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July 5: Social Networking

From online bulletin boards at the dawn of the internet to the modern mammoths of Facebook and MySpace, people have used communications technology to associate in innovative ways.  How do our old-fashioned values fit in to our new digital playgrounds?  John and Ken network with Malcolm Parks from the University of Washington, author of Personal Relationships and Personal Networks, for a program recorded in front of a live audience at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon.

July 12: Schizophrenia and the Mind

To be human, philosophers have often said, is to be rational.  But many people, for biological reasons, are clearly not rational.  Schizophrenia is not only a malady, it is also a window on how the human mind works, and what it means to be human.  Ken and John examine schizophrenia and its lessons for philosophers with John Campbell from UC Berkeley, author of Reference and Consciousness.

July 19: Love, Poetry, and Philosophy

For Plato, love and philosophy were closely related.  Love of beauty causes one to contemplate the whole sea of beauties, including beautiful systems of justice and beautiful scientific theories.  But Plato wasn't such a fan of poetry, arguing that it merely evoked strong emotions in a way contrary to reason.  Noted poet Troy Jollimore, winner of the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award, disagrees.  He joins John and Ken for a spirited discussion of love, poetry, and philosophy, recorded in front of a live audience at Powell's City of Books in Portland, Oregon.

July 26: The Prison System

As of June 30, 2007, the prisons and jails in the land of the free held 2,299,116 inmates; one in every 31 American adults is in prison, on parole, or on probation.  The state of California has more people in jail than China does, and this year expects to spend more on prisons than on higher education.  Is something wrong with this picture?  John and Ken explore the nature of incarceration and rehabilitation with Kara Dansky, Executive Director of the Stanford Criminal Justice Center.

August 2: Faith, Reason, and Science

Does faith obscure reason?  Does reason obscure faith?  Faith may allow us to see meaning, values, and God, while reason sees everything else (whatever that may be).  Or perhaps faith and reason are fundamentally intertwined.  Is it irrational to be faithful?  Are science and rationality void of faith?  John and Ken welcome Nancey Murphy, author of Did My Neurons Make Me Do It?: Philosophical and Neurobiological Perspectives on Moral Responsibility and Free Will.  Together, they explore the meaning of faith and how it fits into the world around us.

August 9: Philosophy and Literature

Some philosophers and literary theorists believe that philosophy and literature converge in a number of places.  Great literature is often deeply philosophical, and great philosophy is often great literature, sometimes in the form of fictional narrative.  What philosophical lessons can we learn from great (or not-so-great) literature?  Can the methods of philosophy and literary criticism be combined?  Are the truths they shed light upon complementary?  John and Ken are joined by fellow Stanford philosopher Lanier Anderson to discuss the intersection of philosophy and literature.

August 16: Money and Morality

Does our system of credit and money make upward social mobility possible for anyone willing to work hard?  Or is it just a big Ponzi scheme?  Are corporations the essential structures necessary to harness the capital, energy, intelligence, and leadership on a scale large enough to make and market the inventions that define modern life?  Or are they just devices for evading responsibility and rewarding greed?   Ken and John put these questions and more to Neil Malhotra from the Stanford Graduate School of Business, in a program recorded in front of a live audience at the Classic Residence by Hyatt in Palo Alto, California.

August 23: Predicting the Future

People who predict the future well are sometimes said to be psychic.  But we all make predictions about the future, with more or less success.  We confidently predict the sun will rise tomorrow, that ice will be cold, etc.  But maybe we're not quite as good at predicting the future as we think.  Is the stock market predictable?  The weather?  Political upheavals?  Or is life just too random to make good predictions?  John and Ken predict that Nassim Taleb, author of The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable, will join them to consider the extent to which we can forecast the future.

August 30: Pornography

Is pornography an art form, or simply anything that depicts genitals in action?  Where does mere eroticism end and pornography begin?  In the internet age, pornography appears to have become not only more accessible but also more acceptable in American society – is this a welcome loosening up of a conservative tradition, or is it the path to moral degradation?  John and Ken probe the philosophical implications of pornography with Rae Langton, author of Sexual Solipsism: Philosophical Essays on Pornography and Objectification.

September 6: Work

Is work the curse of the working class, or a person's best opportunity for happiness and meaning?  What is work, and what is leisure?  Are you what you do?  And how does American society differ in its attitude towards work, and holidays, from others?  John and Ken discuss these issues and more with Al Gini from Loyola University Chicago, author of My Job, My Self: Work and the Creation of the Modern Individual.  This program was recorded in front of a live audience at Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana.

September 13: The Postmodern Family (KALW only)

What is a family, and what distinguishes it from other kinds of associations?  Is the traditional role of the family merely grounded in custom and habit, or is there a deeper philosophical justification for it?  How has the structure of families changed over the ages, and how does it differ across cultures?  John and Ken examine the structure and function of the family in relation to morality, values, and evolution with Stanford sociologist Michael Rosenfeld, author of The Age of Independence: Interracial Unions, Same-Sex Unions and the Changing American Family.

September 13: Postmodernism

In art, architecture, music, film, literature, sociology, communications, fashion and philosophy there is a contrast between "the modern" and "the post-modern."  But just what are the main hallmarks of the postmodern?  How does the "postmodern" differ from the "modern?"  Is it an improvement?  John and Ken welcome Gary Aylesworth, co-author of The Textual Sublime: Deconstruction and Its Differences (forthcoming), to explore the contours of postmodernism in philosophy, literature, and art.

September 20: Immigration

What are the effects of immigration on culture in America?  Does it promote homogenization, diversity, or both?  Cultural enrichment, or assimilation?  How can we justify denying privileges and protections to people based simply upon where they were born?  What, if any, restrictions on immigration and citizenship are permissible?  John and Ken welcome Noe Lozano, Dean of Diversity at Stanford's School of Engineering, to discuss the challenges and benefits of immigration, in a program recorded before a live audience at the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, California.

September 27: What Are Words Worth?

How do words shape our minds?  Do the French suffer because they have no word for berry or cozy?  Do we suffer because we have no word for schadenfreude?  Why do we adopt new words, or give old words new meaning?  Can we eliminate a concept by renaming it, or eliminating the word for it?  Ken and John welcome back Geoff Nunberg, author of The Years of Talking Dangerously, for a program recorded in front of a live audience at the Marsh theatre in San Francisco.