Philosophize This! Philosophize This!

Episode #095 - Are you living in a simulation?


Episode #095 - Are you living in a simulation?


On this episode, we discuss Nick Bostrom and the plain and simple idea that life, this life, may be a simulation.

Further Reading:

  • Epistemology: A Beginner's Guide by Jack S. Crumley II (2010)

  • What is this thing called Knowledge? by Duncan Pritchard (2006)

  • Knowledge: A Very Short Introduction by Jennifer Nagel (2014)

See the full transcript here.


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Episode Episode

Episode #094 - A Look at Suffering


Episode #094 - A Look at Suffering


On this episode, we take a look at the concept of suffering from multiple different angles.

Further Reading:

  • Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future by Johan Norberg (2016)

  • The Transhumanism Handbook edited by Newton Lee (2019)

  • The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts (1966)

See the full transcript here.


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Episode Episode

Episode #093 - Nietzsche Pt. 4 - Love


Episode #093 - Nietzsche Pt. 4 - Love


On this episode, we take a look at Friedrich Nietzsche and his thoughts on the concept of love.

Further Reading:

  • Nietzsche on Love by Friedrich Nietzsche, edited and translated by Ulrich Baer (2020)

  • Nietzsche for Beginners by Marc Sautet (1992)

  • Thus Spoke Zarathustra: A New Translation in Modern Accessible Language by Friedrich Nietzsche (2024)​

See the full transcript here.


Nietzsche.jpg

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Episode Episode

Episode #092 - Nietzsche Pt. 3 - Thus Spoke Zarathustra


Episode #092 - Nietzsche Pt. 3 - Thus Spoke Zarathustra


On this episode, we take a look at Friedrich Nietzsche and his revolutionary work entitled Thus Spoke Zarathustra.

Further Reading:

  • Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist by Walter Kaufmann (1950)

  • Nietzsche: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Tanner (2000)

  • Nietzsche's Teaching: An Interpretation of Thus Spoke Zarathustra by Laurence Lampert (1986)​

See the full transcript here.


Nietzsche.jpg

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Episode Episode

Episode #091 - Nietzsche Pt. 2 - The Will to Power


Episode #091 - Nietzsche Pt. 2 - The Will to Power


On this episode, we take a look at Friedrich Nietzsche and his often misunderstood concept of 'the will to power.'

Further Reading:

  • A Beginner's Guide to Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil, Gareth Southwell (2009)

  • Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist, Walter Kaufmann (1974)

  • Nietzsche: A Philosophical Biography, Rüdiger Safranski (2002)

See the full transcript here.


Nietzsche.jpg

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Episode Episode

Episode #090 - Nietzsche Pt. 1 - God is Dead And So Is Captain Morgan


Episode #090 - Nietzsche Pt. 1 - God is Dead And So Is Captain Morgan


On this episode, we take a look at Friedrich Nietzsche and his views on the role of religion and alcohol as calming influences.

Further Reading:

  • Nietzsche For Beginners – Marc Sautet (2007)

  • Nietzsche: A Very Short Introduction – Michael Tanner (2000)

  • Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist – Walter Kaufmann (1974)

See the full transcript here.


Nietzsche.jpg

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Episode Episode

Episode #089 - Simone De Beauvoir


Episode #089 - Simone De Beauvoir


On this episode, we take a look at Simone De Beauvoir and her revolutionary work The Second Sex.

  • Think Like a Feminist: The Philosophy Behind the Revolution, Carol Hay (2020)

  • Feminism: A Beginner's Guide, Sally J. Scholz (2010)

  • We Should All Be Feminists, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (2014)

See the full transcript here.


Simone de Beauvoir.jpg

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Episode Episode

Episode #088 - Sartre and Camus Pt. 3


Episode #088 - Sartre and Camus Pt. 3


On this episode, we take a look at the great post WW2 debate between Sartre and Camus.

Further Reading:

Camus and Sartre: The Story of a Friendship and the Quarrel That Ended It – Ronald Aronson (2004)

  1. At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails – Sarah Bakewell (2016)

  2. The Rebel – Albert Camus (1951)​

See the full transcript here.


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Episode Episode

Episode #087 - Sartre and Camus Pt. 2


Episode #087 - Sartre and Camus Pt. 2


On this episode, we take a look at the great post WW2 debate between Sartre and Camus.

Further Reading:

  • Albert Camus: A Very Short Introduction – Oliver Gloag (2020)

  • Introducing Camus: A Graphic Guide – David Zane Mairowitz and Alain Korkos (1998)

  • The Myth of Sisyphus – Albert Camus (1942)​

See the full transcript here.


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Episode Episode

Episode #086 - Sartre and Camus Pt. 1 - Freedom


Episode #086 - Sartre and Camus Pt. 1 - Freedom


On this episode, we take a look at Sartre and his thoughts on the concept of freedom.

Further Reading:

Sartre For Beginners – Donald D. Palmer (2007)

  1. Sartre Explained: From Bad Faith to Authenticity – David Detmer (2008)

  2. Existentialism For Beginners – David Cogswell (2008)​

See the full transcript here.


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Episode Episode

Episode #085 - Peter Singer on Effective Altruism


Episode #085 - Peter Singer on Effective Altruism


Peter Singer argues that people who have enough resources should do more to help others, not just avoid doing harm. He highlights how people readily help in direct emergencies but often ignore distant ones. He encourages using reason to give in ways that help the most people.

Further Reading:

  • The Most Good You Can Do: How Effective Altruism Is Changing Ideas About Living Ethically by Peter Singer (2015)

  • Doing Good Better: How Effective Altruism Can Help You Make a Difference by William MacAskill (2015)

  • Practical Ethics by Peter Singer (3rd Edition, 2011)

See the full transcript here.


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Episode Episode

Episode #084 - William James on Truth


Episode #084 - William James on Truth


This episode outlines William James’s view that truth is not objective but a human experience, defined by the practical usefulness of beliefs rather than their alignment with external reality.

Further Reading:

  • Pragmatism: A New Name for Some Old Ways of Thinking by William James (1907)

  • Philosophical Writings of Peirce by Charles Sanders Peirce, edited by Justus Buchler (1940)

  • Reconstruction in Philosophy by John Dewey (1920)

See the full transcript here.


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Episode Episode

Episode #083 - Henry David Thoreau


Episode #083 - Henry David Thoreau


On this episode, we take a look at Henry David Thoreau's views on the individual, society and civil disobedience.

Further Reading:

  • Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau (Signet Classics, 1999)

  • The Portable Thoreau edited by Jeffrey S. Cramer (Penguin Classics, 2004)

  • The Journal of Henry David Thoreau edited by Damion Searls (New York Review Books, 2009)

See the full transcript here.


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Episode Episode

Episode #082 - Austrians and Marx


Episode #082 - Austrians and Marx


On this episode, we take ideas from several different thinkers of the Austrian School of Economics and try to understand the counterpoints to Marx's critiques of capitalism.

Further Reading:

  • "Economics in One Lesson" by Henry Hazlitt (1946)

  • "Principles of Economics" by Carl Menger (1871)

  • "Marx's Labor Theory of Value: A Defense" by Hayashi Hiroyoshi (2005)

See the full transcript here.


Carl Menger

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Episode Episode

Episode #081 - Capitalism vs. Communism


Episode #081 - Capitalism vs. Communism


The episode explores Karl Marx’s view that capitalism exploits workers, creates inequality, and leads to instability, arguing that examining its flaws remains essential despite criticisms of Marx’s ideas.

Further Reading:

  • Marx for Beginners by Rius (1976)

  • An Introduction to the Three Volumes of Karl Marx's Capital by Michael Heinrich (2012)

  • Marx's 'Das Kapital' For Beginners by Michael Wayne and Sungyoon Choi (2012)

See the full transcript here.


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Episode Episode

Episode #080 - Feuerbach on Religion


Episode #080 - Feuerbach on Religion


This episode presents Feuerbach’s view that religion mirrors human ideals, not divine reality, and that love is the highest expression of our self-conscious nature.

Further Reading:

  • Heaven Wasn't His Destination: The Philosophy of Ludwig Feuerbach by Van A. Harvey (1941)

  • Feuerbach by Marx W. Wartofsky (1977)

  • Feuerbach and the Interpretation of Religion by Van A. Harvey (1995)

See the full transcript here.


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Philosophize This! Philosophize This!

Episode #079 - Kierkegaard on Anxiety


Episode #079 - Kierkegaard on Anxiety


The episode explains Kierkegaard’s idea that anxiety comes from the freedom to choose who we are. Most avoid this by escaping into habits or roles, leading to quiet despair. Becoming a true self means facing that anxiety and choosing a life that feels meaningful.

Further Reading:

  • Kierkegaard For Beginners by Donald D. Palmer (2007)

  • Freedom and Its Misuses: Kierkegaard on Anxiety and Despair by Gregory R. Beabout (1996)

  • The Sickness Unto Death by Søren Kierkegaard, translated by Alastair Hannay (1989)​

See the full transcript here.


Kierkegaard.jpg

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Episode Episode

Episode #078 - Marx and Kierkegaard on Religion Pt. 2


Episode #078 - Marx and Kierkegaard on Religion Pt. 2


The episode contrasts Marx’s focus on collective change with Kierkegaard’s emphasis on personal commitment. Marx saw morality as shaped by society, while Kierkegaard argued that true individuality requires decisive action and a leap of faith into a chosen way of life.

Further Reading:

  • The Essential Kierkegaard by Søren Kierkegaard, edited by Howard V. Hong and Edna H. Hong (2000)

  • Fear and Trembling by Søren Kierkegaard (1986)

  • Marx: A Beginner's Guide by Andrew Collier (2008)

See the full transcript here.


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Episode Episode

Episode #077 - Marx and Kierkegaard on Religion Pt. 1


Episode #077 - Marx and Kierkegaard on Religion Pt. 1


This episode traces how Karl Marx saw history as a cycle of class struggle, with religion used to pacify the exploited by justifying economic inequality. It shows how religious structures mirrored the ruling systems of their time and introduces a contrast with Kierkegaard’s opposing view, to be explored next episode.

Further Reading:

  • Marx for Beginners by Rius (1976)

  • Marx: A Very Short Introduction by Peter Singer (2000)

  • Understanding Marxism by Richard D. Wolff (2019)​

See the full transcript here.


Kierkegaard and Marx.jpg

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Episode Episode

Episode #076 - Hegel's God


Episode #076 - Hegel's God


The episode asks listeners to forget what they think they know about God and consider Hegel’s view: God as the infinite process of self-determination, not a being. It critiques rigid divides between religion and science, and encourages openness to faith as a shared human leap, not blind belief.

Further Reading:

  • Hegel: A Very Short Introduction by Peter Singer (2001)

  • An Introduction to Hegel: Freedom, Truth and History by Stephen Houlgate (2005)

  • An Introduction to Hegel: The Stages of Modern Philosophy by Howard P. Kainz (1996)

See the full transcript here.


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