Site • RSS • Apple PodcastsDescription (podcaster-provided):
Philosophical excursions into interesting, and often controversial, topics. Hosted by Spencer Case.Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):
➤ Controversial philosophy debates • ethics, law, policing, guns • war/foreign policy, nuclear weapons • epistemology, skepticism, political beliefs • wokeness, gender, hate speech, academic freedom • technology/AI risks • religion, free will, consciousness, death • socialism/Marxism, liberal order, trustThis podcast hosts wide-ranging philosophical conversations that connect classic debates in ethics, epistemology, metaphysics, religion, and political philosophy to current controversies and public institutions. Across the episodes, the host interviews and debates with philosophers, writers, and other commentators about how we should think and argue about morally charged issues, and what standards of evidence, expertise, and reasoning ought to guide belief and action in real life.
A recurring focus is political and social conflict: discussions examine polarization, “wokeness,” hate speech, academic freedom, and the incentives and language that shape political beliefs. Several conversations engage disputes about liberalism, moderation versus extremism, patriotism and cultural self-critique, and the moral foundations of social trust. International affairs and state power also feature prominently, including debates over war and foreign policy and the ethics of nuclear weapons.
Another major theme is law, rights, and coercive authority. The show analyzes alleged injustices within the legal system, questions about policing legitimacy, and contested practices such as plea bargaining, jury nullification, and affirmative action, as well as broader disagreements about guns and public safety.
The podcast also returns to core philosophical problems—free will and responsibility, consciousness and the self, skepticism and knowledge, thought experiments, and applied epistemology—often with attention to what these debates imply for everyday decision-making. Religion and moral theory appear through discussions of arguments for God, Sikh metaphysics and ethics, and high-profile disputes in practical ethics such as charitable obligation, genetic enhancement, and even the value-laden assessment of hobbies like video gaming. Occasional roundtable “rant” formats provide shorter, opinionated takes on assorted philosophical and cultural flashpoints.
| Episodes: |
The Concept of God2026-Jun-11 101 minutes |
Legal Injustices2026-May-26 84 minutes |
The Iran War2026-Apr-07 100 minutes |
Knowledge in Real Life2026-Mar-20 80 minutes |
Good and Bad Advice2026-Jan-27 65 minutes |
AI Dangers (The Dark Side of Technology, Part 3)2025-Dec-04 71 minutes |
What is Hate Speech?2025-Nov-25 59 minutes |
Philosophical Horrors2025-Oct-24 81 minutes |
On Moderates and Extremists2025-Sep-16 66 minutes |
What is Wokeness?2025-Aug-15 82 minutes |
Conundrums of Academic Freedom2025-Jul-23 57 minutes |
"You're Under Arrest!" On Ethical Policing2025-Jun-22 91 minutes |
Better Arguments for the Existence of God2025-May-19 94 minutes |
Free Will and Responsibility: Huemer vs. Kershnar2025-Mar-28 66 minutes |
Not-So-Great Arguments for the Existence of God2025-Feb-24 92 minutes |
The Virtuous Gamer2025-Jan-20 81 minutes |
Rant-a-thon 2024! (Part 2)2024-Dec-26 91 minutes |
Rant-a-thon 2024! (Part 1)2024-Dec-20 72 minutes |
Progressive Myths about Sex and Gender2024-Nov-28 73 minutes |
Progressive Myths2024-Oct-20 111 minutes |
Nuclear War, Part 22024-Sep-25 85 minutes |
Nuclear War2024-Aug-17 92 minutes |
Come on, man! Debating the Joe Biden presidency2024-Jul-20 91 minutes |
Consciousness and the self2024-Jun-18 84 minutes |
Death and Immortality (Thinking About Death Part 2)2024-May-22 80 minutes |
Thinking about Marxism2024-Apr-29 79 minutes |
Debating Israel/Palestine2024-Mar-31 96 minutes |
Is it Ok to Own a Gun?2024-Feb-24 74 minutes |
Thinking about Death, Part 12024-Jan-25 92 minutes |
Rant-a-Thon 20232023-Dec-20 134 minutes |
Political Beliefs (with Oliver Traldi)2023-Nov-19 69 minutes |
Discriminating for the Greater Good Part 2: Law and Affirmative Action2023-Oct-30 90 minutes |
Trust and the liberal order2023-Sep-29 71 minutes |
Gender, Pronouns and Linguistic Negotiation2023-Aug-07 80 minutes |
American Patriotism2023-Jul-01 83 minutes |
Wokeness in Science: Critiquing a critique2023-Jun-09 74 minutes |
Thought experiments (Special Brain in a Vat co-production)2023-May-21 75 minutes |
Sikh Metaphysics and Ethics2023-Apr-21 71 minutes |
Creating Future People2023-Mar-30 97 minutes |
Unreasonable Doubt: Rejecting Skepticism2023-Feb-25 93 minutes |
The Dark Side of Technology, Part 22023-Jan-28 70 minutes |
Rant-a-thon spectacular (2022)2022-Dec-25 95 minutes |
Black Friday Special episode: Famine, Affluence and Morality, Part 22022-Dec-09 68 minutes |
Black Friday Special episode: Famine, Affluence and Morality, Part 12022-Dec-01 72 minutes |
Realism, idealism, and the War in Ukraine2022-Oct-27 113 minutes |
Self-Contempt and the Decline of Civilizations2022-Sep-17 77 minutes |
Parenting and Philosophy2022-Aug-21 80 minutes |
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Is everything becoming political? (Remastered) 2022-Aug-03 64 minutes |
Let's talk about Socialism2022-Jul-18 103 minutes |
The University Disaster2022-Jun-11 86 minutes |
SPECIAL EPISODE: Moral Experts2022-May-19 111 minutes |
The Problem of Induction and the Uniformity of Nature2022-Apr-21 91 minutes |
Hypocrisy and Bad Intentions2022-Mar-15 87 minutes |
Why Philosophy?2022-Feb-20 80 minutes |
Killing in War2022-Jan-26 91 minutes |
Should borders be open?2022-Jan-01 105 minutes |
Beauty, Ugliness and Morality: Some moral quandaries of art2021-Nov-30 97 minutes |
SPECIAL EPISODE: Debating abortion2021-Nov-01 97 minutes |
The Dark Side of Morality2021-Oct-13 65 minutes |
Discriminating for the greater good2021-Sep-23 116 minutes |
Religious and atheistic experience2021-Aug-31 73 minutes |
SPECIAL EPISODE: What's the Deal with Critical Race Theory?2021-Jul-14 104 minutes |
The metaphysics of bitcoin2021-Jun-14 74 minutes |
Dangerous ideas: an interview with Francesca Minerva2021-Apr-28 55 minutes |
Some conflict, she says: An interview with Holly Lawford-Smith2021-Apr-02 82 minutes |
What is knowledge (and who cares)?2021-Mar-30 71 minutes |
Thinking about Disagreement2021-Jan-26 88 minutes |
Conquering Anger and Fear2020-Dec-26 66 minutes |
The Limits of Scientific Authority2020-Oct-07 78 minutes |
Has liberalism failed?2020-Sep-01 76 minutes |
The Virtue Illusion: Are you as good as you think you are?2020-Aug-07 69 minutes |
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You're cancelled! 2020-Jul-19 65 minutes |
Philosophical Dispositions2020-Jul-06 67 minutes |
What's the deal with relativism?2020-Jun-06 60 minutes |
Compassion and Rationality: An interview with Jacy Reese Anthis2020-May-20 61 minutes |
Is Everything Becoming Political?2020-May-08 66 minutes |
Do you have a right to your opinion? Clifford, James and the ethics of belief2020-Apr-21 58 minutes |
What good is free speech?2020-Mar-29 63 minutes |
The dark side of technology2020-Mar-25 54 minutes |