I had an insightful discussion with Will Johncock about his book, "Beyond the Individual." Will explored the themes of Stoicism, particularly how it emphasizes community and connection rather than just individualism. As a philosopher and academic, he delved into Stoicism's perspectives on individualism and collectivism, highlighting the importance of underst ... Show More
Nov 21
Growing Into Roles We're Not Good At Yet
In this episode I talk about what it’s like to take on a large number of new roles in a very short period of time, and how doing so can leave you feeling detached from yourself unless you approach those roles with clear thinking, humility, and attention. Over the last few years I ... Show More
16m 30s
Nov 14
Living Well on a Hot Planet [The COP30]
In this episode I take a current headline—the opening of COP30 in Belém, Brazil—and sit with it like a philosopher, not a pundit. Instead of debating policy language or political victories, I look at what a global event like this means for people trying to live excellently right ... Show More
25m 35s
Nov 5
Gender Roles and the Rational Soul
In this episode I take on a listener question about gender roles and Stoicism — whether they exist, how the Stoics would have defined them, and what any of it means for modern relationships. We look closely at Musonius Rufus, the so-called “fourth head” of the Stoic school, who a ... Show More
22m 28s
Jun 2023
How Emerson Can Help You Become a Stoic Nonconformist
<p>When we think about Stoic philosophers, we typically think about the thinkers of ancient Greece and Rome, like Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. But my guest, Mark Matousek, says there was an incredibly insightful Stoic philosopher who lived on the American continent in more mode ... Show More
46m 28s
Nov 2019
Tao of Philosophy - Alan Watts Lecture #3
Alan Watts continues the discussion on the philosophy of the Tao. His calming voice, ability to simplify complex subjects, and his insightful, yet concise style of lecturing about Chinese and Eastern Philosophy is beyond powerful. He fosters and creates an easy, yet extremely eye ... Show More
45m 20s
Mar 2022
Kierkegaard on the Present (Passionless) Age
<p>Do you ever feel like the time we live in feels flat, complacent, timid, conformist, populated by people who are focused on playing it safe and are inwardly empty?</p><p>A century and a half ago, the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard felt the same way about the period in wh ... Show More
59m 58s
Apr 2021
Morten T. Korsgaard, "Bearing with Strangers: Arendt, Education and the Politics of Inclusion" (Routledge, 2018)
Bearing with Strangers: Arendt, Education and the Politics of Inclusion (Routledge, 2018) looks at inclusion in education in a new way. By introducing the notion of the instrumental fallacy, it shows how this is not only an inherent feature of inclusive education policies, but al ... Show More
1h 4m
May 2023
#209 — A Good Life
Sam Harris speaks with Scott Barry Kaufman about human well-being. They discuss intelligence and creativity, wisdom and transcendence, the history of humanistic psychology, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the connection between well-being and ethics, self-esteem, psychedelics and me ... Show More
45m 20s
Sep 2023
The Philosophy of Music and the Attunement of the Soul
In this episode we speak with Philosophy, Cosmology and Consciousness core faculty, Jack Bagby about his engagement with the philosophy of music, from Socrates, to Schopenhauer, and Bergson. We discuss Jack’s recent PCC class called The Philosophy of Music and the Attunement of t ... Show More
1h 22m