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WHY? Philosophical Discussions Aboute EVERYDAY LIFE

Public radio show and podcast

Currently in its eighteenth year on public radio, Why? is a thoughtful, engaging, accessible, and non-adversarial conversation with today’s most engaging thinkers. No question is off limit; no challenge is too difficult.

Philosophical Currents

Public radio show and podcast

A monthly public-radio show and podcast presenting a philosopher’s analysis of the most important news stories and cultural events. From Supreme Supreme Court decisions to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, no news isn’t worth exploring.

PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS EVERY DAY

Blog

The official blog of Why? Radio dedicated to the host’s exploration of philosophy in all of its forms. It also features “Ask A Philosopher,” a philosophical advice column.

Philosophy IS A GREAT MAJOR

Website

PIAGM.com is a clearinghouse for information explaining why philosophy is an excellent college major. From high salaries to flexible skills, this is a site to go for data and personal accounts explaining why philosophy is a good choice for undergraduates.

News

The Latest Episode of Why? Radio

“What is Jewish Philosophy?” with guests Paul W. Franks and Yitzhak Y. Melamed

Jewish Philosophy has been around since before the word philosophy even existed, but it gets little attention. It is a rich and interesting tradition that gives us deep insight into the great human questions. It presents challenging conceptions of morality, the meaning of life, justice, the holy scripture, and God. On this episode we explore these and other topics from a Jewish perspective to see how marginalized thinkers explore points of view that can challenge assumptions many of us didn’t even know we made.

Paul W. Franks is the Robert F. and Patricia Weis Professor of Philosophy and Judaic Studies, and Professor of Religious Studies, at Yale University. He has published a number of books on German Idealism and theology. Yitzhak Y. Melamed is the Charlotte Bloomberg Professor of Philosophy at John Hopkins. He has published books on Spinoza and other areas of metaphysics, the history of ideas, and Jewish Philosophy. Together, they have edited the Oxford Handbook of Jewish Philosophy published last year by Oxford University Press.

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A Bonus Episode of Why? Radio

“Why? Radio Celebrates 200 Episodes!” Bonus interview with Erik Deatherage, Kim Donehower, and Jack Russell Weinstein

The next episode of Why? Radio will be its 200^th, a milestone eighteen years in the making. In this bonus interview Prairie Public radio’s Program Manager Erik Deatherage talks to host Jack Russell Weinstein and his wife Kim Donehower, a Professor of English at the University of North Dakota, a former guest on the show as well as its announcer. Together, they offer an intimate look behind the scenes at the making of Why? Radio, an exploration of Jack’s philosophies of interviewing and teaching, the romance of radio, the emotions behind philosophy, and how twenty-five years of living in North Dakota has affected their way of looking at the world. The episode concludes with brief testimonies from other past guests, Jack’s colleagues, Prairie Public staff, and Adina Moore Weinstein, Kim and Jack’s daughter who is currently a fashion-design major in New York City.

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A Podcast Special Event!

“Race, A.I., War, and Humanity’s Future”

A new interview with Why? Radio host Jack Russell Weinstein, on the iCover video podcast

Hosts Nishant and Rana sit down with Jack to tackle race, culture, artificial intelligence, war, ethics, the future of humanity, and the value of Hip Hop. The conversation also examines how culture shapes our beliefs, why meaningful dialogue is more important than ever, and what the future may hold as technology and society continue to evolve.

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This Month’s Discussion of Current Events

When Life Isn’t Ours to Control

Wildfire smoke raises a broader question: what do we owe ourselves when life is beyond our control? Before we answer it, however, it is worth asking whether there is anything in our control at all. What does it mean to be in command of our own lives, our own feelings, and our response to them? Is it ever okay to “give up”? In this episode, Craig and Jack engage in a wide-ranging discussion about the human experience that references prejudice, our characters, and even a classic Peanuts cartoon.

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Read our Blog, PQED: Philosophical Questions Every Day

“What is empathy for?”

The battle over empathy is more than just politics. It’s actually about nihilism, masculinity, and the stability of the American republic.

Empathy makes you weak. This is a message that Charlie Kirk is supposed to have communicated to his millions of followers. Interestingly, he never actually said this; Elon Musk is the one who did. In an interview on the Joe Rogan Experience, Musk remarked that “The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy. The empathy exploit. They’re exploiting a bug in Western civilization, which is the empathy response.” You should care about other people, he reluctantly concedes, but then he doubles down: “there’s so much empathy that you actually suicide yourself.”

Kirk’s comments about empathy are different but more extreme. Criticizing Bill Clinton, he opines: “I can’t stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that—it does a lot of damage.” Kirk also looks like he will concede his point by admitting that some people should, at times, feel sympathy for others, but he waves that conversation away. He is assuming that the distinction between empathy and sympathy is both clear and significant. It is not.

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Read the Free Book from Why? Radio Host Jack Russell Weinstein

Israel, Palestine, and the Trolley problem

On the futility of the search for the moral high ground

Arguments about Israel and Palestine are almost always accusatory and polemical. Rather than learning from one another, opponents jockey for the moral high ground trying to find that one attack they believe proves their side to be completely on the right, without compromise. This means Israel’s advocates dismiss Palestinian land claims without due consideration and Pro-Palestinian voices falsely accuse Israel of the most heinous modern crimes: colonialism, genocide, and apartheid. None of this is productive or healthy.

In Israel, Palestine, and the Trolley Problem: On the Futility of the Search for the Moral High Ground, philosopher Jack Russell Weinstein interweaves philosophy, history, politics, and personal experience to expose the argumentative mistakes we all make too often. Mapping out moral psychology—how we actually make moral decisions—and using the famous Trolley Problem as a metaphor, Weinstein paves the way for a new, more empathetic exchange of ideas about today’s most puzzling moral dilemma: how to find peace in the Middle East.

Jack Russell Weinstein is Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor and Director of the Institute for Philosophy in Public Life at the University of North Dakota. He is also the host of the public radio show/podcast Why? Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life.