The Philosopher's Zone - corny title aside, this is a very high quality half-hour of discussion. The host, Alan Saunders, switched from law to philosophy at the University of Leicester. He describes the philosophy department as a very bad one, which is probably fair (it was "merged" with Exeter's philosophy department at about the time I arrived at Leicester to study chemistry - this at a time when universities very rarely shut down departments). The ABC has some really good programmes available via podcast, putting the BBC to shame.
All in the Mind includes a lot of philosophy of mind along with the psychology and brain physiology (I had to stop listening to the one about brain surgery, it was making me feel queasy).
Some of the other shows I listen to out of general interest in Australian life (Street Stories, Perspective), and Dr Karl is genuinely popular science at its best. He is enthusiastic, absolutely firm about what's right and wrong (especially when it comes to "alternative therapies"), he admits what he doesn't know, and he's never condescending even to callers who are utterly loopy (his bemused discussion with an agitated young women who had read too much Buckminster Fuller and thought the planets have tetrahedral orbits was astonishingly patient).
No comments:
Post a Comment