Agnes Callard: Socratic Inquiries for a Hopeful Age

The very great Agnes Callard joins me to talk about her excellent new book Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life.

Just two Hungarian girls discussing love and ethics, truth and ignorance, paradoxes and beliefs—and Kant, Aristotle, Mill, Nussbaum, William James—and of course Socrates. Hope you enjoy!

For the full transcript of our conversation, ⁠click here⁠.

Important Links:

• Agnes's UChicago Profile
• Agnes's X

Show Notes:

(0:00:00) Guest introduction

(0:02:52) Why do some people ask load-bearing questions?

(0:08:20) You can't force Philosophy on People

(0:10:45) Philosophy is a Dangerous Profession

(0:13:26) What Broke Tolstoy?

(0:20:09) Every Human Flaw Stems from Ignorance

(0:26:40) The sociology of conversation

(0:32:36) Social Contracts and Reciprocity

(0:45:12) The Three Big Philosophical Schools

(0:47:21) Shift from Utilitarian to Virtue Ethics

(0:53:40) Socrates' Approach to Truth-Seeking

(0:57:37) Jamesian Beliefs and Leap of Faith

(1:10:07) The Power of Truth In Conflict