Open Door Philosophy

In the book of Exodus, God appears to the biblical patriarch Moses in the form of a burning bush, and tells him he is to lead the Isrealites, enslaved by the Egyptians, to freedom. In the Bhagavad Gita, the source of all things, lord Krisha, appears to prince Arjuna as his charioteer and helps him understand his identity and potential on the eve of a major battle. These appearances by gods, however, are not reserved just for the spiritual heroes of old. Millions of people around the world report having similar religious experiences where they encounter God in a variety of ways, are gifted spiritual powers, or their souls are washed clean and they are made new again. What exactly is a religious experience? Under what circumstances do they occur? And what should their meaning be in our life? Can we even speak of them in any sort of meaningful way? Join us for this first in a two part series on religious experience. Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

What’s the most important question in philosophy? Our guest Jack Symes believes it to be the question of God’s existence, no matter where you fall on the belief spectrum.  In this episode, Jack discusses with us his latest book, Philosophers on God: Talking about Existence which directly address this question. What is the origin of the universe? What are the most powerful arguments for and against the existence of God? What do thinkers outside of the Abrahamic faiths have to say about such questions? And why is Adam Sandler still making movies? Join us as we discuss these questions and gain insight about the many current thinkers included in the book with Jack Symes. You can purchase Philosophers on God: Talking about Existence by following this link. Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

Included in this episode are feminist icons Mary Wollstonecraft and Simone de Beauvoir, champions of new ethics Mary Midgley, Iris Murdoch, Philippa Foot, and Elizabeth Anscombe, and contemporary powerhouse on love and other moral stances Susan Wolf. It's a lot packed into one hour! Join us for this final installment of the series: Women Who Shaped Philosophy!Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

Throughout the history of philosophy, women have been active, yet markedly absent from much of the scholarship. If you go into a book store or do a google search for the greatest philosophers, you would most likely see one or two women, at most on any given list. How can those two things coexist together? In Han Dynasty China, a female scholar was employed by the Emporer to write on the role of women. Plagued by the looming accusations of withcery and devil worship, a woman in the Medieval France wrote a treatise on the nature of women the empowerment in their traditional role. Across the ancient world into the Medieval Era, women were held positions of expertise from which they advised, often other women, on how to lead a good life and fulfill their social role. What did these women write about? Join us today as we discuss these philosopher queens and their contributions to philosophy.Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

Throughout the history of philosophy, women have been active, yet markedly absent from much of the scholarship. If you go into a book store or do a google search for the greates philosohers, you would most likely see one or two women, at most on any given list. How can those two things coexist together? In Ancient Greece and Rome, a few women were revered as philosophical teachers. Plato occasionally included women in his famous dialogues. In Alexandria, Egypt, daughters of scholars were educated, and one rose to prominence through her public lectures. What did these women write about? Join us today as we discuss these philosopher queens and their contributions to philosophy.Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

Whether concepts such as the Golden Ratio or more subjective standards of aesthetic judgments, beauty has been the subject of debate for every era of philosophical history. In the ancient world, it was the Greeks that formed much of what the ancient era would think about when considering beauty in concepts such as symmetry and ratios. The Enlightenment era philosophers of the modern period, influenced by the new emphasis on reason, grappled with the subjective nature of beauty and proposed a way that beauty could be both contextual yet universal. In the late modern and post-modern eras, women philosophers took up the question of beauty in application to themselves, attempting to find exactly how they should respond to the concept. Join us today as we look for beauty. Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

Beauty and aesthetics seems to be one of the least discussed branches of philosophy, yet occupied the minds of some of the greatest philosophers such as: Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Hume, just to name a few. Its appeal is immediately obvious, however, when someone asks the seemingly simple question of exactly what beauty is. The conversation that typically follows involves topics such as: what exactly are standards of beauty, if these standards are objective or entirely in the eye of the beholder, and under what circumstances do we or do we not encounter beauty. Some say beauty is rare; others that it is around us all the time if we would just look; that the outward self is just a grotesque veneer; that true beauty resides within. I mean, is the song that’s playing in the background right now beautiful? The last time your and your friends got together and played Mario Party? The weekend morning that just involves a cup of coffee, a book, and a cat purring in your lap ‘cause it loves you? Whatever the perspective, it seems beauty is something that matters to us, whether we find it in a sunset, a soaring aria, or in the eyes of our loved ones. Join us as we explore the practical side of beauty in this first of a two part series on the subject.Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

Welcome to Open Door Philosophy! We're happy you stopped by!Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

Join us as we discuss our goals and plans for Open Door Philosophy in 2024. We discuss upcoming guests, episode topics, and more!Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

In this bit of nonsense, Andrew tries to convince Mr. Parsons to learn Latin, no one is sure what whiskey is, Mr. Parsons ditches the neck ties, and there's some dissatisfaction with camera angles.  Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

In this episode, we put a bow on the year that was 2023! We look back on the podcast and this year's meaningful events in our lives. We then discuss our favorite books of 2023; No Spoilers!Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all our listeners. We'll see you in 2024!Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

What do you own? Why do you own it? Are things owned individually or collectively? Do citizens own public parks and do they have an obligation to its maintenance? Can you own ideas or other intangible things like money and time? Join us for this exploratory episode on the concept of property. Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

In this bit of nonsense, we talk about Taylor's cardigans, how Mr. Parsons avoided fraud, Andrew's mysterious travel, and the difficulties of the Polish language. Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

In this episode, we delve into the rich work of political philosophy by Leo Strauss, John Rawls, and Robert Nozick. We begin with Strauss's influential ideas on liberal education, examining how he views cultural cultivation as essential for intellectual development and a bulwark against the homogenization of mass culture. Strauss's Aristotelian perspective on nurturing the individual's nature through education sets the stage for a deeper exploration of societal structures.Transitioning to Rawls, we explore his innovative 'Veil of Ignorance' and the 'Original Position', concepts that have reshaped modern understandings of justice and fairness. Rawls' principles challenge us to consider a society where every individual's rights are safeguarded and inequalities are justified only if they benefit the least advantaged.Finally, we turn to Nozick's libertarian response, which emphasizes individual rights and the minimal state. Nozick's ideas on self-ownership and consensual contracts offer a stark contrast to Rawls, presenting a viewpoint where free exchange and personal liberty are paramount.Join us as we navigate these philosophical currents, understanding how each thinker builds upon or reacts against the others, shaping our views on education, justice, and the ideal society.Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

Need a bit of the ODP crew without the philosophy? Welcome to ODP Shorts!Andrew needs a haircut and thinks David Beckham is a fine American, Mr. Parsons' football team is struggling, and Taylor reviews former Houston Astros Jerseys.  Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

At one point in history, European countries were ruled by monarchs.  The Catholic Church also exerted a great deal of control. And our physical explanations for why nature is comprised the way it is relied on  metaphysical explanations reliant on God. Then enter the Enlightenment. Thinkers like Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were instrumental in this transition from Medieval conceptions of the divine rights of kings and original sin to that of representative governments, rights, and human nature. Join us as we explore this trifecta of  influential philosophers. We also talk about what is our Roman Empire, build-a-bear, and asparagus. Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

Welcome to a very spectral, spooky episode of Open Door Philosophy! Since this episode releases on Halloween, we thought how better to celebrate than talk about our spookiest philosophers! You'll have to listen to find out who they are though, because suspense is the name of the game!Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

We know war happens all the time, unfortunately.  Caught up in war are states and individuals who wish for others to see their actions as reasonable, for the best, and ultimately just. But it seems war involves many actions which are considered wrong in other circumstances, killing another human being for example.  Most people will agree that self-defense is justifiable, but how far does that defense go before it becomes vengeance? And a particular difficulty for aggressor states is that they must have just cause to be the instigator of warfare.  In this episode we turn to the Greeks and the Peloponnesian War, as well as the Medieval giants of Augustine and Aquinas who develop something quite important: Just War Theory. When should war be waged? How should it be conducted? And in it's conclusion, how should the victor treat the defeated. Join us as we explore Just War TheorySign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

Philosophy is a notoriously massive subject, and for someone unfamiliar, it might be difficult to figure out where to start. Do you look for a famous name on the bookshelf? Try to choose a subject? Start with self-help? Maybe join a book club? In this episode, we answer a listener question by exploring how to get started in philosophy by recounting our own experiences and plotting a course. Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com

The Shawnee, a native American tribe, tells a tale of brother crow and brother buffalo which imparts the wisdom of balance: to only hunt the buffalo when it is necessary for food and skins, but to remember that each creature is our brother and sister too. Tales like this one are not uncommon in many indigenous cultures around the world. Through an illustrative story set in nature, they transmit the ethical, epistemological, and metaphysical beliefs of the tribe from one generation to the next on topics such as virtue and vice, creation and purpose, life, death, and what comes after. Yet the collective body of knowledge and beliefs of such tribes are not considered philosophy, but are rather placed in an adjacent and loosely defined category called “wisdom traditions.” And this label is hardly reserved for indigenous knowledge systems. Buddhism, Humanism, Taoism, Transcendentalism, Confucianism and Quakerism have all been called wisdom traditions by some. In what way do wisdom traditions differ from philosophy? Are they considered “lesser than” or are they on equal ground but utilize different ways of knowing? Is the term subversively pejorative? Or does its separate status identify something uniquely different and profoundly important?Sign up for our newsletter here! Open Door Philosophy NewsletterContact us via email at contact@opendoorphilosophy.com Open Door Philosophy on Instagram @opendoorphilosophyOpen Door Philosophy website at opendoorphilosophy.com