241 episodes

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.

Philosopher's Zone ABC listen

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.5 • 177 Ratings

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.

    Intellectual humility

    Intellectual humility

    Humility is the capacity for acknowledging that your own wisdom may be flawed, and that your epistemic commitments may be misplaced - but how can that acknowledgement honestly take place if you believe that the things you know are true?

    • 28 min
    Freedom or liberty?

    Freedom or liberty?

    "Freedom" has become a familiar catchcry in Western democracies, as individuals and protest groups increasingly push back against government restrictions of any and all kinds. The problems this poses for communal life and social cohesion are obvious - so how should freedom be properly understood?

    • 40 min
    Philosophy, angst and hope

    Philosophy, angst and hope

    How does a woman philosopher deal with the challenges posed by conservative, masculinist culture within her own academic discipline? Our guest this week turns to the work of Immanuel Kant, the 18th century German thinker who formulated a fine-grained philosophy of hope.

    • 27 min
    Music, taste and AI

    Music, taste and AI

    When you think about the music you like (or don't like), what does it tell you about your taste? Do you think you have good taste? And if you do, why? What is it about music that determines good or bad taste, and is it possible to cultivate the former?

    • 42 min
    The philosophy of twins

    The philosophy of twins

    This week we're exploring our enduring cultural fascination with identical twins, asking what drives it, and what philosophical questions around selfhood and identity are raised by twinship.

    • 28 min
    Philosophy, disability and the gut

    Philosophy, disability and the gut

    Digestive disorders are a common source of distress and social anxiety - which might seem to be an odd topic for philosophy, until you start to think about why we attach such stigma, shame and silence to issues of the gut. What does the gut tell us about our own experience of embodiment - and how can disability theory be used to shape healthier attitudes to the gut issues that plague so many of us?

    • 29 min

Customer Reviews

4.5 out of 5
177 Ratings

177 Ratings

evapdvs ,

One of the best!

Excellent selection of speakers and conversation. This is my favorite philosophy podcast! David is always very considerate and equitable. Thank you for this excellent resource.

KS-apple ,

Host needs to steer conversation in less predictable ways

Topics and guests are ok, but it veers into predictable viewpoints constantly on episodes where they don’t belong. I listened to an episode about bilingual parenting, hoping that it would offer philosophical insights into raising kids that speak different languages. Instead I got thirty minutes about racism, gender studies, and colonialism.

f;akshjg;iurhgld ,

Simply the best

In terms of production value, content, guests, and interviewers (three over the span of the show), I can definitely say this is my favorite podcast. Check out the website for some of the older ones too. If you’re reading David plz release the downloadable versions of shows on the website like it used to be. Thanks

Top Podcasts In Society & Culture

The Viall Files
Nick Viall
MeSsy with Christina Applegate & Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Wishbone Production
Stuff You Should Know
iHeartPodcasts
This American Life
This American Life
Unlocking Us with Brené Brown
Vox Media Podcast Network
Shawn Ryan Show
Shawn Ryan | Cumulus Podcast Network

You Might Also Like

The Minefield
ABC listen
Big Ideas
ABC listen
All In The Mind
ABC listen
Philosophy For Our Times
IAI
Rear Vision — How History Shaped Today
ABC listen
Late Night Live - Full program podcast
ABC listen

More by ABC Podcasts

Stuff The British Stole
ABC listen and CBC
All In The Mind
ABC listen
Short & Curly
ABC listen
Unravel
ABC listen
ABC KIDS News Time
ABC Kids listen
Science Vs
ABC listen