Very Bad Wizards
a philosopher and a psychologist ponder human morality
We found 2 episodes of Very Bad Wizards with the tag “william james”.
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Episode 258: Mystic Peeza
April 11th, 2023 | 1 hr 33 mins
conceptual analysis, creepiness, meditation, mysticism, religion, william james
David and Tamler talk about William James’ chapter on mysticism from his book "Varieties of Religious Experience." What defines a mystical experience? Why do they defy expression and yet feel like a state of knowledge, a glimpse into the window of some undiscovered aspect of reality? Is Tamler right that David has a little mystic inside of him just waiting to burst forth from his breast?
Plus – another edition of VBW does conceptual analysis and we’re sticking with ‘c’ words – this time the definitive theory of ‘creepy.’
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Episode 209: Basic Instincts (with Paul Bloom)
March 23rd, 2021 | 1 hr 36 mins
dawkins, empiricism, instinct, mediation, nativism, orgasm, paul bloom, william james
VBW favorite Paul Bloom joins us to talk about William James’ account of instinct and its parallels to the nativism/empiricism debates in developmental psychology today. Also discussed: Richard Dawkins trolling philosophy, the ghost in Tamler’s kitchen, and why William James’ 130 year-old writings make psychologists sad about the present state of their field. PLUS - do you wish you were closer to your non-romantic partners? Well, strap on your gloves, grab a washcloth, it’s time for exactly 15 minutes of orgasmic meditation.
Note: we had to use backup audio for Tamler and Paul in the second segment. The sound quality isn't as good as normal, sorry about that.