Philosopher's Zone

ABC
  • 3,7 (6)
  • Filosofia
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The simplest questions often have the most complex answers. The Philosopher's Zone is your guide through the strange thickets of logic, metaphysics and ethics.

  1. 5 gg fa

    Signal, noise and interpersonal conflict

    If someone's behaving badly, it can be hard to know how much of their behaviour stems from a deep character flaw, and how much of it is incidental - the stuff we might charitably filter out as unreflective of their true self. And the same goes for achievement: how much credit for a Nobel prize should go to the person themselves, and how much to their fortunate circumstances, or to the people who helped them? This week we're asking if philosophy can help us discern the signal from the noise. Guest: Mark Schroeder, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California Producer: David Rutledge When Things Get Personal: A Philosophical Guide to Conflict by Mark Schroeder (Princeton University Press 2026) *The 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture* - Alexandre Lefebvre on 'The return of the moral state: philosophy and the good life', Thursday September 24 at 6.30 pmRegister on the 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture event page, registrations close on September 17

  2. 2 set

    Feminism, generosity and cross-cultural support

    Western feminists often express support for women in Muslim majority countries, but sometimes that support is couched in the language of pity, as though Muslim women were held captive by their religion and culture, and in need of 'rescue'. This week, a conversation about how to offer cross-cultural support without paternalism, and how the insight of Simone de Beauvoir can illuminate the issue. Guest: Sameema Zahra, psychotherapist and Lecturer in Philosophy, Australian Catholic University Brisbane Producer: David Rutledge Philosophers in the Therapy Room - podcast with Sameema Zahra and Hora Zabarjadi Sar *The 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture* - Alexandre Lefebvre on 'The return of the moral state: philosophy and the good life', Thursday September 24 at 6.30 pmRegister on the 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture event page, registrations close on September 17

  3. 26 ago

    Getting angry at the system

    If I pick up a tree branch and smash your window with it, you're going to be angry, and your anger will rightly be directed at me. But if a tree branch smashes your windscreen during a cyclone whose intensity has been caused by global warming, you're still going to be angry — but who or what exactly should you be angry with? This week, a conversation about responsibility for systemic injustice. Guest: Stephanie Collins, Associate Professor in Philosophy, Monash University Melbourne Producer: David Rutledge *The 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture* - Alexandre Lefebvre on 'The return of the moral state: philosophy and the good life', Thursday September 24 at 6.30 pmRegister on the 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture event page, registrations close on September 17

  4. 19 ago

    Who's afraid of Cultural Marxism?

    Cultural Marxism is many things to many people — at one end of the political spectrum, it's the hidden force behind political correctness, identity politics and 'wokeness', while at the other end it's a shopworn conspiracy theory that explains nothing much at all. So what is Cultural Marxism? Did a group of Marxist intellectuals in the mid-20th century really set out to reshape Western culture? And if they did, how convincingly does their story stack up as a tale of secret plots and calculated ideological subversion? Guest: Alexander Howard, Senior Lecturer in English and Writing, University of Sydney Producer: David Rutledge 'Cultural Marxism' is a conspiracy theory for our time - Alexander Howard in The Conversation July 2026 The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy: Why the Right Blames the Frankfurt School for the Decline of the West by A.J.A. Woods (Verso 2026) Conspiracy theories, anti-Semitism and fun - The Philosopher's Zone, December 2022 *The 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture* - Alexandre Lefebvre on 'The return of the moral state: philosophy and the good life', Thursday September 24 at 6.30 pmRegister on the 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture event page, registrations close on September 17

  5. 12 ago

    Habermas and the retreat of reason

    The great German philosopher Jürgen Habermas, who died in March, wrote in his later works about what he called Unheimlichkeit — roughly translated as "the unease of the times" — to describe the global retreat of liberal democracy, the fraying of the rules-based international order, and the increasing polarisation and hostility of public discourse. And yet, to the end he defended Enlightenment reason and the utility of rational debate. In a world that seems to be losing its democratic bearings, has Habermas' day passed? Or is the problem more that we haven't read him carefully enough? Guest: Peter J. Verovšek, Assistant Professor in the History of European Integration, University of Groningen, The Netherlands Producer: David Rutledge Did Jürgen Habermas's death also mark the end of his vision of democratic life? - Peter Verovšek for ABC Religion & Ethics *The 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture* - Alexandre Lefebvre on 'The return of the moral state: philosophy and the good life', Thursday September 24 at 6.30 pmRegister on the 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture event page, registrations close on September 17

  6. 5 ago

    Visual art as philosophy

    When it comes to the ideal philosophical medium, most of us would identify the written word - or maybe the spoken word, if we're fans of Socratic dialogue - and this is because for centuries, philosophy has been a linguistic practice. But this week we're arguing that visual art can be philosophy, and looking at how visual art can represent concepts in ways that haven't traditionally been recognised by Western epistemic traditions. Guest: Taylor-Jai McAlister, clinical psychologist and postdoctoral Research Fellow in Philosophy, Macquarie University, Sydney Producer: David Rutledge Defining Aboriginality - Taylor-Jai McAlister on The Philosopher's Zone, November 2023 *The 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture* - Alexandre Lefebvre on 'The return of the moral state: philosophy and the good life', Thursday September 24 at 6.30 pmRegister on the 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture event page, registrations close on September 17

  7. 30 lug

    How smart are machines, anyway?

    Ever since AI was founded in the 1950s, people have talked and written about 'intelligence' as though we all broadly agree on what that word means. But there's considerable debate on that score, and among the debaters are philosophers - like this week's guest - who question the degree to which machines can be said to be intelligent at all, and think that claims of intelligence can all too easily deflect attention from the real ethical issues around AI. Guest: Tim Crane, Professor of Philosophy at the Central European University (CEU) in Vienna, Austria Producer: David Rutledge *The 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture* - Alexandre Lefebvre on 'The return of the moral state: philosophy and the good life', Thursday September 24 at 6.30 pmRegister on the 2026 Alan Saunders Lecture event page, registrations close on September 17

  8. 23 lug

    Hegel: The philosopher with the (one) big idea

    GWF Hegel (1770-1831) wanted to construct nothing less than a complete explanation of reality - nature, consciousness, art, history, politics, the lot - based on a single self-explanatory idea. Whether or not he succeeded is an interesting question (spoiler: he didn't), but more interesting is the question of why philosophy has become so much less ambitious since then, and what we can learn from Hegel today.

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Descrizione

The simplest questions often have the most complex answers. The Philosopher's Zone is your guide through the strange thickets of logic, metaphysics and ethics.

Informazioni

  • Creatore
    ABC
  • Anni di attività
    2006 - 2026
  • Puntate
    691
  • Classificazione
    Contenuti espliciti
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026, Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All right reserved.
  • Sito web del podcast
    Philosopher's Zone

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