Philosophy Talk

10/17/2026

Philosophy Talk returns to downtown San Francisco next month as Josh & Blakey ask Karen Zumhagen-Yekplé from Tulane University about Franz Kafka and the World Without a Path.

📋 Register for free at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/philosophy-talk-live-franz-kafka-and-the-world-without-a-path-tickets-2002896450199

10/16/2026

Michel Foucault (born October 15, 1926) is cited frequently for his work on knowledge and power, which for him are inextricably linked. But what exactly is Foucault's philosophy of power? Is it a universal theory intended to be applied in any context, or was he simply responding to the specific power dynamics of his time?

On the heels of Foucault's centennial, we revisit our episode with the late Gary Gutting from the University of Notre Dame, author of "Thinking the Impossible: French Philosophy Since 1960."

🎧 Sunday at 11 am on KALW 91.7 FM in San Francisco & online at https://www.kalw.org/show/philosophy-talk/2021-07-02/foucault-and-power

10/15/2026

Today is the centennial of the French philosopher of power Michel Foucault. Ahead of our episode in 2018, we sent our Roving Philosophical Reporter, Liza Veale, to find out how activists like cultural strategist Marc Bamuthi Joseph, formerly of Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and Jeremy Gong, former co-chair of the East Bay Democratic Socialists of America, are inspired—or are not—by Foucault.

More at https://philosophytalk.org/shows/foucault-and-power

10/14/2026

Tomorrow is the last day of voting for Listener's Choice at the Signal Awards, and our 2026 movie special is a finalist in the Arts & Culture category!

It's the first time we've gotten the nod, but the competition is fierce—and worthy, so we need YOU to cast your vote for Philosophy Talk and tell the world that thoughtful, thought-provoking conversation about popular culture is alive and well.

✅ VOTE HERE: https://vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting?utm_campaign=signa5_entrant_finalistnotification_092926&utm_medium=email&utm_source=cio #/2026/individual-episodes/genre/arts-culture

10/14/2026

A philosopher more relevant than ever, check out our 2008 episode with Seyla Benhabib from Yale University, editor of "Politics in Dark Times: Encounters with Hannah Arendt."

🎧 https://philosophytalk.org/shows/hannah-arendt KALW

10/13/2026

Tomorrow we'll be recording an episode on the late Nobel Prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman with Tamar Gendler from Yale University. Got questions or comments about the cognitive quirks of our brains? Let us know below and we may put yours to our guest!

More at https://philosophytalk.org/shows/daniel-kahneman

10/12/2026

For this week's episode, "Liberty and Justice for Who?" we sent our Roving Philosophical Reporter, Holly J. McDede, to find out more about the largest and most successful slave revolt in the western hemisphere.

10/10/2026

It's the final day of Week. Our Summer Reading special from a few years back: https://philosophytalk.org/shows/summer-reading-list-banned-books-edition KALW

10/10/2026

Big thanks to J. The Jewish News of Northern California for their profile of our new series in this week's issue: https://jweekly.com/2026/10/09/this-podcast-asks-what-would-maimonides-do.

Stanford’s Josh Landy hosts a new series examining Maimonides and other Jewish intellectuals through a universal lens.

10/09/2026

Coming up: How could classic liberalism, a political philosophy of freedom, be used to justify colonialism and deprive people around the world of the right to govern themselves? Josh and Ray talk liberally with Uday Singh Mehta from The City University of New York, author of "Liberalism and Empire: A Study in Nineteenth-Century British Liberal Thought."

🎧 Sunday at 11 am on KALW 91.7 FM in San Francisco & https://www.kalw.org/show/philosophy-talk/2022-10-14/liberty-and-justice-for-who.

This episode was generously sponsored by the Stanford Global Studies program.