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July 20: Believing in God
Some have argued that there aren't any good arguments for believing in God.  Is belief in God just an act of faith without reason?  Plenty of philosophers would disagree.  Why are they so divided on the matter?  John and Ken discuss the rational arguments for believing in God with Phillip Clayton from Claremont Graduate University, author of God and Contemporary Science.

July 27: Giving and Keeping
How should people allocate their assets – however modest or grand – ethically and effectively?  What kinds of giving should the government encourage through tax incentives and other measures?  Is providing for loved ones more worthy than self-expression through philanthropy?  John and Ken are joined by Rob Reich, Professor of Political Science and Ethics in Society at Stanford University, for a program recorded before a live audience at the Classic Residence by Hyatt in Palo Alto, CA.

August 3: Philosophy and Pop Culture
From Star Trek and the Grateful Dead to South Park and Stephen Colbert, philosophical questions are everywhere in popular culture: Is time travel possible?  Can a person survive being disintegrated and reassembled?  Does humor enable the expression of deep truths, political or otherwise?  John and Ken look at the Big Questions in pop culture with Richard Hanley from the University of Delaware, author of South Park and Philosophy.  This program was recorded before a live audience at the University of Delaware in Newark, DE.

August 10: Dualism
What is the relationship between the mind and the brain?  Monists believe that there is only one substance or property in the Universe, be it physical (Materialists) or mental (Idealists).  But Dualists, like the 17th Century French philosopher Rene Descartes, hold that mental stuff exists side by side with physical stuff.  Can this view be defended, in light of modern science?  John and Ken probe the mind-body with David Rosenthal from City University of New York, author of Consciousness and Mind.

August 17: Global Justice
What constitutes a just society?  What are the obligations of liberal democracies to ensure the rights and well-being of the citizens of other countries?  What kinds of interventions and institutions are most suitable to the task of preventing war, disease, and poverty in the world today?  John and Ken discuss the requirements of justice with Avia Pasternak from the Stanford University Program on Global Justice.

August 24: Separation of Powers
In America, there's not just one governing body.  There are three: executive, legislative, and judicial.  You might think that separating those powers is just less efficient.  But the founding fathers put a lot of philosophical thought into coming up with a system of checks and balances.  John and Ken explore the separation of powers with Stanford law professor Kathleen Sullivan in front of a live audience on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

August 31: If Truth is so valuable, why is there so much BS?
Everywhere we look – in the media, in our political campaigns, in the hallowed halls of the academy -– we are confronted with an endless stream of BS, spin, propaganda, half-truths, and outright lies.  Yet for centuries, philosophers have argued that the pursuit of truth is both intrinsically good and instrumentally useful.  But if truth is really both good and useful, why is there so much BS around?  John and Ken are joined by Harry Frankfurt, author of On Bullshit and On Truth, to discuss the relative value and utility of Truth and its alternatives.

September 7: Utilitarianism
Can morality be quantified?  Can the good be calculated?  Utilitarianism says the right action is the one which leads to the most overall happiness -– a deceptively simple theory, but not without its detractors.  Is utilitarianism compatible with the idea that people have inalienable rights?  Should we be so focused on the consequences of our actions?  John and Ken welcome Wayne Sumner from the University of Toronto, author of The Hateful and the Obscene: Studies in the Limits of Free Expression.

September 14: Morality of Food (KALW only)
Veganism, freeganism, organic, sustainability, simplicity, biofuel, animal rights, worker's rights, nutrition, preventing hunger, reducing waste and protecting the environment.  What obligations do we have when it comes to buying, eating and producing food?  How should we balance moral and practical concerns?  John and Ken chew on these questions with Michael Pollan from the UC Berkeley School of Journalism, author of The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food.

September 14: Philosophy and Neuroscience
Philosophers have always been concerned with the mind.  What is consciousness? Representation?  Emotion?  Now that neuroscience is making headway on these same questions, we should ask: how should philosophy and neuroscience relate?  John and Ken delve into these questions and more with Patricia Churchland from the University of California San Diego, author of Brain-Wise: Studies in Neurophilosohy.

September 21: Culture and Action (KALW only)
What impels people to act?  Why and how are people motivated to accomplish things? How much do (and should) others influence individual behavior?  What contexts afford a sense of individual freedom and personal choice?  And what constitutes successful agency in different contexts?  John and Ken are joined by Stanford Psychologist Hazel Markus to explore differences in motivation and action across cultures.

September 21: What is a child?
Back in the middle ages, people thought of children simply as little adults.  Modern psychology has destroyed that theory.  But then, what is a child?  How are their minds different? And what are the moral implications of these differences for how we should treat them?  John and Ken reflect on the nature of childhood with Tamar Schapiro from Stanford University.

September 28: Creativity
What makes an idea or work of art creative?  Can creativity be measured?  Can a computer be creative?  What is the relationship between creativity and consciousness? John and Ken explore their creative sides with Margaret Boden from the University of Sussex, author of The Creative Mind: Myths and Mechanisms.