Philosophize This!
Beginner friendly if listened to in order! For anyone interested in an educational podcast about philosophy where you don't need to be a graduate-level philosopher to understand it. In chronological order, the thinkers and ideas that forged the world we live in are broken down and explained.
Episode #244 ... After Virtue - Alasdair MacIntyre (why moral conversations feel unsatisfying)
11 Feb 2026
Today we talk about the book After Virtue by Alasdair MacIntyre. We talk about his genealogy of moral discourse. The teleologies of Aristotle. The failure of the Enlightenment moral project. Our
Episode #243 ... Hamlet - William Shakespeare
27 Dec 2025
Today we talk about the play Hamlet written by William Shakespeare. We compare more traditional takes on the themes of the play to a more modern, philosophical analysis of the play done by Simon
Episode #242 ... Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare
29 Nov 2025
Today we talk about the philosophy behind the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. We talk about how ineffective violence and honor codes are as ways of maintaining the stability of a
Episode #241 ... The Tragedy of Julius Caesar - William Shakespeare
16 Nov 2025
Today we talk about the philosophical themes of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. We talk about the hypocrisy and false nostalgia of political violence. The ironies of living by a
Episode #240 ... Varieties of Religion Today (Charles Taylor)
8 Nov 2025
Today we talk more about the work of Charles Taylor and his book The Varieties of Religion Today. We look at different answers to a classic question around religious belief. The sociological and
Episode #239 ... Authenticity and the history of the self. (Charles Taylor)
17 Oct 2025
Today we talk about the work of the philosopher Charles Taylor. First, we trace the historical origins of how he views the modern self. From the Greeks to the Reformation. From Descartes to Rousseau.
Episode #238 ... Frankenstein - Mary Shelley
8 Oct 2025
Today we talk about the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. We talk about the mix of Romantic and Enlightenment attitudes and how it leads to problems without the proper oversight. We talk about
Episode #043 ... Tolerance
21 Nov 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we examine the true implications of tolerance and intolerance. First, we ask ourselves the inception-esque question of how tolerant we should be of intolerance, and
Episode #042 ... Optimism
12 Nov 2014
On this episode, we explore the benefits and drawbacks of optimism. First, we examine the various motivations for pessimism, and hear what Winston Churchill, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Marcus Aurelius
Episode #041 ... Belief
4 Nov 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we discuss the many facets of belief. We start out by discussing two major complications that belief brings to the table. First, absolute certainty is impossible--even
Episode #040 ... Superstition
16 Oct 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we explore superstition in its various forms and examine the ways Berkeley and Voltaire tried to eliminate it in their work. First, we think about the superstitions we
Episode #039 ... The Limits of Empiricism
8 Oct 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we explore the idea of reality and how our senses prevent us from perceiving its true nature. First, we launch a smear campaign against human eyes and their
Episode #038 ... Leibniz pt. 2 - The Best of All Possible Worlds
2 Oct 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we continue our discussion of Gottfried Leibniz. First, we delve more into the feud between Leibniz and Isaac Newton, which we briefly mentioned last week. Next, we
Episode #037 ... Leibniz pt. 1 - A Million Points of Light
23 Sep 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we begin our discussion of Gottfried Leibniz. First, we find out what important invention created a riff between Leibniz and Isaac Newton. Next, we learn about
Episode #036 ... John Locke pt. 2 - The Blank Slate
15 Sep 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we continue our discussion of John Locke. We first admire how brave Locke was to share his ideas during a time when dissent earned you the privilege of being drawn and
Episode #035 ... John Locke pt. 1
9 Sep 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we begin learning about John Locke. First, we ask ourselves whether or not we own our bodies and what other things we are entitled to simply by virtue of being born.
Episode #034 ... Spinoza pt. 2 - Force of Nature
2 Sep 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we continue learning about Spinoza, this time focusing on his concept of God. We begin by asking ourselves whether or not Stephen’s English bulldog Charlie is part
Episode #033 ... Spinoza pt. 1 - From Baruch to Benedicto
26 Aug 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we learn about Baruch De Spinoza. We find out why it was not only life-threatening to have an unpopular opinion during the time Spinoza lived, but also potentially
Episode #032 ... Blaise Pascal pt. 2 - +EV your way to success!!
19 Aug 2014
On this episode of the podcast we continue our discussion of Blaise Pascal, this time focusing on his assertion that man is “the supreme paradox of creation.” First, we learn about Pascal’s
Episode #031 ... Pascal's Wager
12 Aug 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we begin our discussion of Blaise Pascal by examining Pascal's Wager. We begin by hearkening back to last week's episode and imagine Pascal as Descartes' wingman in a
Episode #030 ... Descartes pt. 3 - God Exists
5 Aug 2014
On this episode of the podcast we conclude our three-part installment on Rene Descartes. First we discuss what the concept of God meant to Descartes. Then we discuss why the concept of God was
Episode #029 ... Descartes pt. 2 - See episode description
16 Jul 2014
The audio file for this episode was lost years ago. There is a transcript available on the website: www.philosophizethis.org Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help.
Episode #028 ... Rene Descartes pt. 1 - Context
9 Jul 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we begin learning about Rene Descartes. First, we find out why the entire human race can be compared to the loud, obnoxious guy at a party who thinks he’s smarter
Episode #027 ... Thomas Hobbes pt. 2
1 Jul 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we continue our discussion of Thomas Hobbes. Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/
Episode #026 ... Thomas Hobbes pt. 1 - The Social Contract
17 Jun 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we learn about Thomas Hobbes. We first ask ourselves what it would be like to live in a society with no laws or government, much like the scenario depicted in The
Episode #025 ... A Scientific Method For Your Life!
10 Jun 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we learn about Francis Bacon, a 16th century English philosopher. We first discuss what it meant to pursue knowledge during the time Francis Bacon lived and why he
Episode #024 ... Montaigne
4 Jun 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we learn about Michel de Montaigne. We first discuss how a case of 16th century road rage led to a near-death experience which ironically helped Montaigne overcome his
Episode #023 ... Machiavelli
20 May 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we discuss The Protestant Reformation and Machiavellianism. We begin by examining what it was like to live during the Renaissance under the rule of The Church and why
Episode #022 ... Blast off to the Renaissance!
13 May 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we begin learning about the Renaissance. We first discuss the Black Death, a bacterial plague that wiped out 30-60% of the population of Europe. We examine how the
Episode #021 ... One God - St. Thomas Aquinas
5 May 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we learn about the Christian Aristotelean philosopher St. Thomas Aquinas. We begin by examining a song by The Postal Service which sets the stage for a discussion
Episode #020 ... Two Medieval Approaches To God
24 Apr 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we discuss the concept of God from a philosophical perspective. We first broaden our definition of God by recalling the multitude of ways that the philosophers we’ve
Episode #019 ... Three Islamic Truths
14 Apr 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we discuss the nature of truth and examine it through the lenses of three Islamic philosophers who each had a different approach to truth seeking. We first discuss Al
Episode #018 ... Avicenna
4 Apr 2014
On this episode of the podcast we learn about Avicenna, an Arabic philosopher who is most known for his “Flying Man” thought experiment. We discuss the mind-body connection (or lack thereof) and
Episode #017 ... Boethius
26 Mar 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we learn about the medieval neoplatonist philosopher Boethius. We find out how he came to be wrongly convicted of treason and subsequently sentenced to death, and how
Episode #016 ... Saint Augustine
28 Feb 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we discuss St. Augustine, a philosopher who is known for merging the ideas of Neoplatonism and Christianity. We learn how an unsuspecting child led St. Augustine to
Episode #015 ... A Period of Transition - Plotinus
13 Feb 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we learn about Plotinus, a Neo-Platonist philosopher who lived in Rome during "the crisis of the third century.” We discuss the difference between religion and
Episode #014 ... The Hellenistic Age Pt. 5 - A Race To The Dark Ages
18 Jan 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we discuss Middle Platonism and the Race to the Dark Ages. We learn how Philo of Alexandria reconciled Judaism with Plato's vision of God as a master craftsman, and
Episode #013 ... The Hellenistic Age Pt. 4 - Skepticism
5 Jan 2014
On this episode of the podcast, we continue our study of the Hellenistic Age, this time focusing on Skepticism. We find out how Pyrrho used Skepticism to endure surgery without anesthesia, and learn
Episode #012 ... The Hellenistic Age Pt. 3 - Hallmarks of Stoic Ethics
20 Dec 2013
On this episode of the podcast, we continue our discussion of Stoicism, this time focusing on ethics. We learn about the three most noteworthy contributors to Stoic ethics--a crippled slave, a
Episode #011 ... The Hellenistic Age Pt. 2 - The Early Stoa and the Cynics
7 Dec 2013
This is the first of two episodes on Stoicism; in this episode, we learn about stoic physics and logic. We learn how the Stoics would likely react if faced with a zombie apocalypse and how a
Episode #010 ... The Hellenistic Age Pt. 1 - Epicurus
24 Nov 2013
This week on the podcast, we shift our focus back to Western philosophy. On this episode, we learn about Epicureanism—one of four schools of thought that were prevalent during the Hellenistic Age,
Episode #009 ... The Buddha
11 Nov 2013
On this episode of the podcast, we learn about the life of Siddhartha Gautama and his Heisenberg-esque transformation into Buddha. We learn how Buddha left a lifestyle of being fed grapes and being
Episode #008 ... Confucianism
29 Oct 2013
On this episode of the podcast, we learn about Confucius, a man whose ideas impacted China and eastern philosophy for thousands of years after his death. We find out how Confucius went from being the
Episode #007 ... Daoism
10 Aug 2013
Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/ Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis Social: Instagram:
Episode #006 ... Aristotle Pt. 2
26 Jul 2013
On this episode of the podcast, we continue learning about Aristotle, a man who created the first system of biological classification, the first system of logic, and the first formal scientific
Episode #005 ... Aristotle Pt. 1
14 Jul 2013
This week we talk about various different applications of Aristotle's ethics in modern life. We discuss making a "plan" for your life, the underlying similarities between all human desires and the
Episode #004 ... Plato
1 Jul 2013
In this week's episode, we learn about Plato's "Symposium", which you might think of as philosophy's version of fan fiction. We also learn about Plato's "Theory of Forms" and ask ourselves what makes
Episode #003 ... Socrates and the Sophists
23 Jun 2013
This week we talk about the prosperity of athens and how it led to the rise and ideas of a group of philosopher teachers called the Sophists, we tied up some loose ends and helped put all that we've
Episode #002 ... Presocratic Philosophy - Italian
15 Jun 2013
Today we talk about why philosophy is taken for granted, the crazed cult leader of ancient Greek philosophy, Pythagoras, the annoying dark cloud of deductive reasoning, Parmenides and the super hero
Episode #001 ... Presocratic Philosophy - Ionian
6 Jun 2013
Today we discussed the "Out of Africa" theory, the adversity of early humans, the term "Pre-Socratic", the first philosopher Thales, the meanest philosopher Heraclitus and Democritus, the godfather
