In the tradition of the great theistic philosophers, Baruch Spinoza presents us with a metaphysical vision of the cosmos, as ordered by God. But in sharp contrast with thinkers such as Pascal, Spinoza's arguments for God are crafted with an attempt of logical precision. In fact, Spinoza structures his arguments as geometric proofs, and considers the only ser ... Show More
Oct 30
Becoming-Spooky #3: Ray Bradbury - The October Country
Enjoy an early release of the episode slated for Halloween, including an extended meditation on the significance of Halloween, the "autumn feeling", the difference between horror & weird fiction, Ray Bradbury's philosophy concerning death, and a review of Bradbury's The October C ... Show More
1h 16m
Oct 27
Becoming-Spooky #2: Algernon Blackwood - The Man Who Found Out
Join me for this foray into the work of Algernon Blackwood - theosophist, occultist, and writer of weird fiction tales. Blackwood tell us the story of Professor Mark Ebor: a man with a double life, but a wholesome one, split between the scientific and the mystical. He is an "inco ... Show More
1h 22m
Jan 2025
The Nature of All Things: Spinoza's Philosophical Odyssey
Professor of philosophy Colin Bodayle joins Breht to dive into the profound, unique, and almost mystical philosophy of Baruch Spinoza. Together, they discuss the value of philosophy for all of us, Spinoza as a "philosopher's philosopher", his life and death in 17th century wester ... Show More
2h 43m
Jul 2021
18 | Spinoza: Necessity, Ethics, Joy
<p>In this episode we finally get around to talking about Spinoza. It turns out normativity is kind of complicated when you think everything is strictly determined and there’s no such thing as contingency! We discuss the relationship between affect and power, the inherently socia ... Show More
1h 13m
Nov 2020
Steven Nadler on Spinoza on Death
Baruch Spinoza was perhaps most famous for his equation of God with Nature - a view that his contemporaries, probably correctly, took to be atheist. But what did he think about death? Steven Nadler, author of A Book Forged in Hell and Think Least of Death, discusses this aspect o ... Show More
19m 59s
Sep 2014
Episode #034 ... Spinoza pt. 2 - Force of Nature
On this episode of the podcast, we continue learning about Spinoza, this time focusing on his concept of God. We begin by asking ourselves whether or not Stephen’s English bulldog Charlie is part of God, and analyzing the implications of our answer. Next, we discuss the concept o ... Show More
28m 23s