Hotel Bar Sessions

Hotel Bar Sessions is on it's regular "break" between seasons, but we're offering up these "minibar: sessions from our co-hosts (individually) in in the interimThis week, listen to HBS co-host Rick Lee talk about what metaphysics really is, how it's often misunderstood, and why it's so important. Full episode notes available at this link:https://hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/in-defense-of-metaphysics---------------------SUBSCRIBE to the podcast now to automatically download new episodes when Season 14 begins in September!SUPPORT Hotel Bar Podcast by subscribing on Patreon here! (Or by contributing one-time donations here!)JOIN our (new) Discord server here and participate in our monthly (LIVE) chats, beginning in Season 14!BOOKMARK the Hotel Bar Sessions website here for detailed show notes and reading lists, and contact any of our co-hosts here.Hotel Bar Sessions is also on Facebook, YouTube, BlueSky, and TikTok. Like, follow, share, duet, whatever... just make sure your friends know about us! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Discover the fascinating perspective of living in Washington, D.C. under martial law. The discussion highlights unsettling encounters with National Guard soldiers and the changing dynamics of community life. It critiques the militarization of daily existence and its implications for democracy and personal safety. This unique viewpoint sheds light on the normalization of military presence in urban settings, making for a thought-provoking listen.

Delving into Hannah Arendt’s concept of the 'banality of evil,' the hosts explore how ordinary individuals can commit heinous acts without monstrous intentions. They discuss the moral implications of bureaucratic indifference and how it complicates our understanding of evil. Philosophical reflections reveal the nuances of responsibility during atrocities, from historical events like the Holocaust to modern political issues. The conversation challenges listeners to engage critically with morality and recognize their potential complicity in systemic wrongdoings.

In this week’s episode, the HBS hosts talk about positive and negative major life changes.While change is a part of life, major changes can cause major upheavals in one’s sense of oneself in relation to the world. Indeed, they may teach us to perceive life anew. What might such changes show us, if anything, about traditional philosophical concepts such as the self, the good life, autonomy, and relatedness with others?Full episode notes available at this link:https://hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/major-life-changes-------------------If you enjoy Hotel Bar Sessions podcast, please be sure to subscribe and submit a rating/review! Better yet, you can support this podcast by signing up to be one of our Patrons at patreon.com/hotelbarsessions! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

The hosts tackle the compulsive habit of doomscrolling, questioning what draws us to bad news. They humorously discuss the psychological toll it takes on our mental health while exploring its strange allure. The importance of community support is highlighted amid constant crises, and they delve into the paradox of finding both engagement and anxiety in scrolling. Listeners are encouraged to be mindful in their media consumption to navigate this digital landscape without losing themselves.

Dive into the intriguing world of "NPC Energy," where hosts explore the cultural implications of being 'non-player characters' in our own lives. They humorously contrast predictable behaviors with 'main character energy,' prompting a reflection on personal agency. The conversation spirals into the impact of AI on human authenticity, questioning whether we are losing our unique narratives. Amid discussions of systemic oppression and the quest for genuine connection, listeners are invited to ponder their own roles in this expansive digital age.

Is public philosophy just academic outreach in a new outfit, or is it something else entirely? In this episode, we're joined by Kate Manne (Cornell University) to  ask what happens when philosophers leave their usual habitats and try to meet people where they actually live. We talk about the push to be legible outside the profession, the risk of being dismissed inside it, and the slippery politics of trying to do both at once. What’s the value of work that doesn’t look like philosophy but still feels like it? And who gets to decide when philosophy has gone too far—or not far enough?  Full episode notes available at this link:https://hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/public-philosophy-with-kate-manne-------------------If you enjoy Hotel Bar Sessions podcast, please be sure to subscribe and submit a rating/review! Better yet, you can support this podcast by signing up to be one of our Patrons at patreon.com/hotelbarsessions! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

What do we mean when we talk about silence? Is it the absence of sound—or something more complicated? In this episode, we dig into the many meanings of silence: as a weapon and as a refuge, as an imposed condition and a chosen strategy. We consider the roles silence plays in protest, punishment, pedagogy, intimacy, and oppression, and ask whether some kinds of silence can speak louder than words. We dig into political gag orders, awkward classroom silences, and the long pauses that say more than words ever could, asking what’s at stake when speech is withheld, delayed, or denied. Can silence be a form of resistance? Or is it always complicit? Full episode notes available at this link:https://hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/silence-------------------If you enjoy Hotel Bar Sessions podcast, please be sure to subscribe and submit a rating/review! Better yet, you can support this podcast by signing up to be one of our Patrons at patreon.com/hotelbarsessions! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

 This week, we're unpacking the Trump administration’s war on so-called “radical ideology”—a campaign targeting what it calls “gender ideology” and “equity ideology.” We explore what these terms are meant to signal, what work they do rhetorically and politically, and how they function to delegitimize trans and BIPOC lives. Drawing from Marxist accounts of ideology, we examine how ideology obscures injustice by presenting hierarchies as natural and dissent as dangerous. We also discuss the increasingly viral framing of ideology as something one can “catch,” especially in classrooms, and what’s really at stake when education, protest, and critical thought are labeled as threats. This episode asks: What counts as ideology? Who gets to decide? And what can philosophy offer when reality itself is under assault? Full episode notes available at this link:https://hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/the-war-on-radical-ideology-------------------If you enjoy Hotel Bar Sessions podcast, please be sure to subscribe and submit a rating/review! Better yet, you can support this podcast by signing up to be one of our Patrons at patreon.com/hotelbarsessions! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Who or what rules the world today? And by what right?In this episode, your favorite philosophers-on-tap—Talia Bettcher, Rick Lee, and Leigh M. Johnson—pull back the curtain on one of political theory’s most enduring (and most elusive) concepts: sovereignty. From dusty monarchs and divine right to corporations, constitutions, and contested rights, they explore how sovereignty continues to shape the world we live in—often in ways we no longer recognize. What is sovereign power? Can it be shared? Is the individual sovereign over themselves—or is that just a liberal fantasy? And in an age of global crises—climate catastrophe, AI proliferation, corporate overreach—does the nation-state still make sense at all?Drawing on thinkers like Jean Bodin, Hobbes, Rousseau, Agamben, and Judith Butler, this lively and rigorous conversation confronts the paradoxes at the heart of sovereignty, including the terrifying possibility that we’ve inherited concepts that no longer serve us… if they ever did.Grab a drink and settle in for a provocative, globe-spanning conversation on what it means to rule, obey, resist—and live together.Full episode notes available at this link:https://hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/sovereignty-------------------If you enjoy Hotel Bar Sessions podcast, please be sure to subscribe and submit a rating/review! Better yet, you can support this podcast by signing up to be one of our Patrons at patreon.com/hotelbarsessions! ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★