In this episode, Giuseppe and Anthony discuss a number of issues pertaining to human and animal consciousness raised by Godfrey-Smith's article, "On Being an Octopus."  What do octopi have to do with consciousness?  What are qualia?  What would it be like to taste through your fingers, or to feel the world through your tongue>. How would having a "decentralized" nervous system alter the feeling of being conscious?  If an octopus doesn't have a "self," can it even be considered one thing?  Or is it more accurate to think of "an octopus" as something akin to "a community of things" that we jointly refer to for the sake of simplicity?  

Link to Godfrey-Smith's article: https://www.bostonreview.net/articles/peter-godfrey-smith-being-octopus/

Ep. 102: What is it Like to Be an Octopus? (Part I)

In this episode, Giuseppe and Anthony continue their conversation on music: What exactly happens to someone when they create music?  To what extent are particular members essential to a band's being?  Are there examples of bands who kept or even increased in quality after member changes, or are changes always negative?  Which version of a song is the actual song?  Can music have an essence but also be tied to particular equipment usages?  What is the ontology of cover songs?  Are musical experiences ineffable?  Are there any sounds or patterns that are intrinsically bad, or is everything context dependent?

Ep. 107: What is Music? (Part II)

In this episode, Giuseppe and Anthony discuss the concept of atheism: What exactly does it mean to be an atheist?  Is there more than one type of atheism?  What arguments are given in favor of each?  What issues do these arguments run into?  What are the ethical and political consequences of atheism?

Ep. 108: What is Atheism? (Part I)

In this episode, Giuseppe and Anthony continue their conversation on Atheism: What exactly is it?  Are there different types?  What issues might there be with creationist accounts?

Ep. 109: What is Atheism? (Part II)

In this episode, Giuseppe and Anthony discuss a seemingly odd set of questions: What kinds of activities/disciplines are definitively non-philosophical?  And is there anything that can't be philosophized about, even in principle?  These questions lead to a number of rabbit holes regarding mental states, the sciences, personal anecdotes, and other fun stuff.

Ep. 110: What is NOT Philosophy? (Part I)

In this conversation, Giuseppe and Anthony continue their conversation on what philosophy is _not_.

Ep. 111: What is NOT Philosophy? (Part II)

In this episode, Giuseppe and Anthony discuss a topic that everyone seems to be talking about these days -- "postmodernism."  What even is this thing?  Why has it become a hot topic these past few years?  What are its origins?  What are its metaphysics and epistemology?  Its ethics and politics?

Ep. 112: What is Postmodernism? (Part I)

In this episode, Giuseppe and Anthony continue their conversation on postmodernism -- this time focusing on potential critiques and social-political consequences.

Ep. 113: What is Postmodernism? (Part II)

"Why haven't we received any new episodes lately?  What's going on?!"

Delay Update

FTLOS! returns.  In this episode, Giuseppe and Anthony ask a number of questions about the nature of tradition and its counterpart -- novelty: What is the ontology of tradition?  How do rituals factor in?  What is the relationship between seeing the world symbolically and finding meaning?  How does novelty disrupt this process?  When is tradition bad enough to justify a change?  What kinds of novelty can be warranted?  What misconceptions do people have about the two?

Ep. 114: Tradition Vs. Novelty (Part I)

A philosophy podcast made by two professors from NJ.  An extension of the Public Philosophy Project -- a community-building and educational organization dedicated to spreading philosophical discussion beyond academia and into everyday life.  For questions or suggestions for future episodes: PublicPhilProject@gmail.com.  Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/publicphilosophyproject

Ep. 102: What is it Like to Be an Octopus? (Part I)

For the Love of Sophia!

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