What is Jewish Philosophy?

On Why? Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life, host Jack Russell Weinstein speaks with philosophers Paul W. Franks and Yitzhak Y. Melamed about the history of Jewish philosophy, its central questions and how marginalized thinkers can challenge assumptions we may not realize we hold.

The 200th episode of “Why? Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life” premieres this Sunday. Ahead of the milestone, Erik Deatherage sits down with host Jack Russell Weinstein and his wife, Kim Donehower, a professor in the University of North Dakota’s Department of English. Friends and colleagues also join the celebration as we turn the tables on Jack and ask him questions, and give those he has impacted a chance to tell him “Why?” it all matters.

Host Jack Russell Weinstein welcomes philosophers Michael Cholbi and Paolo Stellino for a conversation on one of the most difficult subjects: suicide.

Jack Russell Weinstein sits down with philosopher and neurobiologist Owen Flanagan to examine addiction through the lenses of philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, and lived experience. Owen discusses responsibility, recovery, social influences, and the challenges of confronting addiction.

In this episode of WHY: Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life, host Jack Russell Weinstein explores one of humanity’s oldest and most consequential questions: What is agriculture for?

In this episode of Why? Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life, host Jack Russell Weinstein and guest Susan Sugarman explore the enduring legacy of Sigmund Freud, one of the most recognizable and controversial figures in psychology.

Drawing from Jennifer Morton’s work on the ethical dilemmas faced by first-generation and low-income students, this episode examines the personal costs of pursuing higher education—fractured family ties, difficult tradeoffs, and the quiet loss of identity that can accompany social mobility. Together, they reflect on why we sometimes deny uncomfortable realities and what those choices reveal about who we are and who we hope to become.

How do we place a value on the things we keep and pass down? Objects can be timeless and multi-generational or they can be a burden to bear. Jack Russell Weinstein and his guest, Wellesley philosophy professor Erich Hatala Matthes explore the question, why should we save for posterity?

Jack sits down with philosopher Adrian Bardon to unpack The Truth About Denial and our strange habit of rejecting what’s right in front of us. Together, they discuss why people deny obvious facts, how self-deception takes hold, and what denial reveals about our fear, identity, and the stories we tell ourselves to get through the world.

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.