Best Tony Bologna Podcasts (2024)

1
John McDowell Part 3: Nothing Human is Artificial Or Everything We Do Is Nature 20:55

1+ y ago20:55

20:55

In this final episode of a three part series on John McDowell's Mind and World, I take a look at McDowell's Transcendental Argument. I feel his transcendental argument comes up a bit short in making McDowell's case and neither does it seem to hold the same gravitas as other transcendental arguments like Kant's. Basically, the conclusions sound a lo…

1
John McDowell Part 2: Squinting to Get a Glimpse of the Real World 18:57

1+ y ago18:57

18:57

In this second episode of a 3 part series on the work of John McDowell, I look at McDowell’s epistemic distinction between the active and the passive. When we perceive the world, are we soaking up empirical data like a dull sponge or actively sorting fuzzy, impressionistic content into familiar categories? For McDowell, perceptions are conceptual t…

1
Mind and World Part 1: The Active and Passive in John McDowell 19:40

1+ y ago19:40

19:40

In this first episode of a three part series on John McDowell, I talk a bit about the splash that McDowell's Mind and World made on the philosophy scene when it was published in 1994. Then, I get into and onto the work of McDowell's philosophy itself. Mind and World is quite the apt name as McDowell focuses on the meta-epistemological question of h…

1
Scientific Realism or Scientific Relativism: Kuhn Part 4 17:49

1+ y ago17:49

17:49

In this final installment of a four episode series, I take a look at criticisms of Thomas Kuhn's idea of incommensurable scientific paradigms. Kuhn makes use of a vague notion of seeing that allows him to say some surprising things about how people see the world. For example, Kuhn theorizes that 18th century scientists Joseph Priestley and Antoine …

1
Thomas Kuhn (Part 3): Epistemic Incommensurabiity or How Theory Can Affect Your Eye Balls 19:26

2y ago19:26

19:26

In this third installment of a four part series on Thomas Kuhn and the allegedly incommensurable revolutions of science, I look at the idea of epistemic incommensurability. Last episode, I looked at semantic incommensurability - a more intuitively easier idea to get your head around. Semantic incommensurability is the idea that a shift in intension…

1
Kuhn and Science Part Two: When a 'Planet' Isn't a Planet 19:17

2y ago19:17

19:17

In this second episode of a four part series on the work of Thomas Kuhn, I look at his idea of semantic incommensurability. Semantic incommensurability as applied to science for Kuhn centers around the fact that the meaning of particular scientific terms change over time. These changes become radically different as scientific paradigms shift. 'Bile…

1
Kuhn (Part 1) Revolution, Crabs and Realism: Is There Progress Across the History of Science? 20:42

2y ago20:42

20:42

In this first episode of a 4 part installment, I would like to look at scientific realism- the idea that science delivers truths about how the world actually ’is’ in reality. Under this view, science isn’t successful solely because it allows us to better cope with the world and our environment but because it’s theories are based on actual objective…

1
Kant At The Court Of King Arthur (Part 2): How to Chastise Genghis Khan From a Safe Distance 22:49

2y ago22:49

22:49

In this final part of a two part series on our ability to morally evaluate historical figures, I continue my look at the work of Bernard Williams. After taking into account Williams' theory of the relativism of distance, I look at British philosopher Miranda Fricker's criticism of Williams. Fricker believes that historical figures are capable of be…

1
Kant at the Court of King Arthur (Part 1) - Bernard Williams and the Relativism of Historical Distance 20:09

2y ago20:09

20:09

In this first episode of a two part series, I look at an issue that has been hot of late (are there any non-hot issues in the internet age?) – the issue of how we should judge our historical heritage – particularly the prominent figures of history. Winston Churchill, Christopher Columbus and others have had statues removed in public places along wi…

1
3 for the Price of 1 - Donald Davidson's Principle of Charity Slays Empiricism, Conceptual Schemes & The Cartesian Skeptic (Maybe) 19:24

2y ago19:24

19:24

Apologies for the Buzzfeedesque title - In this final episode of a two-part series on the work of Donald Davidson, I look at Davidson’s work on a theory of meaning, his principle of charity, and, what he believed were his arguments that put the final nail in the coffin of empiricism. Davidson claims that we should develop a theory of meaning by ima…

1
Donald Davidson and White Snow: A Bare Bones Theory of Meaning 21:04

2+ y ago21:04

21:04

In this first episode of a two part series on Donald Davidson, I examine the work of this often puzzling yet seminal American philosopher. Davidson offers a seemingly baffingly simple theory of meaning - that 'snow is white' is true if and only if snow is white. In other words, that above sentence about snow is true if and only if snow is actually …

1
Hume and Practical Rationality: The World vs. The Scratching of Hume's Finger (Part Deux) 21:59

2+ y ago21:59

21:59

In this final installment of a two part episode on David Hume and practical rationality, I examine Hume's quote "It is not contrary to reason to prefer the destruction of the whole world to the scratching of my finger”. Sounds selfish. However, British philosopher Peter Railton claims that this famous line is often misunderstood. According to Railt…

1
Hume and Practical Rationality: Is There Any Connection Between Morality and Reason? 21:50

2+ y ago21:50

21:50

In this first episode of a two part installment, I look at the work of David Hume and his ideas that justify that famous quote of his “Reason is, and ought only to be the slave of the passions.” This quote has always troubled me. As politico-moral beings, many don't want to classify a horrific act as merely bad. There is also an urge to classify th…

1
What Is The Meaning of Life? (Part 2) 21:37

2+ y ago21:37

21:37

In this second installment of a two part series on that loftiest of philosophical questions - ‘what is the meaning of life?’, I will make a flailing attempt to answer the question but, hopefully, it is an attempt that may have certain traction. Through looking at nihlism and the work of British analytic philospher James Tartagila, I will show that …

1
What Isn't The Meaning of Life (Part 1) 21:51

2+ y ago21:51

21:51

In this first installment of a two part series, I look at that most deepest of all questions of the philosophical variety, 'what is the meaning of life'? ''What is the meaning of life?' is the very question that witty conversational partners will volley back with when they hear you are studying philosophy ... 'Hey, so what's the meaning of life?'. …

1
Two Dogmas of Empiricism: Gary Gutting Questions The Paper's Status 21:00

2+ y ago21:00

21:00

In this third and final installment on WVO Quine's Two Dogmas of Empiricism, I look at Gary Gutting's examination of the paper in his 2009 book What Philosophers Know. Gutting argues that although analytic philosophers pride themselves on the rigor of their argumentation and Two Dogmas is seen as one of the most important papers of 20th century ana…

1
The Two Dogmas Of Empiricism: Where Are The Arguments? 23:03

3y ago23:03

23:03

In this second part of a three part series, I turn from the logical positivists and focus on Quine's actual arguments against the notion of analyticity. We get into the nitty-gritty of what was actually going on in The Two Dogmas of Empiricism. Quine employs a couple of different methods in his paper to bring down the notion of analytic truths: an …

1
The Two Dogmas Of Empiricism: The Greatest Philosophy Paper of the 20th Century? 20:14

3y ago20:14

20:14

In this series, I want to look at W.V.O Quine's 1950 essay Two Dogmas of Empiricism which many feel put the final nail in the coffin of the logical positivist project. It's often regarded as the most important or impactful paper of the 20th century. Gary Gutting, formerly of the University of Notre Dame, felt otherwise. We will explore Quine's argu…

1
Everything Old is Regrooved Again: The Permanent Present and Vaporwave Aesthetics 28:46

3y ago28:46

28:46

In this episode, I discuss late stage capitalism in 2021 through a look at innovation in music. We seem to be caught in a ‘permanent present’. This ‘permanent present’ is a place where we cannot imagine a radically different future for ourselves from the present that we inhabit now. We inhabit a failure of imagination. I borrow heavily on the work …

1
PF Strawson and JL Mackie: Science: Just Another Way of Seeing the World (Part 3) 25:18

3y ago25:18

25:18

On the third installment of my series on PF Strawson's undelievered lecture to The Royal Institute of Philosophy in 1979 titled Perception and Its Objects, I look at Strawson's criticism of JL Mackie's scientific realism. Strawson argues that Mackie's realism is not a real realism, unlike his own, as Mackie relies on a theory of representationalism…

1
PF Strawson and AJ Ayer: Perception: Raw Like Sushi? (Part 2) 28:35

3y ago28:35

28:35

In this second episode of a three part series on PF Strawson's 1978 lecture Perception and Its Objects, I focus on Strawson's criticism of AJ Ayer's portrayal of the average adult human's process of perception. Through his criticism of Ayer's account, Strawson elaborates on the features of his own account - what he calls a real realism but what PF …

1
PF Strawson Takes on AJ Ayer: Perception and Its Objects (Part 1) 20:31

3y ago20:31

20:31

in this first episode of a three part series, I will focus on PF Strawson's 1978 lecture written for the Royal Institute of Philosophy but never delivered 'Perception and Its Objects'. In this lecture, Strawson develops a theory of common sense realism and illustrates his idea of how the average adult perceives the world by contrasting his outlook …

1
Is There A Coherence That Binds Together a Political Ideology? Short Episode 5:21

3y ago5:21

5:21

People tend to think of themselves as largely rational beings on life’s important issues and one of these issues is the political. Is there a coherence running throughout the liberal ideology or the socialist ideology or the conservative ideology? Put another way, do all the political beliefs that a leftist tends to hold have a rational coherence t…

1
Can Genes Be Any More Selfish Than Jeans?: The Misuse of a Metaphor Part 2 26:43

3y ago26:43

26:43

In this final episode of a two part series, I continue looking at the intellectual debate that occured between philosopher Mary Midgely and ethologist Richard Dawkins in the pages of the journal Philosophy in the late 1970s and early 80s. I also look at the work of biologist Robert Trivers and the limits of using mathemetical models to understand b…

1
Selfish Genes and Abstract Elephants: The Misuse of a Metaphor 22:48

3y ago22:48

22:48

In this first episode of a two part series on the battle between philosopher Mary Midgely and biologist Richard Dawkins, I look at the issue of whether genes can be selfish as per Dawkins' immensely popular book The Selfish Gene. In particular, I'm going to talk about Midgely's attack on Dawkins' ideas in the pages of the journal Philosophy in Octo…

1
Electromagnetic Consciousness: Short Episode 5:56

3y ago5:56

5:56

I'm trying some short episodes here and there along with the usual full length episodes. The aim is to allow me to digest interesting things that I read and hopefully you can get something out of it. Today, the topic is electromagnetic fields. Cognitive science has been looking for clues to understanding how the physical touches base with the menta…

1
New Atheism and the Alt-Right 35:07

3y ago35:07

35:07

In this one-off episode, I take a look at whether the Alt-right are the unintended offspring of the New Atheism movement that emerged online in the early days of Web 2.0. I argue that Web 2.0 created a unique environment where both atheists and the religious felt both emboldened and victimized leading to some very uncivil discourse. In the course o…

1
Emancipation Now ... Well Not Now, A Little Bit Later: Is Reflective Equilibrium The Tool to Lead Us To New Poltical and Ethical Visions (Part 3) 17:53

3y ago17:53

17:53

In this last episode of a three part installment, I look at whether reflective equilibrium is stuck with the same problems of pragmatism - namely a favoring of our already held considered convictions. I say no it isn't and attempt to illustrate why by looking at the work of Canadian philosopher Kai Nielsen's work on wide reflective equilibrium. Ref…

1
Back to the Past: The Historical Roots of Reflective Equilibrium (Part 2) 20:33

3+ y ago20:33

20:33

In the second episode of a three part series on reflective equilibrium, I look at the historical roots of this philosophical tool. Reflective equilibrium has its roots in the procedural liberalism that developed out of necessity as a means to peacefully resolve the Wars of Religion engulfing Europe in the 16th, 17th and early 18th centuries. Politi…

1
Bringing It All Into Balance: The Reflective Equilibrium Story (Part 1) 19:55

3+ y ago19:55

19:55

In this first episode of a three part series, I look at the philosophical tool of Reflective Equilibrium. I explain what it is as a process and delve a bit into its history with Nelson Goodman and John Rawls. I also look at it’s structure as a formal embodiment of a way in which we already tend to think. It’s been a while since I released an episod…

1
impatience 1:01:20

3+ y ago1:01:20

1:01:20

In this episode Brandon and Tony talk about impatience, being aware and understanding it, how it affects you, and ways to become more patient.By Brandon Hubbard, Tony Bologna

1
Moral Realism (Part 3) - A Moral Realist's Reply to Mackie 21:56

3+ y ago21:56

21:56

In this final epiosode of a three part series, I examine and critique J.L. Mackie's criticisms against moral realism that he lays out in his error theory. Mackie holds that since morality is derived from culture and culture is diverse across humanity, then we should see that there could not be any universal moral facts which humanity could know. Th…

1
Finding your Balance 36:23

3+ y ago36:23

36:23

We all need balance in our lives to find contentment. Specifically speaking of the balance between responsibilities and pleasures. Everyone is unique in their own way and only you can decide where your true balance lies. If we don't have this balance we can get stuck in a rut of stress and frustration; as well as stunting our own personal growth. J…

1
Are you really independent? 38:48

3+ y ago38:48

38:48

Are you truly independent? Perhaps you may have a job, a car, a home to call your own; but many of us allow situations and thought to dictate how we feel and how we act in our day to day life. You have control of where your perspective lies but are you taking advantage of this to become independent from your own mind? Join us on YouTube https://www…

1
You Interpret the Universe 1:00:21

3+ y ago1:00:21

1:00:21

The meaning of our consciousness is simply just to experience. Putting morals aside there is no right or wrong. You have your own unique perspective to see the universe (yourself) in order to experience something new in the infinite possibilities of the universe! Visit us on Youtube! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9Teg-ZPnVOSYC580vJAfvg…

1
Moral Realism (Part 2) J.L. Mackie's Error Theory 17:48

3+ y ago17:48

17:48

In this second instalment of a three part series focusing on moral realism, I look at J.L. Mackie' s error theory. Mackie argues against the idea that moral facts supporting a moral realist framework could exist on the grounds that morality differs widely across cultures and that moral facts, if they were to exist, would be very strange things inde…

1
Moral Realism (Part 1) Are There Moral Facts? 17:20

3+ y ago17:20

17:20

In this first instalment of a three part series focusing on Australian philosopher J.L. Mackie's error theory regarding morality, I look at the view that error theory attacks - moral realism. Moral realists hold that moral facts indeed exist and that they can make moral statements true. We all know what an empirical fact might look like - the sente…

1
Hillary Putnam and Realism with a Human Face (Part 3): Tarski's Theory of Truth and How Mere Aristocratic Brain Teasers Became Philosophical Obsessions 14:50

3+ y ago14:50

14:50

In this final episode of a three part installment on Hillary Putnam's lecture Realism with a Human Face, I look at Alfred Tarski's Theory of Truth developed to answer the Liar Paradox. I show how Tarski's hierarchal splitting of language into object language and the meta-language that describes and analyzes it creates the same problem encountered b…

1
Hillary Putnam and Realism with a Human Face (Part 2): Wrapping up Quantum Physics and Following Putnam into the The Liar's Paradox 15:19

3+ y ago15:19

15:19

In this second part of a three part series on Hillary Putnam's lecture Realism with a Human Face, I wrap up the discussion about quantum physics by looking at some of quantum physics' philosophical consequences and an interesting book from 80 years ago that relates quantum physics in highly understandable terms for the layperson. Then, I follow Put…

1
Hillary Putnam and Realism with a Human Face (Part 1): On the Possibility of a God's Eye View 18:07

3+ y ago18:07

18:07

First episode in a three part series where I look at Hillary Putnam’s lecture Realism with a Human Face. Putnam talks about quantum physics and the philosophical implications of it. Basically, Putnam sees quantum theory as providing scientific justification for putting an end to God’s Eye View conceptions of our knowledge of the universe. If we tak…

1
Narrativity (Part 2) -When You Don't Think of Your Life as a Story 17:45

3+ y ago17:45

17:45

In this second episode of a two part series on narrativity, I look to flesh out an account of how we can think of our life if we don't think of it as story. People who are non-narratives in this way are often episodic. They live their life in chunks or episodes giving limited thought about their past and future without being obsessed with either. E…

1
The Tyranny of Narrativity (Part 1) - Is Life Just One Big Self-Authored Story? 17:53

3+ y ago17:53

17:53

In this first episode of a two part series, I look at the idea of how we make sense of our lives to ourselves. Our life is a big jumble of events. How do I think about my life and understand these events so that they cohere into something that constitutes a life, a self, an identity. By far, the most popular notion of doing this is to structure the…

1
Wittgenstein (Part 3) - From Simples to Samples 17:52

3+ y ago17:52

17:52

Last episode, we explored why Ludwig Wittgenstein had to abandon his attempt to build the simple, beautiful language of the Tractatus. In this episode, we will look at his turn towards a more sociological, context-based investigation of language outlined in his later lectures. For the later Wittgenstein, language is a social phenomenon through and …

1
Wittgenstein (Part 2) - The Unravelling of the Tractatus 16:40

3+ y ago16:40

16:40

In this second part of a three part series, I continue looking at Wittgenstein's Tractatus. But as we examine Wittgenstein's attempt to provide a pictorial theory of language, the tight argumentation of the Tractatus begins to unravel. The Tractatus is quite beautiful in its scope and sparseness but ultimately Wittgenstein needs to employ a theoret…

1
Wittgenstein - The First Incarnation: In Search of the Elusive Simple (Part 1) 16:17

4y ago16:17

16:17

In this first episode of a three part series, I look at the work of Ludwig Wittgenstein - the enigmatic Austrian philosopher of the early half of the 20th century. I examine his pursuit of the goal of constructing the perfect language - one that was beautiful in its simplicity and could show how each meaningful sentence 'pictured' a part of reality…

1
Heidegger Against the Technocrats (Big Data Part 2) 15:23

4y ago15:23

15:23

In this final episode of a two part series, I look at the work of Martin Heidegger to see how it can provide insights into a critical examination of the techno optimism behind the big data movement and the TED Talk crowd. Can big data craft better social policy by relying on a computational models to determine the best social policy? According to H…

1
The Utopian Impulses of the TED Talk Crowd: Can Big Data Solve Our Social Problems? 14:58

4y ago14:58

14:58

Big data is the use of extremely large data sets that may be analysed computationally to reveal patterns, trends, and associations. Some of the more optimistic among us think that big data can be employed to craft better social policy thereby creating more functional and livable societies. I trace the origins of this techno optimism showing its roo…

1
Love (Part 2): How to Love in Such a Way to Satisfy Both Your Wife and Kant and perhaps Bernard Williams Too 18:57

4y ago18:57

18:57

In this final part of a two part series on love, I look at a thought experiment by Bernard Williams in which he explores how a Kantian might react when explaining his motivation of why he should save his wife over others in a hypothetical drowning situation. Williams says such an explanation would leave the wife feeling quite cold and unloved. J Da…

1
Love (Part 1): The Philosophy Of Love and The Demands of Morality 15:47

4y ago15:47

15:47

In this first episode of a two part series, I will look at various definitions of love focusing on the analytic school with also a touch of Freud and Plato. I then examine a claim about whether the demands of love conflict with the demands of morality. For some, to love necessarily means to give your beloved preferential treatment. But, morality de…

1
Qualia (Part 4): A Bit More on Qualia Plus Philosophy in Mass Media 15:26

4y ago15:26

15:26

In this final episode of a four part series, I finish my discussion on qualia with a mention of British philosopher CD Broad and a discussion about whether our minds have the cognitive capacity to understand the structure of themselves. Can our minds understand our minds? Do we have the cognitive chops to understand how the mental and the physical …

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