Dear Abbie - The Non-Advice Podcast

Abigail L. Rosenthal
  • 5.0 (1)
  • Philosophy
  • Updated Weekly

I would like this podcast to start a conversation with women of all ages, convictions and styles of life – wherever situated on the gamut of experience. In principle, there is no bar to men joining in, since how one defines women has a lot to do with what it means to be a man. But it is women I invite to pull up a chair at this virtual café table and put their questions and views into the conversation. Abigail L. Rosenthal is Professor Emerita of Philosophy, Brooklyn College of The City University of New York. She is the author of A Good Look at Evil, a Pulitzer Prize nominee, now appearing in an expanded second edition and as audiobooks. Dr. Rosenthal writes a weekly column for “Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Column,” (www.dearabbie-nonadvice.com) where she explores the situation of women. She thinks women’s lives are highly interesting. She’s the editor of The Consolations of Philosophy: Hobbes’s Secret; Spinoza’s Way by her father, Henry M. Rosenthal. She’s written numerous articles that can be accessed at Academia.edu .

  1. 5d ago

    First Kiss, Innocence, and the Female Predicament | Married Philosophers Discuss Confessions 1.2

    In Part 1.2 of Married Philosophers Discuss Confessions, Abigail L. Rosenthal and Jerry L. Martin continue their conversation on Part One of Confessions of a Young Philosopher. In Paris, a café conversation between two young philosophy students turns suddenly from politics to love. What begins as argument and intellectual sparring becomes Abigail’s first romantic encounter, forcing her to confront not only desire, but innocence, vulnerability, and the meaning of a woman’s body in the eyes of another. Jerry and Abigail explore the unsettling philosophical backdrop of the scene: a world shaped by Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Darwin, Freud, and Marx, where innocence can no longer easily be defended. Abigail reflects on erotic validation, existential terror, the loss of a hoped-for future, and what she calls “the rights of inhibition” — the possibility that hesitation and restraint may protect something real. Join the discussion and explore a life lived philosophically. Get the book, Confessions of a Young Philosopher: https://a.co/d/1ypibqo Explore more about Confessions of a Young Philosopher. Dr. Abigail L. Rosenthal is a distinguished philosopher, educator and author of Confessions of a Young Philosopher, (following the tradition of Augustine and Rousseau, but from a woman’s perspective, with illustrations) and of A Good Look At Evil, Pulitzer-nominated. Through her platform, Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Column, Abigail engages her audience with thought-provoking blogs and podcasts, discussing among other things the fascinating intricacies of women’s lives and shedding light on contemporary experience. Her philosophical and other articles span a wide range of topics which can be found in academia. She is also the editor of The Consolations of Philosophy: Hobbes’s Secret; Spinoza’s Way by Henry M. Rosenthal, her late father.

  2. Jul 2

    Paris, Desire, and the Female Predicament | Married Philosophers Discuss Confessions 1.1

    What does it mean to be desired—and what happens if you are not? In Part One of Confessions of a Young Philosopher, Abigail L. Rosenthal arrives in Paris on a Fulbright fellowship and encounters a culture that seems to make space for romantic love in a way that 1950s America did not. Along the Seine, in the cafés, and throughout the Latin Quarter, she observes a world shaped by different assumptions about love, desire, and the place of romance in human life. In this episode of Married Philosophers Discuss Confessions, Abigail and Jerry L. Martin explore the influence of the medieval love story Tristan and Iseult, the French understanding of romantic passion, and a question that haunted many young women of Abigail's generation: Is being desired part of what it means to become a fully realized woman? Their conversation examines the tension between intellectual ambition and romantic longing, the relationship between feminine identity and fulfillment, and the challenge of pursuing high ideals while remaining honest about the realities of love and desire. Drawing on Jewish history, philosophy, and personal experience, Abigail reflects on why she resisted what she saw as "Plan B" answers to life's deepest questions and why truth, for her, had to be sought in lived experience rather than abstraction. Part memoir, part philosophical conversation, and part cultural history, this chapter introduces one of the central themes of Confessions of a Young Philosopher: how to reconcile the search for meaning with the realities of love, desire, and human vulnerability. Join us as we continue Abigail's journey through Paris, philosophy, romance, and the questions that would shape the rest of her life. Join the discussion and explore a life lived philosophically. Get the book, Confessions of a Young Philosopher: https://a.co/d/1ypibqo Explore more about Confessions of a Young Philosopher. Dr. Abigail L. Rosenthal is a distinguished philosopher, educator and author of Confessions of a Young Philosopher, (following the tradition of Augustine and Rousseau, but from a woman’s perspective, with illustrations) and of A Good Look At Evil, Pulitzer-nominated. Through her platform, Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Column, Abigail engages her audience with thought-provoking blogs and podcasts, discussing among other things the fascinating intricacies of women’s lives and shedding light on contemporary experience. Her philosophical and other articles span a wide range of topics which can be found in academia. She is also the editor of The Consolations of Philosophy: Hobbes’s Secret; Spinoza’s Way by Henry M. Rosenthal, her late father.

  3. Jun 25

    Leaving Home, True Love, and the Search for Meaning | Married Philosophers Discuss Confessions: Preface

    What do you carry with you when you leave home for the first time? In Married Philosophers Discuss Confessions, philosophers Jerry L. Martin and Abigail L. Rosenthal revisit Abigail's memoir, Confessions of a Young Philosopher, chapter by chapter.  Married for decades, they look back together on the experiences, relationships, ideas, and historical events that shaped the young woman Abigail once was, and the life she would eventually build. In this opening episode, they begin with the book's preface and Abigail's departure for Paris on a Fulbright fellowship. As she reflects on the beliefs she carried with her into adulthood, the conversation explores true love, erotic desire, cynicism, faith, Jewish identity, and the determination to test ideas through lived experience rather than merely admire them from afar. Along the way, Abigail recalls growing up in a household shaped by Holocaust memory, her parents' efforts to help refugee families escape Europe, her mother's role in exposing a suspected Nazi operative in New York during World War II, and an unforgettable encounter with Raphael Lemkin, the architect of the Genocide Convention. Part memoir, part philosophical conversation, and part historical reflection, this episode introduces the themes that run throughout Confessions of a Young Philosopher: love and longing, intellectual ambition, faith and doubt, family history, moral responsibility, and the search for meaning in a complicated world. Join us as we begin the journey through Confessions of a Young Philosopher and follow Abigail's story from Paris and first independence through love, loss, philosophy, friendship, desire, and the unexpected lessons of a life fully lived. Join the discussion and explore a life lived philosophically. Get the book, Confessions of a Young Philosopher: https://a.co/d/1ypibqo Explore more about Confessions of a Young Philosopher. Dr. Abigail L. Rosenthal is a distinguished philosopher, educator and author of Confessions of a Young Philosopher, (following the tradition of Augustine and Rousseau, but from a woman’s perspective, with illustrations) and of A Good Look At Evil, Pulitzer-nominated. Through her platform, Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Column, Abigail engages her audience with thought-provoking blogs and podcasts, discussing among other things the fascinating intricacies of women’s lives and shedding light on contemporary experience. Her philosophical and other articles span a wide range of topics which can be found in academia. She is also the editor of The Consolations of Philosophy: Hobbes’s Secret; Spinoza’s Way by Henry M. Rosenthal, her late father.

  4. 07/10/2025

    How A Radically Personal God Works In Real Lives - Jerry & Abigail: An Intimate Dialogue

    In this deeply personal and spiritually rich episode, philosopher Jerry L. Martin is joined by Abigail L. Rosenthal on his podcast God An Autobiography for an intimate conversation about divine encounters, spiritual awakening, and what it means to experience a radically personal God.  Drawing from Jerry’s new book Radically Personal: God and Ourselves in the New Axial Age, the discussion explores how spiritual truth is not one-size-fits-all and why each individual’s connection to the divine can look entirely unique. Jerry reflects on being called to tell God’s story across different cultures and religious traditions, while Abigail shares a powerful mystical experience that sustained her through a long and painful chapter in her life.  Together, they discuss Jewish philosophy, personal spirituality, the rejection of Original Sin, and how trusting one’s inner spiritual compass can lead to deep transformation. This episode speaks directly to seekers, skeptics, and anyone exploring their own spiritual path. It is a thoughtful and emotional journey into faith and doubt, divine presence, mystical experience, and the call to live with spiritual purpose. Explore more about Confessions of a Young Philosopher. Get Confessions of a Young Philosopher. Abigail L. Rosenthal is Professor Emerita at Brooklyn College of The City University of New York. She is the author of Confessions of A Young Philosopher (forthcoming), which is a woman's "confession" in the tradition of Augustine and Rousseau. She writes a weekly online column, "Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Column" along with "Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Podcast," where she explains why women's lives are highly interesting. Many of her articles are accessible at https://brooklyn-cuny.academia.edu/AbigailMartin. She edited The Consolations of Philosophy: Hobbes's Secret; Spinoza's Way by her father, the late Henry M. Rosenthal. She is married to Jerry L. Martin, also a philosopher. They live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She can be reached a dearabbiesilvousplait@gmail.com.We live under the sheltering umbrellas of our worldviews.  To the point where we would feel naked if we were caught in the street without them.

  5. 07/03/2025

    What Is Love - Jerry and Abigail: An Intimate Dialogue

    In this episode, Dr. Abigail L. Rosenthal  joins her husband Dr. Jerry L. Martin on his podcast God An Autobiography to ask a question deeply human and spiritually profound:  What is love and what does it reveal about the nature of the world we live in? Jerry and Abigail remind us that truth is not always found in the dominant worldview. Often, it comes from moments that break through: a glance, a conversation, a shared fight for something that matters. This intimate dialogue speaks to those who live at the edge of conventional categories, those who are spiritual but not religious, seekers of meaning, lovers of wisdom. If you’ve ever felt there must be more to love than psychology, more to life than surface logic, this is your episode. Begin here. With feeling. With thought. With two philosophers, in love. Explore more about Confessions of a Young Philosopher. Get Confessions of a Young Philosopher. Abigail L. Rosenthal is Professor Emerita at Brooklyn College of The City University of New York. She is the author of Confessions of A Young Philosopher (forthcoming), which is a woman's "confession" in the tradition of Augustine and Rousseau. She writes a weekly online column, "Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Column" along with "Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Podcast," where she explains why women's lives are highly interesting. Many of her articles are accessible at https://brooklyn-cuny.academia.edu/AbigailMartin. She edited The Consolations of Philosophy: Hobbes's Secret; Spinoza's Way by her father, the late Henry M. Rosenthal. She is married to Jerry L. Martin, also a philosopher. They live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She can be reached a dearabbiesilvousplait@gmail.com.We live under the sheltering umbrellas of our worldviews.  To the point where we would feel naked if we were caught in the street without them.

  6. 06/12/2025

    Preface, Part 4 - Married Philosophers Discuss Confessions

    "God is not fooled. Everybody else could be fooled, but in that respect—just as you can’t fool a child by pretending to be benevolent and love the cute little number when you don’t—the child is not fooled. The dog is not fooled. You know, there are humble creatures in life who are simply not fooled by grown-up pretenses, and God seems to be in that number." Explore more about Confessions of a Young Philosopher. Get Confessions of a Young Philosopher. Abigail L. Rosenthal is Professor Emerita at Brooklyn College of The City University of New York. She is the author of Confessions of A Young Philosopher (forthcoming), which is a woman's "confession" in the tradition of Augustine and Rousseau. She writes a weekly online column, "Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Column" along with "Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Podcast," where she explains why women's lives are highly interesting. Many of her articles are accessible at https://brooklyn-cuny.academia.edu/AbigailMartin. She edited The Consolations of Philosophy: Hobbes's Secret; Spinoza's Way by her father, the late Henry M. Rosenthal. She is married to Jerry L. Martin, also a philosopher. They live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She can be reached a dearabbiesilvousplait@gmail.com.We live under the sheltering umbrellas of our worldviews.  To the point where we would feel naked if we were caught in the street without them.

  7. 06/05/2025

    Preface, Part 3 - Married Philosophers Discuss Confessions

    "I did feel obligated, as a Jewish girl who was not stupid, to situate my life on the larger map of human striving in a world that was wide, not narrow. I wanted to know where I was and not just in the realm of personal options. I sought to get my bearings and location in human history itself. I just wanted to know how to find me in the bigger story.” Explore more about Confessions of a Young Philosopher. Get Confessions of a Young Philosopher. Abigail L. Rosenthal is Professor Emerita at Brooklyn College of The City University of New York. She is the author of Confessions of A Young Philosopher (forthcoming), which is a woman's "confession" in the tradition of Augustine and Rousseau. She writes a weekly online column, "Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Column" along with "Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Podcast," where she explains why women's lives are highly interesting. Many of her articles are accessible at https://brooklyn-cuny.academia.edu/AbigailMartin. She edited The Consolations of Philosophy: Hobbes's Secret; Spinoza's Way by her father, the late Henry M. Rosenthal. She is married to Jerry L. Martin, also a philosopher. They live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She can be reached a dearabbiesilvousplait@gmail.com.We live under the sheltering umbrellas of our worldviews.  To the point where we would feel naked if we were caught in the street without them.

  8. 05/22/2025

    Preface Part 2: Married Philosophers Discuss Confessions

    "If we’re talking about how to understand the Abigail who sets forth on her life journey in the opening pages of this book, I could be deemed naive. But about the hovering presence of unspeakable horror at the outside of this visual screen of the world that I was looking at, I couldn’t be unaware of that." Abigail L. Rosenthal is Professor Emerita at Brooklyn College of The City University of New York. She is the author of Confessions of A Young Philosopher (forthcoming), which is a woman's "confession" in the tradition of Augustine and Rousseau. She writes a weekly online column, "Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Column" along with "Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Podcast," where she explains why women's lives are highly interesting. Many of her articles are accessible at https://brooklyn-cuny.academia.edu/AbigailMartin. She edited The Consolations of Philosophy: Hobbes's Secret; Spinoza's Way by her father, the late Henry M. Rosenthal. She is married to Jerry L. Martin, also a philosopher. They live in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. She can be reached a dearabbiesilvousplait@gmail.com.We live under the sheltering umbrellas of our worldviews.  To the point where we would feel naked if we were caught in the street without them.

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I would like this podcast to start a conversation with women of all ages, convictions and styles of life – wherever situated on the gamut of experience. In principle, there is no bar to men joining in, since how one defines women has a lot to do with what it means to be a man. But it is women I invite to pull up a chair at this virtual café table and put their questions and views into the conversation. Abigail L. Rosenthal is Professor Emerita of Philosophy, Brooklyn College of The City University of New York. She is the author of A Good Look at Evil, a Pulitzer Prize nominee, now appearing in an expanded second edition and as audiobooks. Dr. Rosenthal writes a weekly column for “Dear Abbie: The Non-Advice Column,” (www.dearabbie-nonadvice.com) where she explores the situation of women. She thinks women’s lives are highly interesting. She’s the editor of The Consolations of Philosophy: Hobbes’s Secret; Spinoza’s Way by her father, Henry M. Rosenthal. She’s written numerous articles that can be accessed at Academia.edu .

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