Philosophy Talk Starters

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Making and Breaking Habits Oct 12, 2025

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More at https://philosophytalk.org/shows/making-and-breaking-habits.

We often hear that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” The idea seems to be that long-standing habits are too entrenched to change. But are habits always so rigid and inflexible? Why does it seem that it’s hard to break bad habits and form virtuous ones? And do habits help or hinder our creative impulses? Josh and Ray habituate themselves with Shaun Gallagher from the University of Memphis, author of Action and Interaction.

Wise Women: Elisabeth of Bohemia Oct 05, 2025

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More at https://philosophytalk.org/shows/elisabeth-bohemia.

Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia is best known for her correspondence with René Descartes. In her letters, she articulated a devastating critique of his dualist theory of mind, in particular on the impossibility of mind-body interaction. So what was Elisabeth’s own position on the nature of mind? What can we ascertain about her moral and political concerns based on her various correspondences? And how are her ideas still relevant to current debates in philosophy? Josh and Ray explore Elisabeth’s life and thought with Lisa Shapiro from McGill University, editor of The Routledge Handbook of Women and Early Modern European Philosophy.

Part of our series Wise Women, supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Zhuangzi: Being One With Ten Thousand Things Sep 28, 2025

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More at https://philosophytalk.org/shows/zhuangzi.

Zhuangzi, the 4th-century BCE Chinese philosopher, was arguably the most important figure in Taoism. He believed that a person’s ideal relationship to the world was to “be one with ten thousand things.” So how is someone supposed to achieve this ideal? What is at the core of Zhuangzi’s conception of the good life? And how could contemporary western readers benefit from his way of thinking? Josh and Ray welcome back Paul Kjellberg from Whittier College, editor of Essays on Skepticism, Relativism, and Ethics in The Zhuangzi.

Robert Musil and Life as Experiment Sep 21, 2025

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More at https://philosophytalk.org/shows/robert-musil.

Robert Musil (1880-1942) was an Austrian novelist, famous for The Man Without Qualities. Set in Austria just before the start of World War I, it features a character who tries to live without fixed principles. But is it a good idea to conduct your life in this way? Is it even possible? Could having a rigid system of beliefs make you insensitive to changes in society? Is there a happy medium between dogmatism and spinelessness? Josh and Ray remain flexible with Bence Nanay from the University of Antwerp, author of Philosophy Without Qualities: Robert Musil, the Thinker (forthcoming).

Wise Women: Hildegard von Bingen Sep 14, 2025

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More at https://philosophytalk.org/shows/hildegard-of-bingen.

Hildegard von Bingen was a 12th century mystic, polymath, and composer whose work spanned visionary theology, philosophy, cosmology, medicine, botany, and music. Her extraordinary intellectual accomplishments belie her humble claim to be “just a woman”. Was her humility justified in the face of the divine, internalizing misogynistic stereotypes, or a strategic decision to get her voice heard? What can mystical experience teach us about the world? And how can we understand ourselves in relation to the divine? Josh and Ray explore her life and thought with Jennifer Bain from Dalhousie University, editor of The Cambridge Companion to Hildegard of Bingen.

Part of our series Wise Women, generously funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Can Architecture Be Political? Sep 07, 2025

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It’s common to judge a piece of architecture based on its functional and aesthetic values, and how the two might complement or compete with one other. It’s less common to judge architecture based on its political values. But can’t a building’s design also express a political viewpoint? Why are different styles of architecture associated with different ideologies? And can a historical edifice’s social purpose change over time? Josh and Ray build a foundation with Vladimir Kulić from Iowa State University, editor of Toward a Concrete Utopia: Architecture in Yugoslavia, 1948–1980.

Henri Bergson and the Flow of Time Aug 31, 2025

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More at https://philosophytalk.org/shows/henri-bergson-and-the-flow-of-time.

Many people think of time as a series of events, like successive frames in a movie. But French philosopher Henri Bergson (1859-1941) argued that this widespread picture was wrong: everything is in constant motion, and can’t be captured by a series of static descriptions. So why does Bergson think our intuition guides us and reason leads us astray? If your self is constantly in flux, is there any such thing as the real you? And how would we have to change our language to reflect the truth? Josh and Ray go with the flow of Barry Allen from McMaster University, author of Living in Time: The Philosophy of Henri Bergson.

Are We Living in a Simulation? Aug 24, 2025

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More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/are-we-living-simulation. With rapid advances in Virtual Reality technology and the like, it’s now possible for us to become absorbed in completely made-up worlds. We might wonder how soon it will be till we reach a point where VR is so good, we can’t tell it apart from the real world. But what if we’ve already reached that point? How would we know if we were currently living in a simulated reality, or are there always telltale signs? And if we were in a simulation, what difference would it make—pragmatically or morally—in how we live our lives and treat other people? Josh and Ray don't fake it with David Chalmers from NYU, author of Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy.

Wise Women: Hypatia of Alexandria Aug 17, 2025

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More at https://philosophytalk.org/shows/hypatia-alexandria. Hypatia of Alexandria, late antiquity public figure and scholar, made significant contributions to mathematics, philosophy, and astronomy. Her embrace of Neoplatonism was seen as such a threat to the political elite in Alexandria that she was murdered by a mob of Christians. So what made her ideas so dangerous and revolutionary for her time? As a woman in Ancient Egypt, how did she exert power over her own narrative? And should she really be considered a “martyr” for philosophy? Josh and Ray explore Hypatia’s life and thought with Edward Watts, Professor of History at UCSD and author of Hypatia: The Life and Legend of an Ancient Philosopher.

The Value of Music Aug 10, 2025

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More at https://philosophytalk.org/shows/what-is-music.

From classical concerts to commercial jingles, music fills our lives every day. But philosophers disagree about what exactly music is and why it’s valuable. Among the world’s diverse musical cultures and styles, are there any universals? If you play Bach’s cello suites on a synthesizer, is it still the same piece of music? And why do people deliberately listen to sad songs? John and Ray sing it with Andrew Kania from Trinity University, author of Philosophy of Western Music: A Contemporary Introduction.

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