It’s not quite “Car Talk,” but it’s not terribly far away. Philosophy Talk, a weekly public radio program presented by two Stanford philosophy professors, offers a “down-to-earth and no-nonsense approach” to philosophy that’s engaging, if not entertaining. The show, which can be streamed from the web site, tends to range widely. In recent weeks, they’ve taken a look at neuroscience, American pragmatism, quantum reality, war crimes, belief in God, and dreaming, each time interviewing a leading thinker in the field and also posting helpful, related information on the The Philosophy Talk blog.
To get a feel for how Ken Taylor and John Perry run their show, you may want to check out an episode that deals with intelligent design, a theory that has emerged out of America’s culture wars to compete philosophically or ideologically (depending on how you see things) with evolution. Here, the hosts are joined by Daniel Dennett, the Director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University and the author of Darwin’s Dangerous Idea. Together, they tackle the essential questions: “Is there any reason to
think the cause or causes of order in the universe bear an even remote analogy to human intelligence? Even if they did, would that mean these intelligent causes had the benevolence and sense of justice required of a Christian God? Is this whole issue one of science, religion, or philosophy?” You can catch the episode on iTunes or stream it through Real Player. (Also check out the resources at the bottom of this page.)
