Thoughts: Philosophy Untangled

Buddhism, and its metaphysics, is not given much attention in Western philosophy. Fortunately, Pavel Nitchovski, a PhD candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was as annoyed as we were about this, and decided to teach the topic in the Summer of 2020. In this episode, Hamish Stewart and Keir Aitken quiz Pavel about Buddhism’s conception of the non-self.

What is disability? How does it relate to enhancement? Do enhancements promote equality, or inequality? In this episode, Jasmine Hunt and Keir Aitken discuss the relationship between disability and enhancement - and the social and philosophical relevance of each - with Lysette Chaproniere. 

Most of us probably think we know how causation works. If we flick the switch of the kettle, we will cause the kettle to boil. If we set up a line of dominoes, and knock over the first domino, we will have caused that domino to fall, which will cause the next domino to fall, and the next, and the next, and so on. In this episode, Dr Neil McDonnell – The Lord Kelvin Adam Smith Research Fellow of the University of Glasgow – discusses why talking about causation isn’t so simple, with Ruaridh Gilmartin and Arianna Clark.

Climate change is becoming an increasingly pressing issue in politics and in everyday life. On today’s episode Hamish Stewart talks to Quan Nguyen, a PhD candidate at the University of St. Andrews. In this episode Quan describes a public philosophy article he wrote following the school strikes for climate as well as his experience in Extinction Rebellion Scotland.

In this episode we discuss women’s place in the world and why its important to celebrate successful women. We talk about what SWAG is and its role in the Glasgow University community. We talk about inspirational philosophers, why it's important to celebrate women and what grinds Anna’s gears most.

Are we ever morally assessable for the things we do in our dreams? If we are, should we feel guilt, or pride, for our dreaming actions? Dr. Robert Cowan, lecturer in Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow, joins Ross Patrizio and Alexandros Constantinou to discuss these questions and many more in this episode of Thoughts.

Why do we have a government? Why don’t we just ‘Lord of the Flies’ it? Do we really have to obey political authority? James Humphries, lecturer in Political Philosophy at the University of Glasgow, talks us through these questions and many more in this episode of Thoughts. Keir Aitken and Jasmine Hunt join him in discussion.

Derrida is a notoriously difficult philosopher to understand. Some love him, others loathe him, and everyone struggles to comprehend him. Today, we embark on a journey of discovery with Derridean thought and the wider Post-structuralist movement. Joining us again is David Baker, distinguished professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Hamish Stewart and Max Forster speak with him.

On this episode Katie chats to Amelia about the GU Psychology podcast, Brainscape. Amelia gives some ‘speedy summaries’ of ‘Love is in the Air’ and ‘Storytime’ - two episodes on the podcast – and they discuss all things from how to stand out on Tinder, to representation in children’s books.

Have you ever wondered what Postmodernism is? A hugely influential movement during the second half of the 20th C, it has gone on to influence contemporary philosophy in countless ways. Today, David Baker, Professor of Comparative Literature at UNC, talks us through what Postmodernist philosophy looked like, and the difficulties inherent in defining anything Postmodern. Hamish Stewart and Max Forster join David in discussion.