Philosophy On The Fringes podcast

59:06

In this episode, Megan and Frank discuss the philosophical dimensions of prehistory. What and when is the “prehistoric”? How was prehistory "discovered", and what explains our fascination with it? Is ancient archeology safe from our biases? And how did archaic man’s meaning-making differ from our own? Thinkers discussed include: Colin Renfrew, Hegel, Charles Taylor, Mircea Eliade, and Wittgenstein. ----------------------- Hosts' Websites: Megan J Fritts (google.com) Frank J. Cabrera (google.com) Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com ----------------------- Bibliography: Prehistory: The Making of the Human Mind - Colin Renfrew Hegel's Lectures on the Philosophy of History Cave of Forgotten Dreams - Official Trailer | HD | IFC Films Bewitched by an Elf Dart: Fairy Archaeology, Folk Magic and Traditional Medicine in Ireland - Dowd A Secular Age — Harvard University Press Theory and Observation in Science (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) From things to thinking: Cognitive archaeology - Currie & Killin Cognitive Archaeology and the Minimum Necessary Competence Problem - Killin & Pain An Ape's View of the Oldowan - Wynn & McGrew Neuroscience, evolution and the sapient paradox - Colin Renfrew Sapient paradox: Why humans got stuck in prehistory -Gossip Trap- Big Think The Myth of the Eternal Return | Princeton University Press Eliade_Mircea_The_Sacred_and_The_profane_1963 Wittgenstein - Notebooks, 1914 - 1916, 2nd Edition | Wiley ----------------------- Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts ------------------------- Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs License code: AAO0Q7IZMGVTLFJH…

Philosophy on the Fringes

1
Astrology 56:00

10 weeks ago56:00

56:00

In this episode, Megan and Frank examine astrology. What is astrology, and why do people practice it? What are the strongest objections to astrology? Should astrology count as a science? If not, why not? What can the case of astrology teach us about the role of science in a democratic society? And why does the ancient practice of reading the stars prompt us to ponder the deepest aspects of human experience? Thinkers discussed include: Aristotle, Cicero, Ptolemy, Karl Popper, Thomas Kuhn, Imre Lakatos, Paul Feyerabend, Carl Sagan, Ian James Kidd, and Massimo Pigliucci. ----------------------- Hosts' Websites: Megan J Fritts (google.com) Frank J. Cabrera (google.com) Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com ----------------------- Bibliography: Philosophy of Science and the Occult | State University of New York Press (first section is an invaluable resource, containing the 1975 manifesto, Feyerabend's critique, and articles summarizing statistical studies disconfirming astrology) Cabrera - Evidence and explanation in Cicero's On Divination LacusCurtius • Ptolemy — Tetrabiblos LacusCurtius • Cicero — De Divinatione: Book I A double-blind test of astrology | Nature Readings in the Philosophy of Science: From Positivism to Postmodernism (See for short selections from Popper, Kuhn, and Lakatos) Ian James Kidd - Why did Feyerabend Defend Astrology? Integrity, Virtue, and the Authority of Science (An excellent paper that very much informed our discussion of the science & society question) M. Pigliucci - Was Feyerabend Right in Defending Astrology? A Commentary on Kidd ----------------------- Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts ------------------------- Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs License code: YYRPW29K1IDMU76F…

Philosophy on the Fringes

1
Ghosts and Hauntings 53:44

18 weeks ago53:44

53:44

In this episode, Megan and Frank investigate ghosts and hauntings. Are ghosts some kind of spirit, physical beings, or something in between? Is there a natural explanation for ghostly encounters? And what can ghosts teach us about the depths of human experience? Thinkers discussed include: Descartes, Philip Goff, and Beverley Clack. ----------------------- Hosts' Websites: Megan J Fritts (google.com) Frank J. Cabrera (google.com) Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com ----------------------- Bibliography: Ghosts of Philosophy LaBossiere | A Philosopher's Blog Victorian ectoplasm-producing mediums: freaks or fakes? | Children's books | The Guardian Philip Goff, Ghosts and Sparse Properties The wisdom of ghosts - Clack | Religious Studies | Cambridge Core Braude, Immortal Remains: The Evidence for Life After Death Podemore, et al. - Phantasms of the Living The Best Ghost Story - by Alexander J. Zawacki LEGION OF THE DAMNED - ghostwalkbrighton.co.uk Time | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy Megan Fritts, Arresting Time's Arrow: Death, Loss, and the Preservation of Real Union ----------------------- Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts ------------------------- Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs License code: KKPO6KMRESVX1ZQD…

Philosophy on the Fringes

1
Hypnosis 55:01

23 weeks ago55:01

55:01

In this episode, Megan and Frank examine hypnosis. What evidence is there that hypnosis is a real phenomenon, and why does hypnosis have a dubious reputation? Does hypnosis alleviate pain, or just mask it? What is the nature of hypnotic consciousness? And does hypnosis prove there’s no true self? Thinkers discussed include: William James, Ernest and Josephine Hilgard, Derek Parfit, Sigmund Freud, and Tim Bayne. ----------------------- Hosts' Websites: Megan J Fritts (google.com) Frank J. Cabrera (google.com) Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com ----------------------- Bibliography: Uncovering the new science of clinical hypnosis The Morpheus Clinic for Hypnosis Hypnobirthing - Google Books Hypnosis and Conscious States: The Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective Hypnosis to quit smoking: What to know Neural functional correlates of hypnosis and hypnoanalgesia: Role of the cingulate cortex Hypnotic Suggestion and the Modulation of Stroop Interference Hypnosis in the Relief of Pain Mary Haight, Hypnosis and the Philosophy of Mind Hypnotism and Mesmerism | Vox Hypnosis in History - American Hypnosis Association Hidden observer - Oxford Reference Hidden Observer APA Dictionary The split brain: A tale of two halves | Nature Derek Parfit. Here's why he mattered. | Vox Tim Bayne, Hypnosis and the unity of consciousness Tim Bayne - The Unity of Consciousness | Oxford Academic (oup.com) Bilingual “I Hear a Pickle/ Oigo Un Pepinello” (kidizen.com) ----------------------- Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts ------------------------- Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs License code: DC5U47IEPMLOLTFG…

Philosophy on the Fringes

1
Biohacking 49:07

41 weeks ago49:07

49:07

In this episode, Megan and Frank tackle the growing trend of "hacking" one's biology to increase longevity and possibly attain immortality. Are biohackers right to fear death, though? Would immortality be desirable? And is the human condition worth preserving? Thinkers discussed include: Epicurus, Bernard Williams, Schopenhauer, John Martin Fischer, Martha Nussbaum, and J.R.R. Tolkien. ----------------------- Hosts' Websites: Megan J Fritts (google.com) Frank J. Cabrera (google.com) Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com ----------------------- Bibliography: What Is Biohacking And How Does It Work? – Forbes Health Challenging Bryan Johnson On His “Never Die” Biohacking Protocol (youtube.com) Letter to Menoeceus by Epicurus (mit.edu) Is Death Bad for You? by Shelley Kagan (chronicle.com) Williams on Immortality.pdf (nd.edu) John Martin Fischer Response to Williams Gift of Ilúvatar | The One Wiki to Rule Them All | Fandom Nussbaum - Mortal immortals Schopenhauer - The vanity of existence Brooke Alan Trisel, Human extinction and the value of our efforts Being and Becoming in Modern Physics (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Megan Fritts, Arresting Time's Arrow: Death, Loss, and the Preservation of Real Union ----------------------- Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts ------------------------- Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs License code: DEKZTEGOGV2Q0TH7…

Philosophy on the Fringes

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Myths, Pt. 2 1:22:54

45 weeks ago1:22:54

1:22:54

In this episode, Megan and Frank continue their discussion of myths and mythology. Join them as they further explore different approaches to interpreting and understanding myth. How have creation myths differed across cultures? Should myth be regarded as an allegory? Is the point of myth to justify society’s norms? Is myth a tool for exploring the subconscious aspects of our minds? And do we have any use for myth in the modern world? Thinkers discussed include Joseph Cambell, Carl Jung, Karl Popper, and Mary Midgley. ----------------------- Hosts' Websites: Megan J Fritts (google.com) Frank J. Cabrera (google.com) Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com ----------------------- Bibliography: Powell - A Short Introduction to Classical Myth (earlhaig.ca) (Chs. 2-3 for an excellent overview of theories of myth) Classical Mythology - Prof. Vandiver (A great lecture series we learned a lot from) Myth in Human History - Grant Voth (Another great lecture series we drew from) Myth and Knowing: An Introduction to World Mythology (quoted a few times in the episode) Teaching Jung - Kelly Bulkeley; Clodagh Weldon (Ch. 5 by Robert Segal was very helpful!) Campbell's "Other" Monomyth - The Hero's Journey: Life's Great Adventure A Secular Age — Charles Tayllor Conjectures & Refutations - Karl Popper The Myths We Live By - Mary Midgley ----------------------- Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts ------------------------- Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs License code: LRDE4XFUJKAMEDIZ…

Philosophy on the Fringes

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Myths, Pt. 1 50:36

48 weeks ago50:36

50:36

In this episode, Frank and Megan discuss myths and mythology. What role has myth played in philosophy? What's the relationship between myths, history, and truth? And did the ancients really believe their myths? Join us as we engage with thinkers such as Thales of Miletus, Plato, Aristotle, Herodotus, Augustine, Paul Veyne, and R.G. Collingwood. This is the first part of a two-part episode. ----------------------- Hosts' Websites: Megan J Fritts (google.com) Frank J. Cabrera (google.com) Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com ----------------------- Bibliography: Powell - A Short Introduction to Classical Myth (earlhaig.ca) (Main source for claims about history of word "mythos" and its use in Plato/Herodotus/Aristotle. Highly recommended!) Hesiod - Theogony Thales - Fragments Lehoux - All things are full of gods": naturalism in the classical world R. G. Collingwood - The Idea of History The Herodotus - The Histories (See also BBC "In Our Time" podcast episode on Herodotus) Thucydides - The History of the Peloponnesian War (See also BBC "In Our Time" podcast episode on Thucydides) Plato’s Myths - (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Plato - Gorgias Julia Annas - Plato's Myths of Judgement (Discusses Aristotle critique of Plato's geography in the myth in the Phaedo) Paul Veyne - Did the Greeks Believe in Their Myths? Dana L. Burgess - Review of Veyne's "Did the Greeks Beleive in Their Myths?" Augustine - Two Books on Genesis ----------------------- Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts ------------------------- Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs License code: VYYZJBODHJSDWNZP…

Philosophy on the Fringes

1
Luck 57:07

52 weeks ago57:07

57:07

On this episode, Frank and Megan discuss the nature of luck. Are people lucky because good things happen to them, or do good things happen to them because they are lucky? Can we make our own luck, or is it outside of our control? Is even virtue itself subject to the whims of fortune? And if everything is determined, is anything truly lucky? ----------------------- Hosts' Websites: Megan J Fritts (google.com) Frank J. Cabrera (google.com) Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com ----------------------- Bibliography: What is 'lucky girl' syndrome and does it actually work? The Natural History of Pliny, Vol I., by Pliny the Elder. The Apology, by Plato The Prince, by Nicolo Machiavelli The Oedipus Trilogy, by Sophocles Thomas Nagel - Moral Luck Bernard Williams - Moral Luck Hales (2016) - Why Every Theory of Luck is Wrong Stoutenburg (2019) - In defense of an epistemic probability account of luck ----------------------- Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts ------------------------- Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs License code: OE1WRYCSDRS6SLYG…

Philosophy on the Fringes

1
Near Death Experiences 55:15

1 year ago55:15

55:15

On this episode, Frank and Megan discuss near death experiences (NDEs). Are NDEs evidence that the mind is separate from the body? Are there any plausible skeptical explanations that explain the data? What might NDEs tell us about particular spiritual and religious worldviews? And could NDEs have something to teach us about humanity's deepest hopes and fears? ----------------------- Hosts' Websites: Megan J Fritts (google.com) Frank J. Cabrera (google.com) Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com ----------------------- Bibliography: Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands - The Lancet Near-Death Experiences Evidence for Their Reality - PMC (nih.gov) Dell’Olio, Do near-death experiences provide a rational basis for belief in life after death? B. Mitchell-Yellin & J. M. Fischer, The Near-Death Experience Argument Against Physicalism: A Critique R. G. Mays & S. B. Mays, Near-Death Experiences: Extended Naturalism or Promissory Physicalism? A Response to Fischer's Article J.M. Fischer, University Professor Lecture: Near-Death Experiences: The Stories They Tell G.R. Habermas, Evidential Near‐Death Experiences A. J. Ayer – ‘What I Saw When I Was Dead’ Afterlife (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) K. Augustine - Hallucinatory Near-Death Experiences » Internet Infidels Susan Blackmore Near-Death Experiences: In or out of the body? (discussion of Sagan's explanation) Lehoux - The Trouble with Taxa | What Did the Romans Know? An Inquiry into Science and Worldmaking (discussion of garlic and magnets) ----------------------- Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts ------------------------- Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs License code: I0NNKBBUOCKXBD02…

Philosophy on the Fringes

1
American Football 56:54

1 year ago56:54

56:54

On today’s episode, Frank and Megan are going to the gridiron to talk about football. What are the metaphysical identity conditions for sports teams? What makes a rule a good rule? Why is steroid use banned, but special training encouraged? Is the Super Bowl a distinctly American ritual? Will data analysts replace coaches? And does the extreme injury risk of football make it America’s most immoral pastime? ----------------------- Hosts' Websites: Megan J Fritts (google.com) Frank J. Cabrera (google.com) Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com ----------------------- Bibliography: Take Your Eye Off the Ball 2.0 | Triumph Books The Only Good Reason to Ban Steroids in Baseball: To Prevent an Arms Race - The Atlantic Full Body Swimsuit Now Banned for Professional Swimmers - ABC News (go.com) How The NFL Uses Analytics, According To The Lead Analyst Of A Super Bowl Champion (forbes.com) 4th down aggressiveness increasing rapidly across NFL | AP News NFL running backs meet to discuss position’s depressed wages | NFL | The Guardian Collective Force of Head Hits Increases Odds of CTE, Study Says - The New York Times (nytimes.com) BU Finds CTE in Nearly 92 Percent of Ex-NFL Players Studied | The Brink | Boston University Estimating the prevalence at death of CTE neuropathology among professional football players | Neurology Study finds CTE in 40 percent of athletes who died before 30 - ABC News (go.com) Could CTE in the NFL Be Solved by OSHA? - Global Sport Matters Ship of Theseus | Definition, Examples, & Solutions | Britannica Virtue Ethics and Consequentialism in Early Chinese Philosophy (pp. 101-117) Pragmatism and Reference (pp. 195-6 discusses the Browns/Ravens case) ----------------------- Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts ------------------------- Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs License code: RZMGXZY5O2AIXNTQ…

Philosophy on the Fringes

1
Alchemy 48:42

2 years ago48:42

48:42

In this episode, Megan and Frank explore the hidden philosophical insights of alchemy. Some of the questions they discuss include: what is the history and nature of alchemy?; is alchemy more like magic, or science? what does the practice of alchemy tell us about the alchemical view of the natural world?; what was the philosopher's stone?; and is the spirit of alchemy still alive today? ----------------------- Hosts' Websites: Megan J Fritts (google.com) Frank J. Cabrera (google.com) Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com ----------------------- Bibliography: The Secrets of Alchemy, Principe (uchicago.edu) The Alchemy Reader - From Hermes Trismegistus to Isaac Newton (cambridge.org) A preliminary reassessment of Newton's alchemy (Chapter 11) - The Cambridge Companion to Newton The Case Against Perfection - Michael Sandel - The Atlantic Anti-Aging Techniques Taken to Extreme by Bryan Johnson - Bloomberg Philosophy Between the Lines: The Lost History of Esoteric Writing, Melzer (uchicago.edu) ----------------------- Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts ------------------------- Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs License code: 5J75WDQQ28SJKVBZ…

Philosophy on the Fringes

1
Alcohol 53:09

2 years ago53:09

53:09

On today’s episode, Megan and Frank work up the liquid courage to tackle one of philosophy’s most notorious recruiters: alcohol. Are we different people when we’re inebriated, or simply more free to act on our deepest desires? Was the prohibition movement justified? Is wine-tasting all bogus, or are sommeliers detecting something real? And does alcohol induce mystical experiences? ----------------------- Hosts' Websites: Megan J Fritts (google.com) Frank J. Cabrera (google.com) Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com ----------------------- Bibliography: Symposium by Plato (mit.edu) Cassius Dio, Roman History 49.36 Nicomachean Ethics by Aristotle (mit.edu) (Book 2) That One Should Disdain Hardships: The Teachings of Roman Stoic Drunkenness: Losing Our Grip on Reason | Choosing Freedom A Kantian Guide to Life Kirsten Ditterich-Shilakes, “Muse in a Stem Glass Art, Wine, and Philosophy” Quill Kukla, “Nonideal Theory of Sexual Consent” | Watch Prohibition | Ken Burns | PBS The 1800s: When Americans Drank Whiskey Like it was Water Americans are drinking more now than when Prohibition became law Kevin W. Sweeney, "Is There Coffee or Blackberry in My Wine?" A.C. Noble |The Wine Aroma Wheel Official Website Ophelia Deroy, "The Power of Tastes: Reconciling Science and Subjectivity" Managing Diacetyl (“Buttery” Flavor) Production During MLF Barry C. Smith, “The Objectivity of Tastes and Tasting” Wine-tasting: it's junk science | Wine | The Guardian Think wine connoisseurship is nonsense? Blind-tasting data suggest otherwise A New Study Answers The Question: Does Blind Wine Tasting Work? William James, “The Varieties of Religious Experience” ----------------------- Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts ------------------------- Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs License code: EZOCM133QSX3TAVC…

Philosophy on the Fringes

1
Secularism 53:22

2 years ago53:22

53:22

In this episode, Megan and Frank discuss the concept of secularism. How should we think about the emergence of, and reasons for, modern secular cultures? Do secular societies create secular citizens? How did the ancient conception of the secular/sacred distinction differ from the contemporary separation of church and state? What challenges does secularism face today? And can the secular realm exist alongside the sacred? ----------------------- Hosts' Websites: Megan J Fritts (google.com) Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com) Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com ----------------------- Bibliography: Liberalism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Etymology of "Saeculum" - Wiktionary A Secular Age — Charles Taylor | Harvard University Press Secularism: A Very Short Introduction - Andrew Copson - Oxford University Press (oup.com) French Secularism Leaves Little Room for Religion - The Atlantic Belgium to become second EU country to recognize Buddhism | Reuters John Locke, A Letter concerning Toleration (uchicago.edu) Obama’s 2006 Speech on Faith and Politics - The New York Times (nytimes.com) Public Reason (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) Patrick Deneen: The New Right’s Man in the Ivory Tower - POLITICO Slowdown in the Rise of Religious Nones (gallup.com) ‘New Age’ beliefs common among religious, nonreligious Americans | Pew Research Center Religious and mystical experiences common among Americans - Institute for the Bio-Cultural Study of Religion (ibcsr.org) “The Secret” to Success? The Psychology of Belief in Manifestation - Lucas J. Dixon, Matthew J. Hornsey, Nicole Hartley, 2023 (sagepub.com) ----------------------- Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts ------------------------- Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs License code: U2OPXUSOE40ZLA10…

Philosophy on the Fringes

1
The Fermi Paradox 55:46

2 years ago55:46

55:46

In a special follow-up to episode 6 on extra-terrestrial life, Megan and Frank examine the Fermi Paradox. The Fermi Paradox holds that the observable universe ought to (on a set of plausible assumptions) contain evidence of extra-terrestrial life. Yet, no such life has ever been credibly observed. What, if anything, best explains our seemingly significant celestial solitude? Beyond the Fermi Paradox, they also explore two other questions: is ET life compatible with various religious worldviews? And are alien abduction reports a kind of religious experience? ----------------------- Hosts' Websites: Megan J Fritts (google.com) Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com) Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com ----------------------- Bibliography: Ezra Klein | What the Heck Is Going On With These U.F.O. Stories? - The New York Times (nytimes.com) The Great Silence (2018) - Milan M. Ćirković - Oxford University Press (oup.com) (The book we draw heavily from in the episode) Milan M. Ćirković - Fermi's Paradox - The last challenge for copernicanism? (An article which covers most of the main themes of the 2018 book) Milan M. Cirkovic - Our Attitude Toward Aliens Proves We Still Think We’re Special - Nautilus (Short, popular piece on Fermi Paradox) David Wilkinson (2013) - Science, Religion, and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence | Oxford Academic (oup.com) Whitmore, J. (1995). Religious Dimensions of the UFO Abductee Experience ("UFO abductions seem to be primarily an American phenomenon; although several important cases have been reported outside the U.S., some argue that abductions are mainly confined to this country.", p. 81) Plotinus (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy) The Experience Machine | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (utm.edu) ----------------------- Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts ------------------------- Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs License code: HU4PAS2LONZMNQOU…

Philosophy on the Fringes

1
Kids 43:13

2 years ago43:13