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Oct 2025
34m 55s

Episode #239 ... Authenticity and the hi...

STEPHEN WEST
About this episode
Today we talk about the work of the philosopher Charles Taylor. First, we trace the historical origins of how he views the modern self. From the Greeks to the Reformation. From Descartes to Rousseau. The modern self to him is something "irreconcilably multileveled". Then we talk about our modern focus on authenticity as a moral ideal and why Taylor thinks ma ... Show More
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Feb 11
Episode #244 ... After Virtue - Alasdair MacIntyre (why moral conversations feel unsatisfying)
Today we talk about the book After Virtue by Alasdair MacIntyre. We talk about his genealogy of moral discourse. The teleologies of Aristotle. The failure of the Enlightenment moral project. Our modern culture of Emotivism and the sorts of characters that thrive in it. Shared pra ... Show More
36m 51s
Dec 27
Episode #243 ... Hamlet - William Shakespeare
Today we talk about the play Hamlet written by William Shakespeare. We compare more traditional takes on the themes of the play to a more modern, philosophical analysis of the play done by Simon Critchley and Jamieson Webster. We talk about Hamlet and his inability to take action ... Show More
30m 41s
Nov 2025
Episode #242 ... Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
Today we talk about the philosophy behind the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. We talk about how ineffective violence and honor codes are as ways of maintaining the stability of a society. How catastrophe may be a deterrent to violence. The tension presented by Shake ... Show More
31 m
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