What does it mean to tremble before something? In this episode, we cover “Whom to Give to” from Jacques Derrida’s The Gift of Death. Why do we commit to one other instead of all others? Our discussion centers around the notions of the ethical, the universal, and the choices we make. This is a unique work of Derrida’s – one informed by a very focused reading ... Show More
Dec 2017
#107 — Is Life Actually Worth Living?
<p class="p1">Sam Harris speaks with David Benatar about his philosophy of "anti-natalism." They discuss the asymmetry between the good and bad things in life, the ethics of existential risk, the moral landscape, the limits and paradoxes of introspection, the "experience machine" ... Show More
48m 55s
Jul 2024
Episode 288: The Despised Foot (The Denial of Death Pt. 2)
<p>David and Tamler conclude their discussion of Ernest Becker's <em>The Denial of Death</em>. We talk about Becker's philosophy of science (does he have one?), his sweeping explanations for strongman leaders, neuroses, mental illness, sexual fetishes, and the refreshing absence< ... Show More
1h 30m
May 2022
409 "Fear and Trembling" (The Story of Abraham and Isaac) by Soren Kierkegaard
In our last look at Søren Kierkegaard, we left our hero after he had just left the love of his life, Regine Olsen, in favor of a life devoted to God and philosophy. In this episode, Jacke looks at one of the great products of that seismic schism: Fear and Trembling, or Kierkegaar ... Show More
1h 5m
Feb 2020
#184 — The Conversational Nature of Reality
Sam Harris speaks with poet David Whyte about the importance of work and relationships, the balance between training and expressing of one's talents, the lessons of mortality, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain ac ... Show More
29m 20s
Oct 2023
UNLOCKED - Derrida & Zizek
Alright, we’re back with another UNLOCKED PATREON episode and we’re talking Jacques Derrida, the difference between parallax and différance, How To? with John Wilson, Krzysztof Kieślowski, documentary and fiction cinema, a deconstruction of Smash Mouth’s All Star, and the (w) ... Show More
50m 4s
May 2023
10: Wild Analysis: Problematic Faves and the Anxiety of Influence Teaser
<p>The three of us talk problematic faves, guilty pleasures, comfort food (literal and metaphorical), and the dangers of nostalgia. We focus on thinkers who have been crucial to our own intellectual formation – and who have likewise been meaningful to so many people who have turn ... Show More
2m 12s