspire to be. Plato teaches that true happiness comes not from pleasure but from living in

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24:01

Apocalypse Now?: Philosophy and the Fallacy of Doom!

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2025/05/01

The sky is falling. Do you feel there is no hope for the future? Does everything you hold dear feel like it’s about to blow up? Stoking apocalyptic fears and dystopian visions of the future is a whole industry of doom merchants. Calm down! Philosophy can explain why doomsday is unlikely, why you feel the end of the world is near, and why you should face the future with optimism and good cheer.

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28:34

Memento Mori: Stoic Secrets to Transform Fear of...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2025/04/03

We live in terror of death. We cling to youth and claw at life, afraid to let go. Once we conquer the greater fear of death, our lesser fears lose their power over us, and every other adversity becomes so much easier to overcome. Ignorance is the cause of fear. Death is the other half of the bargain we make when we accept life. Death means returning to where we started and knowing it again for the first time. Death seems strange and unfamiliar only because we are born knowing only life. Death is

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25:07

The Anatomy of Belief: Why Do Smart People Believe...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2025/03/06

Smart people can be stupid and believe absurd, weird, and crazy things. We are remarkably poor at distinguishing truth from falsehood and even worse at detecting liars and deception. Truth has nothing to do with what we believe. A belief doesn’t need to be true to be believed. We believe as we do, not because we think our belief is true, but because it is consistent with the wider web of our other beliefs. If we wish it to be true, and if it fits neatly inside the web of beliefs, then we readily

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25:15

The Paradox of Likability: Why Do Other People...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2025/02/06

People like us more than we think they do. Why are we so negative about ourselves? You didn’t develop that negative voice in your head all by yourself. We are socialized not to like ourselves and to strive for perfection. Perfection is a race with no finish line. What would a perfect life even look like? Be happy. Be perfectly imperfect. Be good. Be an individual. Don’t be afraid to love yourself!

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31:52

Challenging Our Instinct to Judge: Stoic Wisdom on...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2025/01/09

Normal and abnormal people do not exist. Sane and insane people do not exist. Conformists and nonconformists do not exist. The labels exist, but not the behaviors! So, how useful and reliable are our judgments of who is good and bad, who is moral and immoral, and who is wise and stupid? Labeling is easy. Getting it right is hard. Seneca recommends delaying judgment to find the truth before attributing false labels that are destructive to the individual and society.

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28:59

From Emptiness to Empowerment: The Liberating...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2024/12/05

What does it mean to live your life as if nothing matters? Nihilism rejects conventional wisdom that everything matters. Nihilism means nothing matters. It doesn’t even matter that nothing matters. Life has no inherited, supernatural purpose or meaning. Life is pointless so our freedom is absolute. There is no one to ask for permission and no one to please but ourselves. Nothing matters in the grand scheme of things, because there isn’t one. You possess perfect freedom to choose how to live. You are

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23:00

The Metaphysics of Heartbeats: Three Philosophical...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2024/10/31

Do you want to feel happy right where you are, right now? Listening to your heartbeats will lead you to three philosophical insights and instant happiness: You got lucky. Your heartbeats are numbered. Some doors must close so others can open. Stop living your life piece by piece. Learn to live your life as a whole.

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25:47

Emil Cioran as Architect of Purpose in a Purposeless...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2024/10/03

He was a French philosopher. His philosophy of life is simple yet profound. We would have been better off not being born. Life sucks. We are born for no reason. We exist to do nothing. No one matters. Nothing matters. It doesn’t even matter that nothing matters. What are we to do? Cioran argues that the meaninglessness of life is not only a reason to live, it’s the only one!

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28:10

Weber’s Divine Workaholic: Are You Chasing...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2024/09/05

Religion is the accidental force behind why we chase endless productivity, why working harder feels morally right and hardly working feels morally wrong, and why our self-worth and self-esteem revolve around our productivity and usefulness. Don’t you feel guilty and ashamed whenever you could have been more productive but chose not to? Wouldn’t you rather chose to fail as a spouse, fail as a parent, or fail as a friend than to fail at work? Why don’t happiness, relationships, or fun count as being

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26:25

Plato, Schopenhauer, and Spinoza: Is Peering Behind...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2024/08/01

Our first experience of the world is our true self. Concealed behind our outward appearance, a bag of skin, inside ourselves, our unique, subjective consciousness is who we really are. And so, we look for absolute truth behind the natural world of appearances in Plato’s Forms, Schopenhauer’s Will, and Spinoza’s God. You are the blueprint of the gods and the key to unlock the secrets of the universe.

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18:49

Your Perfect Day: What Would It Be Like?

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2024/07/05

What is a perfect day? Perfection is within our grasp each and every day. One must choose today to be a perfect day by choosing wisely to do three easy and simple things. And to be a perfect day, one must choose wisely not to do three other simple things one would normally do in an ordinary, boring day.

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27:10

Kierkegaard’s Upside of Down: Ever Notice How Bad...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2024/06/13

Let us unpack Kierkegaard’s insight that today can only be known by living forwards, but only be understood by looking backwards. Life, at any given moment, is unknowable. When something happens, you instantly experience it as either good or bad. You experience yourself as either happy or sad. You experience your fate as either lucky or unlucky. And yet, what’s happening cannot be understood as you experience it. Moment by moment, why is life a mystery, and how does something really good come out of

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31:19

Making Friends: Aristotle’s Practical Wisdom for...

The Laughing Philosopher"s Podcast ·

2024/05/16

Aristotle’s wisdom can make you a more likable person with more and better friends. For Aristotle, without friends, no one would want to live. Friendship is the chief cornerstone of living well and doing well. To be more likable and have more friends, don’t do three things: Don’t prove you have nothing of value to say by speaking. Don’t judge the imperfections of others. Don’t believe everything you think.

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115 results

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