
248 episodes

Philosopher's Zone ABC Radio
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- Society & Culture
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4.5 • 156 Ratings
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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.
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What's new in death - part 1
Death holds a special fascination for all of us - but none more than philosophers, who have been pondering the puzzle of death for centuries. In this two-part series, we take a look at some recent approaches to an ancient mystery.
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Doctors and dualism
So you’re feeling sick, and you go to the doctor. The doctor sends you off for a range of diagnostic tests, which come back inconclusive. What happens next?
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Art and hate speech
This week we're exploring the idea that art can say things, and do things, and mean different things according to shifting historical circumstances - and that those sayings, doings and meanings aren't always benign or harmless. How should we respond to morally problematic art - particularly the kind of art that can function as hate speech?
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Simone de Beauvoir: becoming a woman
Simone de Beauvoir wrote that “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman”. It’s a much-quoted phrase that appears to speak presciently to modern concerns around sex and gender. But how well is Beauvoir understood by contemporary feminists?
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Ubuntu
Ubuntu is an African tradition of thought whose ethical orientation is captured in the well-known aphorism “I am, because we are”. But what gets lost when Ubuntu is framed as a philosophical discourse in the Western intellectual tradition? And where do we see its successes and failures in the reconstruction of post-colonial Africa?
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Philosophy in a nutshell: The aphorism
Philosophy is often thought of as proceeding via elaborate conceptual systems. But sometimes, a choice phrase is all you need to get you thinking.
Customer Reviews
Brilliant
Always interesting and informative. I especially appreciated the latest episode on art, being a painter myself. I’ve always been just bored by Gauguin, but this episode, highlighting that his subjects were actually his victims and child brides, completely changes the artwork. Makes me dislike the paintings more, but the history is meaningful.
most engaging philosophy podcast
When I first stumbled upon Philosopher’s Zone, I’d had little exposure to philosophy. But the show was so interesting I kept coming back, and I’m so grateful. The conversations are topical, relatively accessible, and engaging. I’ve learned so much, challenged my own beliefs, and done further reading when I couldn’t get enough of a guest or topic. Thank you so much David!
Cringe worthy
I think the topics and discussions are great. Some of the speakers are great and some… seem to be the iconic issue that the greater speakers have talked about. From Hearing about racial injustice to hearing complacent racial undertones by the notability white commentators is an interesting observation. Even then, there seems to be a mask adorned by those who find themselves educated and philosophical - Relatives of barbecue Becky - the higher grade of sheep that Fredrick Nietzsche would describe on account of their “deformed way of thinking.”