Author | Lightnews

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone

@alansaunderspze.bsky.social

12 followers 0 following 36 posts

The Philosopher's Zone podcast by Alan Saunders

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · 12h

Sun 26 Feb 2012

Group agents

An agent is just somebody who does something for a purpose, but do we have to be talking about individual persons here, or can groups of people be agents in just the way that individuals can?

- with #PhilipPettit

#Feb2012
#AlanSaunders
#ThePhilosopher'sZone

Group agents - ABC listen

On this Philosopher’s Zone we’re looking at agents. Not secret agents but rather public agents: an agent is just somebody who does something for a purpose and an agent is distinguished from a patient....

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · 12h

Tue 10 May 2005

What is an #Ethicist?

You can be a biologist without reading Darwin or a physicist without reading Newton, but philosophers still read Plato, Descartes and Kant. So does this mean that philosophy, unlike science, does not progress?

- with #SimonLongstaff

#May2005
#AlanSaunders

What is an Ethicist? - ABC listen

You can be a biologist without reading Darwin and you can be a physicist without knowing anything about the works of Newton, but philosophers are still reading Plato, Descartes and Kant: people who di...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · 12h

Sun 4 Mar 2012

Kafka and Philosophy

What has been so alluring about #Kafka that philosophers have a compulsion to return to his writings?

- with #HenrySussman, #YaleUniversity

www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

#Mar2012
#AlanSaunders
#Philosopher'sZone

Kafka and Philosophy - ABC listen

Franz Kafka—author of The Trial, in which a man is unjustly accused and tried, and Metamorphosis, in which a man becomes a giant insect—is perhaps the modernist author most often discussed by philosop...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · 12h

Tue 3 May 2005

Volcanoes, Sea Battles and #Aristotle

Logicians and philosophers are always concerned about the status of our statements. How, for example, can we make meaningful statements about things that don't exist?

#May2005
#AlanSaunders
#Philosopher'sZone

Volcanoes, Sea Battles and Aristotle - ABC listen

A few weeks ago, ABC TV ran a series - part documentary, part drama - about what volcanoes (and in particular the supervolcano under Yellowstone Park in the US) might do to us at some point in the fut...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Aug 5

Sun 11 Mar 2012

The Myth of #Plato and Plato the Myth-maker

For centuries, Plato was admired for his inspiration and vision, rather than for his theories and argumentation. Then the pendulum swung hard in the other direction.

- with #RickBenitez, #TheUniversityOfSydney
#myth

#Mar2012

The Myth of Plato and Plato the Myth-maker - ABC listen

There’s been a change in the interpretation of Plato. For centuries, he was admired for his inspiration and vision, rather than for his theories and argumentation. Then the pendulum swung hard in the...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Jul 22

Tue 26 Apr 2005

Relativism and Cardinal Ratzinger

This week, we examine the allure of #relativism and discuss how (or whether) it should be resisted.

- with #JamesFranklin, the University of New South Wales.

#Apr2005

Relativism and Cardinal Ratzinger - ABC listen

In the homily that he delivered at the mass held before the conclave that was to elect him Pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratizinger, inveighed against what he called relativism. "Today," he said, "having a cl...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Jul 8

Sun 18 Mar 2012

Thomas Pogge and global #fairness

In a world in which many humans do not have all their #humanRights fulfilled, how to bring a better world about?

- with #ThomasPogge, Yale University and the Australian National University.

#Kant #JohnRawls #moralPhilosophy

#Mar2012

Thomas Pogge and global fairness - ABC listen

In a world in which many humans do not have all their human rights fulfilled, who has what obligations to help bring a better world about? This is a question that, for many years, has exercised the mi...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Jul 1

Tue 19 Apr 2005

What Are #Qualia?

Recently, many philosophers puzzled on what goes on in the head. A mental state will have certain properties that determine what it is like to be in that mental state. These properties are #qualia.
- with #GeraldGleeson, the Catholic Institute of Sydney
#Apr2005

What Are Qualia? - ABC listen

In the seventeenth century, the French philosopher, René Descartes started looking for a body of knowledge that was truly certain, and his way of looking was the way of doubt. If you doubted everythin...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · May 13

Sun 25 Mar 2012

Extending the mind

Where does the #mind stop and the rest of the world begin? Some philosophers are now arguing that #thoughts are not all in the head.

- with #RobertRupert, the University of Colorado

#extendedMind #naturalisticTheory #mentalContent
#Mar2012

Extending the mind - ABC listen

Where does the mind stop and the rest of the world begin? Some philosophers are now arguing that thoughts are not all in the head. The environment has an active role in driving cognition; cognition is...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Apr 6

Tue 12 Apr 2005

The Pope and Philosophy

#KarolWojtyla, the man who became #PopeJohnPaulII had a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Cracow. So how did #theology and philosophy operate together in his mind and what role did philosophy have in his #papacy?

- with Gerald Gleason

#Apr2005

The Pope and Philosophy - ABC listen

Karol Wojtyla, the man who became Pope John Paul II had a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Cracow and published a number of books on the subject. So how did theology and philosophy opera...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Mar 9

June 2012 PZE Episodes:

Sun 24 Jun 2012 - Tribute to the philosophical Alan Saunders
Sun 17 Jun 2012 - Thinking Out Loud - Lecture Three
Sun 10 Jun 2012 - Thinking Out Loud - Lecture One
Sun 3 Jun 2012 - The Philosophy of Astronomy

#ASPZE_June2012
#ASPZE_Jun2012

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Mar 9

Sun 1 Apr 2012

Philosophy for #Representationalists

#PerceptualExperiences represent the way things are. We can pass this information on in many ways, but most often pass it on using #words and #sentences.

- with #FrankJackson from #ANU

#Language #Representationalism

#ASPZE_Apr2012

Philosophy for Representationalists - ABC listen

Over four decades, the Gavin David Young Lectures in Philosophy at the University of Adelaide have become a very significant series with many distinguished contributors from across the globe.. This y...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Mar 9

Tue 5 Apr 2005

What is death?

Is #death the ultimate disaster, to be avoided at all costs? Should we not fear being dead because we will not experience it? Is a constant awareness of death necessary?

- with #StanVanHooft ( #DeakinUniversity )

#Life #Death #Subjectivity
#Bioethics

#Apr2005

What is death? - ABC listen

Stan van Hooft, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Deakin University, devotes a chapter of his recent book on bioethics to the question of what death is. But why do we need to ask? Isn't it enough t...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Feb 25

Sun 8 Apr 2012

Honourable intentions

Human #consciousness is intentional – it’s about something – but what is the relationship between my consciousness and the objects of which I’m conscious?

- with #FrankJackson ( #ANU )

#Physicalism #Representationalism
#KnowledgeArgument

#ASPZE_Apr2012

Honourable intentions - ABC listen

Human consciousness is intentional – it’s about something – but what is the relationship between my consciousness and the objects of which I’m conscious? And, in particular, how does this work when t...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Feb 23

Tue 29 Mar 2005

The Moral Significance of Persons

Ethical matters with the concept of a #person and with #death, the end of a person if that's what death is.

with #StanVanHooft

#TerriSchiavo
#HumanLife

#ASPZE_Mar2005

The Moral Significance of Persons - ABC listen

Terri Schiavo, kept alive in a hospital in Florida, while her family and her former husband fight over whether her life support should be withdrawn, is a striking example of the agonizing pass to whic...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Feb 18

Sun 15 Apr 2012

A Dangerous Method

The film depicts #Jung and #Freud as they seek a common ground with the new method of #psychoanalysis.

- with clinical professor in psychiatric ethics #MichaelRobertson

#ADangerousMethod
#CarlGustavJung #SigmundFreud
#Akhenaten #TheSecondComing

#ASPZE_Apr2012

A Dangerous Method - ABC listen

This week on the Philosopher’s Zone, we’re looking at a couple of people you might not think of as philosophers at all. One of them aspired to be a scientist of the mind. The other, though, was some...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Feb 18

Tue 22 Mar 2005

Acts of Contrition

What about #contrition, does it matter that though #Judas might be #contrite he is, as it were, shallowly contrite?

- with #PaulComrie-Thomson

#FeelingAndAction
#apology #ConditionalApology #CulpableIgnorance
#ImpetuousActivity
#reconciliation

#ASPZE_Mar2005

Acts of Contrition - ABC listen

In Easter week we examine a seasonal topic: contrition and apology. After Judas had betrayed Jesus, could he have known enough about the extent of guilt to be capable of adequate contrition? Do you ne...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Feb 7

Sun 22 Apr 2012

The worst #argument in the world

Presented by two philosophical connoisseurs of bad argument: #PeterSlezak and #JamesFranklin

#ChineseRoom #zombie #homunculusFallacy #consciousness #Pascal’sWager #MonteCarloFallacy #nonSequitur #StAnselm #DavidStove

#ASPZE_Apr2012

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Feb 4

Tue 15 Mar 2005

The Ways of #Paradox

The reason that #paradoxes matter is that they tell us that there is something wrong with our way of #thinking.

#TheBarberParadox
#KurtGrelling #heterological
#BertrandRussell #TheClassOfAllClasses
#KurtGerdell
#IncompletenessTheorem #logic

#ASPZE_Mar2005

The Ways of Paradox - ABC listen

A paradox is what you get when a logical way of thinking leads you, by inevitable steps, to conclusions that seem illogical or contradictory. A paradox is logic turning back on itself.

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Jan 30

Sun 29 Apr 2012

The Problem of Evil

How do we understand the problem of evil, an ancient philosophical conundrum?

- with #MichaelRobertson a professor in psychiatric ethics

#PhiloAgora #theodicy #DavidHume #empathy
#TheProblemOfEvil #psychopathy #narcissism #TheBanalityOfEvil #ASPZE_Apr2012

The Problem of Evil - ABC listen

The Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik argues that he killed to do good for his country. Adolf Eichmann, one of the major organisers of the Holocaust, displayed neither guilt nor hatred, cla...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Jan 22

Tue 8 Mar 2005

Ethical Relationships and Body Image

#MoralPhilosophy

#Essentialism
#ReneDescartes #CogitoErgoSum
#SigmundFreud #JacquesLacan #Psychoanalysis
#Mereau-Ponty

#ChristinaColegate
#BodyImage #Body
#JustBetweenYouAndMe

#ASPZE_Mar2005

www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Ethical Relationships and Body Image - ABC listen

This week in the second part of our conversation about her new book, Just Between You and Me: The Art of Ethical Relationships, Christina Colegate explains why body image is now a hot topic for moral ...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Jan 21

Sun 6 May 2012

Reflections on cultural identity

#CulturalIdentity
#Indigeneity

#JeanComaroff
#Apartheid

#CommercialisationOfIdentity
#Cajun #CommodificationOfEthnicity
#Navajo

#OriginsOfEthnicity #Ethnicity
#IntellectualProperty
#San #IndigenousRights #Bafokeng

#ASPZE_May2012

Reflections on cultural identity - ABC listen

Ethnic groups across the planet are beginning to act like corporations that own a 'natural' copyright in their 'culture' and 'cultural products' which they protect, often by recourse to the law, and o...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Jan 15

Tue 1 Mar 2005

The Art of Ethical Relationships

#MoralPhilosophy

#Anti-Essentialism #ClassStruggle
#AlisdairMacintyre #NormativeMoralPsychology
#Aristotle #Phronesis #Ergon

#ChristinaColegate
#JustBetweenYouAndMe
#TheArtOfEthicalRelationships

#ASPZE_Mar2005

www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

The Art of Ethical Relationships - ABC listen

Just Between You and Me: The Art of Ethical Relationships is a new book in which the young (she took time off from her PhD to write it) Australian philosopher Christina Colegate argues that human happ...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Jan 6

Shakespeare, Identity and Religion

Sun 13 May 2012

#Shakespeare
#Shakespeare’sReligion
#FatherPeasons #Jesuit #TudorTheory
#Aquinas

#JohnFinnis
#PersonalIdentity #Englishness #NationalIdentity
#Shakespeare’sCharacters

#TheUniversityOfNotreDame
#ASPZE_May2012

www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

Shakespeare, Identity and Religion - ABC listen

What was Shakespeare’s religion and what did he think about personal identity? Did he believe that the personal identity we have is had because we are this living body rather than that? How does com...

Alan Saunders's Philosopher's Zone @alansaunderspze.bsky.social · Jan 6

The Euthyphro: Dialogue about a Dialogue

Tue 22 Feb 2005

#ASPZE_Feb2005

#Socrates
#Plato
#Iconoclast

#RickBenitez
#TheUniversityOfSydney

#Piety #Euthyphro #Intellectualism

www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

The Euthyphro: Dialogue about a Dialogue - ABC listen

Last week, we heard Plato's dialogue, 'The Euthyphro', in which Plato's great teacher, Socrates, explores (with the slightly befuddled fellow Athenian who gives the dialogue its title) the question of...