Very Bad Wizards

Episode 247: Open the Pod, Dave (with Sam Harris)

October 18th, 2022  |  2 hrs 34 mins

2001: a space odyssey, anti-semitism, kanye west, richard rorty, sam harris, stanley kubrick

David and Tamler welcome Sam Harris back to the show for a deep dive into Stanley Kubrick’s confounding 1968 masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey." How long is the Dawn of Man? What does the second monolith do exactly? Why are the humans so banal and expressionless? What are HAL’S motivations? Has he planned his mutiny from the start, or does the Council’s deception make him manlfunction? Or something else? Who is the Council anyway? Was HAL meant to go through the stargate? What is the final leap forward in consciousness? The hotel room, the starchild, all the rectangles, rectangles everywhere, the music – what does it all mean????

Plus Sam has some thoughts about our Rorty episode and David tries to rile Tamler up about Kanye’s antisemitism.

Note: there's a bit of an abrupt transition between our brief opening and Sam telling a story about Rorty in around the 9 minute mark... couldn't be helped.

Episode 75: A Golden Shower of Guests

October 6th, 2015  |  2 hrs 29 mins

Dave and Tamler celebrate their 75th episode by welcoming six BFFs of the podcast and asking them to share the biggest thing they've changed their minds about in their professional careers.

Episode 63: Stalemates and Closets (with Sam Harris)

February 27th, 2015  |  2 hrs 46 mins

Sam Harris gets back in the VBW ring for another round on moral responsibility, ethical theories, and the grounds for our obligations to other people.

Episode 59: Tumors All the Way Down (With Sam Harris)

December 15th, 2014  |  2 hrs 32 mins

Bestselling author and friend of the podcast Sam Harris joins Tamler and Dave for a marathon podcast. (Seriously, pack two pairs of astronaut diapers for this one).