Very Bad Wizards

Latest Episodes:

Episode 344: Philosophy as Dialogue Nov 10, 2026

Show notes

David and Tamler model philosophical conversation for their listeners by discussing Drew Hyland's excellent essay "Why Plato Wrote Dialogues." What possibilities does the dialogue form open up for Plato? Could his ideas be captured in a more straightforward treatise or essay? Or does philosophy involve more than just propositions and arguments? Plus, Blexas and the midterms, and a new study on how golfers perform in a group with people on the other side of the aisle.

Golf lesson: Study shows political polarization hurts performance at work (golf study press release) [haas.berkeley.edu]

Sels, T., & Kovács, B. (2026). Political heterogeneity and societal polarization impair individual performance: Evidence from random assignment in professional golf. Management Science, 72(7), 5653-5680. [pubsonline.informs.org]

Hyland, D. A. (1968). Why Plato wrote dialogues. Philosophy & Rhetoric, 1(1), 38-50. [jstor.org]

New Bonus Series! Episode 1: The Low Rises (The Wire S1 E1) [unlocked] Nov 05, 2026

Show notes

In this first episode of our new Patreon bonus series, Tamler and David discuss S1 E1 of "The Wire." We're reminded what an amazing show this is. Welcome to the Western!

Join our Patreon and you'll get all of our future episodes (along with lots of other bonus content).

The Lotus Eaters Episode 13: An Odyssey Dream Cast [unlocked] Oct 29, 2026

Show notes

In the final episode of The Lotus Eaters, Tamler and David make their casting decisions (any actors across history) for their dream "Odyssey" film. We then end with some broader thoughts about The Odyssey and our experience doing The Lotus Eaters. Thank you for coming along with us on this journey!

Episode 343: Culture and the Concept of a Person Oct 27, 2026

Show notes

How would you a describe a friend or a co-worker? Would you list their personality traits like generous, aggressive, principled, or stubborn? Or would you give more concrete context-filled descriptions ("she argues with her parents a lot," "she brings us donuts at work sometimes"?) According to Shweder and Bourne's influential 1982 article, culture and the dominant metaphors within it influence how we answer these questions. David and Tamler continue their deep dive into the work of Richard Shweder with a discussion of his paper "Does the Concept of a Person Vary Cross-Culturally."

Plus, you might not save baby Hitler from drowning, but would you save his father or his grandfather? Moral psychology has a new paradigm!

Pucci, M., & Gagliardi, L. (2026). The killing baby Hitler dilemma: A novel paradigm for studying causal-temporal distance in moral decision-making. Consciousness and Cognition, 145, 104141.

Shweder, R. A., & Bourne, E. J. (1982). Does the concept of the person vary cross-culturally?. In Cultural conceptions of mental health and therapy (pp. 97-137). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.

The Lotus Eaters Episode 12: Reunited in Ithaca [unlocked] Oct 22, 2026

Show notes

As foretold in the prophecies, Tamler and David unite in Ithaca to cover the final chapters (23 & 24) of The Odyssey, in which Odysseus passes Penelope's final test, reunites with Laertes, and Athena and Zeus do a little deus ex machina-ing and prevent the suitors' families from getting revenge.

The Lotus Eaters Episode 11: Cleaning House [unlocked] Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Tamler and David discuss books 20, 21, & 22 of The Odyssey. Beginning with omens and portents and ending with merciless slaughter (with a bow contest in between), we finally see Odysseus' plans for revenge reach fruition.

Episode 342: A Boy's Best Friend (Hitchcock's "Psycho") Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

David and Tamler steal some of Laurie Santos' podcast money (she'll never miss it), drive to LA, and pull over in the rain to spend the night in the Bates Motel. That lanky young man in the office seems nice if a bit awkward, not sure about his mother though. Plus, we share a few things that might turn us into psycho killers. Like we always say, a son is a poor substitute for a lover.

The Lotus Eaters Episode 10: Like-Minded [unlocked] Oct 01, 2026

Show notes

Tamler and Dave devote a full episode to Book 19 of The Odyssey. In what is one of the most emotionally intense chapters of the story so far, Odysseus continues his Cretan lies, has a long tête-à-tête with Penelope, and finally gets recognized by his former slave Eurycleia.

The Lotus Eaters Episode 9: An Ode to Argos [unlocked] Sep 24, 2026

Show notes

Tamler and David discuss The Odyssey books 17 & 18, in which Telemachus and Odysseus, back at home, continue their deception and put everyone to the test. Everyone except for Argos, that is, because Argos was (and will always be) a very good boy.

Episode 341: Psychology Ranked (With Paul Bloom) Sep 22, 2026

Show notes

David and Tamler welcome Paul Bloom back to the show for a definitive ranking of classic psychology experiments. Will the shocking results of the Milgram studies earn him a posthumous 'S' ranking? How far will Zimbardo fall? Is the Stroop effect a super effect? Did you see the Gorilla in these notes? Which is more plausible: that we have Paul Bloom as a guest, or we have Paul Bloom and a guest and it's a banger? Note: no dogs or baby monkeys were harmed in the making of this episode.

Final Tier List Rankings (episode spoilers!)

List of Studies Ranked (all links are to pages on wikipedia.org)

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