Open Door Philosophy
Andrew has a degree in philosophy, Taylor is working on a degree in philosophy, and Mr. Parsons taught philosophy to them both. Together they explore philosophy and its application to life, so come along! The door is always open. Open Door Philosophy on Twitter @d_parsonage or @opendoorphilOpen Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.comContact us via email at opendoorphilosophy@gmail.com
Episodes
The Shawnee, a native American tribe, tells a tale of brother crow and brother buffalo which imparts the wisdom of balance: to only hunt the buffalo when it is necessary for food and skins, but to remember that each creature is our brother and sister too. Tales like this one are not uncommon in many indigenous cultures around the world.
Through an illustrative story set in nature, they transmit the ethical, epistemologica...
On first listen, you might think this episode is about the Tao Te Ching. We thought it would be too, but it became a meandering conversations about the origin of authority, premises that lead to conclusion, justification, wisdom versus reason, and social media.
Open Door Philosophy on Twitter @d_parsonage or @opendoorphil
Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophy
Open Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosoph...
It’s pretty common in the self-help age we live in, with piles of well meaning books and as many podcast as the stars, to pursue happiness. But often the focus is on what we can change or tweak in our life to obtain it rather than what exactly it is. What is happiness? Perhaps if we identify what happiness is, we can create a foundation on which to build.
Open Door Philosophy on Twitter @d_parsonage or @opendoorphil
Open Door Ph...
Love is a driving factor in our decisions. People plan their lives around who they love: they stay close to their parents, take a completely random job to stay with their spouse, and save hundreds of thousands of dollars for their future children’s education. But just as the people we love drive our decisions, so do what activities we love. Famously, Paul Gauguin ran away from his wife and children, culture and country to pursue hi...
Around 2500 years ago in Ancient Greece, Empedocles contemplated the essential questions of the universe, including the role of love and strife. Empedocles is known as a pre-Socratic philosopher, although he was primarily a poet. In his surviving works, On Nature and Purifications, Empedocles posits that the cosmic powers of Love and Strife govern the four indestructible elements of the universe. Love unifies the elements with each...
Roughly 3700 years ago, in the fertile crescent of mesopotamia, the first Western epic was composed. The character Gilgamesh, and his friend Enkidu, have many adventures battling mighty beasts. But when Enkidu dies, Gilgamesh is thrown into, what we would today call, an existential crisis, as Gilgamesh grapples with themes such as friendship and love, mortality, free will and fate, and the search for meaning. Since that time, liter...
Ludwig Wittgenstein was born in 1889 into a wealthy and aristocratic family in Austria. He was a brilliant child, and he was educated at some of the best schools in the country.
After graduating from Cambridge University, Wittgenstein began a career in mathematics and logic. He quickly made a name for himself as a brilliant thinker, and he published several important works on these subjects.
In the early 1900s, Wittgenstein began to ...
One of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century, British philosopher Bertrand Russell's reach is inescapable. He was a true polymath, with interests in mathematics, logic, philosophy, politics, and social reform. And he was also a controversial figure, often outspoken in his criticism of the status quo. Join us as we ask, who was Bertrand Russell?
Episode Resources
A History of Western Philosoph...
Join us for this exploration of the concept of hope from a philosophical perspective. What is hope? Can hope ever be justified? What are the uses of hope? And what do different philosophical schools say about hope? Plus a visit to the bookshelf!
The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet: John Green
Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way: Kieran Setiya
Open Door Philosophy on Twitter @d...
The philosophy of Transcendentalism advocated for living simply, evaluating tradition, and cultivating your inner-self. Join us as we explore some of the practices that Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson participated in attempting to cultivate the soul. We also discuss the new Snapchat AI. Apologies for the poor audio track.
Episode Resources
Transcendentalism and The Cultivation of the Soul by Barry M....
Surely despair is a state of mind we all experience from time to time, and once through it we never want to experience such a state again. The Danish philosopher and father of Existentialism, Søren Kierkegaard, believed that despair was a universal feature of existence. In other words, none of us are getting out of it, and it's also not a temporary state, but something we endure all the time. Fear not though, Kierkegaard has a...
Who doesn't love a little Marcus Aurelius? Join us for our third annual visit with our old philosophical friend, Marcus. He hasn't change much, but maybe we have. Also tune in for another installment of ChatGPT versus Mr. Parsons and Taylor orchestrated by the gamemaster Andrew, as well as a visit to the bookshelf! Good times had by all.
Episode Resources
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Hays Translation...
Hinduism is the oldest continuous eastern philosophy in the world. In this episode we look at a bit of it's history, some of it's main beliefs, the influential Bhagavad Gita, and offer some practical application.
Episode Resources
The Bhagavad Gita
Open Door Philosophy on Twitter @d_parsonage or @opendoorphil
Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophy
Open Door Philosophy website at o...
The Four Noble Truths, The Eight Fold Path, the interdependent nature of all things, and licking honey from a razor blade. Buddhism has a tremendous following world wide, but with such notoriety comes many misconceptions, or at least misguided approximations, from those who do not practice or live in a region where it is widely practiced. Join us this episode as we focus on some of the more philosophical claims Buddhism makes such ...
One of the three great Chinese philosophical traditions, join us as we explore Confucianism. What is the gentleman? What does it mean to be benevolent? And why follow the rites?
Episode Resources
The Analects
Open Door Philosophy on Twitter @d_parsonage or @opendoorphil
Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophy
Open Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com
Contact us via email at c...
"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao.
The name that can be named is not the eternal name."
Thus begins one of the most famous and mysterious claims in philosophy from one of the two primary texts of Taoism, the Tao Te Ching. Join us as we explore the philosophy of Taoism which values balance, flexibility, and non-attachment in this first of a four part series on Eastern Philosophy!
Episo...
It's our 50th episode, and we decided to celebrate by answering your questions! Do we have free will? What's a philosophical tv show/movie we like? What got us into philosophy, and what keeps us there? And more! Plus a little retrospective, some looking forward, and a lot of laughs!
Open Door Philosophy on Twitter @d_parsonage or @opendoorphil
Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophy
Open Door Philoso...
*cue dramatic music*
Out of the ashes of World War II arose a philosophy based on embracing the absurdism of existence, being authentic, and enduring the existential nausea that resulted. One of it's many champions was French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, who scaled the mountain of criticism to become one of the most popularly known figures of the mid-twentieth century. With his emphasis on radical freedom and respo...
One of the most popular philosophers of the mid 20th century and influential member of 2nd wave feminism, Existentialist Simone de Beauvoir was a significant novelist, essayist, autobiographer, and champion of social issues. Join us as we explore and discuss the life and ideas of Simone de Beauvoir.
Episode Resources:
Becoming Beauvoir by Kate Kirkpatrick
How To Be Authentic by Sky Clearly
At the Existen...
Join us as we review our favorite books we read in 2022!
Open Door Philosophy on Twitter @d_parsonage or @opendoorphil
Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophy
Open Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com
Contact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com
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