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Philosophize This!

Philosophize This!

Stephen West

  • 28 minutes 53 seconds
    Episode #247 ... The Failure of the Modern University - Alasdair MacIntyre

    Today we talk about some of Macintyre's later work. How he thinks philosophy isn’t optional. It’s already hiding inside everything we do. How he thinks modern universities create experts who know their field but not what their work fully means. How real education should produce judgment, not just technical skill. And how important phronesis (practical wisdom) becomes at holding ourselves and our leaders accountable.  Hope you love it! :)

    Sponsors:

    Nord VPN: https://nordvpn.com/philothis 

    Incogni: https://www.Incogni.com/philothis

    Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

    Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

    Social:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast

    X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow


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    10 May 2026, 5:13 pm
  • 32 minutes 41 seconds
    Episode #246 ... The Myth of the Self-Made Person - Alasdair Macintyre

    Today we talk about Macintyre's book Dependent Rational Animals. Hope you love it. :)



    Sponsors:

    Nord VPN: https://nordvpn.com/philothis 

    Saily: https://www.saily.com/philothis


    Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 


    Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 


    Social:


    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast

    X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow



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    26 April 2026, 5:24 pm
  • 32 minutes 31 seconds
    Episode #245 ... The Rival Moral Approaches of the Modern World - Alasdair Macintyre

    Today we talk about the book Three Rival Versions of Moral Enquiry by Alasdair Macintyre. We talk about each of the different sets of assumptions people bring to moral debates that often contain the true location of the disagreement. Hope you love it. :)

    Sponsors:

    Nord VPN: https://nordvpn.com/philothis 

    Incogni: https://www.Incogni.com/philothis


    Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

    Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

    Social:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast

    X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow


    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    12 April 2026, 3:08 pm
  • 36 minutes 51 seconds
    Episode #244 ... After Virtue - Alasdair MacIntyre (why moral conversations feel unsatisfying)

    Today we talk about the book After Virtue by Alasdair MacIntyre. We talk about his genealogy of moral discourse. The teleologies of Aristotle. The failure of the Enlightenment moral project. Our modern culture of Emotivism and the sorts of characters that thrive in it. Shared practices and community as a way to revitalize moral conversation. Hope you love it! :)


    Sponsors:

    Nord VPN: https://nordvpn.com/philothis 


    Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 


    Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 


    Social:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast

    X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow


    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    11 February 2026, 11:21 pm
  • 30 minutes 41 seconds
    Episode #243 ... Hamlet - William Shakespeare

    Today we talk about the play Hamlet written by William Shakespeare. We compare more traditional takes on the themes of the play to a more modern, philosophical analysis of the play done by Simon Critchley and Jamieson Webster. We talk about Hamlet and his inability to take action. Surveillance in 16th century England. Ophelia as the tragic hero of the play. How ultimately Hamlet may best be described as a play about "nothing". Hope you love it. :)


    Sponsors:


    Nord VPN: ⁠https://nordvpn.com/philothis ⁠

    Better Help: ⁠https://www.BetterHelp.com/PHILTHIS⁠


    Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 


    Website:⁠ https://www.philosophizethis.org/⁠

    Patreon:⁠ https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis⁠ 


    Social:


    Instagram:⁠ https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast⁠

    X:⁠ https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest⁠

    Facebook:⁠ https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow⁠


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    27 December 2025, 12:43 am
  • 31 minutes
    Episode #242 ... Romeo and Juliet - William Shakespeare

    Today we talk about the philosophy behind the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. We talk about how ineffective violence and honor codes are as ways of maintaining the stability of a society. How catastrophe may be a deterrent to violence. The tension presented by Shakespeare between a Christian view of love, marriage and salvation and an alternative religion of love from his time. How in the kinds of love we most admire there is sometimes an element of irrationality that makes it possible. Hope you love it. :)


    Sponsors:

    ZocDoc: https://www.ZocDoc.com/PHILO

    Quince: https://www.QUINCE.com/pt

    Nord VPN: https://nordvpn.com/philothis 


    Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

    Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

    Social:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast

    X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow


    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    29 November 2025, 3:26 pm
  • 29 minutes 42 seconds
    Episode #241 ... The Tragedy of Julius Caesar - William Shakespeare

    Today we talk about the philosophical themes of The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. We talk about the hypocrisy and false nostalgia of political violence. The ironies of living by a moral ideal like honor. Rhetoric as a site of where political power is won and lost in a republic. And Brutus as a unique kind of tragic hero somewhere between Stoicism and Christianity. Hope you love it. :)


    Sponsors:

    The Perfect Jean: https://theperfectjean.nyc Code: PT15 

    ZocDoc: https://www.ZocDoc.com/PHILO


    Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

    Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

    Social:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast

    X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow


    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    16 November 2025, 9:47 pm
  • 29 minutes 23 seconds
    Episode #240 ... Varieties of Religion Today (Charles Taylor)

    Today we talk more about the work of Charles Taylor and his book The Varieties of Religion Today. We look at different answers to a classic question around religious belief. The sociological and structural role that religion plays at any given point in history. Paleo, Neo and Post Durkheim versions of religious society. What religion becomes in the age of authenticity we live in. We paint a picture of the very unique spiritual predicament the modern person has to navigate. Hope you love it. :)



    Sponsors:

    Better Help: https://www.BetterHelp.com/PHILTHIS

    Nord VPN: https://nordvpn.com/philothis 


    Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 


    Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 


    Social:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast

    X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow


    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    8 November 2025, 10:45 pm
  • 34 minutes 55 seconds
    Episode #239 ... Authenticity and the history of the self. (Charles Taylor)

    Today we talk about the work of the philosopher Charles Taylor. First, we trace the historical origins of how he views the modern self. From the Greeks to the Reformation. From Descartes to Rousseau. The modern self to him is something "irreconcilably multileveled". Then we talk about our modern focus on authenticity as a moral ideal and why Taylor thinks many people misunderstand what it requires. Hope you love it! :)



    Sponsors:

    The Perfect Jean: https://theperfectjean.nyc Code: PT15 

    Better Help: https://www.BetterHelp.com/PHILTHIS


    Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 


    Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 


    Social:


    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast

    X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow


    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    17 October 2025, 8:11 pm
  • 29 minutes 6 seconds
    Episode #238 ... Frankenstein - Mary Shelley

    Today we talk about the book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. We talk about the mix of Romantic and Enlightenment attitudes and how it leads to problems without the proper oversight. We talk about technology and the responsibility that comes with creation. We talk about how ostracized people often learn to resent the world they live in. Hope you love it and have a great week! :)


    Sponsors:

    Better Help: https://www.BetterHelp.com/PHILTHIS

    Nord VPN: https://nordvpn.com/philothis 


    Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 


    Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

    Social:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast

    X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow



    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    8 October 2025, 2:52 pm
  • 28 minutes 56 seconds
    Episode #237 ... The Stoics Are Wrong - Nietzsche, Schopenhauer

    Today we talk about two famous critiques of Stoicism. One by Friedrich Nietzsche who thought the Stoics weren’t life affirming enough and so rob themselves of some of the best parts of life. The other by Arthur Schopenhauer who thought the Stoics were too life-affirming of worldly things to ever reach a deep understanding of things. Hope you love it! :)


    Sponsors:

    ZocDoc: https://www.ZocDoc.com/PHILO

    Quince: https://www.QUINCE.com/pt


    Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

    Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

    Social:

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast

    X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow



    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    30 September 2025, 9:01 pm
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