TrueSciPhi

Podcast Profile: What Is X?

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25 episodes
2021 to 2022
Median: 62 minutes
Collection: Philosophy

Description (podcaster-provided):

Themes and summary (AI-generated based on podcaster-provided show and episode descriptions):

This podcast is built around Socratic-style conversations in which host Justin E. H. Smith invites a guest—typically an academic, writer, or critic—to take on a deceptively simple question: “What is X?” Each dialogue treats its topic as a problem of definition, testing everyday assumptions and technical distinctions in order to see whether a clear account is possible, or whether the inquiry ends in disagreement or a productive dead end.

Across the episodes, “X” ranges from classic philosophical subjects in metaphysics and philosophy of mind—such as being, time, matter, numbers, consciousness, and dreams—to moral and social concepts like virtue, friendship, love, gender, mental health, and the nature of war. The show also applies the same definitional pressure to cultural and linguistic phenomena, including humor, punk, criticism, poetry, art, authorship, conspiracy theories, and slurs, often using concrete examples to explore how these categories function in practice.

A recurring theme is the tension between realist accounts (that things have an objective essence) and constructivist or historical accounts (that meanings are shaped by social practices, institutions, and power). The conversations draw on philosophical vocabulary and canonical figures alongside contemporary controversies—such as misinformation, crypto and money, psychiatry and diagnostic categories, and the ethics of language—while keeping the tone exploratory and open-ended. The result is a series of accessible, highbrow discussions about how we carve up the world with concepts, and what we gain or lose by insisting on precise definitions.