Insert Philosophy Here (Insert Philosophy Here)

To “go vegan” is a legitimate dietary choice, but I am about to become a heretic in the vegan evangelists’ eyes, because I will dare to question the vegan dogma. There are multiple fallacies in the vegan ideology but for brevity, in this article, I will concentrate on the “veganism will save the planet” claim. It’s about the climate crisis. Veganism demands the wrong solution by attacking the wrong culprits.

Dr, Taber's Twitter Thread: https://twitter.com/SarahTaber_bww/status/1006363772838170629

The first topic of this podcast is--Why this podcast? What is the point of it and why Insert Philosophy Here?

What’s going on underneath the hype? A philosopher looks into the phenomenon that is Taylor Swift and indicts the music industry that tried to exploit her.

Comments? Contact me at: InsertPhilosophyHere.com

On where one belongs, where one can go, and how living abroad changes your perspective on everything.

Contemplating the "heretical" idea of teaching an Intro to Philosophy course not beginning with Plato or even any of the Ancient Greek philosophers. I present my arguments.

Inserting some philosophy into the concept of the New Year. Although the “new year” is celebrated with fanfare and increased alcohol consumption, aside from hangovers, absolutely nothing changes between 31 December and 1 January.

Covers two topics: why philosophy is best taught chronologically and why we still study Ancient Greek philosophy. Most Introduction to Philosophy textbooks present philosophy topically--a collection of separate topics. I argue that philosophy is best taught as the progressive history of philosophers responding to events and building on previous ideas. That process for teaching Western philosophy begins with the Ancient Greeks.

It has long been taught that there was a 'dark age" in Europe devoid of intellectual activity. This myth is debunked by the reality that medieval philosophy was alive and well.

When I teach my Introduction to Philosophy courses, I do so chronologically because philosophy is best understood as a long evolution. Those students often ask me, "why didn't those philosophers centuries ago understand that we are all individuals with different perceptions?" I tell them to be patient, we have to wait until the early 1800s to see philosophers who came to that realization.

Some say that a week is a lifetime in politics, and last week showed how true that is. Now the election can turn to focus on Trump.

I've been busy the past two months finishing my new book, Why Trump? Why Some People Support Him—How the Rest of Us Can Respond.

I read from the first chapter, Chapter 1. Framing the Issue.

https://amzn.to/3Y3NeFm

https://dgilesauthor.com/why-trump/

Do you remember Pet Rocks? You need to be older to remember them, but here’s a good history of them. The Pet Rock was the ultimate triumph of marketing over substance. Seeing the recent increase in the number of books and articles about Stoicism reminds me of Pet Rocks. I explain why in this episode.

This year has seen a number of important and contentious elections: Sweden, Italy, United States, Brazil, and Israel, among others. By its nature, politics is agonistic--a process of contention among people--but today it is an antagonistic process in which politicians actively exhort the public to misrecognize and even hate other politicians.

“Postmodernist” is the name given to a loosely connected group of thinkers united in their opposition to modernity and its assumptions of the supremacy of reason and continual human progress. Postmodernist philosophers dismantle modernity's illusions to free us to see what really is true and how we really are.

I talk about Minnesota, tater tots, and a possible sea change in American politics. Could the Harris-Walz campaign actually be directed at the 60% of the body politic?

This isn’t an “I told you so.” This is an “all right, let’s talk about where we go from here” post-election.

#politics #philosophy

I ask these questions in July Fourth, a day when the United States commemorates its independence. A Philosophical Look at Being American.

A short podcast this week, relating an experience I had with a businessman who reminded me about the essence of philosophy.

Deconstructing a source of prejudice. Though a useful concept in its proper context, toxic masculinity is best understood as an expression of an underlying sense of identity clung to by some males. It is this juvenile, testosterone-fueled identity that is at the base of so much man-child behavior. To describe that identity, I will adopt a term that most people will have heard, but that is underutilized — “the bros.”

Living Colour - Glamour Boys

Donald Trump was in the news a lot yesterday, ALL over the news. That's understandable, as is the reality that many people oppose Trump. They have good reason, but as a philosopher, I have to ask whether Trump is really the problem people should be opposing.

There are some people and channels who offer nothing but outrage porn, They are part of the Fake Left: people who offer not positive principles but opposition to the Right. The Fake Left and its outrage porn help the right wing in its takeover of the US. #Politics #Philosophy #Project2025 #Trump #maga

Men hating women is a symptom of a deeper problem. This episode inserts philosophy into the abuse of women and explores the social causes behind misogyny and subordination of women.

Comments? Contact me at InsertPhilosophyHere.com

First in a series of talks on general topics in philosophy. Many people have attempted to explain what philosophy is. Some have said philosophy is thinking about thinking, reflecting on experience, a pursuit of truth. Philosophy is all of those things, but it is also something much more. Here is my definition.

This week marks the one-year anniversary of this podcast, but more importantly, it is the one-year anniversary of Putin's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. In this week's episode, I focus on two questions: why do some people who claim to be anti-war refuse to be against Putin's war, and what factors led them to hold such a hypocritical position.

Support this podcast: https://ko-fi.com/insertphilosophyhere

When people show you who they are, believe them.

Politics is about power, and power has a political dimension. Power manifests not just on a grand scale but also on a very personal scale. Not all power is ugly and coercive, but some of it is.

One reason I am so passionate about the value of education comes from what I learned working two work-study jobs when I was an undergraduate.

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Scottish philosopher David Hume in the 1700s changed Western philosophy with his strong critique of science. Hume showed that science is based on three assumptions that have no rational basis. Hume's critique so impressed Immanuel Kant, that it led Kant to develop his critiques of reason that revolutionized philosophy and science. Today. Hume's arguments are undiminished and we neglect them at our peril.

Part 1: People Aren’t Stupid — They’re Lazy Thinkers

• Many people evade the ethical responsibility to think deeply

Part 2: How to Have an Argument (More of a Debate Really)

• How to disagree without being disagreeable

Contact me at: InsertPhilosophyHere.com

The same old culture war is now directed at Kamala Harris.

My long-term slightly scientific study of fluffpreneurship.

We are now in the Epoch of the Memeocene in which things are oversimplified and vapid. It is an age in which society recognizes facile imitation more than substance. Not surprisingly, the snake oil merchants have adapted to the times. What they sell and how they sell it has been pared down to exploit our age of pretending to solve problems with empty platitudes.

Comments? Contact me at: InsertPhilosophyHere.com

First in a series of episodes, "A Philosophical View on Current Events," I discuss the philosophy of just war theory.

Some ancient ethical systems still have relevance to our business practices today.

What’s right and wrong about the Columbia protests and what’s right and wrong about political action.

Can we have an intelligent conversation about what’s going on at Columbia University? Probably not. I’ll try anyway, although a conversation requires willing and sincere participants.

Referenced in this episode:

• Ethics of Dissent and Protest
• Left Wing, Right Wing, People, and Power: The Core Dynamics of Political Action
• Assault on the Left: The FBI and the Sixties Antiwar Movement
• Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

I welcome your comments at InsertPhilosophyHere.com.

Do you love Christmas? That’s cool, I respect that. Have fun.

I want to talk about and with those who don’t consider Christmas the “most wonderful time of the year,” because I respect them too.

I haven't recorded a philosophy lesson in awhile, so here is an audio version of a new video I am producing for my university course. My other videos are at https://www.youtube.com/insertphilosophyhere

A brief introduction, but more than most philosophy professors will give you. Arendt had important insights into totalitarianism and the human condition.

That things change was a problem for Greek philosophers. Aristotle had a theory for how we can understand change. His solution to the problem of change affected Western thinking for many centuries.

Much will be said and written about the latest set of indictments handed down against former President Trump. I will leave it to the legal analysts to dissect the minutiae and details of the indictment. I'm a philosopher. So, I want to talk about what is behind all of this, what's really going on with all of this? What are the fundamental principles that underlie these actions, both politically and socially.

A straight-forward, unsensationalized discussion of Kant's Categorical Imperative, discussing his argument in detail. Video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvdUp1Z-Luc

Much has been made and certainly much more will be made about Joe Biden’s age after he announced he is running for president. Some people suggest that he is too old to run for president. It is prejudice to assume that age makes one unqualified for any role, including the President of the United States. Being in one’s 80s does not in and of itself mean one is incapable of handling responsibilities. Whether Biden is mentally capable or not I leave up to you, but this issue of age leads me to think about how we define generations.

Condensing their philosophies to their most influential ideas.

A subject that has been in the news quite a lot lately as a political issue is diversity, equity, and inclusion, (DEI) and this is a topic that's dear to my heart as a philosophy professor. We need DEI programs, and I am very concerned about the efforts to try to reverse DEI initiatives in higher education. Plus, I am also aware of how part of that backlash from the right-wing to DEI initiatives is a response to excesses and abuses from people who are wanting, or at least on the surface wanting to increase DEI. I'll talk about both sides of this political issue.

The mystique and the reality, and advice about the most important part of being a traveler.

We are now 20 minutes into the future, next Sunday AD.

• MST3K article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_Science_Theater_3000
• Why Trump" Book: https://dgilesauthor.com/why-trump/

For the last seven years, I’ve had quite a few people here in Europe ask me to explain Trump and his MAGA sycophants. Their incredulous questions are understandable. What’s in MAGA minds? How could they believe such things? Why are they so full of hate?

I reference two books in this episode: The Rise of Victimhood Culture and Rethinking Misrecognition and Struggles for Recognition.

Today, we assume and demand that government by at the consent of the governed. It was not always so. 17th century philosopher John Locke established the concept of government as a convenience, as a service we can hire and fire if it does not serve our interests.

I created Insert Philosophy Here to insert philosophy into anything and everything. That includes popular culture. This week I take on the TV show, The Curse of Oak Island, questioning its approach, defending it from critics, but also calling out its unnecessary sensationalism.

Spoiler Alert: I will divulge as little as possible about the specifics of the movie as I talk about the real-life implications of its philosophical ideas, but, obviously, some content of the movie will leak out.

Yes, Barbie is a surprisingly philosophical movie. I had low expectations for Barbie. I’ve never been a fan of corporations or dolls, and especially corporate dolls that objectify women. My expectations were very mistaken.

InsertPhilosophyHere.com

An overview of what we are talking about when we are talking about political philosophy, with an eye toward the emergence of political philosophy in the early modern period: Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.

A look at two ideologies that are shaping political discourse.

Text transcript and reference links: https://insertphilosophyhere.com/the-fundamental-contradictions-in-anarchism-and-libertarianism/

Philosophy of Election 24 Series #5

Freedom is a word many people use, but few people have any substantial understanding of the meaning of the concept. To mention that fact isn’t cynical or disparaging. The concept of freedom, like all significant philosophical concepts, is deep, complex, multidimensional, and nuanced. It is beyond simplistic definitions.

The dominant paradigm in astrophysics is that the universe began in a “big bang,” probably from a singularity, and that the universe, the very fabric of space itself, has been expanding ever since. But does that paradigm of the expanding universe hold up in the face of evidence?

In recent years, there has been concern about the role of the digital world in movements and forces that could be considered to be anti-democracy. But what, if anything, has the online world changed in the public sphere and democracy that could potentially contribute to anti-democratic behavior? To address this broad question, I bring together several current threads in social philosophy. #Democracy #Populism #SocialMedia

Siloization – ˈsī-lō-ə-ˈzā-shən : the process of isolating a group apart from others especially in ways that hinder communication and cooperation. How technology is enhancing an age old human habit, the difference between one-way and two-way communication, and how social media plays into these issues.

Politics brings out the worst of people; it doesn’t have to.

Comments? Contact me at: InsertPhilosophyHere.com

The media is talking a lot about how influential podcasts are, including suggesting podcasts influenced the recent US election. I insert some philosophy into the interesting anachronism of podcasts, the three basic types of podcasts, and what they say about society.

The recent rapid turn of events in Syria has created more questions than answers. This is the time of both opportunity and danger for Syria. What happens in the near future in Syria will be a lesson for the world about either how to or how not to act politically.

My new book has been released.

Left Wing, Right Wing, People, and Power: The Core Dynamics of Political Action

The Kindle version is available here. 

The paperback version is available here.

I welcome your comments, Contact me at InsertPhilosophyHere.com.

Much of the defense of capitalism takes the positives of free enterprise and incorrectly attributes them to capitalism and much of the condemnation of capitalism incorrectly includes free enterprise in that condemnation. To have a fruitful, honest discussion, we need to get past errors and propaganda.

We truthfully tell students about the importance of education, but all of the students are being shortchanged and overcharged for their experiences in higher education. Tuition is rising, but the money isn’t going toward education. The reasons are the three wrong priorities now dominating higher education.

Plato was the first systematic Western philosopher. This episode explains his ideas on human perception, what knowledge is, and how we can know things, including his theory of Forms.

Understanding political movements is essential for building a human-centered politics. I therefore propose a distinction between reactionary movements and populist movements based on their different worldviews, goals, and targets of their opposition.

Support this podcast: https://ko-fi.com/insertphilosophyhere

Cooperation, loyalty, adherence to the rule of law. These are noble virtues, of which the following are necessary for a free and open society.

But there are times when it is necessary to step outside these noble virtues. There are times when dissent is a virtue. There is a time for peace and a time for protest.

Part 2 in a series of talks about the concept of recognition. Why do injustices continue to happen? We say it is because of prejudice but what is prejudice? It is difficult to fight something that we cannot define and one of the important tasks in philosophy is understanding what is behind social phenomena like prejudice.

The United States likes to think of itself as a democracy. Is it? What is democracy and what are its strengths and weaknesses? This week, I delve into these questions.

It matters what Trump said. Here's why, and here's how it connects with my book, Why Trump.

Are you an individual? Sounds like a silly question, doesn’t it? You’re you, right? You aren’t anybody else. But it’s not quite that simple. First off, being good philosophers, we have to define our terms. What do we mean by “an individual?” There are many answers to that question. Let’s begin at the beginning.

Trigger Warning! Sacred cows are toppled in this podcast!!!

Jordan Peterson, Slavoj Žižek, and Noam Chomsky--Three Pied Pipers of doom and gloom. This is a breed of philosophers who, when reading their works, I understand what they are saying, but I see no point in what they are saying. I’ve become convinced that the intention of this breed of philosophers is not to make a point, but merely to fling rhetorical mud.

Dr. Eve Poole is my honoured guest to talk about her latest book Robot Souls. Two of the biggest design problems in Artificial Intelligence are how to build robots that behave in line with human values and how to stop them ever going rogue. One under-explored solution to these alignment and control problems might be to examine how these are already addressed in the design of humans.

Robot Souls is a book as much about us humans as it is about robots and AI. We have created artificial intelligence rather than artificial humans, and that is a potential problem we need to address and consider how our creations and ourselves can be more human.

How We Are and How We Got Here: A Practical History of Western Philosophy

ISBN: 978-1-7358808-8-4.e-book: https://amzn.to/3I42f1S. Paperback: https://amzn.to/3Wz78V9.

A fresh and original presentation that is easy for students, instructors, and general readers to use. This well-written, insightful history of philosophy is basic enough to be understood by those with no prior experience with philosophy but sophisticated enough to inform further those with some knowledge of philosophy.

About the meme of the tradwife - the traditional wife.

#Philosophy #Marriage

A philosophical exploration of the hows and whys of conspiracy theories. Extended text discussion at https://insertphilosophyhere.com/conspiracy-theories/.

Third part of my series on recognition. In this episode, I trace the history of the philosophy of recognition, focusing on Jean-Jacques Rousseau, G.W.F. Hegel, and Axel Honneth.

Good business leaders know that a commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) requires a strong foundation, one upon which a company can build and expand its commitment to every aspect of the organization.

A philosophical perspective on persons and empires.

Both Hitler and Trump are pathetic and delusional. Both are far right authoritarians. But their movements have different motivations and goals. Calling Trump a fascist may seem like a convenient shorthand description, but it masks the depth of the real movement behind Trump. The truth is difficult but important to understand.

There’s an important difference between them. This episode is a follow-up to Episode 12, "What Lurks Behind Conspiracy Theories." The subject of conspiracy theories is of great interest, probably because 2024 is an election year in many countries. In this episode, I respond to a comment made by several listeners and explain the difference between a conspiracy theory and the typical exercising of power.

Austrian-British philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein had two distinct philosophies. I focus on his second one because in it, he abandoned his first one.

The concept of “Christian” nationalism has been in the news lately. That’s understandable given how often and how much certain groups are pushing the belief that America is a Christian nation and even that it should be an exclusively Christian nation. At least, that’s what they say on their external packaging.

Fourth part of my series on recognition. I talked about the positives of recognition in earlier parts. In this episodes, I talk about how recognition can be exploited to enact villainous acts.

Available Here: https://amzn.to/3qWV6H6

We are all so used to the terms "left," "right," "liberal," and "conservative" that we hear and use them without a second thought as to their meaning. Politics is the debate over how government and society should be structured and how social institutions should function and to what ends. The political conflict over these issues is often described in terms of the "Left" versus the "Right," but there is a definite lack of adequate examination of what Left and Right mean. In this book, Douglas Giles clarifies the meaning of the terms "Left" and "Right" and the left-right political spectrum in a way that helps us better understand political and social conflicts. Politics is complex, and many political conflicts have considerable effects on our lives. We deserve and need a deeper understanding of politics and political action, and we can help accomplish this by being clearer about what the terms "Left" and "Right" signify. #politics #philosophy #election

Our education system is still dominated by a model developed over 180 years ago that relegates students to products of the system. This factory model of education is counterproductive and harming society. The solution has been out there for a long time and I discuss it, including the ideas of Jane Addams, John Dewey, and Paulo Freire.

First in a multi-part discussion of the concept of recognition that is central to social cohesion and structures. In this part, I discuss the seeming contradiction of countries' attitudes toward refugees from war, attitudes that can be explained by recognition theory.

Some people believe that philosophy is disconnected from the world. This is ignorance but it is understandable given the tradition of rationalism and analytic philosophy. But philosophy is at its best when it addresses issues that confront people in their everyday lives. The school of philosophy that is appropriately named "pragmatism" does that, It is a philosophy that connects with real life, does work in it, and has cash value.

What are UFOs? It is a surprisingly emotional subject. A large percentage of people who come across this article will read very little of it, having already assumed their preferred conclusion, and not take seriously the argument I am presenting. I hope that does not include you, dear reader. I wrote this to try to have a discussion about the issues rather than the current non-discussion of entrenched ideologies and people talking past each other. UFOs are real phenomena that we should be exploring, but we aren’t. I am exploring why that might be.

I’m giving neither a prediction nor a hope, but this is an issue we do well to contemplate. Eschewing platitudes and cliches, let’s look at what would happen if Trump dies tomorrow.

Referenced: Why Trump?

The words “woke” and “wokeness” have recently entered the political lexicon. These words puzzle me as to what they mean and why people use them. “Woke” and “wokeness” are used mostly, if not exclusively, as an insult. They are used mostly, if not exclusively, by the Right. In our current memeocene epoch, the “woke” insult is often attached to an attack meme, whining about an alleged “wokeness.” What is this "wokeness?"

A reading of the first chapter of my recent book, available for sale everywhere.

Links to where you can purchase the book.

Left Wing, Right Wing, People, and Power