Philosophy Talk

Can A.I. Help Us Understand Babies? - Philosophy Talk Artificial intelligence is everywhere in our day-to-day lives and our interactions with the world. And it’s made impressive progress at a variety of visual, linguistic, and reasoning tasks. Does this ...

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Coming up: Can large language models show us how human babies learn to speak? Ray & @profjoshlandy.bsky.social babble along with Michael Frank, Professor of Human Biology at Stanford University – Sunday 11 am on @kalwradio.bsky.social 91.7 FM in San Francisco & www.kalw.org/show/philoso.... #PhilSky

World Philosophy Day Bite-size episodes from the program that questions everything... except your intelligence. Learn more and access complete episodes at www.philosophytalk.org.

A World Philosophy Day playlist: soundcloud.com/philtalkradi....

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Happy World Philosophy Day, established by UNESCO in 2002 to underline "the enduring value of philosophy for human thought, for each culture and each individual."

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Can A.I. Help Us Understand Babies? - Philosophy Talk Artificial intelligence is everywhere in our day-to-day lives and our interactions with the world. And it’s made impressive progress at a variety of visual, linguistic, and reasoning tasks. Does this ...

Listen to the complete episode RIGHT NOW at philosophytalk.org/.../can-ai-h.... by becoming a Premium Subscriber and babble your way through our library of 600+ episodes.

YouTube video by Philosophy Talk Can A.I. Help Us Understand Babies: Roving Philosophical Report

For our next episode, "Can #AI Help Us Understand #Babies?" we sent our Roving Philosophical Reporter, Holly J. McDede, to ask UC Berkeley cognitive scientist @alisongopnik.bsky.social how babies learn—and why grownups should be jealous: youtu.be/taZeJc7frK0

#PhilSky #philosophy #language

This Week: Margaret Cavendish Podcast Episode · Philosophy Talk: Select Episodes · 16/11/2025 · 52m

ICYMI Yesterday's broadcast—like all the episodes in our #WiseWomen series—is available for download: podcasts.apple.com/id/podcast/t....

#PhilSky #philosophy @nehgov.bsky.social @altnehgov.altgov.info

Margaret the First - Philosophy Talk Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle in the 17th century, was a fascinating polymath. And she had a radical idea about the universe: everything in it thinks. Amoebas, rocks, trees, dust—you name i...

Margaret Cavendish, the 17th-century Duchess of Newcastle and subject of today's broadcast, was a fascinating polymath. Check out her radical vision of equality at Philosophers Corner, and tune in at 11 am on KALW 91.7 FM in the SF Bay Area: philosophytalk.org/blog/margare...

#PhilSky #WiseWomen

Hello, Wag the Dog.

Wise Women - Philosophy Talk Wise Women is a sixteen-episode series about women in philosophy from antiquity to the twentieth century, generously funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The first season focuses on hi...

Part of our #WiseWomen series, which was supported by a grant from the @nehgov.bsky.social. Check out all the episodes in the series at philosophytalk.org/series/wisew....

#PhilSky #philosophy @altnehgov.altgov.info

Coming up: What would it mean to believe in the radical equality of all things—humans, trees, even rocks? Ray and @profjoshlandy.bsky.social explore the life & thought of Margaret Cavendish with Karen Detlefsen from @upenn.edu – Sunday at 11 am on KALW 91.7 FM in SF & www.kalw.org/show/philoso....

Saint Augustine - Philosophy Talk The philosopher Saint Augustine of Hippo is one of the most important figures in the history of Christianity. His efforts against the Manichean, Arian and Pelagain heresies shaped the fundamentals of ...

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YouTube video by Philosophy Talk Saint Augustine: Roving Philosophical Report

Early Christian philosopher #Augustine of Hippo was born on this date in 354 CE. For our episode in 2008, we sent our Roving Philosophical Reporter to find out how some of Augustine's ideas on the life of the flesh might have differed had he grown up in today's world: youtu.be/ZlwgG1pVqjw #PhilSky

The "first English feminist," Mary Astell, was born on this date in 1666. If you missed our broadcast a few weeks ago, you can listen to this #WiseWomen episode free (like all episodes in the series) at philosophytalk.org/shows/mary-a....

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#PhilSky #VeteransDay #RemembranceDay

Philosophy in Fiction - Philosophy Talk Philosophers think a lot about fiction. But do novelists think about philosophy? Do philosophers make good fictional characters? Can good stories be built around philosophical problems? When awarding ...

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Russian novelist Fyodor #Dostoevsky was born on this date in 1821. Although this deeply philosophical writer has never been the subject of his own episode, the titles of his novels are the basis of this bit in Woody Allen's "Love & Death" that opened our 2010 episode "Philosophy in #Fiction."

YouTube video by Philosophy Talk The Military (What Is It Good For): Roving Philosophical Report

On this Veterans/Remembrance Day, check out our 2011 episode "The #Military: What Is It Good For?" when we sent our Roving Philosophical Reporter, Caitlin Esch, to talk to a Vietnam and Desert Storm vet about his experiences in the service: youtu.be/G49xNXNQTHQ

The Examined Year: 2025 For each category, choose an event from this calendar year and briefly tell us what you believe to be its philosophical significance. Google Chrome users: Install the Mote extension and click the pur...

Use this form to tell us what events of the past year have stood out—and why: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

...because the unexamined year is not worth reviewing!

#PhilSky #TheExaminedYear

What happened in 2025 that challenged your assumptions & made you think about things in new ways?

We're putting together our annual end-of-year special, and we want to know what YOU think stood out as you reflect on the Year in Philosophy, the Year in Science, and the Year in Society & Politics. 1/

This Week: Narrative and the Meaning of Life Podcast Episode · Philosophy Talk: Select Episodes · 11/09/2025 · 51m

ICYMI Yesterday's broadcast with Helena de Bres from @wellesley.edu, author of "Philosophy in the First Person" (forthcoming), is now available for download: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/p...

#PhilSky #narrative #meaning

Narrative and the Meaning of Life Could you reliably narrate the story of your life?

Tune in TODAY at 11 am on @kalwradio.bsky.social 91.7 FM in San Francisco & online at www.kalw.org/show/philoso....

What's Your (Life) Story? - Philosophy Talk What, if anything, can give meaning to a human life? Is meaning out there to...

What, if anything, can give meaning to a human life? Could a meaningful life look like a good story?

Ahead of today's broadcast of "Narrative & the Meaning of Life" with Helena de Bres from @wellesley.edu, check out the latest blog at Philosophers Corner: philosophytalk.org/blog/got-a-s... #PhilSky

Frege and the Language of Reason - Philosophy Talk At the end of the 19th Century, the German philosopher Gottlob Frege invented a new language, based on mathematics, designed to help people reason more logically. His ideas have had a lasting impact o...

Listen to the complete program at philosophytalk.org/shows/frege-... by becoming a Premium Subscriber and reasoning your way through our library of 600+ episodes.

Logician and mathematician Gottlob Frege was born otd in 1848. For his anniversary in 2021, Josh & Ray invited host emeritus John Perry to make sense of Frege's #philosophy following the publication of his book, "Frege's Detour: An Essay on Meaning, Reference, and Truth."

#PhilSky #logic #language

Camus and the Absurd - Philosophy Talk Albert Camus is most famous for his existential works of fiction including The Stranger as well as his philosophical essay The Myth of Sisyphus. He led the French resistance press during Nazi Occupati...

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YouTube video by Philosophy Talk Camus and the Absurd: Roving Philosophical Report

Philosopher of the Absurd Albert #Camus was born on this date in 1913. For our episode in 2015, we sent our Roving Philosophical Reporter to learn more about the life & times of the man behind works like "The Stranger" and "The Myth of Sisyphus." www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIO8...

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Coming up: Could you reliably narrate the story of your life? Ray & @profjoshlandy.bsky.social tell tales with Helena de Bres from @wellesley.edu, author of "Philosophy in the First Person" – Sunday 11 am on KALW 91.7 FM in San Francisco & www.kalw.org/show/philoso....

#PhilSky #narrative #meaning