Philosophy Talk

The philosopher Saint Augustine of Hippo is one of the most important figures in the history of Christianity. His Confessions tells the story of his own conversion from Manicheanism to Christianity. His three-volume City of God remains a classic of Christian apologetics. And many find the roots of some of the darker... sides of Christian doctrine, from the emphasis on original sin to the second-rate status for women, in his works. John and Ken welcome Georgetown University Provost James O'Donnell, author of "Augustine, Sinner & Saint: A New Biography."Read More

The program that questions everything – except your intelligence – started off questioning the conventional wisdom that there would be no audience for a radio show about philosophy. One hundred and ninety-nine programs later, Ken and John are hanging in there with large loyal audiences in the Bay Area and Oregon, outp...osts at over fifty stations across North America, and a huge internet following.

In their 200th program Ken and John wax philosophical about philosophy itself, and the future of rational discussion in an America that seems weirder and weirder.

Send us your suggestions for Ken and John's Philosophical Top Ten List at comments@philosophytalk.org.Read More

There is something deeply mysterious about music. Why does it affect us so powerfully? Is it like a language, a subtle form of communication? Are there universal interpretations of the emotions that various pieces of music expresses? Or does one need to be part of a music "community" in order to appreciate musical e...xpression? John and Ken explore why – and how – music matters with musician and founding member of the Kronos Quartet, David Harrington. This program was recorded in front of a live audience at Biscuits and Blues in San Francisco.Read More

Do we have a right to healthcare, and to good high quality healthcare, in any precise and defensible sense? Or is the "right to healthcare" just a nice way to say it would be very nice if everyone had healthcare? Ken and John take a philosophical lens to the alleged right to healthcare and health insurance with Laurenc...e Baker from the Center for Health Policy at Stanford University.

In the Bay Area listen Live from 10:00am - 11:00am on fm 91.7 KALW or stream live at: http://www.kalw.org/listen.htmlRead More

What is necessary for a person to survive over time? Is it the continued existence of the living body, or is it just the living brain? Or is it one's psychology, which might persist even without one's original brain in a computer or in an entirely new brain? How important are questions of personal identity for ethic...s and rationality? John and Ken are joined by Raymond Martin, co-author of "The Rise and Fall of Soul and Self: An Intellectual History of Personal Identity."


In the Bay Area listen Live from 10:00am - 11:00am on fm 91.7 KALW or stream live at: http://www.kalw.org/listen.htmlRead More

To be human, philosophers have often said, is to be rational. But many people, for biological reasons, are clearly not rational. Schizophrenia is not only a malady, it is also a window on how the human mind works, and what it means to be human.

Ken and John examine schizophrenia and its lessons for philosophers with... John Campbell from UC Berkeley, author of "Reference and Consciousness."

In the Bay Area listen Live from 10:00am - 11:00am on fm 91.7 KALW or stream live at: http://www.kalw.org/listen.htmlRead More

Some people think that concerns over being PC lead to censorship and the stifling of free debate. Others think the label "politically correct" is nothing but a demeaning term for values we should espouse anyway, like appropriateness, politeness, fairness, and respectfulness. Is "politically correct" just a nasty labe...l used to diminish and belittle social progress? Or do the assailants of political correctness have a point? John and Ken take on political correctness with former political speechwriter Leonard Steinhorn, Professor of Communication at American University.Read More

How do words shape our minds? Do the French suffer because they have no word for berry or cozy? Do we suffer because we have no word for schadenfreude? Why do we adopt new words, or give old words new meaning? Can we eliminate a concept by renaming it, or eliminating the word for it? Ken and John welcome back Geof...f Nunberg, author of "The Years of Talking Dangerously," for a program recorded in front of a live audience at the Marsh theatre in San Francisco.

In the Bay Area listen Live from 10:00am - 11:00am on fm 91.7 KALW or stream live at: http://www.kalw.org/listen.htmlRead More