Episodi

  • In this episode, Megan and Frank investigate ghosts and hauntings. Are ghosts some kind of spirit, physical beings, or something in between? Is there a natural explanation for ghostly encounters? And what can ghosts teach us about the depths of human experience? Thinkers discussed include: Descartes, Philip Goff, and Beverley Clack.

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    Ghosts of Philosophy LaBossiere | A Philosopher's Blog

    Victorian ectoplasm-producing mediums: freaks or fakes? | Children's books | The Guardian

    Philip Goff, Ghosts and Sparse Properties

    The wisdom of ghosts - Clack | Religious Studies | Cambridge Core

    Braude, Immortal Remains: The Evidence for Life After Death 

    Podemore, et al. - Phantasms of the Living

    The Best Ghost Story - by Alexander J. Zawacki

    LEGION OF THE DAMNED - ghostwalkbrighton.co.uk

    Time | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy

    Megan Fritts, Arresting Time's Arrow: Death, Loss, and the Preservation of Real Union

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: KKPO6KMRESVX1ZQD

  • In this episode, Megan and Frank examine hypnosis. What evidence is there that hypnosis is a real phenomenon, and why does hypnosis have a dubious reputation? Does hypnosis alleviate pain, or just mask it? What is the nature of hypnotic consciousness? And does hypnosis prove there’s no true self? Thinkers discussed include: William James, Ernest and Josephine Hilgard, Derek Parfit, Sigmund Freud, and Tim Bayne.

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    Uncovering the new science of clinical hypnosis

    The Morpheus Clinic for Hypnosis

    Hypnobirthing - Google Books

    Hypnosis and Conscious States: The Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective

    Hypnosis to quit smoking: What to know

    Neural functional correlates of hypnosis and hypnoanalgesia: Role of the cingulate cortex

    Hypnotic Suggestion and the Modulation of Stroop Interference

    Hypnosis in the Relief of Pain

    Mary Haight, Hypnosis and the Philosophy of Mind

    Hypnotism and Mesmerism | Vox

    Hypnosis in History - American Hypnosis Association

    Hidden observer - Oxford Reference

    Hidden Observer APA Dictionary

    The split brain: A tale of two halves | Nature

    Derek Parfit. Here's why he mattered. | Vox

    Tim Bayne, Hypnosis and the unity of consciousness

    Tim Bayne - The Unity of Consciousness | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

    Bilingual “I Hear a Pickle/ Oigo Un Pepinello” (kidizen.com)

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: DC5U47IEPMLOLTFG

  • Episodi mancanti?

    Fai clic qui per aggiornare il feed.

  • In this episode, Megan and Frank tackle the growing trend of "hacking" one's biology to increase longevity and possibly attain immortality.  Are biohackers right to fear death, though? Would immortality be desirable? And is the human condition worth preserving? Thinkers discussed include: Epicurus, Bernard Williams, Schopenhauer, John Martin Fischer, Martha Nussbaum, and J.R.R. Tolkien.

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    What Is Biohacking And How Does It Work? – Forbes Health

    Challenging Bryan Johnson On His “Never Die” Biohacking Protocol (youtube.com)

    Letter to Menoeceus by Epicurus (mit.edu)

    Is Death Bad for You? by Shelley Kagan (chronicle.com)

    Williams on Immortality.pdf (nd.edu)

    John Martin Fischer Response to Williams

    Gift of Ilúvatar | The One Wiki to Rule Them All | Fandom

    Nussbaum - Mortal immortals

    Schopenhauer - The vanity of existence

    Brooke Alan Trisel, Human extinction and the value of our efforts

    Being and Becoming in Modern Physics (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

    Megan Fritts, Arresting Time's Arrow: Death, Loss, and the Preservation of Real Union

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: DEKZTEGOGV2Q0TH7

  • In this episode, Megan and Frank continue their discussion of myths and mythology. Join them as they further explore different approaches to interpreting and understanding myth. How have creation myths differed across cultures? Should myth be regarded as an allegory? Is the point of myth to justify society’s norms? Is myth a tool for exploring the subconscious aspects of our minds? And do we have any use for myth in the modern world? Thinkers discussed include Joseph Cambell, Carl Jung, Karl Popper, and Mary Midgley.

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    Powell - A Short Introduction to Classical Myth (earlhaig.ca) (Chs. 2-3 for an excellent overview of theories of myth)

    Classical Mythology - Prof. Vandiver (A great lecture series we learned a lot from)

    Myth in Human History - Grant Voth (Another great lecture series we drew from)

    Myth and Knowing: An Introduction to World Mythology (quoted a few times in the episode)

    Teaching Jung - Kelly Bulkeley; Clodagh Weldon (Ch. 5 by Robert Segal was very helpful!)

    Campbell's "Other" Monomyth - The Hero's Journey: Life's Great Adventure

    A Secular Age — Charles Tayllor 

    Conjectures & Refutations - Karl Popper

    The Myths We Live By - Mary Midgley

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: LRDE4XFUJKAMEDIZ

  • In this episode, Frank and Megan discuss myths and mythology. What role has myth played in philosophy? What's the relationship between myths, history, and truth? And did the ancients really believe their myths? Join us as we engage with thinkers such as Thales of Miletus, Plato, Aristotle, Herodotus, Augustine, Paul Veyne, and R.G. Collingwood. This is the first part of a two-part episode.

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    Powell - A Short Introduction to Classical Myth (earlhaig.ca) (Main source for claims about history of word "mythos" and its use in Plato/Herodotus/Aristotle. Highly recommended!)

    Hesiod - Theogony 

    Thales - Fragments 

    Lehoux - All things are full of gods": naturalism in the classical world

    R. G. Collingwood - The Idea of History

    The Herodotus - The Histories (See also BBC "In Our Time" podcast episode on Herodotus)

    Thucydides - The History of the Peloponnesian War (See also BBC "In Our Time" podcast episode on Thucydides)

    Plato’s Myths - (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

    Plato - Gorgias

    Julia Annas - Plato's Myths of Judgement (Discusses Aristotle critique of Plato's geography in the myth in the Phaedo)

    Paul Veyne - Did the Greeks Believe in Their Myths?

    Dana L. Burgess - Review of Veyne's "Did the Greeks Beleive in Their Myths?"

    Augustine - Two Books on Genesis

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: VYYZJBODHJSDWNZP

  • On this episode, Frank and Megan discuss the nature of luck. Are people lucky because good things happen to them, or do good things happen to them because they are lucky? Can we make our own luck, or is it outside of our control? Is even virtue itself subject to the whims of fortune? And if everything is determined, is anything truly lucky? 

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    What is 'lucky girl' syndrome and does it actually work?

    The Natural History of Pliny, Vol I., by Pliny the Elder.

    The Apology, by Plato

    The Prince, by Nicolo Machiavelli

    The Oedipus Trilogy, by Sophocles

    Thomas Nagel - Moral Luck

    Bernard Williams - Moral Luck

    Hales (2016) - Why Every Theory of Luck is Wrong

    Stoutenburg (2019) - In defense of an epistemic probability account of luck

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: OE1WRYCSDRS6SLYG

  • On this episode, Frank and Megan discuss near death experiences (NDEs). Are NDEs evidence that the mind is separate from the body? Are there any plausible skeptical explanations that explain the data? What might NDEs tell us about particular spiritual and religious worldviews? And could NDEs have something to teach us about humanity's deepest hopes and fears?

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands - The Lancet

    Near-Death Experiences Evidence for Their Reality - PMC (nih.gov)

    Dell’Olio, Do near-death experiences provide a rational basis for belief in life after death? 

    B. Mitchell-Yellin & J. M. Fischer, The Near-Death Experience Argument Against Physicalism: A Critique 

    R. G. Mays & S. B. Mays, Near-Death Experiences: Extended Naturalism or Promissory Physicalism? A Response to Fischer's Article

    J.M. Fischer, University Professor Lecture: Near-Death Experiences: The Stories They Tell

    G.R. Habermas, Evidential Near‐Death Experiences

    A. J. Ayer – ‘What I Saw When I Was Dead’ 

    Afterlife (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

    K. Augustine - Hallucinatory Near-Death Experiences » Internet Infidels

    Susan Blackmore Near-Death Experiences: In or out of the body? (discussion of Sagan's explanation)

    Lehoux - The Trouble with Taxa | What Did the Romans Know? An Inquiry into Science and Worldmaking (discussion of garlic and magnets)

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: I0NNKBBUOCKXBD02

  • On today’s episode, Frank and Megan are going to the gridiron to talk about football. What are the metaphysical identity conditions for sports teams? What makes a rule a good rule? Why is steroid use banned, but special training encouraged? Is the Super Bowl a distinctly American ritual? Will data analysts replace coaches? And does the extreme injury risk of football make it America’s most immoral pastime?

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    Take Your Eye Off the Ball 2.0 | Triumph Books

    The Only Good Reason to Ban Steroids in Baseball: To Prevent an Arms Race - The Atlantic

    Full Body Swimsuit Now Banned for Professional Swimmers - ABC News (go.com)

    How The NFL Uses Analytics, According To The Lead Analyst Of A Super Bowl Champion (forbes.com)

    4th down aggressiveness increasing rapidly across NFL | AP News

    NFL running backs meet to discuss position’s depressed wages | NFL | The Guardian

    Collective Force of Head Hits Increases Odds of CTE, Study Says - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

    BU Finds CTE in Nearly 92 Percent of Ex-NFL Players Studied | The Brink | Boston University

    Estimating the prevalence at death of CTE neuropathology among professional football players | Neurology

    Study finds CTE in 40 percent of athletes who died before 30 - ABC News (go.com)

    Could CTE in the NFL Be Solved by OSHA? - Global Sport Matters

    Ship of Theseus | Definition, Examples, & Solutions | Britannica

    Virtue Ethics and Consequentialism in Early Chinese Philosophy (pp. 101-117)

    Pragmatism and Reference (pp. 195-6 discusses the Browns/Ravens case)

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: RZMGXZY5O2AIXNTQ

  • In this episode, Megan and Frank explore the hidden philosophical insights of alchemy. Some of the questions they discuss include: what is the history and nature of alchemy?; is alchemy more like magic, or science? what does the practice of alchemy tell us about the alchemical view of the natural world?; what was the philosopher's stone?; and is the spirit of alchemy still alive today?

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    The Secrets of Alchemy, Principe (uchicago.edu)

    The Alchemy Reader - From Hermes Trismegistus to Isaac Newton (cambridge.org)

    A preliminary reassessment of Newton's alchemy (Chapter 11) - The Cambridge Companion to Newton

    The Case Against Perfection - Michael Sandel - The Atlantic

    Anti-Aging Techniques Taken to Extreme by Bryan Johnson - Bloomberg

    Philosophy Between the Lines: The Lost History of Esoteric Writing, Melzer (uchicago.edu)

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: 5J75WDQQ28SJKVBZ

  • On today’s episode, Megan and Frank work up the liquid courage to tackle one of philosophy’s most notorious recruiters: alcohol. Are we different people when we’re inebriated, or simply more free to act on our deepest desires? Was the prohibition movement justified? Is wine-tasting all bogus, or are sommeliers detecting something real? And does alcohol induce mystical experiences?

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    Symposium by Plato (mit.edu)

    Cassius Dio, Roman History 49.36

    Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle (mit.edu) (Book 2)

    That One Should Disdain Hardships: The Teachings of Roman Stoic 

    Drunkenness: Losing Our Grip on Reason | Choosing Freedom A Kantian Guide to Life

    Kirsten Ditterich-Shilakes, “Muse in a Stem Glass Art, Wine, and Philosophy”

    Quill Kukla, “Nonideal Theory of Sexual Consent” |

    Watch Prohibition | Ken Burns | PBS

    The 1800s: When Americans Drank Whiskey Like it was Water

    Americans are drinking more now than when Prohibition became law

    Kevin W. Sweeney, "Is There Coffee or Blackberry in My Wine?"

    A.C. Noble |The Wine Aroma Wheel Official Website

    Ophelia Deroy, "The Power of Tastes: Reconciling Science and Subjectivity"

    Managing Diacetyl (“Buttery” Flavor) Production During MLF

    Barry C. Smith, “The Objectivity of Tastes and Tasting”

    Wine-tasting: it's junk science | Wine | The Guardian

    Think wine connoisseurship is nonsense? Blind-tasting data suggest otherwise

    A New Study Answers The Question: Does Blind Wine Tasting Work? 

    William James, “The Varieties of Religious Experience”

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: EZOCM133QSX3TAVC

  • In this episode, Megan and Frank discuss the concept of secularism. How should we think about the emergence of, and reasons for, modern secular cultures? Do secular societies create secular citizens? How did the ancient conception of the secular/sacred distinction differ from the contemporary separation of church and state? What challenges does secularism face today? And can the secular realm exist alongside the sacred?

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    Liberalism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

    Etymology of "Saeculum" - Wiktionary

    A Secular Age — Charles Taylor | Harvard University Press

    Secularism: A Very Short Introduction - Andrew Copson - Oxford University Press (oup.com)

    French Secularism Leaves Little Room for Religion - The Atlantic

    Belgium to become second EU country to recognize Buddhism | Reuters

    John Locke, A Letter concerning Toleration (uchicago.edu)

    Obama’s 2006 Speech on Faith and Politics - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

    Public Reason (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

    Patrick Deneen: The New Right’s Man in the Ivory Tower - POLITICO

    Slowdown in the Rise of Religious Nones (gallup.com)

    ‘New Age’ beliefs common among religious, nonreligious Americans | Pew Research Center

    Religious and mystical experiences common among Americans - Institute for the Bio-Cultural Study of Religion (ibcsr.org)

    “The Secret” to Success? The Psychology of Belief in Manifestation - Lucas J. Dixon, Matthew J. Hornsey, Nicole Hartley, 2023 (sagepub.com)

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: U2OPXUSOE40ZLA10

  • In a special follow-up to episode 6 on extra-terrestrial life, Megan and Frank examine the Fermi Paradox. The Fermi Paradox holds that the observable universe ought to (on a set of plausible assumptions) contain evidence of extra-terrestrial life. Yet, no such life has ever been credibly observed. What, if anything, best explains our seemingly significant celestial solitude? Beyond the Fermi Paradox, they also explore two other questions: is ET life compatible with various religious worldviews? And are alien abduction reports a kind of religious experience?

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    Ezra Klein | What the Heck Is Going On With These U.F.O. Stories? - The New York Times (nytimes.com)

    The Great Silence (2018) - Milan M. Ćirković - Oxford University Press (oup.com) (The book we draw heavily from in the episode)

    Milan M. Ćirković  - Fermi's Paradox - The last challenge for copernicanism? (An article which covers most of the main themes of the 2018 book)

    Milan M. Cirkovic - Our Attitude Toward Aliens Proves We Still Think We’re Special - Nautilus (Short, popular piece on Fermi Paradox)

    David Wilkinson (2013) - Science, Religion, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

    Whitmore, J. (1995). Religious Dimensions of the UFO Abductee Experience ("UFO abductions seem to be primarily an American phenomenon; although several important cases have been reported outside the U.S., some argue that abductions are mainly confined to this country.", p. 81)

    Plotinus (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

    The Experience Machine | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (utm.edu)

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: HU4PAS2LONZMNQOU

  • The kids are alright… or are they? On today’s episode, Megan and Frank cover the following topics: is childhood a morally horrible stage of life? What does the “good life” look like for a kid? Should children get the right to vote for elected officials? Can young children understand philosophical questions and reasoning? And if so, should we be bringing philosophy to the youth?

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    Paul, LA. - Transformative Experience - Oxford University Press (oup.com)

    Kazez, J. - Old Age as a Stage of Life - Journal of Applied Philosophy - Wiley Online Library

    Ferracioli, L. - Carefreeness and Children's Wellbeing - Journal of Applied Philosophy - Wiley Online Library

    Cicero — De Senectute [On Old Age] (uchicago.edu)

    Mill, J.S. - On Liberty (Ch. 3)

    Sandel, M. - the Case Against Perfection - The Atlantic

    Big Ideas for Little Philosophers (penguinrandomhouse.com)

    Social Contract Theory | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Feminist Critique)

    Nussbaum, M. - Frontiers of Justice (Ch. 2, "Disabilities and the Social Contract)

    Rowlands, M. - Contractarianism and Animal Rights

    Wiland, E. - Should Children Have the Right to Vote? 

    Brennan, J.  - Against Democracy | Princeton University Press

    Aristotle - Nicomachean Ethics (Bk. 1, Sect. 3)

    Philosophy for Children (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

    Do Kids Have a Fundamental Sense of Fairness? - Scientific American 

    Augustine - Confessions, (Bk. 1, Ch. 7)

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: LBJAOXPIK1VAALIR

  • Why did early modern philosophers posit legions of blissful aliens to help solve the problem of evil? Is life essentially terrestrial? Does SETI count as a scientific enterprise? If Martians could talk, would we ever be able to understand them? Join Megan and Frank as they philosophize about our friends from the final frontier!

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    Defense Department announces new UFO task force - CBS News

    Kukla, A. (2001). ETI: On the prospects and pursuitworthiness of the search for extraterrestrial intelligence - ScienceDirect 

    Plutarch • On the Face in the Moon (Part 1 of 4) (uchicago.edu)

    Lucretius - On the Nature of Things by Lucretius (mit.edu)

    Pearce, K. - Space Aliens and Skeptical Theism (blog.kennypearce.net)

    Draper, P. (1989) Pain and Pleasure: An Evidential Problem for Theists on JSTOR

    Crowe, M. (2017). William and John Herschel’s Quest for Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life | SpringerLink

    Fantastically Wrong: Why the Guy Who Discovered Uranus Thought There's Life on the Sun | WIRED

    There Is Only One Other Planet In Our Galaxy That Could Be Earth-Like, Say Scientists (forbes.com)

    Rare Earth hypothesis: Why we might really be alone in the universe | Astronomy.com

    Pseudoscience and the Demarcation Problem | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (utm.edu)

    Frank Cabrera, String Theory, Non-Empirical Theory Assessment, and the Context of Pursuit - PhilPapers

    A More Parsimonious Explanation for UFO Abduction on JSTOR

    75 Years Ago, 'War Of The Worlds' Started A Panic. Or Did It? : The Two-Way : NPR

    Whitmore, J. (1995). Religious Dimensions of the UFO Abductee Experience ("UFO abductions seem to be primarily an American phenomenon; although several important cases have been reported outside the U.S., some argue that abductions are mainly confined to this country.", p. 81)

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: CWK7B5OYQTUXZOER

  • From Tinder to FarmersOnly, dating apps not only help us meet the love of our life, they also raise new philosophical questions! Does an endless stream of potential partners arrest our romantic agency? Is it morally wrong to care about looks? Why do these apps function like games--and has this gameplay forced our digital love lives into a functional flop? Join Frank and Megan as they discuss all these questions, as well as their own experiences, or lack thereof, in the world of online dating.

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    Key findings about online dating in the U.S. | Pew Research Center

    Kierkegaard - The Seducer's Diary | Princeton University Press

    Existentialism is a Humanism, Jean-Paul Sartre 1946 (marxists.org)

    Is It Bad to Prefer Attractive Partners? - William D’Alessandro (see social science references contained therein)

    C. Thi Nguyen - How Twitter gamifies communication - PhilPapers

    Paradox of Hedonism | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (utm.edu)

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: XZ0M3FIAMJSIK86P

  • Is there a goddess of Victory? A deity governing the sea? What about a god of the door hinge? In this episode, Megan and Frank discuss polytheism—the belief in many gods—from both historical and philosophical perspectives. They try to show that examining polytheism can help us think more clearly about the concept of “god”.

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    City of God (St. Augustine) (newadvent.org)

    Xenophanes (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

    The Internet Classics Archive | The Republic by Plato (mit.edu)

    LacusCurtius • Cicero — De Natura Deorum I.1‑19 (uchicago.edu)

    LacusCurtius • Cicero — De Divinatione: Book II (uchicago.edu)

    Stoic Philosophical Theology and Graeco‐Roman Religion | God and Cosmos in Stoicism | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

    Estate Planning in Hellenic Antiquity: Aristotle's Last Will and Testament

    The Internet Classics Archive | Metaphysics by Aristotle (mit.edu)

    On Counting Gods | TheoLogica: An International Journal for Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology (uclouvain.be) (by Dale Tuggy)

    Eric Steinhart, On the plurality of gods - PhilArchive

    David Lewis, Philosophical Papers, Volume 1 - PhilPapers (page xi)

    Gravity and Grace - 1st Edition - Simone Weil - Routledge Book

    Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, by David Hume (Part 5)

    Monotheism - Monotheism in world religions | Britannica

     Oration of Constantine (Eusebius) (newadvent.org)

    -----------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):

    https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: ZYVY5ICVVNMBBD3H

  • What philosophical lessons can we draw from the action movie Road House? In this episode, Megan and Frank do philosophy alongside Patrick Swayze's legendary character Dalton, examining the nature of pain, the limits of pacifism, and whether one can find the meaning of life while being a bouncer.

    Footnotes: 1) Road House is NOT a family friendly movie. 2) Prior viewing of Road House is not required for listening. Clips of some of the scenes we discuss can be found here:

    Road House (1/11) Movie CLIP - Three Simple Rules (1989) HD - YouTube

    Road House (2/11) Movie CLIP - Pain Don't Hurt (1989) HD - YouTube

    JcPenny's Came Here Because of Me.wmv - YouTube

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography

    The Internet Classics Archive | The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (mit.edu) (Ch. 4)

    The Internet Classics Archive | The Enchiridion by Epictetus (mit.edu)

    Is the Sage Free from Pain? (wku.edu) by Jan Edward Garrett

    Jeremy Bentham: An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (utilitarianism.com) (Ch. 5)

    Pacifism | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (utm.edu)

    Nietzsche’s Moral and Political Philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

    Opioids and the Brain - How do changes in the brain begin? - PursueCare

    Frontiers | Cognition and Pain: A Review (frontiersin.org)

    Congenital Insensitivity to Pain Overview - GeneReviews® - NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)

    -------------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: LOEVGA6IP8O5FQSV

  • Is Bigfoot carelessly categorized amongst the less credible cryptids? Megan and Frank discuss the possibility of the existence of this hairy hominid, debate the weight of evidence from eye-witness testimony, and try to get to the bottom of why Frank just can't believe. 

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    -----------------------

    Bibliography:

    Hunting Monsters: Cryptozoology and the Reality Behind the Myths , Naish, Darren - Amazon.com (Ch. 4)

    If Bigfoot Were Real - Scientific American Blog Network (by Darren Naish)

    The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Natural History of Pliny, Volume II., by Pliny the Elder. (Book VII, Ch. 2)

    Amazon.com: How to Think About Weird Things: Critical Thinking for a New Age: 9781259922558: Schick, Theodore, Vaughn, Lewis: Books (Ch. 5)

    Genetic analysis of hair samples attributed to yeti, bigfoot and other anomalous primates | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (royalsocietypublishing.org)

    Evolutionary history of enigmatic bears in the Tibetan Plateau–Himalaya region and the identity of the yeti | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (royalsocietypublishing.org)

    Jane Goodall on How to Change Minds and Why She Isn't Ruling Out Bigfoot | GQ

    Knowledge: A Very Short Introduction by Jennifer Nagel (Ch. 6)

    -------------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs

    License code: GXITJWQZJVEP5XV8

  • What is a resolution? Are popular New Year's resolutions too self-centered? What can the ancients teach us about maintaining our resolutions and avoiding temptation? And is the very practice of making New Year's resolutions irrational? These are just some of the questions we explore in this episode.

    -----------------------

    Hosts' Websites:

    Megan J Fritts (google.com)

    Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)

    Email: [email protected]

    ------------------------

    Bibliography:

    New Year’s Resolutions Statistics And Data – Forbes Health

    The resolution solution: Longitudinal examination of New Year's change attempts - ScienceDirect

    Auld lang Syne: Success predictors, change processes, and self‐reported outcomes of New Year's resolvers and nonresolvers - Norcross - 2002 - Journal of Clinical Psychology - Wiley Online Library

    A Medieval Man’s New Year’s Resolutions (medievalists.net)

    -------------------------

    Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts

    -------------------------

    Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs 

    License code: 0TQXA2M8GGXGEUKZ