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Elucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 84: Amanda Greene discusses the legitimacy of democracyIn this episode, Amanda Greene argues that democracy is the form of government that most reliably leads to long-term stability and acceptance.2016-06-1043 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 83: Bob Simpson discusses genealogical anxietyIn this episode, Bob Simpson discusses how a person should respond to the realization that they only believe something because of how they were brought up.2016-05-1235 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 82: Robert May discusses Frege and the problem of identityIn this episode, Robert May discusses the problems that arise when we try to explain what simple statements of arithmetic are saying.2016-04-1341 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 81: Cathy Legg discusses what Peirce's categories can do for youIn this episode, Cathy Legg talks about why Charles Sanders Peirce thought that existing was only one of three ways of being.2016-03-1537 min
ElucidationsEpisode 80: Mark Hopwood discusses love and moral valueIn this episode, Mark Hopwood discusses the moral relation that results when one person values another as a particular individual. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.2016-02-1031 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 80: Mark Hopwood discusses love and moral valueIn this episode, Mark Hopwood discusses the moral relation that results when one person values another as a particular individual.2016-02-1031 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 79: Anthony S. Gillies discusses conditionalsIn this episode, Anthony S. Gillies shows us how difficult it is to figure out what if/then statements mean!2016-01-0632 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 78: Stephen Engstrom discusses the categorical imperativeIn this episode, Stephen Engstrom discusses the principle that Immanuel Kant thought to underlie all of ethics.2015-12-0932 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 77: Mark Schroeder discusses reasons for action and beliefIn this episode, Mark Schroeder discusses an example of how something other than evidence against a claim can give you a reason not to believe that it's true.2015-11-1338 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 76: Barbara Herman discusses gratitudeIn this episode, Barbara Herman describes the intricacies of the relationship between two people that is created when one does a favor for the other.2015-10-1342 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 75: Malte Willer discusses non-monotonic logicIn this episode, Malte Willer discusses attempts to give a formal theory of commonsense reasoning, and how it differs from the kind of reasoning that has traditionally been studied.2015-09-0831 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 74: Christina van Dyke discusses gender and medieval mysticismIn this episode, Christina van Dyke discusses the medieval mystics, a loose collection of authors who thought through philosophical issues by writing about their religious experiences.2015-08-0730 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 73: Greg Salmieri discusses Ayn Rand's moral philosophyIn this episode, Greg Salmieri explains why Ayn Rand thought a good life is oriented, first and foremost, toward the goal of benefitting oneself.2015-07-1539 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 72: Robert May discusses pejorative expressionsIn this episode, Robert May explains what racial, ethnic, and homophobic slurs literally mean.2015-06-2538 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 71: Kent Schmor discusses Carnap's AufbauIn this episode, Kent Schmor introduces us to Rudolf Carnap's classic work, _The Logical Construction of the World_.2015-06-0534 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 70: Susan James discusses Spinoza on the good embodied lifeIn this episode, Susan James explains Spinoza's view that the mind and the body are really just different aspects of the same thing, and how that view led him to think of moral reasoning as having an emotional component.2015-05-0633 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 69: Christel Fricke discusses Adam Smith's theory of moral sentimentsIn this episode, Christel Fricke discusses a view in ethics according to which you determine the right thing to do by imitating the perspective of an ideal, impartial spectator.2015-03-2532 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 68: Mark Lance discusses anarchismIn this episode, Mark Lance defends the view that instead of answering to a central authority, our society should self-govern, only scaling up what it has to.2015-02-1842 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 67: John Protevi discusses Darwin, disaster, and prosocialityIn this episode, John Protevi discusses research across several different disciplines which supports the hypothesis that human beings evolved to cooperate with each other.2015-01-1231 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 66: Haim Gaifman discusses mathematical reasoningIn this episode, Haim Gaifman argues that there are mathematical facts about real, objective, mathematical entities.2014-12-1740 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 65: Julian Savulescu discusses doping in sportsIn this episode, Julian Savulescu argues that professional sports should change their regulations so as to allow for a certain amount of doping.2014-11-1739 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 64: James Conant and Jay Elliott discuss the analytic traditionIn this episode, James Conant and Jay Elliott go into the history of the movement known as analytic philosophy.2014-10-1852 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 63: Michael Devitt discusses referenceIn this episode, Michael Devitt explains why we need a theory of what it means for a proper name to stand for a person or place.2014-09-1938 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 62: Sally Sedgwick discusses Hegel’s critique of KantIn this episode, Sally Sedgwick runs through Immanuel Kant’s idea that doing the right thing means doing whatever respects the dignity of all rational creatures, along with G. W. F. Hegel’s worry that Kant neglected how his moral theory was the product of a particular historical moment.2014-08-2130 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 61: Jeff Buechner discusses Kripke and functionalismIn this episode, Jeff Buechner gives us an overview of the work of Saul Kripke, and explains his (not yet published) argument against the idea that the human mind is a kind of computer.2014-07-1644 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 60: Fabrizio Cariani shares some thoughts about oughtsIn this episode, Fabrizio Cariani explains some of the challenges that arise when we try to precisely define the words 'ought' and 'should.'2014-06-2326 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 59: Rebecca Kukla discusses reproductive riskIn this episode, Rebecca Kukla questions the assumptions behind the idea that keeping unborn fetuses safe is simply a matter of individual mothers managing risk responsibly.2014-05-1437 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 58: Stewart Shapiro discusses vagueness, part IIIn this episode, we return to the topic of vagueness from a new perspective.2014-04-1727 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 57: Julia Annas discusses virtue ethicsIn this episode, Julia Annas introduces us to the ancient Greek conception of ethics.2014-03-1939 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 56: Philip Pettit discusses corporate rights and responsibilitiesIn this episode, Philip Pettit considers whether a corporation can have any special privileges or rights.2014-02-1054 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 55: Branden Fitelson discusses paradoxes of consistencyIn this episode, Branden Fitelson proposes a new notion of coherence to explain certain unusual situations in which the need to believe what's true conflicts with the need to believe what's supported by evidence.2014-01-0845 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 54: Patricia Blanchette discusses Frege's logicismIn this episode, Patricia Blanchette explains why Gottlob Frege and other early 20th century philosophers wanted to understand all of mathematics as really being about logic.2013-12-0644 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 53: Martin Stokhof discusses formal semantics and WittgensteinIn this episode, Martin Stokhof argues that understanding what formal theories of linguistic meaning are actually doing is less straightforward than it might seem.2013-11-1437 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 52: Rafeeq Hasan discusses Rousseau on freedom and happinessIn this episode, Rafeeq Hasan argues that according to Jean-Jacques Rousseau, there isn't any conflict between being a free individual and living in a cooperative society.2013-10-1437 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 51: Jeroen Groenendijk and Floris Roelofsen discuss inquisitive semanticsIn this episode, Jeroen Groenendijk and Floris Roelofsen discuss a new theory of linguistic meaning that brings out a deep commonality between statements and questions.2013-09-2333 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 50: Greg Salmieri discusses the Aristotelian good life and productive workIn this episode, Greg Salmieri looks at the attitudes ancient philosophers used to take towards craftsmanship.2013-08-2136 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 49: Hans Kamp discusses discourse representation theoryIn this episode, Hans Kamp discusses his influential dynamic theory of linguistic meaning.2013-07-1747 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 48: Jennifer Frey discusses the philosophy of Thomas AquinasIn this episode, Jennifer Frey discusses the medieval philosopher Thomas Aquinas' idea that what's ethically right or wrong is determined by our nature as human beings.2013-06-1031 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 47: Alexandru Baltag discusses the logic of knowledgeIn this episode, Alexandru Baltag gives us a tour through a number of formal definitions of knowledge that have been proposed in recent years.2013-05-1439 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 46: Frank Veltman discusses normalityIn this episode, Frank Veltman discusses the central role that the idea of normality (along with abnormality) plays in our everyday reasoning.2013-04-1927 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 45: Anubav Vasudevan discusses probability and determinismIn this episode, Anubav Vasudevan argues that there is no conflict between the belief that the future is completely determined by the past and the belief that some things truly happen by chance.2013-03-2232 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 44: Joelle Proust discusses metacognitionIn this episode, Joelle Proust discusses whether you need to have the concept of memory in order to evaluate your ability to remember things.2013-02-1534 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 43: Peter Adamson discusses the philosophy of Al-KindiIn this episode, Peter Adamson gives us a tour through the impressively wide-ranging work of Al-Kindi, including his arguments for the unity of God and against the eternity of the universe.2013-01-0141 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 42: Agustin Rayo discusses the construction of logical spaceIn this episode, Agustin Rayo considers whether the number of dinosaurs being zero is the same thing as there being no dinosaurs, whether some wood blocks being nailed together into the shape of a table is the same thing as there being a table, and similar matters.2012-12-1237 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 41: David Enoch discusses metaethicsIn this episode, David Enoch argues that there are real facts of the matter about whether something is right or wrong, and that our ability to deliberate about what to do depends on this.2012-11-0939 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 40: Johan van Benthem discusses logical dynamicsIn this episode, Johan van Benthem argues that the subject matter of logic should be broadened to encompass not only processes of inference performed by individuals, but also the sharing of information among groups of people.2012-10-0836 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 39: Nicholas Asher discusses the philosophy of languageIn this episode, Nicholas Asher discusses some of the challenges faced by philosophers, linguists, and computer scientists when it comes to developing a formal theory of meaning that (for example) a computer could understand.2012-09-0431 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 38: Christopher Frey discusses Aristotle on living organisms and their partsIn this episode, Christopher Frey explains why Aristotle thought that after you sever a person's hand, it isn't really a hand anymore.2012-08-0825 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 37: Catarina Dutilh Novaes discusses methods in philosophyIn this episode, Catarina Dutilh Novaes talks about whether there is any one method that's specific to philosophy, the way there is (for example) something we call the scientific method.2012-07-1025 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 36: Robert van Rooij discusses vaguenessIn this episode, Robert van Rooij talks about a paradox that arises when you try to decide exactly how many millimeters high someone has to be in order to count as tall.2012-06-1532 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 35: Martha Nussbaum discusses the capabilities approachIn this episode, Martha Nussbaum proposes a new set of criteria for determining the overall health and prosperity of a country.2012-05-0728 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 34: Kieran Setiya discusses moral disagreementIn this episode, Kieran Setiya discusses the difference between disagreeing with someone about how you should live your life and disagreeing with someone about what you just saw (like, for example, who was the winner of a very close race).2012-04-0931 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 33: Daniel Sutherland discusses the philosophy of mathematicsIn this episode, Daniel Sutherland explains some of the difficulties involved in trying to say what numbers are.2012-03-1431 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 32: Jennifer Lockhart discusses ignorant knowledgeIn this episode, Jennifer Lockhart tells us what happens when a person is unable to go ahead and do something they know how to do in theory.2012-02-0924 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 31: Branden Fitelson discusses reasoning fallaciesIn this episode, Branden Fitelson discusses some mistakes we often make when reasoning about probabilities, and explains why we may even have evolved to make these mistakes.2012-01-1144 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 30: Marko Malink discusses modal syllogisticIn this episode, Marko Malink discusses what Aristotle meant by words like 'every' and 'some,' and how his use of these words differs subtly from ours.2011-12-1230 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 29: Peter Kail discusses Hume's legacyIn this episode, Peter Kail discusses the importance of David Hume's contributions to philosophy, including his thoughts on the scientific method, human psychology, and religious belief.2011-11-0833 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 28: John Searle discusses human reality and basic realityIn this episode, John Searle explores some of the problems that come up when we try to reconcile what's obvious and self-evident about human experience with what we know about how the world works.2011-10-1838 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 27: Emma Borg discusses semantic minimalismIn this episode, Emma Borg explains why it's important to have a sharp distinction between what a person literally means when they say something and what they merely imply.2011-09-2632 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 26: Robert Richards discusses evolutionary ethicsIn this episode, Robert Richards argues that we have evolved an instinct to act for the benefit of other people.2011-09-0836 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 25: Robert Stalnaker discusses conversational contextIn this episode, Robert Stalnaker draws a distinction between two different meanings of the word 'context,' then explores some of its philosophical ramifications.2011-07-1828 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 24: Christopher Peacocke discusses the perception of musicIn this episode, Christopher Peacocke discusses what it is to hear emotion in music.2011-06-1331 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 23: Quassim Cassam discusses transcendental argumentsIn this episode, Quassim Cassam discusses an influential strategy for arguing against the idea that (for example) we're all in the Matrix.2011-05-1731 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 22: Ben Laurence discusses collective actionIn this episode, Ben Laurence discusses the difference between what an individual person does and what a group of people does.2011-04-0629 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 21: Raymond Geuss discusses political liberalismIn this episode, Raymond Geuss critiques the idea that we should always look to what the general consensus is when deciding which political policies to adopt.2011-03-0732 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 20: Simon Critchley discusses faithIn this episode, Simon Critchley considers whether religious faith can serve as a model for faith in ethical principles.2011-02-0833 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 19: Dan Sperber discusses epistemic vigilanceIn this episode, Dan Sperber discusses the psychological habits we develop in order to figure out whether the information we hear from other people is trustworthy.2011-01-1235 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 18: Mark Lance discusses language and powerIn this episode, Mark Lance discusses how the conventions by which we verbally address one another define the roles we play in society.2010-12-0633 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 17: Brandon Fogel discusses mechanism and causationIn this episode, Brandon Fogel discusses how attitudes toward the idea of action at a distance have changed over the course of history.2010-11-0833 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 16: Amartya Sen discusses justiceIn this episode, Amartya Sen critiques the idea that in order to make our society more just, we have to model it on an ideal.2010-10-0627 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 15: Brian Leiter discusses religious tolerationIn this episode, Brian Leiter considers whether claims of religious conscience--as opposed to claims of other matters of conscience--should be given special status under the law.2010-09-0836 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 14: Edward Witherspoon discusses skepticismIn this episode, Edward Witherspoon considers whether a disembodied brain could, in principle, have the ability to think.2010-08-0233 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 13: Fabrizio Cariani discusses judgment aggregationIn this episode, Fabrizio Cariani discusses how the beliefs held by a single person in a group relate to the beliefs held by that group as a whole.2010-07-0923 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 12: Jason Bridges discusses contextualismIn this episode, Jason Bridges discusses how a single sentence can mean completely different things in different contexts, and why this is of particular interest to philosophers.2010-06-0340 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 11: Martin Gustafsson discusses philosophical picturesIn this episode, Martin Gustafsson discusses Ludwig Wittgenstein's thoughts on the commonsense belief that the meaning of a word is the thing for which the word stands.2010-05-0723 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 10: Richard Kraut discusses goodnessIn this episode, Richard Kraut discusses the contrast between being good for someone and simply being good.2010-04-0522 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 9: Ted Cohen discusses metaphorIn this episode, Ted Cohen argues that metaphorical language is a tool we use to identify with other people.2010-03-0431 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 8: Chris Haufe discusses evolutionary psychologyIn this episode, Chris Haufe discusses the problems involved in trying to give an evolutionary account of our psychological traits.2010-02-1223 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 7: Daniel Groll discusses nature and ethicsIn this episode, Daniel Groll discusses how one might invoke the idea of nature when making an argument about what is right or wrong.2010-01-0424 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 6: Jesse Prinz discusses experimental philosophyIn this episode, Jesse Prinz discusses a new movement in philosophy which makes use of findings in psychology and the social sciences to address traditional philosophical problems.2009-12-0135 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 5: Jocelyn Benoist discusses the philosophy of perceptionIn this episode, Jocelyn Benoist reflects on whether our sense perception is reliable. Should we worry about whether we can be certain that there is a real, tangible, external world, or is that worry misplaced?2009-11-0234 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 4: Martha Nussbaum discusses sexuality and the lawIn this episode, Martha Nussbaum discusses how and whether sexual conduct should be legally regulated.2009-10-0122 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 3: Brian Leiter discusses Nietzsche on moralityIn this episode, Brian Leiter discusses Nietzsche's critique of morality and his naturalist approach to human psychology.2009-09-0130 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 2: Gabriel Richardson Lear discusses Plato's philosophy of poetryIn this episode, Gabriel Richardson Lear tells us why Plato thought that the stylistic choices made by a poet could have ethical ramifications.2009-08-0326 minElucidations: A University of Chicago PodcastEpisode 1: Agnes Callard discusses desire and satisfactionIn this episode, Agnes Callard offers a new account of what it is to want something, and what it means to get the thing you want.2009-07-0626 min