The Philosophy of Inaction with Grant Dowling

In this monologue Robert Harrison reflects on the differences between human intelligence, animal intelligence, and artificial intelligence. Songs in this episode: “From the Beginning” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer; “La Nuit du Rat” by La Féline; and “If” by Pink Floyd.

In this show Robert Harrison and Michaela Hulstyn discuss various experiences of unselfing, focusing on the nature of its shapeshifting and the knowledge that unselfing delivers. Michaela Hulstyn is a Lecturer at Stanford and Associate Director of Stanford’s Structured Liberal Education program. She is the author of Unselfing: Global French Literature at the Limits of […]

A conversation about the uses and abuses of action in the history of philosophy and contemporary society with Grant Dowling. Songs in this episode: “Silence Must Be Heard” by Enigma, and “Easy Does It” by Supertramp.

A conversation about crystals and their mysterious quantum powers with Dr. Aaron Breidenbach. Songs in this episode: “From the Beginning” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and “Crystalised” by The xx.

A monologue in which our host, Professor Robert Harrison, gets swept up by the spirit of the wind and carried toward some indeterminate destination. Songs in this episode: “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac, “Annabelle Lee” by Glass Wave, and “The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix.

A conversation about David Jones’ “In Parenthesis” with Tim Noakes, Head of Public Services, Special Collections at Stanford University. Songs in this episode: “A Fool No More” by Peter Green, and “Machine Gun” by Jimi Hendrix.

A conversation about sex, intimacy, and human relations in the era of AI with Jeanne Proust, Vice President of the Public Philosophy Network. Songs in this episode: “Reckoner” by Radiohead, and “She’s Not There” by The Zombies.

A monologue in which our host, Professor Robert Harrison, performs a “cover” of Walter Benjamin’s essay titled “The Destructive Character,” first published in 1931.

A conversation about Carl Jung, the Red Book, and Jung’s descent into the unconscious with Laura Wittman, Associate Professor of French and Italian at Stanford University. Songs in this episode: “Into the Night” by Julee Cruise, and “End of the Night” by The Doors.

A conversation about the real, the actual, and the virtual with Jan Söffner, Visiting Professor in German Studies at Stanford University and Chair of Cultural Theory and Cultural Analysis at Zeppelin University. Songs in this episode: “Echo” by Glass Wave, and “Compared to What” by Ray Charles.