Thales’ Well

In this conversation with Terry Pinkard, I discuss Hegel’s famous Phenomenology of Spirit. Terry recently published a brilliant introductory guide to this famously difficult book [Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit: A Guide [../episodes/form/KpXW0WtYAfpw](2023)] which we use as our jumping off point. We discuss the origin of Hegel's book against the backdrop of its turbulent historical moment - the aftermath of the French Revolution and Napoleon’s decisive victory at the Battle of Jena. At Jena Hegel too was writing alongside figures like Hölderlin, Schelling, Goethe, and Schiller. Terry clarifies common misreadings of Hegel, particularly the idea of Geist [spirit] as some kind of cosmic spirit or divine substance, emphasizing instead how Hegel understands his notion of Geist as something very concrete and social. Geist is the collective activity of reason unfolding in history. We also discuss Hegel’s engagement with the scientific thought of his time, including the influence of Newton and Leibniz, and how their debates about force shaped his philosophy. The conversation traces key stages in the Phenomenology, from sense-certainty to understanding, and examines Hegel’s distinctive view of freedom - not as mere individual choice, but as embedded in institutional and social practices. Finally, we consider what Terry might ask Hegel himself if given the chance. Prof. Terry Pinkard is a leading American philosopher and Hegel scholar, known for his influential work on German Idealism, phenomenology, and social philosophy. A professor at Georgetown University [https://gufaculty360.georgetown.edu/s/faculty-research?id=00336000014Rm0VAAS], he has written the definitive biography of Hegel (Hegel: A Biography [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hegel-Biography-Terry-Pinkard/dp/0521003873/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.1AqvTUz1KuaWxBgpUqx-KtcEYOWeeipdRVuBqeDYA_TaXygM59t9TwbzycNuacsM3ShiG2N4DsKtzlaou_3I46GJp45wvX9qR3PtuDotB68Hf25y66IwIvEtSJMne1LB7Pf0L5u5K0EXMZAC8Jp7eWTcwi2Lzc0OpB-2WlK6SPG-kMkUBW6_h5vhC1J45LUKfuyS2aK3ZqQCCizC4lLZDATRxpwy-_9lPI7TJ4cWCCo.IvMjZm4GnGplmuAsGFvMAAA-h5NPsVFHZR0ILTviAVI&qid=1751036931&sr=1-2] 2000) and key interpretive works like Hegel’s Phenomenology: The Sociality of Reason (1994) and Hegel’s Naturalism (2011).  If you would like to study with me you can find more information about our online education MAs in Philosophy here [https://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/philosophy/] at Staffordshire University. You can find out more information on our MA in Continental Philosophy via this link [https://www.staffs.ac.uk/course/continental-philosophy-ma]. Or, join our MA in Philosophy of Nature, Information and Technology via this link [https://www.staffs.ac.uk/course/philosophy-nature-information-technology-ma]. Find out more about me here [https://www.staffs.ac.uk/people/patrick-oconnor].  September intakes F/T or January intakes P/T. You can listen to more free back content from the Thales' Well podcast on TuneIn Radio [https://tunein.com/podcasts/Philosophy-Podcasts/Thales-Well-p1128420/], Player Fm [https://player.fm/series/thales-well-2367785], Stitcher [https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/thales-well] and Pod Bean. You can also download their apps to your smart phone and listen via there. You can also subscribe for free on iTunes [https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/thales-well/id1392680182?mt=2]. Please leave a nice review.

In this wide-ranging conversation, I met with acclaimed literary theorist, philosopher and technology scholar N. Katherine Hayles, whose pioneering work has reshaped how we understand the boundaries between humans and machines, cognition and computation, biology and code, artificial intelligence and artificial life. We primarily discussed Katherine's new book Bacteria to AI: Human Futures with our Nonhuman Symbionts. [https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/B/bo238941793.html] We also discuss elements of Hayles' other works such as How We Became Posthuman and Unthought: The Power of the Cognitive Nonconscious. Hayles has long argued that cognition is not the exclusive domain of conscious, rational minds. In her work, cognition is distributed, embodied, and extended across human, nonhuman, and technical systems. In this chat we explore what it means to take that seriously in a moment when large language models (LLMs), AI, and synthetic biology are reconfiguring the nature of agency and intelligence. [Also available via my other podcast Posthumanism and Technology].   If you would like to study with me you can find more information about our online education MAs in Philosophy here [https://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/philosophy/] at Staffordshire University. You can find out more information on our MA in Continental Philosophy via this link [https://www.staffs.ac.uk/course/continental-philosophy-ma]. Or, join our MA in Philosophy of Nature, Information and Technology via this link [https://www.staffs.ac.uk/course/philosophy-nature-information-technology-ma]. Find out more about me here [https://www.staffs.ac.uk/people/patrick-oconnor].  September intakes F/T or January intakes P/T. You can listen to more free back content from the Thales' Well podcast on TuneIn Radio [https://tunein.com/podcasts/Philosophy-Podcasts/Thales-Well-p1128420/], Player Fm [https://player.fm/series/thales-well-2367785], Stitcher [https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/thales-well] and Pod Bean. You can also download their apps to your smart phone and listen via there. You can also subscribe for free on iTunes [https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/thales-well/id1392680182?mt=2]. Please leave a nice review.

On this episode I talk to the Agnes Callard about the great Ancient Greek philosopher Socrates. We discuss Agnes' new book Open Socrates: The Case for A Philosophical Life [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Open-Socrates-Case-Philosophical-Life/dp/0241476194] [Penguin, 2025]. Agnes and I discuss the themes of Open Socrates, focusing on philosophy as a public, outward-looking practice, Socrates’ call to examine life is framed not just as introspection but as active engagement and testing of the self through dialogue. We also discuss the role of Socrates as both a provocateur (gadfly) and a guide (midwife), emphasizing his commitment to universal, non-exclusive inquiry. Philosophy is portrayed as a response to “savage commands” -the urgent demands of body, society, and mortality - challenging us to become more resolute and reflective. We also discuss free speech, equality, justice, loneliness, the death of Socrates and lots more! Agnes is an Associate Professor in Philosophy at the University of Chicago. She received her BA from the University of Chicago in 1997 and her PhD from Berkeley in 2008. Her primary areas of specialization are Ancient Philosophy and Ethics.  She is the author of Aspiration: The Agency of Becoming [Oxford U.P, 2017]. She has authored essays for numerous publications such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Point, and co-hosts the podcast Minds Almost Meeting. You can view her university profile here. [https://philosophy.uchicago.edu/faculty/a-callard] If you would like to study with me you can find more information about our online education MAs in Philosophy here [https://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/philosophy/] at Staffordshire University. You can find out more information on our MA in Continental Philosophy via this link [https://www.staffs.ac.uk/course/continental-philosophy-ma]. Or, join our MA in Philosophy of Nature, Information and Technology via this link [https://www.staffs.ac.uk/course/philosophy-nature-information-technology-ma]. Find out more about me here [https://www.staffs.ac.uk/people/patrick-oconnor]. September intakes F/T or January intakes P/T. You can listen to more free back content from the Thales' Well podcast on TuneIn Radio [https://tunein.com/podcasts/Philosophy-Podcasts/Thales-Well-p1128420/], Player Fm [https://player.fm/series/thales-well-2367785], Stitcher [https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/thales-well] and Pod Bean. You can also download their apps to your smart phone and listen via there. You can also subscribe for free on iTunes [https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/thales-well/id1392680182?mt=2]. Please leave a nice review.

In this episode, I am joined for a fascinating conversation with philosopher Evan Thompson as we delve into his thought-provoking book The Blind Spot. We discuss this collaboration with scientists Marcelo Gleiser and Adam Frank, his insights on reconciling the “scientific image” and the “manifest image” of the world, and the interplay between subjective experience and objective inquiry. Thompson explains what he means by the "blind spot" of scientific materialism—challenging assumptions about objectivity, reductionism, and the relationship between lived experience, forms of life and scientific knowledge. Thompson offers a compelling critique of reductionist views, proposing instead a vision of science grounded in human experience. We also discuss the cultural and ethical stakes of scientific inquiry in an age of scepticism and misinformation, with a thought-provoking look at climate change, subjectivity, and the unity of life itself. Other thinkers like Wilfred Sellers, Henri Bergson, G.W.F. Hegel and A.N. Whitehead all crop up. Evan is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia. You can view his website and profile here [https://evanthompson.me/]. The Blind Spot [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Blind-Spot-Science-Cannot-Experience/dp/0262048809/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2GGQ0RUH4YT41&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.fn90bFAmOb5y5VHcmGnFVK7PpHpJjs5Zl5s86goIBgGwYKhILn3kEEJP_74HITjDWlGjRR8uZf2bN3D4_kg_Ua-km75DdMAGsEflVF2iDZpFoxT_6w6LJlWaMW-1KMXS-r3yM_sHze1UZ4TrOoLbxPwWfTrAFsaHTno4z9oH_vG_eFqTApJYBAHqsfCiQBWr4fv3cp6JkhdsqgJAlUQHIhKe-IF9yyYzbQ7YnRFL3dc.CFAVlQlXr842ZKbIBCV8USC2vZp2A7AxzGMM6Mk9V7w&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+blind+spot&nsdOptOutParam=true&qid=1733757732&sprefix=the+blind+spot%2Caps%2C81&sr=8-1&ufe=INHOUSE_INSTALLMENTS%3AUK_IHI_3M_AUTOMATED] is available at all the usual outlets. Evan is also available on Bluesky: @evanthompson.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/evanthompson.bsky.social]. If you would like to study with me you can find more information about our online education MAs in Philosophy here [https://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/philosophy/] at Staffordshire University. You can find out more information on our MA in Continental Philosophy via this link [https://www.staffs.ac.uk/course/continental-philosophy-ma]. Or, join our MA in Philosophy of Nature, Information and Technology via this link [https://www.staffs.ac.uk/course/philosophy-nature-information-technology-ma]. Find out more about me here [https://www.staffs.ac.uk/people/patrick-oconnor]. September intakes F/T or January intakes P/T. You can listen to more free back content from the Thales' Well podcast on TuneIn Radio [https://tunein.com/podcasts/Philosophy-Podcasts/Thales-Well-p1128420/], Player Fm [https://player.fm/series/thales-well-2367785], Stitcher [https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/thales-well] and Pod Bean. You can also download their apps to your smart phone and listen via there. You can also subscribe for free on iTunes [https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/thales-well/id1392680182?mt=2]. Please leave a nice review.

I talk to psychologist Dr Christopher Kavanagh about the phenomenon of secular gurus. We discussed the secularism of latter day gurus, how they differ and compare to traditional cult leaders, what traits it takes to be a secular guru (galaxy brainedness, cultishness, anti-establishmentarianism), psychopathy/sociopathy, narcissism and techniques for avoiding manipulation. Here is a link [https://docs.google.com/document/d/19PKXFn3qrzWr6nx622g9cEzyNBow0svQs_dN4fP3hjY/edit?pli=1]to the "Gurometer" where you can find out more about how to spot your latter day gurus. Chris is an Associate Professor in Psychology at Rikkyo University and works in the intersection of Cognitive Anthropology and Social Psychology with a research focus on emotions, group and ritual psychology. Chris is also one half of the Decoding the Gurus [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/decoding-the-gurus/id1531266667] podcast, a podcast that studies, discusses and examines contemporary  'secular gurus', iconoclasts, and heterodox thinkers such as Jordan Peterson, Joe Rogan, Lex Friedman, The Weinstein brothers, Russell Brand, Sam Harris, Noam Chomsky,  Ibram Kendi, Robin D’Angelo etc. You can view Chris's research profile here [https://univdb.rikkyo.ac.jp/view?l=en&u=100001947] and also follow him on X (Twitter) here [https://twitter.com/C_Kavanagh]. If you would like to study with me you can find more information about our online education MAs in Philosophy here [https://blogs.staffs.ac.uk/philosophy/] at Staffordshire University. You can find out more information on our MA in Continental Philosophy via this link [https://www.staffs.ac.uk/course/continental-philosophy-ma]. Or, join our MA in Philosophy of Nature, Information and Technology via this link [https://www.staffs.ac.uk/course/philosophy-nature-information-technology-ma]. Find out more about me here [https://www.staffs.ac.uk/people/patrick-oconnor]. September intakes F/T or January intakes P/T. You can listen to more free back content from the Thales' Well podcast on TuneIn Radio [https://tunein.com/podcasts/Philosophy-Podcasts/Thales-Well-p1128420/], Player Fm [https://player.fm/series/thales-well-2367785], Stitcher [https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/thales-well] and Pod Bean. You can also download their apps to your smart phone and listen via there. You can also subscribe for free on iTunes [https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/thales-well/id1392680182?mt=2]. Please leave a nice review.