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Philosophy Podcast (ABC RN)

ABC (Australia)

The Philosopher's Zone is where they congregate, but you'll find philosophers cropping up across RN. Late Night Live's Phillip Adams is fond of talking to them and philosophy, whether natural, moral or metaphysical, is never far away from RN, the ideas network.

Location:

Sydney, NSW

Description:

The Philosopher's Zone is where they congregate, but you'll find philosophers cropping up across RN. Late Night Live's Phillip Adams is fond of talking to them and philosophy, whether natural, moral or metaphysical, is never far away from RN, the ideas network.

Language:

English

Contact:

ABC Radio National GPO Box 9994 Sydney 2001


Episodes

I’m just not myself

7/24/2016
Buddhist thought holds that at core there is no real self—two philosophers at the junction of east and west, self and mind.

Duration:00:24:59

Hilary Putnam

7/17/2016
We mark the passing of Hilary Putnam—and explore some of his key insights.

Duration:00:24:59

In defence of the foodie

7/13/2016
Susan Wolf counters the criticisms and fends off the antipathy directed towards the foodie.

Duration:00:52:43

How to love a less free will

7/10/2016
Free will is on the run—but relax and enjoy a healthy dose of compatibilism.

Duration:00:29:53

Tracking in the dark: the sovereign will of Professor Aileen Moreton-Robinson

7/9/2016
Aileen Moreton-Robinson has spent her intellectual life exploring racism and power. But it all begins in the bush on Stradbroke Island when her grandfather taught her the skill of tracking. The latest idea to grip her considerable mind is possessive logic and the way it superimposes itself on the land by denying the sovereign will of indigenous people.

Duration:00:19:11

Cicero on growing old

7/3/2016
Growing old is an undeniable fact of life, though for many not a season to look forward to. The famed Roman orator and statesman Marcus Tullius Cicero had put his mind to the dilemma two millennia ago, proposing a ten-point self-help plan. But does it still stand up in our fast-paced modern utilitarian world?

Duration:00:25:28

Plants, philosophy and sentient beings

6/10/2016
What can the plant world teach us about our attitudes towards sentient life?

Duration:00:12:01

Charles Taylor

5/29/2016
Since its publication in 2007 Charles Taylor’s magnum opus A Secular Age has gathered great intellectual momentum. His analysis has never been more apt. It was well received to start with—but as the years have rolled on, the changes it charts have only grown in impact and reach in the western world. Charles Taylor revisits the two key things that we need to understand about the unbundled age.

Duration:00:24:43

Political philosophy in the world: Liberalism and the end of the world as we know it

5/15/2016
Political liberalism is a great achievement. But has it come at a heavy cost?

Duration:00:25:19

The Course of Love by Alain de Botton

5/15/2016
Philosopher Alain de Botton has written a novel called The Course of Love. It is his first piece of fiction in twenty years, and explores ideas of romance, fidelity relationships and marriage.

Duration:00:14:46

Political philosophy in the world: Democracy—not?

5/8/2016
You may not have thought of democracy as essentially undemocratic, but this week’s guest is no fan of the least-worst system.

Duration:00:24:59

Political philosophy in the world: A right to be angry

5/1/2016
Political philosophy conjures big concepts of the ideal way to organise ourselves as a group—but the discussion can turn coldly technical and miss the very basis of the original question: how can we best live together? The conversation around human rights can fall to this malady and become overly legalistic or formalised—but talk of human dignity, equality, and good old-fashioned anger and indignation may bring the project back to its roots.

Duration:00:24:59

The discovery of insect consciousness

4/21/2016
New research shows insects like ants and bees may have a sense of self similar to humans.

Duration:00:10:08

Political philosophy in the world: Rights without borders

4/17/2016
Few contemporary debates have proven more divisive than the treatment of asylum seekers—and the participants often speak different languages: one is about hard politics; the other is about moral obligation. But we're not the first to wrestle with this tension—20th century political theorist Hannah Arendt thought deeply about the challenge posed by refugees to our political commitments, and her reasoning might help us think through the confusions of our time.

Duration:00:24:59

Aristotle: his life, legacy and ideas

4/14/2016
Aristotle - why is he one of the most influential thinkers of all time?

Duration:00:53:57

Future Manifestos

4/11/2016
Has the modern digital world, with its online platforms, public forums and televised debates, rendered the 'manifesto' defunct?

Duration:00:53:39

The dream of global justice

4/10/2016
There's no doubt that we are all now citizens of the world. But when theclaims of human rights necessarily rely on an expanded view of community, how far can the social contract stretch? Above the nation state level we're not entirely sure who or what should be the keeper of justice—and what it ultimately means for those most in need of protection. We continue our series of discussions on political philosophy.

Duration:00:24:59

Moral diversity

3/27/2016
Why do we have disagreements? Not the garden variety types, but the heavier duty ones around moral questions—the stuff which divides families, neighbours, and even entire communities.

Duration:00:28:32

Noam Chomsky on the hard stuff

3/20/2016
What are words worth? Well they are worth thinking about, and that’s what Noam Chomsky has spent a lifetime doing.

Duration:00:24:59

Special relationships

3/6/2016
What’s so special about your friends?

Duration:00:24:59