WHY? Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life

WHY? Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life

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.

Episodes

Privacy Isn’t What You Think It Is

December 14, 2025 • 74 mins
Jack sits down with scholar Lowry Pressly to discuss the provocative ideas behind his book The Right to Oblivion: Privacy and the Good Life. They explore what it means to protect our inner worlds in an age of constant exposure, why forgetting can be just as crucial as remembering, and how reclaiming privacy might be the key to living well.
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How Is It That Ordinary People Can Commit Such Overwhelming Evil?

November 10, 2025 • 83 mins
Jack sits down with Elizabeth Minnich, moral philosopher and author, to explore a haunting and urgent question: How is it that ordinary people can commit extraordinary evil? Together, they unpack Minnich’s idea of the evil of banality, a subtle, everyday corruption of thought and conscience that allows atrocities to unfold, and consider what it means for our moral lives today.
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How Do We Do Philosophy In Politically Difficult Times

October 12, 2025 • 83 mins
Jack sits down with philosophers Jason Hill and Elizabeth S. Anderson to tackle a timely and urgent question: How do we do philosophy during difficult times? From the rise of AI and shifting political landscapes to debates over censorship, diverse student bodies, and evolving educational models, this conversation explores how philosophy can and must adapt.
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What is indigenous philosophy?

September 14, 2025 • 76 mins
Jack sits down with Brian Burkhart, Indigenous philosopher and scholar, to explore a radical and timely idea: What if Indigenous thought isn’t just tradition or spirituality, but a powerful philosophical framework—one that challenges Western systems and offers a deeply relational way of understanding nature and community in our time?
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Is Marx Still Relevant?

August 10, 2025 • 69 mins
Jack interviews Vanessa Wills, philosopher, professor, and author of Marx’s Ethical Vision, to explore a radical and timely idea: What if Marx wasn’t just a political economist, but a moral thinker, one whose ethical critique of capitalism speaks urgently to the injustices of our time?
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The Argument for Peace and Non-Violence

July 17, 2025 • 53 mins
Host Jack Russell Weinstein visits with peace activist Kathy Kelly
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A Philosophical Look at Madness with guest Justin Garson

June 8, 2025 • 78 mins
Jack interviews Justin Garson, writer, philosopher, and professor, to explore an unsettling and illuminating idea: What if madness isn't just a disorder, but a signal, expressing something deeply out of sync in our lives or society?
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Is Virtual Reality Real?

May 11, 2025 • 70 mins
Jack sits down with David Chalmers, renowned philosopher of mind, to explore the provocative question: Is virtual reality real? They explore the blurred boundaries between the virtual and the physical, consciousness, and presence. Together, they consider whether digital worlds can hold the same ontological weight as the "real" world, and what that means for the future of how we live, think, and perceive.
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Announcing a new book: "Israel, Palestine, and the Trolley Problem" by Jack Russell Weinstein

May 9, 2025 • 2 mins
Jack announces his new book, Israel, Palestine, and the Trolley Problem.
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Philosophy and Fashion

April 13, 2025 • 70 mins
Jack sits down with Gwenda-lin Grewal, philosopher and writer, to explore the unexpected intersections between philosophy and fashion. They explore how style reflects deeper questions about identity, perception, and the human condition, and consider the ways in which clothing can serve as both personal expression and philosophical inquiry.
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The Human Connection to Nature

March 9, 2025 • 65 mins
In this episode of the WHY Podcast, Jack sits down with Mark C. Taylor, Professor of Religion at Columbia University, to discuss how the humanities and the natural world intersect. They talk about how literature, philosophy, and art can provide new insights into our connection with nature and offer paths toward a more sustainable and harmonious relationship with the environment.
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Getting Good Out of The Bad

February 9, 2025 • 67 mins
In this episode of the WHY Podcast, Jack sits down with Krista Thomason, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Swarthmore College, to explore the intriguing idea of finding value in negative emotions. Krista, author of Dancing with the Devil: Why Bad Feelings Make Life Good, delves into how emotions like shame, guilt, and anger can, paradoxically, lead to personal growth and a deeper moral life. Drawing from her expertise in philoso...
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When Is Life Good Enough

January 12, 2025 • 77 mins
In this episode of the WHY Podcast, Jack sits down with Avram Alpert, author of The Good-Enough Life, to explore the philosophical question: "When is life good enough?" Alpert, a writer, teacher, and Co-Director of the Interdisciplinary Art and Theory Program in NYC, discusses the themes of the book, which challenges the notion of perfectionism and advocates for a more realistic, fulfilling approach to life. Drawing from experience...
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Touch: Our Most Vital Sense

November 10, 2024 • 83 mins
In this episode of WHY: Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life, host Jack Russell Weinstein speaks with Richard Kearney, a distinguished philosopher and author of Touch: Recovering Our Most Vital Sense.
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What is Dignity?

October 14, 2024 • 71 mins
Host Jack Russell Weinstein interviews Michael Rosen, a distinguished professor of Ethics and Politics at Harvard University and author of Dignity: Its History and Meaning. Their conversation explores the multifaceted nature of dignity, tracing its historical evolution and examining its significance in contemporary discourse. Rosen, who specializes in political theory and the history of ideas, shares his insights on how dignity sha...
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“Is Plato Still Relevant?”

September 8, 2024 • 80 mins
Host Jack Russell Weinstein visits with Marina McCoy, professor of philosophy at Boston College. She is the author of the books Plato on the Rhetoric of Philosophers and Sophists (Cambridge University Press, 2007) , Wounded Heroes: Vulnerability as a Virtue in Ancient Greek Literature and Philosophy (Oxford U Press, 2013), and Image and Argument in Plato’s Republic (SUNY, 2020). Her interests range from ancient philosophy to ethics...
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“Can You Be an Ethical Spy?”

August 11, 2024 • 72 mins
Host Jack Russell Weinstein visits with Cecile Fabre, political philosopher, and Senior Research Fellow at All Souls College, Oxford. She is also Professor of Political Philosophy at the University of Oxford, and affiliated with the Faculty of Philosophy, the Department of Politics and International Relations, and Nuffield College, Oxford. Her research interests are in theories of distributive justice; the philosophy of democracy; ...
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“What is Love?”

July 14, 2024 • 76 mins
Host Jack Russell Weinstein visits with Simon Philip Walter May, visiting professor of philosophy at King's College, London, and at Birkbeck College, University of London. May is the author of "Love: A History," published by Yale University Press, 2011.
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ALERT ... refresh for "Is America's Democracy Failing"

June 10, 2024 • 42 secs
If you haven't already listened to the June episode, you may need to refresh your download to get the long version. The shorter broadcast version was initially posted.
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“Is America’s Democracy Failing?”

June 9, 2024 • 77 mins
Jack visits with Adam Lovett, the author of "Democratic Failures and the Ethics of Democracy." (University of Pennsylvania Press) Lovett is a lecturer at Australian Catholic University in the School of Philosophy.
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