Very Bad Wizards
a philosopher and a psychologist ponder human morality
We found 3 episodes of Very Bad Wizards with the tag “death”.
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Episode 217: Dropping Paradigms (Kuhn's "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions")
July 20th, 2021 | 2 hrs 5 mins
death, deathbed wisdom, paradigms, patreon listener-selected episode, the structure of scientific revolutions, thomas kuhn
David and Tamler hit the books and cram for their beloved Patreon listener-selected episode – this time on Thomas Kuhn’s “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions.” David thinks Kuhn is a great sociologist of science but recoils at the relativistic tenor of the final chapters. Tamler loves anything that makes David recoil.
Plus, should we give more weight to the advice of people on their deathbed? Or should we nod politely and get back to working for that promotion…
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Episode 137: Are Buddhists Afraid to Die? (with Shaun Nichols)
April 10th, 2018 | 1 hr 19 mins
buddhism, death, shaun nichols
Why are we always attracted to people who mock us, resist our advances, and play hard to get? Maybe because it’s extra satisfying when you finally get them to… appear on your podcast. In our first live episode (recorded in San Antonio), the philosopher Shaun Nichols joins us to discuss his recent article “Death and the Self”. You might think that Buddhist conceptions of the self as illusory would reduce their fear of death (after all, if there’s no real self, why worry about it ceasing to exist?). But the evidence collected by Shaun and colleagues suggests exactly the opposite. Why would that be?
Plus, David and Tamler choose six finalists for the Patreon listener selected episode (did Jordan Peterson make the list?), and we announce a special bonus for people who pre-order Tamler’s forthcoming book "Why Honor Matters."
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Episode 133: Death and Dreams
February 6th, 2018 | 1 hr 15 mins
death, it was all a dream, thomas nagel
David and Tamler talk about the nature of death. Is being dead a bad thing? If so, what makes it bad? How can anything be bad for a subject that no longer exists? We didn't have a problem with oblivion for the thirteen billion years before we were born, why fear it now?
Plus, a discussion about the "it was all a dream" trope in TV and film. Why is it so infuriating in some works but not others?