The Ethics of Awesomeness
December 24, 2023
The word “awesome” once meant inspiring extreme fear or dread. Nowadays it’s mostly used as…
Henri Bergson and the Flow of Time
August 17, 2025
Many people think of time as a series of events, like successive frames in a movie. But French philosopher Henri Bergson (1859-1941) argued that this widespread picture was wrong: everything is in constant motion, and can’t be captured by a series of static descriptions. So…
Impossible Worlds
December 17, 2023
Philosophers often speculate about possible worlds: ways that things could be. Some of them also…
Nonduality and the Oneness of Being
December 10, 2023
Some branches of Hindu philosophy propose that reality is nondual in nature. Such schools of thought—called advaita schools, from…
In Awe of Wonder
December 3, 2023
Descartes said that the purpose of wonderment is “to enable us to learn and retain…
Microaggressions
November 26, 2023
Microaggressions are small comments or questions that may be insulting or hurtful to another person…
Mary Astell
November 19, 2023
Mary Astell (1666–1731) was an English philosopher and writer who advocated for equal rights for…
Your Brain on Literature
November 12, 2023
Cognitive science has revolutionized our understanding of the brain and how it functions. Researchers have…
Zhuangzi: Being One with Ten Thousand Things
November 5, 2023
Zhuangzi, the 4th-century BCE Chinese philosopher, was arguably the most important figure in Taoism. He…
Referring to the World: Ken’s Final Work
October 29, 2023
On December 2, 2019, Ken Taylor announced that he finally had “an almost complete draft”…
Elisabeth of Bohemia
October 22, 2023
Princess Elisabeth of Bohemia (1618–1680) is best known for her correspondence with René Descartes. In her letters,…
The Lives and Ideas of the Vienna Circle
October 15, 2023
The Vienna Circle was a group of early twentieth-century philosophers, mathematicians, logicians, and scientists, best…
Can Architecture Be Political?
October 8, 2023
It’s common to judge a piece of architecture based on its functional and aesthetic values,…
Disinformation and the Future of Democracy
October 1, 2023
The 2020 election and startling events that followed show that the US is as polarized…
What Is Masculinity?
September 24, 2023
Strong, in control, and stoic—these are traits of the ideal masculine man. Men who fail…
Are We Living in a Simulation?
September 17, 2023
With rapid advances in Virtual Reality technology and the like, it’s now possible for us…
Adorno and the Culture Industry
September 10, 2023
What’s your favorite movie? Did you watch that season finale last night? No spoilers! Popular…
Now Offering Institutional Subscriptions to the Philosophy Talk Archive!
Subscribe to Philosophy Talk
As a member, you’ll gain access to hundreds of engaging episodes, exclusive content, and the opportunity to be part of a vibrant community of curious minds.
