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Philosophy Talk Starters

Philosophy Talk Starters

Written by: Philosophy Talk Starters
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Bite-size episodes from the program that questions everything... except your intelligence. Learn more and access complete episodes at www.philosophytalk.org.

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Episodes
  • Schopenhauer: Living Your Worst Life
    Feb 22 2026

    More at https://philosophytalk.org/shows/schopenhauer-living-your-worst-life.

    Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) is considered one of the great European philosophers of the nineteenth century. His most famous work, The World as Will and Representation, presents a pessimistic view of a world filled with endless strife and suffering, where happiness can only be but fleeting. So, how did Schopenhauer think we ought to live with one another in such a world? Did he believe there was ultimately a way to overcome the pain of the human condition? Or are we all doomed to live frustration-filled lives? Josh and Ray keep a sunny disposition with David Bather Woods from the University of Warwick, author of Arthur Schopenhauer: The Life and Thought of Philosophy’s Greatest Pessimist.

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    11 mins
  • Can Money Buy Well-being?
    Feb 15 2026

    More at https://philosophytalk.org/shows/can-money-buy-well-being.

    Governments and central banks set economic policies that affect us all. But how do those policies influence our quality of life? And how can that quality even be measured? Gross Domestic Product (GDP) includes many factors that have little to do with the regular person’s happiness. What do people really need, beyond enough to live on? And how can we make sure they get it? Josh and Ray spend some quality time with Jayati Ghosh from UMass Amherst, co-author of Earth for All: A Survival Guide for Humanity.

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    11 mins
  • Logic For Everyone
    Feb 8 2026

    More at https://www.philosophytalk.org/shows/logic-everyone.

    Logic may seem like a dry, abstract discipline that only the nerdiest of philosophers study. After all, logic textbooks are full of weird symbols and proofs about abstruse entities, like "the set of all sets." On the other hand, don’t we all try to think logically, at least in some contexts? Why do we believe, for example, it’s bad to contradict yourself and good to be coherent? And what’s the connection between the abstract rules of logic and the everyday practice of poking holes in each other's arguments? Josh and Ray entail their guest, Patrick Girard from the University of Auckland, author of Logic in the Wild.

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    11 mins
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