Philosophize This!

Philosophize This!

Stephen West
Society & Culture Philosophy Education
en
Beginner friendly if listened to in order! For anyone interested in an educational podcast about philosophy where you don't need to be a graduate-level philosopher to understand it. In chronological order, the thinkers and ideas that forged the world we live in are broken down and explained.

Episodes (51)

Philosophize This!

Episode #235 ... The Philosophy of Zen Buddhism - Byung Chul Han

September 04, 2025 38m
Today we talk about one of Han's earlier books where he offers an alternative to classic western ideas about subjectivity. We talk about Zen as a religion without God. Substance and emptiness....
Philosophize This!

Episode #234 ... The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera

August 13, 2025 34m
Today we try to produce a philosophical guide for the book The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. We talk about Parmenides, Nietzsche's eternal recurrence, kitsch as something more than...
Philosophize This!

Episode #233 ... A philosophy of self-destruction. (Dostoevsky, Bataille)

August 04, 2025 33m
Today we talk about two different theories for why we ritualize self-destructive behavior. We check out a lesser-known work from Dostoevsky called The Gambler. We consider how much we can hold people...
Philosophize This!

Episode #232 ... Byung Chul Han - The Crisis of Narration

July 07, 2025 32m
Today we talk about the book The Crisis of Narration by the philosopher Byung Chul Han. We talk about the history of storytelling. Walter Benjamins distinction between a Paris fire and a revolution in...
Philosophize This!

Episode #231 ... The Late Work of Wittgenstein - Language Games

June 28, 2025 28m
Today we talk about the late work of Wittgenstein in Philosophical Investigations. We talk about the meaning of words. Augustine's theory. Forms of life. Rules and practices. Grammar. Geometry. Family...
Philosophize This!

Episode #230 ... Hope as an Existentialism (Ernst Bloch)

June 14, 2025 29m
Today we talk about the early work of Ernst Bloch. Hope as anticipatory consciousness. The darkness of the lived moment. Educated hope vs false hope. Music as an experiential metaphysics and gateway...
Philosophize This!

Episode #229 - Kafka and Totalitarianism (Arendt, Adorno)

May 25, 2025 31m
Today we talk about Kafka's book The Castle and how the symbolism is interpreted by two powerhouse philosophers: Theodore Adorno and Hannah Arendt. Hope you love it! :)

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Episode #228 ... Albert Camus - Kafka and The Fall

May 12, 2025 30m
Today we talk about Camus' book The Fall and what the main character represents in his larger project. We also talk about someone Camus deeply admired, Franz Kafka, and how to think of the images he...
Philosophize This!

Episode #227 ... Albert Camus - On Exile

April 18, 2025 36m
Today we talk about the concept of exile from the work of Camus. We focus on a couple stories from his book Exile and The Kingdom. We talk about why Camus insists that true lucidity can only arise...
Philosophize This!

Episode #226 - Albert Camus - The Rebel

April 04, 2025 34m
Today we talk about Camus’ concept of rebellion and how it offers a powerful alternative to abstract ideologies. We talk about solidarity as the foundation for justice without systems. We talk about...
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Episode #225 ... Albert Camus - The Plague

March 27, 2025 32m
We look at Albert Camus' The Plague. We talk about a common misreading from the Myth of Sisyphus. We talk about different cycles of his work from his earlier individual confrontation with the absurd...
Philosophize This!

Episode #224 ... Albert Camus - The Stranger

March 15, 2025 29m
Today we talk about the book The Stranger by Albert Camus. We talk about why Camus saw himself as an artist and not a philosopher. We talk about happiness. The absurd and it's full implications. The...
Philosophize This!

Episode #223 ... Religion and the duck-rabbit - Kyoto School pt. 3

March 03, 2025 34m
Today we talk about the relationship between philosophy and religion. We talk about the duck-rabbit as a metaphor that may have something useful to teach us about the way we experience reality. We...
Philosophize This!

Episode #222 ... Dostoevsky - Love in The Brothers Karamazov

February 16, 2025 40m
Today we talk about the philosophical themes around love in The Brothers Karamazov. We talk about Dostoevsky's existential, tragic form of Christianity. Family as a microcosm of society. Active love...
Philosophize This!

Episode #221 ... Dostoevsky - The Idiot

February 01, 2025 38m
Today we talk about the book The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky. We talk about the curse of sainthood. The connection between beauty and morality via his moral-aesthetic spectrum. Realism vs. Idealism....
Philosophize This!

Episode #220 ... Dostoevsky - Demons

January 13, 2025 39m
Today we discuss the philosophical themes of the book Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky. We talk about western liberalism, the lack of moral leadership, the promises of Nihilism, the Madman and the Saint,...
Philosophize This!

Episode #219 ... Dostoevsky - Crime and Punishment

December 23, 2024 32m
Today we talk about the philosophical themes that Dostoevsky had in mind when writing Crime and Punishment. We talk about Russian Nihilism and its consequences. Rational Utilitarianism and Egoism. A...
Philosophize This!

Episode #218 ... Dostoevsky - Notes From Underground

December 17, 2024 35m
Today we talk about the philosophical themes of one of Dostoevsky's most famous books: Notes From Underground. We talk about contemplative inertia, the "stone wall" of rationality, utopian socialism,...
Philosophize This!

Episode #217 ... Religion and Nothingness - Kyoto School pt. 2 - Nishitani

December 06, 2024 47m
Today we talk about expanding our view of what a religious quest includes. The limits of dualistic thinking. Technological enframing and obsession with utility. Self-emptying. Consciousness, Nihility...
Philosophize This!

Episode #216 ... The Self-Overcoming of Nihilism - Kyoto School pt. 1 - Nishitani

November 18, 2024 35m
Today we look at the work of Keiji Nishitani. We examine Nihilism in a deeper way than we've ever covered on the podcast before. We talk about The Great Doubt. Zen Buddhism. Sunyata. The self as...
Philosophize This!

Episode #215 ... How Mysticism is missing in our modern lives. (Critchley, Heidegger)

October 30, 2024 31m
Today we talk about whether it's possible to achieve not just freedom of the will, but freedom from the will. The technological enframing of reality from the perspective of Heidegger. Misconceptions...
Philosophize This!

Episode #214 ... Framing our Being in a completely different way. (Heidegger)

October 21, 2024 37m
Today we look at Heidegger's critique of metaphysics and the traditional subject-object framing in philosophy. How multiple framings are necessary for a fuller picture of our being. His challenge to...
Philosophize This!

Episode #213 ... Deleuze Interprets Nietzsche (Difference, Joy, Affirmation)

October 13, 2024 37m
Today we talk about Deleuze's interpretation of Nietzsche's work. We talk about difference taken to radical new levels. The image of thought from the history of philosophy. Nietzsche framed as the...
Philosophize This!

Episode #212 ... Nietzsche and Critchley on the tragic perspective. (Amor Fati pt. 2)

September 30, 2024 38m
Today we begin by talking about Nietzsche's concept of life-affirmation. Contrasting it with the renunciative, rational traditions of Western thought. The episode then delves into Greek tragedy...
Philosophize This!

Episode #211 ... Nietzsche returns with a hammer!

September 22, 2024 40m
Today we talk about Nietzsche's views on the decay of western society. We talk about his problems with Socrates. The genealogy of Egalitarianism that has led to our modern societies, and how to...
Philosophize This!

Episode #210 ... The Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Paulo Freire, Education)

September 12, 2024 38m
We talk about Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed. His critique of the banking model of education. The importance of critical consciousness. His Existentialist influence. The dialectic between...
Philosophize This!

Episode #209 ... Improving our world through applied ethics. (Peter Singer, Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek)

August 26, 2024 36m
Today we talk about Peter Singer's response to an anticapitalist critique of his work. Katarzyna de Lazari-Radek's thoughts on the wrong ways to be thinking about ethical terminology. Philosophy in...
Philosophize This!

Episode #208 ... The moral evolution of a philosopher. (Peter Singer)

August 18, 2024 44m
On this episode, we track the changes in Peter Singer's ethical views throughout his career. We talk about Emotivism. R.M. Hare's Prescriptivism. Nozick's Experience Machine. Some thought experiments...
Philosophize This!

Episode #207 ... Fear is toxic to a democracy. (Martha Nussbaum)

August 01, 2024 35m
Today we talk more about the work of Martha Nussbaum and her book The Monarchy of Fear. We discuss emotions as important appraisals of reality. The comparison of shame and guilt and their social...
Philosophize This!

Episode #206 ... Capitalism is dead. This is Technofeudalism. (Yanis Varoufakis)

July 21, 2024 37m
Today we talk about the concept of Technofeudalism as described by Yanis Varoufakis. We talk about the comparisons of our world to the feudal system, the origins in the economic policy of 2008, and a...
Philosophize This!

Episode #205 ... Why a meritocracy is corrosive to society. (Michael Sandel)

July 01, 2024 32m
Today we talk about the dark side of meritocracy, the effects it has on the way people see each other, the dialectic of pride and humility, education reform, and a rethinking of the way we see...
Philosophize This!

Episode #204 ... The importance of philosophy, justice and the common good. (Michael Sandel)

June 24, 2024 37m
Today we talk about some of the benefits of being a practitioner of philosophy. Michael Sandel's view of the three main approaches to justice throughout the history of philosophy. The strengths and...
Philosophize This!

Episode #203 ... Why the future is being slowly cancelled. - Postmodernism (Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism)

June 17, 2024 39m
Today we continue developing our understanding of the ideas that have led to what Mark Fisher calls Capitalist Realism. We talk about tolerant relativism, postmodern artwork, the slow cancellation of...
Philosophize This!

Episode #202 ... Why we can't think beyond capitalism. - Neoliberalism (Mark Fisher, Capitalist Realism)

June 03, 2024 35m
Today we begin our discussion on the work of Mark Fisher surrounding his concept of Capitalism Realism. We talk about the origins of Neoliberalism, it's core strategies, some critiques of...
Philosophize This!

Episode #201 ... Resistance, Love, and the importance of Failure. (Zizek, Byung Chul Han)

May 06, 2024 36m
Today we talk about a potential way to find meaning for someone prone to postmodern subjectivity. We talk about surplus enjoyment. Zizek's alcohol use, or lack thereof. Resisting surface level...
Philosophize This!

Episode #200 ... The Postmodern subject and "ideology without ideology" (Zizek, Byung Chul Han, Marx)

April 27, 2024 34m
Today we talk about several different common versions of the postmodern subject in contemporary culture. Hope you enjoy it! :)

Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your...
Philosophize This!

Episode #199 ... A conservative communist's take on global capitalism and desire. (Zizek, Marx, Lacan)

April 15, 2024 44m
Today we talk about the distinction between left and right. Lacan's thoughts on desire. How Capitalism captures desire and identity. I would prefer not to. Moderately conservative communism. Hope you...
Philosophize This!

Episode #198 ... The truth is in the process. - Zizek pt. 3 (ideology, dialectics)

March 24, 2024 37m
Today we go into a deeper explanation of ideology and dialectics. Liberal democratic capitalism is featured as a special guest. Hope you enjoy it! :)

Thank you so much for listening! Could never do...
Philosophize This!

Episode #197 ... New Atheists and cosmic purpose without God - (Zizek, Goff, Nagel)

March 10, 2024 38m
As we regularly do on this program-- we steelman different philosophical positions. Hopefully the process brings people some joy. Today we go from ideology, to New Atheism vs Creationism, to...
Philosophize This!

Episode #196 ... The improbable Slavoj Zizek - Part 1

February 24, 2024 33m
Today we give an introduction to the thinking of Slavoj Zizek-- at least as much as is possible in ~35 mins. The goal is for this to be a primer for the rest of the series.

Thank you so much for...
Philosophize This!

Episode #195 ... Could Anarcho-Capitalism be the solution to our problems? - Anarchism pt. 4 (Rothbard, Friedman, Malice)

February 10, 2024 31m
Today we talk more about anarchism.

Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

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Episode #194 ... Do we really need the police? - Anarchism pt. 3 - (Gelderloos, Security)

January 27, 2024 31m
Today we answer some questions about the potential security risks of an anarchist society.

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Philosophize This!

Episode #193 ...The chief export of the western world is trash. - Anarchism pt. 2 (Bookchin, Social Ecology)

January 09, 2024 32m
Today we talk about some of the work of Murray Bookchin. We talk about anarchism as a historical trend in human thought that keeps recurring. Then we talk about the superficiality of typical...
Philosophize This!

Episode #192 ... Should we overthrow the government tomorrow? - Anarchism pt. 1 (Chomsky, Malatesta)

December 25, 2023 28m
Today we talk about some common misconceptions about Anarchism, the weaknesses of traditional government structures, a possible alternative way of cooperating and whether or not the government is the...
Philosophize This!

Episode #191 ... The modern day concentration camp and the failure of human rights. (Giorgio Agamben)

December 05, 2023 29m
Today we talk about the philosophy of Giorgio Agamben. Human rights, a political tactic to dehumanize groups that has been growing in popularity, governments declaring states of emergency and how the...
Philosophize This!

Episode #190 ... Are emotions a waste of time? - Neo-Stoicism (Martha Nussbaum)

November 27, 2023 31m
Today we talk about the lessons found in the ancient Greek play titled Hecuba. We talk about the great Stoic ethicists Epictetus, Seneca and Marcus Aurelius. We talk about Martha Nussbaum and her work...
Philosophize This!

Episode #189 ... Everything that connects us is slowly disappearing. - Byung Chul Han pt. 2

October 03, 2023 30m
Today we talk about the disappearance of rituals, truth, community, communication, public spaces and talk about the importance sometimes of being an idiot. Hope you love it! :)
 
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Philosophize This!

Episode #188 ... Achievement Society and the rise of narcissism, depression and anxiety - Byung-Chul Han

September 07, 2023 32m
Today we talk about positive power, neoliberalism, narcissism as a reaction to modern life, how technology makes isolation easier, and some tactics to find peace in the digital panopticon. 
 
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Philosophize This!

Episode #187 ... How much freedom would you trade for security? (Foucault, Hobbes, Mill, Agamben)

August 31, 2023 37m
On today's episode we talk about the upsides of a surveillance state. The ongoing social dilemma of freedom vs security. The value of privacy. States of exception. And Deleuze's Postscript on...
Philosophize This!

Episode #186 ... Are we heading for a digital prison? - Panopticon (Foucault, Bentham, Cave)

August 24, 2023 36m
Today we talk about Jeremy Bentham's concept of the Panopticon. Michel Foucault's comparison to society in 1975. The historical role of intelligence as a justification for dominance. The anatomy of...
Philosophize This!

Episode #185 ... Should we prepare for an AI revolution?

August 10, 2023 38m
Today we talk about the revolutionary potential of generative AI. For better or worse. 
 
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About this Podcast

Copyright
2024
Language
en
Categories
Society & Culture, Philosophy, Education