Podcasts by Why We Argue

Seeing Truth in Physics from 2023-04-06T08:00

Stephon Alexander talks about a better way of thinking about the interconnections between music, physics, and creativity and how as someone often seen as “outside” the field, he has found freedom t...

Seeing Truth in the Climate Crisis from 2023-03-23T08:00

Feeling bad about the environment? You should. Artist Alexis Rockman talks about his art, the potential for real change, and his ongoing relationship with the American Museum of Natural History. Le...

Seeing Truth in the Lab from 2023-03-09T09:00

Max Liboiron founder of Environmental Action Research (CLEAR), a feminist, anti-colonial laboratory talks about making better science and how they aren’t interested in dismantling the masters house...

Seeing Truth in Photographs from 2023-02-23T09:00

Artist Penelope Umbrico talks about her work, images as currency, and how technology and various platforms herd images. And is photography tyrannical? Umbrico has some thoughts. Learn more about th...

Seeing Truth in the Archives from 2023-02-09T09:00

Joel Sweimler, Exhibition Specialist at the American Museum of Natural History, talks about his career at the museum, working on Seeing Truth, and what his favorite object in the collection happen ...

Seeing Truth in Museums from 2023-01-26T09:00

Feeling down about museums? We have so many reasons to, but Chris Newell, Tribal Community Member-in-Residence at UConn and Director of Education at the Akomawt Educational Initiative, gives a dose...

Seeing Truth in the Speculative: A Conversation with Dexter Gabriel from 2023-01-12T09:00

Historian and author Dexter Gabriel talks about his relationship to truth and memory in his fiction and non-fiction writing. Come for his thoughts on what truth we can find in history and stay for ...

Seeing Truth in Picturing the Pandemic: from 2022-12-29T09:00

Professor Sarah Willen talks about her part in creating the Pandemic Journaling Project and how that has morphed into a series of visual exhibitions that emphasis how we all can work to create new ...

Seeing Truth in Variability, Creativity, and Building Biological Collections from 2022-12-15T09:00

In this episode, scientists speak back to ideas about collection building, knowledge making, and the role of art and creativity in research. Bernard Goffinet and Eric Schultz, professors in the dep...

Seeing Truth in Plant Humanities from 2022-12-01T09:00

Art historian Romita Ray has long puzzled power, visual culture, and how knowledge moves globally. Currently writing about tea, we talk with Ray about botany, picking tea, archives, and the sexines...

Seeing Truth in Making and Unmaking Art from 2022-11-17T09:00

Artist Valerie Hegarty like to rip things up, twist them, distort them, and then leave audiences to ponder the results of her violence against imagery. Join us for a conversation about making objec...

Seeing Truth in Data from 2022-10-20T08:00

Wendy Hui Kyong Chun sees value in the truth, but worries what data we might be looking at to find it. Chun discusses her new book, Discriminating Data (MIT Press, 2021), and how we might use data,...

Democracy and Social Critique with Cornel West from 2021-06-01T11:00

Cornel West is the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Professor at Union Theological Seminary. Professor West is among the nation’s most distinguished philosophers. For several decades running, Cornel West has in...

Democratic Repair and Public Things with Bonnie Honig from 2021-05-24T21:34:26

Bonnie Honig the Nancy Duke Lewis Professor of Modern Culture and Media, and Political Science at Brown University. Bonnie works at the intersections of political theory, democratic theory, and cul...

Climate Denialism and Propaganda with Catriona McKinnon from 2021-05-18T12:30

Catriona McKinnon is Professor of Political Theory at the University of Exeter. Her research focuses on climate ethics and environmental justice. Much of her recent work aims at addressing denialis...

Social Trust in a Free Society with Kevin Vallier from 2021-05-04T12:30

Kevin Vallier is Associate Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Bowling Green State University. His most recent book is titled Trust in a Polarized Age. You can follow him on Twitter @kvall...

Political Rhetoric and Demagoguery with Jennifer Mercieca from 2021-04-13T12:30

Jennifer Mercieca is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Texas A&M University. She is the author of Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump.  You can fo...

Anger, Rage, and Forgiveness with Myisha Cherry from 2021-04-06T12:00

Myisha Cherry is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Riverside. 

Conspiracy Theories and Democracy with Quassim Cassam from 2021-03-23T12:30

Quassim Cassam is Professor in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Warwick.  You can follow him on Twitter at @QCassam. 

Democracy and Truth with Sophia Rosenfeld from 2021-03-16T12:37:43

Sophia Rosenfeld is Walter H. Annenberg Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania.  She is the author of Democracy and Truth: A Short History.

Transitional Justice with Colleen Murphy from 2021-03-09T14:00:15

Colleen Murphy is the Roger and Stephany Joslin Professor of Law at the College of Law and a professor in the Departments of Philosophy and Political Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana...

Democracy, Protest, and Progress with Melvin Rogers from 2021-03-02T13:42:43

Melvin Rogers is Associate Professor of Political Science at Brown University.  You can follow Melvin on Twitter at @MRogers097.

Trailer: Future of Truth Season from 2021-02-09T15:46:28

A quick preview of what's to come in season two of Why We Argue, Future of Truth edition. New episodes arriving in March!

The Conviction Workshop from 2019-04-09T13:30:36

This episode is a collection of talks with philosophers who attended Humility & Conviction in Public Life's Conviction Workshop in St. Petersburg Florida. In this episode you'll hear clips from ...

Controversial Ideas and “No Platforming” with Jeff McMahan from 2019-03-26T19:06:07

Jeff McMahan is White’s Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Oxf...

Democratic Faith and Social Change with Eddie Glaude, Jr. from 2019-03-12T13:36:31

Eddie Glaude Jr. is James S. McDonnell Distinguished Un...

Global Oil and Social Change with Leif Wenar from 2019-03-05T16:48:55

Leif Wenar the Chair of Philosophy and Law at Kings College London.  He is the autho...

Religious and Political Identities with Michele F. Margolis from 2019-02-19T12:43:49

Michele F. Margolis is assistant...

The Constitution as a Public Ethos with Corey Brettschneider from 2019-02-05T13:01:13

Corey Brettschneider is Professor of Political Science at Brown Univer...

Is Social Media Killing Democracy? with Regina Rini from 2019-01-22T14:18:22

Regia Rini is the Canada Research Chair in Philosophy of Moral and Social Cognition...

Are Citizens Polarized with Steven Kull from 2018-06-07T19:26:30

Steven Kull is a Senior Research Associate and director of the...

Epistemic Vice with Ian James Kidd from 2018-05-24T16:46

Ian James Kidd is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Univ...

Faith and Politics with David Gergen, Rabbi Melissa Weintraub, Eboo Patel, and John Dankosky from 2018-05-10T14:54:44

This episode will feature a conversation between former presidential advisor David Gergen, Rabbi Melissa Weintraub of Listen

What Money Can’t Buy with Michael Sandel from 2018-04-26T13:16:49

Michael Sandel is Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Governmen...

Political Polarization and Epistemic Arrogance Workshop from 2018-04-12T12:47:59

This episode is a collection of segments from papers given at Humility and Conviction in Public Life’s Listen

Polarization with Shanto Iyengar from 2018-03-22T13:14

Shanto Iyengar is Professor of Political Scienc...

Policing and Political Division with Alex Vitale from 2018-03-08T11:49:35

Alex Vitale is a Professor of Sociology and coordinator of the Listen

Anger, Forgiveness, and Public Philosophy with Myisha Cherry from 2018-02-22T13:54:38

Myisha Cherry is a PhD candidate in Philosophy at the University of Illinois, ...

Conspiracy Theories with Quassim Cassam from 2018-02-08T14:27:35

Quassim Cassam is Professor of Philosophy at Univer...

Public Debate and Respectful Engagement with John Corvino from 2018-01-25T13:54:09

John Corvino is  Professor of Philosophy at the Wayne State ...

Constitutional Reform in Iceland with Jon Olafsson from 2018-01-11T14:24:56

Jon Olafsson is Professor in the n the department of ...

Testimony and Anonymity with Sandy Goldberg from 2017-12-28T14:57:35

Sandy Goldberg is Pr...

Misogyny and Politics with Kate Manne from 2017-12-14T14:39:25

Kate Manne is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Cornell University.  She speci...

Inequality and Democracy with Tommie Shelby from 2017-11-30T14:12:54

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Confederate Monuments with Kevin Levin from 2017-11-16T16:11:57

Can we change minds about Confederate monuments? Kevin Levin is a historian and educator studying the American Civil War and memory. His book, Listen

Climate Change Skepticism with Lawrence Torcello from 2017-11-02T21:15:04

How does corporate misinformation and partisan skepticism effect what we know about climate change? Lawrence Torcello is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the Rochester Institute of Philos...

Free Speech and Free Thinking with Seana Shiffrin from 2017-10-19T13:20:45

Seana Shiffrin is Professor of Philosophy and Pete Kameron ...

Smart Democracy with Helene Landemore from 2017-08-10T11:37:01

Helene Landemore is Associate Professor in the Political Science Department at Yale University. She defen...

The Public Value of Philosophy with Nigel Warburton from 2017-07-27T13:00:52

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Brexit, Trump, & Democracy with Thom Brooks from 2017-07-13T11:51:13

Thom Brooks is Dean of Durham Law School, Professor of Law and Government, and Associate in the Department of Philosophy...

Good & Bad Arguments with Trudy Govier from 2017-06-28T15:27:01

Trudy Govier is Emerita Professor of Philosophy at the University of Lethbridge in Alberta, Canada. Her research is f...

Identity and Democracy with Akeel Bilgrami from 2017-06-15T13:46:02

Akeel Bilgrami is Sidney Morgenbesser Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University, and a mem...

Know-Nothing Politics with Ilya Somin from 2017-06-01T13:38:31

Does voter ignorance undermine democracy? Ilya Somin is Professor of Law at the Antonin Scalia Law School of George Mason Universi...

Different Medias with Eric Alterman from 2017-05-18T12:56:17

How can we as consumers distinguish between the many different political medias? Listen

Democracy and Civility with Karen Stohr from 2017-05-04T10:27:32

Don't discuss politics at the dinner table? Why not? Karen Stohr is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Senior Rese...

Democracy and Dialogue Online with Joshua Cohen from 2017-04-20T13:15:14

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Political Rhetoric and Political Experience with William Galston from 2017-04-05T19:35

Donald Trump won the election largely by making grand promises of radical change. William Galston argues that, ultimately, talk is cheap and results are what counts. Listen

Race and Democratic Virtue with Paul C. Taylor from 2017-04-05T19:33:22