Today's episode of the egg timer takes a look at Thomas Malthus's ideas about population and the significant influence that they had on 19th century thought. If you have comments, questions, or ideas for future episodes send them over to: [email protected] Image Attribution: By John Linnell - https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/obf_images/fa/25/d2c7707f809bd259eb86d61d1cc5.jpgGallery: https://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/image/L0069037.htmlWellcome Collection gallery...

in 1968 Garrett Hardin published 'The Tragedy of the Commons' and since that time his ideas have proved highly influential to a wide range of thinkers including philosophers, political scientists, economists, ecologists, and biologists. Tune to learn what the tragedy of the commons is and what solutions have been offered to try to address the problem. A link to Hardin's article can be found here: https://math.uchicago.edu/~shmuel/Modeling/Hardin,%20Tragedy%20of%20the%20Commons.pdf Send your...

This episode of the egg timer takes a critical look at what the commons are and why they matter to the history of ideas. Send you comments, questions, and ideas for future episodes to [email protected] Image Attribution: By Lennart Sikkema - Imported from 500px (archived version) by the Archive Team. (detail page), CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73619388

Tune into today's episode to learn more about confirmation bias. What is it? Why do we have it? What can be done about it? Send you comments, questions, and ideas for future episodes to: [email protected]

Tune in for a discussion of ethical issues related with organ donation and specifically what a system of organ donation ought to be like. Send your questions, comments, and ideas for future episodes to: [email protected] Image Attribution: By Tiiu Sild - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16817412

This fourth and final installment of the Summer Series takes a look at the philosophical themes from the last quarter of 1984. Winston is being interrogated by O'Brien and what ensues in their encounter is a vivid description of totalitarianism at its worse and lots of ground for philosophical consideration. A free copy of 1984 can be found here: http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks01/0100021.txt Send over your questions, comments, and ideas for future episodes to:...

This third installment of the Summer Series returns to 1984 where Winston and Julia are becoming increasingly entangled in a dangerous conspiracy against The Party. A free copy of 1984 can be found here: http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks01/0100021.txt Send over your questions, comments, and ideas for future episodes to: [email protected] Image Attribution: By Photographed by Victor Grigas - From EN WP: 1, Public Domain, ttps://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1251371

This installment of the Summer Series takes a look at some of the more important philosophical and social themes from the second quarter of 1984. Winston visits the proles section of the city and beings a secret and rebellious romantic relationship with Julia. He also receives an invitation from an Inner Party member named O'Brien which he hopes will set the stage for revolution against The Party. A free copy of 1984 can be found here: http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks01/0100021.txt Send over...

This first installment of the Summer Series takes a look at philosophical themes from the first quarter of Orwell's classic, 1984. Tune in to hear ideas about totalitarian dystopia, power and control, and doublethink. A free copy of 1984 can be found here: http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks01/0100021.txt Send over your questions, comments, and ideas for future episodes to: [email protected] Image Attribution: By Photographed by Victor Grigas - From EN WP: 1, Public Domain,...

The 2023 Summer series will highlight themes from George Orwell's classic dystopian creation, 1984. The initial episode covering the first quarter of the book will be released June 28th, the second episode on July 12th, the third on July 26th, and the last on August 9th. A free copy of 1984 can be found here: http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks01/0100021.txt Send over your questions, comments, and ideas for future episodes to: [email protected] Image Attribution: By...

What is the fundamental element of reality? In 1714 Leibniz published the Monadology and gave a very interesting answer to this question. There he argued that a non-physical part less basic substance called a Monad was indeed the fundamental element of reality. Tune in to learn more about Monads and see if you think Leibnitz was on to unlocking one of the oldest metaphysical quandaries. You can find a free copy of the Monadology here:...

Can we owe duties to people who do not yet exist? Tune in as this vexing philosophical and ethical question gets scrambled up.

This episode of the egg timer offers some introductory questions and themes about the relationship between ethics and the law. Send you questions, comments, and ideas for future episodes to: [email protected] Image Attribution: By Themis-jp - 撮影者自身, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=6428997

This episode of the egg timer scrambles up existential themes from the second half of Albert Camus's 'The Stranger'. You can find the full text of 'The Stranger' here: https://archive.org/stream/CamusAlbertTheStranger/CamusAlbert-TheStranger_djvu.txt Send your comments, questions, and ideas for future episodes to: [email protected] Image Attribution: By Lantz, Gunnar - Stockholms källan, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12278356

This episode of the egg timer scrambles up existential themes from the first half of Albert Camus's 'The Stranger'. You can find the full text of 'The Stranger' here: https://archive.org/stream/CamusAlbertTheStranger/CamusAlbert-TheStranger_djvu.txt Send your comments, questions, and ideas for future episodes to: [email protected] Image Attribution: By Lantz, Gunnar - Stockholms källan, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12278356

This episode of the egg timer previews Albert Camus's 20th century classic novel 'The Stranger'.  The next two episodes of the podcast will be devoted to taking a look at the major philosophical themes within that work. You can find the full text of 'The Stranger' here: https://archive.org/stream/CamusAlbertTheStranger/CamusAlbert-TheStranger_djvu.txt Send your comments, questions, and ideas for future episodes to: [email protected] Image Attribution: By Lantz, Gunnar -...

This episode of the egg timer takes a look at Hannah Arendt's thoughts about the banality of evil.  Arendt's treatment of evil was one of the most important and controversial ideas within 20th century political philosophy.   Send your thoughts, questions, and ideas for future episodes to: [email protected] Image Attribution: By Unknown author - American Memory, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=74309774

This episode of the egg timer takes a look at Isaiah Berlin's 20th century political philosophy classic, 'Two Concepts of Liberty'.  Tune in to learn more about the distinction Berlin makes between positive and negative liberty and why he rejects the idea that political communities should strive to enhance positive liberty. Here is a link to Berlin essay: https://cactus.utahtech.edu/green/B_Readings/I_Berlin%20Two%20Concpets%20of%20Liberty.pdf Send you comments, questions, and ideas for...

For today's episode a couple of thought experiments meant to provoke some critical thought surrounding utilitarian ethics. Send your comments, questions, and ideas for future episodes to: [email protected]

For most people price gouging is a very cut and dry ethical issue.  Tune in to find out how considerations of scarcity make the issue more complex than it first appears to be. Send your thoughts, questions, and ideas for future episodes to: [email protected] Image Attribution: By ThoBel-0043 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=90826551

Herbert Spencer was an extremely influential 19th century thinker but his ideas exist in relative obscurity today.  He coined the phrase 'survival of the fittest' and wrote extensively on a variety of topics within evolutionary theory, political thought, sociology, psychology, and ethics.  Tune in to learn more about Spencer's ideas and how they are still plenty relevant today. Send you thoughts, questions, and ideas for future episodes to [email protected] Image Attribution: By...

Tune in to learn more about Charles Darwin's idea of Natural Selection and how that idea was impactful well beyond the biological sciences.   Send over your questions, thoughts, and ideas for future episodes to [email protected] Image Attribution: By Julia Margaret Cameron - Reprinted in Charles Darwin: His Life Told in an Autobiographical Chapter, and in a Selected Series of His Published Letters, edited by Francis Darwin. London: John Murray, Albemarle Street. 1892.Scanned by...

In 1643 Elisabeth, Princess of Bohemia, wrote a series of letters to Descartes which posed a strong objection to his dualism.  Tune in to learn more about that objection and how Descartes responded in a lively correspondence with the Princess. You can find the correspondences between Elisabeth and Descartes about dualism here: https://www.earlymoderntexts.com/assets/pdfs/descartes1643_1.pdf Send you questions, thoughts, and ideas for future episodes to: [email protected] Image...

In 1963 Edmund Gettier's short paper offering counterexamples to the idea that knowledge amounts to justified true belief sent shock waves around the philosophical world.  Tune in to learn more about Gettier's influential ideas that still garner a great deal of attention today. You can find a copy of Gettier's paper here: https://fitelson.org/proseminar/gettier.pdf Send your thoughts, questions, and ideas for future episodes to: [email protected] Image Attribution: By...