Believe it or not, the saying “You are what you eat” reveals what we’ve got wrong about our approach to eating and living well. Why? It tends to take an overly narrow focus on ourselves without consideration of other values, histories, and species. Dr. Kelly Donati (William Angliss Institute, Australia) discusses the finer points of gastronomy, its history, its development, and how we can re-think what it means to eat and live well. She reflects in particular on her ethnographic fieldwork with an artisan cheesemaking goat farm. Living Philosophy is brought to you by Philosophy2u.com. Host: Dr ..read more

Grasping what it means to be disabled is more complex than you might think. But doing so is key to understanding how we might treat people with impairments as equals with respect to justice, rights, and ethics. Prof Chris Riddle (Utica University) specializes in political philosophy, applied ethics, and the philosophy of disability. He has been an expert witness in several prominent legal cases concerning disability rights, and in this podcasts he discusses the historical and philosophical dimensions to understanding disability, as well as his own personal experiences as a scholar and an exper ..read more

One of the great insights from the philosophy of technology is that the more our devices become integrated with our lives, the more they reframe our relationships to others, the world, and even our purposes. In other words, technological devices tend to carry us away, for better or for worse. Dominic Smith (Associate Professor, University of Dundee) and Mark Coeckelbergh (Professor, University of Austria) discuss the paradoxical, political, and historical dimensions of our relations to technology. Living Philosophy is brought to you by Philosophy2u.com. Host: Dr Todd Mei Sponsors: Philosophy2u ..read more

Valerie Noble is a senior literary agent at the Donaghy Literary Group, where she works primarily within the genre of science fiction. She discusses the challenges she faced while completing a degree in food science, only to find how one of her primary means of escape offered a potential career in working with authors and publishing houses. Along the way, she gives some submission tips for new authors as well as reading suggestions for those looking to find a compelling and immersive narrative world. Living Philosophy is brought to you by Philosophy2u.com. Host: Dr Todd Mei Sponsors: Philosop ..read more

We tend to react to the issue of the right to abortion according to moral, religious, or political convictions. But what we often tend to overlook is that the debate surrounding Roe v. Wade is primarily a legal one. So according to the US constitution, is the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade legally sound? Prof Jay Mootz (University of the Pacific) and Prof George Taylor (University of Pittsburgh) are legal philosophers who discuss key problems and questions relating to the recent decision. Living Philosophy is brought to you by Philosophy2u.com. Host: Dr Todd Mei Sponsors ..read more

Traumatic experiences are those which involve significant and terrible events on emotional, mental, and bodily levels. Their effects can often go unnoticed or can be dismissed as being purely subjective or emotional. A more balanced and holistic approach to understanding trauma examines healing in relation to the mind and body. Dr Anna Westin (St Mellitus College, UK) discusses the fundamental nature of trauma as defined philosophically and psychologically. She also delves into the variety of approaches to healing trauma and restoring how we can relate more ably to others. Living Philosophy is ..read more

What if the key to respecting and appreciating non-human animals resided in understanding our human selves better? Thinking about animals and our relation to them might then involve trying to grasp the ways in which our current social, economic, and moral systems skew our perceptions and practices. Prof. Alice Crary (The New School for Social Research) and Prof. Lori Gruen (Wesleyan University) delve into the fundamental questions and problems that can help us better understand the crisis affecting animals and how we might then seek resolution through a considered form of resistance. Living Ph ..read more

Do crytpocurrencies and blockchain technology figure substantially in the possibility of financial freedom for those who currently are lacking in wealth? Or does the hype really just indicate that all things crypto are based on a speculative bubble and Ponzi schemes? Prof. Sebastian Purcell (SUNY, Cortland) discusses the legal, technological, and philosophical novelties behind cryptocurrencies that can potentially transform our lives for the better. He also weaves in how Aztec philosophy can help us think through what it means to have a rooted life. Living Philosophy is brought to you by Philo ..read more

Is translation really just a problem of finding the right words in one language to fit the words in another language? Or, is there much more than meets the ear? Lisa Foran, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at University College Dublin (Ireland), discusses the ways in which translation can be problematic as well as constructive, not just with the aim of communicating, but also with the aim of improving how we live our lives. She delves into the deeper, ethical significances of what means to find yourself unable to translate something or even someone into familiar terms. Living Philosophy is br ..read more

Medicine involves more than science and evidence-based experiments. In today’s health climate—where there seems to be a conflict of interest between health care, on the one hand, and pharmaceutical companies and the privatization of medicine, the other hand—it is easy to overlook a more holistic approach that understands how illness is causally linked to both the mind and body. David Corfield (University of Kent, UK) is Associate Professor of Philosophy, with special interests in the philosophies of mathematics, science, logic, medicine, history, and psychoanalysis. He discusses the importance ..read more