TBD with John and Aaron
Philosophy Podcasts
TBD: A teacher and a carpenter answer a philosophical question each episode about the nature of knowledge. Each will endeavor to be honest, funny, and hopefully learn something new. Content loosely connected to the International Baccalaureate course Theory of Knowledge. Contact: info@tbdpodcast.org
Location:
United States
Genres:
Philosophy Podcasts
Description:
TBD: A teacher and a carpenter answer a philosophical question each episode about the nature of knowledge. Each will endeavor to be honest, funny, and hopefully learn something new. Content loosely connected to the International Baccalaureate course Theory of Knowledge. Contact: info@tbdpodcast.org
Language:
English
Episodes
Episode 14 - Is subjectivity overly celebrated in the arts but unfairly condemned in history?
12/16/2023
The Eminem and Dr. Dre of ToK podcasting return with an examination of another Theory of Knowledge essay question.
Some areas we cover you may like to know more about:
Banana on a wall:
https://www.gq.com/story/suddenly-the-koons-is-this-100k-banana
1619 Project
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html
Herodotus, the 'father of history'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A542ixwyBhc&ab_channel=TED-Ed
Enjoy
Duration:00:57:54
Episode 13 - Do we need custodians of knowledge?
11/6/2023
After two years, the ToK dynamic duo are back, baby!
Do we need custodians of knowledge?
We have a wide ranging general discussion of the question, focusing on a few AoKs that may connect to it. We get into a few examples that caught our eye.
Some links you might find useful:
Benedict Anderson's Imagined Communities
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Imagined-Communities-Reflections-on-the-Origins-and-Spread-of-Nationalism
Duchamp's Fountain:
https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/duchamp-fountain-t07573
Public Broadcasting: Its past and its future
https://knightfoundation.org/public-media-white-paper-2017-gardner/
Enjoy - and as always, reach out to us:
info@tbdpodcast.org
Duration:00:52:03
Episode 12 - Can there be knowledge that is independent of culture?
11/26/2021
Can there be knowledge that is independent of culture?
Good question - We have a go at answering it.
We get stuck in to the Voyager spacecraft, music and octaves across cultures, Denis Dutton's The Art Instinct.
Get in touch:
Email: info@tbdpodcast.org
Twitter: @tbdpod1
Some links you might find useful:
Denis Dutton's The Art Instinct:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5788390-the-art-instinct
The Voyager Golden Record
https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/golden-record/
Music Across Cultures
https://www.oh-i-see.com/blog/2013/11/24/culture-smart-the-musical-scale-across-cultures/
https://news.mit.edu/2019/perception-musical-pitch-cultures-0919
Duration:00:45:17
Episode 11 - How can we distinguish between good and bad interpretations?
10/18/2021
The r/ToK subreddit voted for our topic, and this was the result.
We tackle this question: How can we distinguish between good and bad interpretations? Discuss with reference to the arts and one other area of knowledge.
Some very fun chat with some great real world examples.
Get in touch:
Email: info@tbdpodcast.org
Twitter: @tbdpod1
Some links you might find useful:
Misinterpreting The Scream:
https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/munch-scream-british-museum-gbr-scli-intl/index.html
Malcolm Gladwell: The Bomber Mafia
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/25/books/review/the-bomber-mafia-malcolm-gladwell.html
Robert McNamara "the hyper-rational executive led astray by numbers"
https://www.technologyreview.com/2013/05/31/178263/the-dictatorship-of-data/
Duration:00:43:18
Episode 10 -The Paradox of Tolerance
9/19/2021
We have a good time debating the Paradox of Tolerance.
Source:
Karl Popper: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/sep/26/100-best-nonfiction-books-karl-popper-open-society-its-enemies
Duration:00:25:55
Episode 9 - The Bystander Effect
8/22/2021
If something demands action, would you help? Or does it depend how many people are there...? We have fun talking about this controversial phenomenon. Widely accepted to be true, contemporary research brings it into dispute.
Sources:
Bystander effect in street disputes questioned:
https://nscr.nl/en/bystander-blijkt-wel-degelijk-in-actie-te-komen-bij-ruzie-op-straat/
Death of Raymond Zack:
https://www.firehouse.com/home/news/10722848/family-of-raymond-zack-sues-alameda-city-and-county-in-death
Kitty Genovese:
https://www.simplypsychology.org/Kitty-Genovese.html#:~:text=This%20term%20was%20coined%20after,intervene%20or%20call%20the%20police.
Duration:00:23:45
Episode 8 - Ship of Theseus
7/31/2021
We have a go at unpacking this classic philosophical paradox, riffing on all the ramifications that flow out of it. As always, an enjoyable conversation about this head scratcher.
Duration:00:20:26
Episode 7 - What is Knowledge?
7/2/2021
Our second 'mini-sode' - The focus this time: 'What is Knowledge? Is it simply justified, true belief?
Duration:00:16:41
Episode 6 - What is Philosophy?
6/20/2021
Our first 'mini-sode' - in which we take a quick, casual approach to answering the question: 'What is Philosophy? A good introduction to students wondering that very thing...
Duration:00:21:27
Episode 5: Obvious Deception
6/6/2021
On this episode: “There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact” (Arthur Conan Doyle).
Diversions/Explorations include:
The snake ripping your throat out is the one to worry aboutSome great discussion defining ‘obvious facts’The King of Red We are not chemists Barry Schwartz’s Paradox of Choice Francis Fukuyama and ‘The End of History’Get in touch:
Email: info@tbdpodcast.org
Twitter: @tbdpod1
Sources you might like:
Canadian Snow Plow Names
https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/plowy-mcplowface-austin-plowers-among-winning-names-chosen-for-barrie-s-snowplow-fleet-1.5306888
Sir Ernest Rutherford
https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1908/rutherford/biographical/
Atomic Structure https://www.arpansa.gov.au/understanding-radiation/what-is-radiation/ionising-radiation/atomic-structure
How Scientists View Quantum Physics
https://www.thegreatcoursesdaily.com/how-scientists-view-quantum-physics/
Paradox of Choice
https://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_the_paradox_of_choice?language=en
The End of History - Francis Fukuyama
https://www.embl.de/aboutus/science_society/discussion/discussion_2006/ref1-22june06.pdf
But What If We're Wrong?
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/533521/but-what-if-were-wrong-by-chuck-klosterman/
Duration:00:58:02
Episode 5 - Teaser trailer
5/22/2021
Is there anything more deceptive than an obvious fact? Catch the fever!
@tbpod1
info@tbdpodcast.org
Duration:00:01:37
Episode 4 - Drawing a clear line. (Featuring guest Aoife Abushaqra)
5/7/2021
On this episode: Why is it so difficult to identify a clear line between accepted and disputed knowledge within a discipline?
Diversions/Explorations include:
A Guest! The fantastic robot legged, Irish Khaleesi Aoife AbushaqraSome feedback from a loyal listenerArt world controversyAvril Lavigne conspiracy theories Cognitive dissonance Power and knowledgeGet in touch:
Email: info@tbdpodcast.org
Twitter: @tbdpod1
Aoife’s podcast:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talk-the-tok/id1537824943
Sources you might like:
McCafe statistics:https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/food/food-warnings/maccas-crushes-coffee-snobs-in-reply-to-advertising-complaint/news-story/8de5da54428e08ae13a7660ad4158b85
https://qsrmedia.com.au/research/news/mcdonalds-mccafe-most-visited-coffee-shop-report-says
Marcel Duchamp’s urinal:https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/duchamp-fountain-t07573
Was math invented or discovered?https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/was-maths-invented-or-discovered/#:~:text=This%20is%20true%20for%20all,is%20both%20invented%20and%20discovered.
Banana Art https://www.sbs.com.au/news/man-eats-120-000-piece-of-art-a-banana-taped-to-wall
Avril Lavigne clonehttps://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2017/may/15/avril-lavigne-melissa-cloning-conspiracy-theories
Cognitive Dissonance Theoryhttps://www.apa.org/pubs/books/Cognitive-Dissonance-Intro-Sample.pdf
Duration:01:03:47
Episode 4 - Teaser trailer
4/24/2021
Episode 4 breaks new ground...a guest this way comes.
A professional Theory of Knowledge expert takes on the TBD crew...next episode
Duration:00:01:03
Episode 3 - Personal knowledge: powerful or problematic?
4/2/2021
On this episode: Personal knowledge. Is it powerful or problematic?
Diversions/explorations include:
The ethical limits of anvil pushing Crazily...Hitler’s Mein Kampf Cognitive bias snowballs Everything you need to know about Brazil can be learned from The Simpsons Some advice to NBA coaches: don’t throw the plan out if you’re losing We don’t always have to be Best Friend’s Club. Get in touch:
Email: info@tbdpodcast.org
Twitter: @tbdpod1
Sources you might like:
Opinion | Study finds cognitive bias in how medical examiners evaluate child deaths
Can We Rely on Our Intuition?
BU Research: A Riddle Reveals Depth of Gender Bias | BU Today
The Blame Game: How Outcome Bias Fools NBA Coaches (and Their Bosses)
Thinking, Fast and Slow — By Daniel Kahneman — Book Review
Duration:01:21:45
Episode 3 - Teaser trailer
3/20/2021
A teaser trailer for our next episode. Yikes - things come in threes.
Duration:00:00:48
Episode 2 - 'Stats Stats Stats!' - statistics conceal as much as they reveal… or do they?
2/12/2021
On this episode: statistics conceal as much as they reveal… or do they?
Diversions/Explorations include:
· Why is Aaron obsessed with how many people are smiling in his compound?
· What do the other 20% of dentists think about Colgate?
· Why are medians and means confusing?
· Speaking of confusion, John confuses everyone about P values
· John and Aaron both sign up to eat cheeseburgers every 5 minutes for 50 years.
· An actual poignant examination of the serious subject of statistics and cancer survival rates.
· John and Aaron both learn that statistics matter.
Get in touch: info@tbdpodcast.org
Sources you might like:
The Median Isn't the Message:
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/The-median-isn%27t-the-message.-Gould/c3cc80440cf7b15a2c069252ae287e58dfed8073
Planet Money’s Modal American:
https://www.npr.org/2019/08/28/755191639/episode-936-the-modal-american
By the numbers - the average Australian doesn't exist ... not a single one of us is 'normal':
https://www.smh.com.au/national/by-the-numbers--the-average-australian-doesnt-exist--not-a-single-one-of-us-is-normal-20150124-12xlh0.html
Colgate:
https://marketinglaw.osborneclarke.com/retailing/colgates-80-of-dentists-recommend-claim-under-fire/
Duration:00:59:25
Episode 2 - Teaser trailer
1/30/2021
A teaser trailer for our next episode. Wow-- we actually made a second one...!
Duration:00:00:52
Episode 1 - Accepting knowledge claims always involves an element of trust - To what extent is this true?
1/10/2021
In our first episode we address the following prompt taken from the May 2021 IB Theory of Knowledge essay questions:
“Accepting knowledge claims always involves an element of trust.”
Diversions/Examples include:
- The flat earth guy
- A duplicitous professor from John's past
- Going blind from drinking moonshine
- Aaron distrusts cats.
Get in touch: feedback.tbd@gmail.com
Sources (of varying quality) on moonshine:
https://www.reddit.com/r/firewater/comments/cv4bu8/methanol_some_information/
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/06/30/fact-check-u-s-government-poisoned-some-alcohol-during-prohibition/3283701001/
https://slate.com/technology/2010/02/the-little-told-story-of-how-the-u-s-government-poisoned-alcohol-during-prohibition.html
Duration:01:08:50