Premise Podcast

21 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 4 years ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratings

Welcome to Premise Podcast. This is your host Angelos Sofocleous.

In this podcast, I will be inviting a fellow philosopher each week to discuss a topic in an area of philosophy, including, but not limited to, metaphysics, ethics, phenomenology, aesthetics, epistemology, philosophy of religion, philosophy of language, and environmental philosophy. The podcast will also feature conversations related to politics, religion, and society.

The name of the podcast, Premise Podcast, signifies what the podcast is about: Introducing, challenging, and contrasting different premises before reaching any conclusion - if we are going to reach a conclusion. Sometimes, the conclusion might just be that a conclusion is unreachable.

This podcast will offer the opportunity to the public to explore and understand complex concepts in philosophy which will be presented in a clear and intelligible manner.

I am grateful that you are joining me on this quest to make philosophy public and I hope that this podcast will promote fruitful discussions and provide you with the opportunity to enrich your knowledge of philosophy.

Twitter: /PremisePodcast

Facebook: /PremisePodcast

Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/premisepodcast

You can also find the podcast on Google Podcasts, iTunes, and Spotify.

Email: [email protected]

Please consider supporting Premise Podcast on Patreon to help bring philosophy to the public, and also enjoy all the benefits of becoming a patron for Premise Podcast

Patreon: www.patreon.com/premisepodcast

Society & Culture
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed

Episodes

#20 Friedrich Nietzsche | Dr Matthew Bennett

July 10, 2020 07:54 - 53 minutes - 49.3 MB

In this episode, I host Dr Matthew Bennett, a lecturer of philosophy at the University of Cambridge. Dr Bennett talks about the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, explaining his concept of the Übermensch and his understanding of self-overcoming. Dr Bennett further expands on Nietzsche’s views on morality and analyzes the meaning of one of the most famous phrases in Nietzsche’s works, “God is dead, and we have killed him”. Dr Matthew Bennett is currently a temporary lecturer with the Faculty ...

#19 Ethics of War - Professor Cecile Fabre

April 27, 2020 13:00 - 50 minutes - 45.9 MB

Cecile Fabre is a professor of political philosophy at the University of Oxford and a senior research fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. She has published extensively on the areas of political philosophy, the ethics of war, the ethics of peace, theories of justice, and the ethics of foreign policy. In 2011, she was elected a Fellow of the British Academy. You can access the book via Oxford Scholarship Online: https://www.oxfordscholarship.com/view/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199567164.001.0001/...

#18 Agency and Responsibility - Professor Pamela Hieronymi

March 05, 2020 10:00 - 42 minutes - 39.3 MB

In this episode, I have the pleasure of hosting Professor Pamela Hieronymi, a professor of philosophy at UCLA. We talk about different kinds of responsibility and differentiate between reactive attitudes and objective attitudes in philosophy. We discuss what it means to be an agent, and also expand on the relationship between free will, and responsibility and agency. Lastly, Professor Hieronymi explains how the concepts of 'ought implies can' and 'original sin' are applied in her theory. Pro...

#17 Metaphysics and Conceptual Engineering - Professor Amie Thomasson

February 08, 2020 12:24 - 50 minutes - 46.2 MB

In this episode, I have the pleasure of hosting Professor Amie Thomasson, a Professor of Philosophy at Dartmouth College. We start by discussing some comments Stephen Hawking made against philosophy, and talk about whether science has made philosophy obsolete. Professor Thomasson shares her thoughts about the role of metaphysics in philosophy and offers a new way of doing metaphysics. She further introduces the idea of conceptual engineering and explains how it can benefit philosophy as a dis...

#16 Utilitarianism - Professor Peter Singer

December 20, 2019 12:16 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MB

In this episode, I have the pleasure of hosting Professor Peter Singer. Professor Singer gives an introduction to the theory of utilitarianism, the main arguments for it, and what major utilitarianists such as Bentham, Mill, Sidgwick, and Singer himself have contributed to the theory. Professor Singer also gives an overview of different types of utilitarianism and explains how utilitarianism is linked to his work on animal ethics. Twitter: twitter.com/PremisePodcast Facebook: facebook.com/P...

#15 What is Political Realism? - Brad Berwin

December 07, 2019 15:05 - 53 minutes - 49.3 MB

In this episode, I host Brad Berwin, a postgraduate student in Philosophy at the University of Durham. We introduce the theory of political realism, its roots, fundamental ideas and how it is related to the current political climate. In addition, we comment on how political realism can address certain liberalist challenges. Brad further presents and defends an account of modus vivendi which he argues is compatible with the main tenets of political realism and liberalism. Twitter: twitter.com...

#14 What is Marxism? - Phedias Christodoulides

November 11, 2019 09:00 - 1 hour - 84.8 MB

In this episode, I host Phedias Christodoulides, a PhD researcher in Philosophy at Northwestern University, Illinois. Phedias introduces the theory of Marxism and explains the main ideas behind Marxist ideology. We talk about Marxist conceptions of freedom and work and how these compare to the respective capitalist views. In addition, we discuss the role of the proletariat and the bourgeoisie in traditional and modern conceptions of society and how would a Marxist society look like. Twitter:...

#13 Panpsychism: Is the Universe Conscious? - Dr Philip Goff

October 03, 2019 09:00 - 52 minutes - 48.4 MB

Is the Universe Conscious? In this episode, I host Dr Philip Goff, an Assistant Professor at the University of Durham. We talk about panpsychism, the theory that consciousness is a fundamental feature of the physical world, and its implications for science and philosophy, through the views of Bertrand Russell and Arthur Eddington. Further, we talk about the relation between panpsychism and evolution and make a distinction between qualitative and quantitative aspects of physical objects, disc...

#12 Albert Camus - Dr Giovanni Gaetani

September 18, 2019 07:00 - 49 minutes - 45.1 MB

"We should not replace absurdity with meaning, but build meaning on and into absurdity" In this episode, I host Dr Giovanni Gaetani. Giovanni holds a PhD in Philosophy on the philosophy of Albert Camus. We talk about Camus’ works The Stranger, and the Myth of Sisyphus and others, and we analyze their central themes, such as death, suicide, absurdity, and rebellion. We discuss how Camus suggested we deal with the meaninglessness of life and we expand on what Camus meant with phrases such as “...

#11 Philosophy of Science - Dr Peter Vickers

August 20, 2019 06:00 - 51 minutes - 46.8 MB

If a tree falls in the woods and there is no one around to hear it, does it make a sound? In this episode, I host Dr Peter Vickers, an Associate Professor in Philosophy at the University of Durham. We analyze the role of scientific theories today, after defining the terms science and theory. We discuss the role of consistency in science and how quantum theory has changed the way we do science. Lastly, we share some thoughts on the relation between science and philosophy and talk about whethe...

#10 Skepticism, Morality, and the Philosophy of Disagreement | Izzy Possen

July 30, 2019 10:41 - 58 minutes

In this episode, I host Izzy Posen, a Philosophy and Physics student at the University of Bristol. We discuss his fundamentalist religious upbringing and what this has taught him about skepticism, fallibility, and questioning one’s beliefs. Further, we have a conversation on the philosophy of disagreement and emphasize the importance of mutual understanding in politics. Lastly, we distinguish between truth and value in philosophy and expand on the philosophical grounds of morality and knowled...

#10 Skepticism, Morality, and the Philosophy of Disagreement - Izzy Possen

July 30, 2019 10:41 - 58 minutes - 53.2 MB

#9 The Ship of Theseus and Personal Identity - Constantinos Stylianou

July 07, 2019 10:20 - 1 hour - 76.8 MB

In this episode, I host Constantinos Stylianou, a Philosophy student at the University of Glasgow. We introduce the Ship of Theseus problem and analyze its relevance on object identity and personal identity. We have a discussion on the problem of personal identity; that is, what makes a person the person they are, examining different responses to the problem. Lastly, we touch on the corpse problem and discuss spatiotemporal continuity before birth and after death. Twitter: twitter.com/Premis...

#8 God, Religion, and Society - Professor A. C. Grayling

June 20, 2019 19:18 - 1 hour - 56.1 MB

In this episode, I host A. C. Grayling, a professor of Philosophy at the New College of the Humanities of which he is also Founder and Master. We discuss how religious belief evolved and what is religion’s position in the modern world. In addition, we emphasize the importance of the Enlightenment in fighting dogma, superstition, and prejudices, and we analyze arguments for and against God’s existence. Lastly, we touch on the concept of knowledge in philosophy and Professor Grayling gives some...

#7 Ludwig Wittgenstein - Professor Constantine Sandis

June 10, 2019 12:00 - 38 minutes - 35 MB

In the second part of our conversation with Professor Constantine Sandis, a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire, we have a discussion on the philosophy of the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. In particular, we analyze Wittgenstein’s picture theory of meaning, examine his views on meaning in language, and make a distinction between the early and later Wittgenstein. Further, we explain what Wittgenstein meant with sentences such as “Whereof one can’t speak, one m...

#6 Philosophy of Action - Professor Constantine Sandis

May 30, 2019 10:00 - 47 minutes - 43.8 MB

In this episode, I host Professor Constantine Sandis, a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Hertfordshire. We discuss how people are motivated to act, what might be their reasons for acting, and we make an important distinction between things people do and people’s doing of those things. Further, we examine whether there are any necessary actions in the world, what is the place of moral responsibility in Professor Sandis’ work, and what artificial intelligence and animals can tell us...

#5 Jean-Paul Sartre - Georgia Demetriou

May 21, 2019 01:02 - 55 minutes - 50.7 MB

In this episode, I host Georgia Demetriou, a Philosophy postgraduate student at the University of Durham. We have a conversation on Jean-Paul Sartre’s work, define the terms being-for-itself, being-in-itself, and being-for-others, and discuss how Sartre views the self and the self’s relation to the world and other people. In addition, we see how his relationship with Simone de Beauvoir influenced his work and reflected his perspective on life. Lastly, we focus on how Sartre’s theories can be ...

#4 Freedom of Speech, Safe Spaces, and Social Justice | Alex J. O'Connor

May 09, 2019 11:16 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MB

In this episode, I host Alex J. O’Connor, a Philosophy and Theology student at the University of Oxford, and owner of the Cosmic Skeptic YouTube channel. We discuss the current status of free speech in academia and society, and we examine whether hate speech exists and, if yes, how we can deal with it. Using the theories of John Locke and John Stuart Mill, we comment on the notion of safe spaces in university campuses and on how the social justice movement has altered the meaning of freedom o...

#3 Animal Rights, Speciesism, and Personhood (2) | Julius Berrien

May 04, 2019 03:58 - 44 minutes - 40.8 MB

In this episode, I host Julius Berrien, a philosophy postgraduate student at the University of Durham. We define the term ‘speciesism’, as introduced by Richard Ryder, and discuss the relation of consciousness and sentience to speciesism. We assess whether human rights could and should be given to non-human animals and the role that anthropocentrism has to play in the way we treat non-human animals. Further, we focus on the importance of pain and suffering in the area of animal rights through...

#2 Animal Rights, Speciesism, and Personhood | Lizzie Bestow

April 25, 2019 16:11 - 54 minutes - 49.5 MB

In this episode, I host Lizzie Bestow, a Philosophy postgraduate student at the University of Durham, in the UK. We define what speciesism is, expanding on the work of Michael Tye, Peter Singer, Iris Murdoch, and others, and examine whether non-human animals can be granted personhood and, if yes, on what grounds. We assess the importance of pain and suffering in animals and comment on the importance of the viewpoint theory in animal ethics. Twitter: twitter.com/PremisePodcast Facebook: face...

#1 Cartesian Dualism, Consciousness, and Phenomenology | Syed Waliullah Hussaini

April 17, 2019 10:49 - 57 minutes - 52.7 MB

In this episode, we discuss with Syed Waliullah Hussaini, a philosophy postgraduate student at the University of Durham, on Cartesian dualism, consciousness, and phenomenology. Twitter: twitter.com/PremisePodcast Facebook: facebook.com/PremisePodcast Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/premisepodcast Please consider supporting Premise Podcast on Patreon to help bring philosophy to the public, and also enjoy all the benefits of becoming a patron for Premise Podcast Patreon: www.patreon.com/pre...