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WHY? Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life
Second Sunday of each month, at 5:00pm CT

Join us each month as we engage in philosophical discussions about the most common-place topics with host Jack Russell Weinstein, professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at the University of North Dakota. He is the director of The Institute for Philosophy in Public Life.

Latest Episodes
  • Jack visits with Mark Robert Rank, author of the forthcoming book, The Random Factor: How Chance and Luck Profoundly Shape Our Lives and the World Around Us."What shapes our economic fortunes? Perhaps what immediately comes to mind are attributes such as education, skills or labour-market experience. Demographics such as age and your parents’ socioeconomic status might also be considered."Yet surprisingly, according to a wide range of social scientists, these factors are only able to explain about 35 per cent of the variance in earnings. In other words, 65 per cent of the differences in individual income defy our standard assumptions."— Quote from an essay by Dr. Rank.
  • “Should we abolish prisons?” Host Dr. Jack Russell Weinstein discusses that with Tommie Shelby, Caldwell Titcomb Professor of African and African American Studies and of Philosophy at Harvard University.
  • Host Jack Russell Weinstein visits with Frank Lantz, the director of the New York University Game Center. For over 12 years, Lantz taught game design at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program. "His writings on games, technology, and culture have appeared in a variety of publications. In 2012, The New York Times referred to Lantz as a "reigning genius of the mysteries of games" following his design of iPhone puzzle game Drop7." (Wikipedia)
  • We initially sent out the wrong audio! If you downloaded the mistake, please delete that, refresh your feed, and try again. That should give you the correct conversation as Jack visits with David Livingston Smith in an episode titled: "Why do we dehumanize people?" You can also find that audio HERE.
  • Host Jack Russell Weinstein visits with David Livingston Smith, professor of philosophy at the University of New England, author of "On Inhumanity: Dehumanization and How to Resist It" from Oxford University Press.
  • Catherine Flick is a Reader in Computing and Social Responsibility in the Centre for Computing and Social Responsibility at De Montfort University. She also currently has a visiting fellowship at Staffordshire University.
  • Host Jack Russell Weinstein is joined by author and podcast host Dan Savage to discuss "How to Give Sex Advice."
  • Jack Russell Weinstein visits with David Mura, the author of “The Stories Whiteness Tells Itself: Racial Myths and Our American Narratives.”
  • In an encore presentation from 2018, host Jack Russell Weinstein visits with Matthew Talbert and Jessica Wolfendale, co-authors of the book, War Crimes: Causes, Excuses, and Blame.
  • Jack visits with Jeff Sebo, the author of “Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves: Why Animals Matter for Pandemics, Climate Change, and Other Catastrophes.”