Recent Episodes

The 2026 Dionysus Awards

July 26, 2026

Now that the dust has settled from the Oscars, it’s time to think about what movies of the past year challenged our assumptions and made us think about things in new ways. Josh and guest co-host Jorah Danenberg present our annual Dionysus Awards for the…

Summer Reading List 2012

May 27, 2012

Summer is the perfect time to dig in to deep reading. Plato’s Collected Dialogues may…

Lime green sunglasses rest on a book; summer reading.

Social Reality

May 20, 2012

Few things affect our lives as much as the fact that we are citizens of…

Stylized map depicting the internet's social landscape; key locations include MySpace, YouTube, and the IRC Isles. Social reality visualized.

What are Human Rights?

May 6, 2012

According to the Declaration of Independence, the basic human rights of life, liberty and the…

Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.

Democracy and The Press

April 29, 2012

Our founding fathers believed that a free press would serve democracy by promoting unfettered political…

Satirical cartoon depicting how news media portrays democracy and war.

Mind Reading

April 8, 2012

We base many decisions every day not only on the belief that other people have…

Two men wearing tinfoil hats with long antennas, possibly illustrating mind reading.

The Ethics of Torture

March 18, 2012

According to former Vice President Cheney, practices widely regarded as torture prevented further attack on…

Empty chair in dimly lit room, single lightbulb overhead. Ethics of torture.

What Is a Wife?

March 11, 2012

The concept of a wife has been embedded in cultures, religious practices, social customs and…

Husbands and Wives movie poster featuring Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, Blythe Danner, and Judy Davis.

What is ‘Normal’?

February 19, 2012

What does it mean to be normal? And abnormal? Who gets to decide, and what…

Graphic text: What's Normal? with stylized suns

Philosophy in Fiction

January 22, 2012

Philosophers think a lot about fiction. But do novelists think about philosophy? Do philosophers make…

36 Arguments for the Existence of God; dot-to-dot style illustration

The Examined Year: 2011

January 8, 2012

A new year offers an opportunity to reflect on the significant events of the previous…

2011 calendar: January-December. Examined Year.

Nihilism and Meaning

January 1, 2012

The ancients believed in an enchanted universe – a universe suffused with meaning and purpose.…

Nihilism concept: black box with "Nihilism" and "I believe in it.

Fear

December 4, 2011

Fear is an emotion, but it is one with a long history in both political…

Fear: The History of a Political Idea

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