Ranked #1
EPISODE 19: What Does Ishiguro Think of Ishiguro? (2/20/18)
EPISODE 19: What Does Ishiguro Think of Ishiguro? (2/20/18)
Earlier this year, Kazuo Ishiguro was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature. The critics have their opinion of Ishiguro... Read more
3 Nov 2018
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42mins
Ranked #2
EPISODE 27: He Works in Death and Formaldehyde
EPISODE 27: He Works in Death and Formaldehyde
Some contemporary artists seem to mock the art world itself, suggesting that its patrons and consumers are fools who’ll ... Read more
23 Dec 2018
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25mins
Ranked #3
EPISODE 10: Politics and the English Language (8/26/16)
EPISODE 10: Politics and the English Language (8/26/16)
George Orwell said that politicians use vague language to cover up policies that are “too brutal for most people to face... Read more
31 Oct 2018
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45mins
Ranked #4
EPISODE 30: Are We All Dystopians At Heart?
EPISODE 30: Are We All Dystopians At Heart?
Few people enjoy reading about utopia. Why do we prefer visions of chaos to dreams of order? Are we all dystopians at he... Read more
8 May 2019
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25mins
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Ranked #5
EPISODE 17: Is Reality a Social Construction? (8/7/17)
EPISODE 17: Is Reality a Social Construction? (8/7/17)
Philosophers like Bruno Latour have maintained that important aspects of human life are just “social constructions.” Bu... Read more
3 Nov 2018
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36mins
Ranked #6
EPISODE 14: Is There Something Profound About Cosmic Horror? (3/25/17)
EPISODE 14: Is There Something Profound About Cosmic Horror? (3/25/17)
Our previous discussion of H.P. Lovecraft leads to bigger questions: Is there something terrifying about modern science... Read more
2 Nov 2018
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36mins
Ranked #7
EPISODE 13: Should We Love Lovecraft? (3/17/17)
EPISODE 13: Should We Love Lovecraft? (3/17/17)
Was H.P. Lovecraft a talented writer of cosmic horror fiction, or should we be horrified by the stories themselves? (In... Read more
1 Nov 2018
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40mins
Ranked #8
EPISODE 25: Dancing Like He Was Electrocuted
EPISODE 25: Dancing Like He Was Electrocuted
In chapter four of Ways of Looking, Ossian Ward says that some contemporary artists make art out of human performances, ... Read more
10 Dec 2018
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34mins
Ranked #9
EPISODE 32: What is Single Payer Healthcare?
EPISODE 32: What is Single Payer Healthcare?
As we approach the 2020 election, we hear a lot about single payer healthcare. But what is it? Should we like it? Along ... Read more
15 May 2019
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41mins
Ranked #10
EPISODE 31: Is Star Trek a Utopia?
EPISODE 31: Is Star Trek a Utopia?
After our last podcast about utopia, we wondered if utopias are more credible in science fiction than in realistic ficti... Read more
11 May 2019
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22mins
Ranked #11
EPISODE 28: An Enormous Hole in the Ground
EPISODE 28: An Enormous Hole in the Ground
Sometimes modern art doesn’t seem to offer any deep insights into life, but neither does a traditional landscape or stil... Read more
31 Dec 2018
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20mins
Ranked #12
EPISODE 24: Objectionable on Every Level
EPISODE 24: Objectionable on Every Level
Some contemporary artists take moral risks in order to confront an audience with what they think is the truth. Some even... Read more
2 Dec 2018
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30mins
Ranked #13
EPISODE 11: Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize (11/12/16)
EPISODE 11: Bob Dylan’s Nobel Prize (11/12/16)
Bob Dylan was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Did he deserve it? Along the way we talk about Adam Kirsch’s arti... Read more
1 Nov 2018
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36mins
Ranked #14
EPISODE 18: What Was Freud All About? (9/4/17)
EPISODE 18: What Was Freud All About? (9/4/17)
Sigmund Freud’s work had a vast influence on psychology, art, and popular culture. But what did Freud’s theory say? Is... Read more
3 Nov 2018
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38mins
Ranked #15
EPISODE 29: The Great Conversation
EPISODE 29: The Great Conversation
In this episode, we conclude our nine-part series on contemporary art that was inspired by Ossian Ward’s book Ways of Lo... Read more
6 Jan 2019
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31mins
