What is a paradox anyway? And why are philosophers so interested in paradoxes? Is a paradox just a fancy kind of riddle? Or is it some kind of demonstration that a contradiction (or absurd consequence) follows from apparently reasonable assumptions? Do paradoxes actually point out some inexplicable fact about the nature of the world? Or are they just logical/linguistic games? Perhaps the notion of paradox includes all of these elements… or maybe none at all. What merit is there, if any, in analyzing and discussing philosophical paradoxes? Join the GRS crew as they consider the puzzling complexities of the Ship of Theseus, The Lottery and Kripke’s Puzzle About Belief.
Paradoxes and Puzzles 1
What is a paradox anyway? And why are philosophers so interested in paradoxes? Is a paradox just a fancy kind of riddle? Or is it some kind of demonstration that a contradiction (or absurd consequence) follows from apparently reasonable assumptions? Do paradoxes actually point out some inexplicable fact about the nature of the world? Or are they just logical/linguistic games? Perhaps the notion of paradox includes all of these elements… or maybe none at all. What merit is there, if any, in analyzing and discussing philosophical paradoxes? Join the GRS crew as they consider the puzzling complexities of the Sorites and the Liar paradoxes.
Philosophy and Film
What’s the distinction (if any) between the philosophy of film, philosophy in film, philosophy and film or philosophy through film? Do these different titles refer to different disciplines with different objectives? Or is there some unifying relation between these notions? What’s the primary interest in pursuing the notion of philosophy & film? Is the interest interpretative (i.e., making use of philosophical positions, concepts, etc in the interpretation of films)? Or is the primary interest pedagogical (i.e., making use of film in order to illustrate some philosophical position, concept, etc)? Is it both? Neither? How does philosophy & film relate to (or deal with) more traditional philosophical questions related to aesthetics? Is film an art form? If so, what sort of art form is it? In what can the aesthetic value of a film consist? Are some films artworks, while other are just entertainment? If so, what is the difference? Is film somehow especially helpful when it comes to teaching and/or understanding philosophical positions, concepts, etc? If so, why?
Eastern Philosophy
What is ‘Eastern’ philosophy? What sort of distinction(s) is intended by the use of Eastern in this context? Is the distinction primarily intended to differentiate between Eastern and Western philosophy? If so, is this a legitimate distinction to make? And on what grounds is such a distinction predicated? Is such a distinction more misleading than enlightening? Can all non-Western philosophy be classified as Eastern philosophy? Are there similarities between the various Eastern philosophical schools? If so, what are they? Are there differences? If so, what are they? Would it be better to conceive of Eastern philosophy as Eastern religion? Is there a difference between philosophy and religion for these Eastern schools of thought?
Analytic vs. Continental Philosophy
What is the distinction between ‘Analytic’ and ‘Continental’ philosophy anyway? Is there a legitimate distinction to be made at all? If so, what’s the best way to distinguish between the two schools: Along geographical lines? By the leading figures of each tradition? Methodological commitments? Topical interests? What are the historical roots (and development) of each school? What are the major topics currently under discussion in each school? What are the closest points of approach between Analytic and Continental philosophy? Is Analytic philosophy merely a way of doing philosophy? Or are there specific interests of Analytic philosophy that are not shared by those doing Continental philosophy?
GRS EPISODES
- Philosophy of Time
- Aesthetics
- The Problem of Evil
- Arguments for the Existence of God
- Possible Worlds Semantics
- Meta Ethics 101
- Skepticism 101
- Paradoxes and Puzzles 2
- Paradoxes and Puzzles 1
- Philosophy of Mind 101
- The 28th Episode Spectacular
- Philosophy of Language 101
- Philosophy and Film
- Intelligent Design Theory
- Philosophy of Science 101
- Logic 101
- The Socratic Couch
- Eastern Philosophy
- Analytic vs. Continental Philosophy
- Political Philosophy 101
- What Should Philosophers Talk About?
- The Legalization of Drugs
- Animal Rights
- Environmental Ethics
- Sex
- Personal Identity
- Racism
- Free Will
- Euthanasia
- Aesthetics 101
- Philosophy of Religion 101
- Ethics 101
- Knowledge 101
- Reality 101
- Philosophy Today
- What is Philosophy?
EPISODE CATEGORIES
- Aesthetics
- Epistemology
- Ethics
- General Philosophy
- GRS Episode
- Introduction to Philosophy
- Logic
- Meta Ethics
- Metaphysics
- Paradoxes and Puzzles
- Philosophy of Art
- Philosophy of Language
- Philosophy of Mind
- Philosophy of Religion
- Philosophy of Science
- Philosophy of Time
- Political Philosophy
- Real Philosophy Series
- Special Topic