Philosophize This!

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. …

Feb 11, 2026 · 36m

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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 …

Dec 27, 2025 · 30m

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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 …

Nov 29, 2025 · 31m

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Episode #241 ... The Tragedy of Julius Caesar - William Shakespeare

Today we talk about the philosophical themes of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. We talk about the hypocrisy and false nostalgia of political violence. The ironies of …

Nov 16, 2025 · 29m

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Episode #240 ... Varieties of Religion Today (Charles Taylor)

Today we talk more about the work of Charles Taylor and his book The Varieties of Religion Today. We look at different answers to a classic question around religious belief. …

Nov 08, 2025 · 29m

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Episode #239 ... Authenticity and the history of the self. (Charles Taylor)

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. …

Oct 17, 2025 · 34m

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Episode #238 ... Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

Today we talk about the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. We talk about the mix of Romantic and Enlightenment attitudes and how it leads to problems without the proper oversight. …

Oct 08, 2025 · 29m

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Episode #237 ... The Stoics Are Wrong - Nietzsche, Schopenhauer

Today we talk about two famous critiques of Stoicism. One by Friedrich Nietzsche who thought the Stoics weren’t life affirming enough and so rob themselves of some of the best …

Sep 30, 2025 · 28m

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Episode #236 ... Meditations - Marcus Aurelius

Today we talk about the collection of journals known as Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. We mark the differences between Stoicism, modern Stoic ethics, and the journals of Marcus Aurelius. We …

Sep 13, 2025 · 34m

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

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 …

Sep 04, 2025 · 37m

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

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 …

Aug 13, 2025 · 32m

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

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 …

Aug 04, 2025 · 30m

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

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 …

Jul 07, 2025 · 29m

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

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 …

Jun 28, 2025 · 26m

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

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 …

Jun 14, 2025 · 28m

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

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! :) Sponsors: Incogni: …

May 25, 2025 · 28m

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

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 …

May 12, 2025 · 30m

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Episode #227 ... Albert Camus - On Exile

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 …

Apr 18, 2025 · 34m

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Episode #226 - Albert Camus - The Rebel

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 …

Apr 04, 2025 · 31m

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Episode #225 ... Albert Camus - The Plague

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 …

Mar 27, 2025 · 30m

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