Philosophers’ Corner

  • Is Postmodernism to Blame for Post-Truth?

    Is postmodernism to blame for the current state of American politics, as philosopher Daniel Dennett claims? Or has disrespect for the distinction between truth and lies been around since before postmodernism? Should we instead be thanking postmodernism for giving us frameworks and vocabularies to make sense of current politics?

  • How to Honor Black History Month

    February is Black History Month. But how should we honor the occasion—especially if you’re white? In addition to recognizing black artists and intellectuals, is there a more sincere way to honestly reflect on your role in America’s dark past? Philosopher George Yancy thinks we can do more.

  • Philosophy Behind Bars

    American prisons are, for the most part, overcrowded warehouses, devoted to the punishment and daily humiliation of their inmates. As such, one would expect that they are probably not very conducive to either the teaching or the studying of philosophy–or any other academic subject matter. But does it have to be that way? Our guest this week is Jennifer Lackey, who teaches philosophy at Northwestern University and at Statesville Correctional Center in Illinois.

  • [AUDIO] Love Is on the Air

    What’s a producer to say about love? I’ll leave the heavy philosophical lifting to John…

  • In Defense of Polyamory

    Carrie Ichikawa Jenkins, a philosopher at the University of British Columbia, enjoys an open relationship…

  • [VIDEO] What Is Evil?

    When hearing about human-inflicted tragedies, you have probably wondered at some point or another: How…

  • Why Teach Prisoners?

    Our show this week, “Philosophy Behind Bars” features guest Jennifer Lackey, a professor of philosophy…

  • The Case For (and Against) Reparations

    After the civil war, instead of reparations and restorative justice, black people were subjected to new forms of oppression: sharecropping, Jim Crow segregation, separate but equal schooling, housing discrimination — not to mention lynchings and worse. If blacks weren’t paid reparations back then, why would we expect it to happen now?

  • RIP Bharati Mukherjee

    We were saddened to hear of the passing of Bharati Mukherjee last month. Bharati was an…

  • The Emperor Has No Philosophy

    In a recent article from the New Statesman, prompted by the death of philosopher Derek Parfit,…

  • Deadly Thought Experiments

    Consider the now-famous philosophical thought experiment, the trolley problem. An out-of-control train is barrelling into…

  • Is it Okay to Punch Nazis?

    On the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration, Richard Spencer, a polemic thought leader in the…

  • #FrancisOnFilm: Sundance – It’s a Wrap!

    In the last three days of Sundance, I was fortunate enough to see a few more movies worth looking out for. The first four below haven’t reportedly been sold for distribution, but you may be able to catch parts or all of them online.