Very Bad Wizards

Episode 331: Who's Your Law Daddy? (Plato's "Crito")

In another Back 2 Basics episode, David and Tamler talk about Plato's "Crito," a dialogue that takes place two days before Socrates' death by hemlock. His friend Crito wants him to escape, but Socrates will only agree if they judge that it's the right thing to do. One imagined debate between him and the Laws of Athens later, Socrates decides to accept his punishment. Plus we open with "Contrarian Corner" (Cinema Edition), in which we list our top 3 movies where we just don't understand all the love. Crito (Plato's Dialogue) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crito] [wikipedia.org [https://wikipedia.org/]]

Episode 330: A Fact-Based Podcast (Gogol's "The Overcoat")

David and Tamler return to the strange world of Nikolai Gogol and discuss his absurdist masterpiece "The Overcoat," a story that both calls for and steadfastly resists interpretation. But first we discuss a forthcoming Phil Studies article "Philosophy as Fact-Based Discipline: 200 Philosophical Facts." Wait until you hear what they are. Frances, B. (2026). Philosophy as fact-based discipline: 200 philosophical facts. [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11098-025-02457-y] Philosophical Studies, 183(2), 551-581. [springer.com] The Overcoat by Nikolai Gogol [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Overcoat] [wikipedia.org]

Episode 329: Why We Suffer

David and Tamler return to the work of Richard Shweder and colleagues, focusing this time on his foundational paper "The "Big Three" of Morality (Autonomy, Community, Divinity) and the "Big Three" Explanations of Suffering. What are the various ways that people explain suffering and illness across cultures? What do we lose when we only emphasize biomedical explanations? Why can't social psychology be more like this? Plus a new Chalmers (not that one) paper argues that monogamy is impermissible. Hello ladies! Join at the right Patreon tier and vote on an episode topic! [https://www.patreon.com/c/verybadwizards/membership] [patreon.com] Chalmers, H. (2019). Is monogamy morally permissible?. [https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/harry-chalmers-is-monogamy-morally-permissiblee] The Journal of Value Inquiry, 53(2), 225-241. Harry Chalmers' Substack post on Monogamy [https://noeticpathways.substack.com/p/monogamy-moorean-shifting-and-commonsense] Shweder, R. A., Much, N. C., Mahapatra, M., & Park, L. (1997). The "big three" of morality (autonomy, community, and divinity) and the "big three" explanations of suffering. [s/Shweder-Much-Mahapatra-Park-1997.pdf] In A. Brandt & P. Rozin (Eds.), Morality and health (pp. 119–169). Routledge.

Episode 328: Weapons Free

David and Tamler cross the border into Denis Villeneuve's taut and propulsive thriller Sicario, the story of an FBI agent who gets pulled into a task force drawn from the shadiest elements of the US government. The assignment: to disrupt, infiltrate, and take down a major Mexican cartel. But what's the deal with Alejandro, and who does he work for? This is Roger Deakins in God mode and Villeneuve, Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benicio Del Toro at the very top of their games. Plus, we select 16 topics from the hundreds submitted by our beloved patrons for VBW Madness 2, a tournament to determine what we discuss on the listener selected episode. Join the VBW Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/c/verybadwizards] to vote on the winner! Sicario [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicario_(2015_film)] [wikipedia.org]

Episode 327: You Ain't So Smart (Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People")

David and Tamler return to the Southern Gothic well and talk about Flannery O'Connor's short story masterpiece "Good Country People." A nihilistic atheist philosophy PhD named Joy or Helga (depending on who you ask) lives with her mother and some tenants on a farm in rural Georgia. One day 19-year-old aw-shucksy Bible salesman comes to the house and shakes up her philosophical convictions. Plus a case study of a sexsomniac who masturbates (and more) in his sleep. Support Eliza's film project [https://seedandspark.com/fund/boxed-in-ut-thesis-film#story] [seedandspark.com] Brice, M., Gales, A. Z., Attali, V., Chauvin, M., & Arnulf, I. (2026). Left hand sleep masturbation in a right-handed male patient with sexsomnia. [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389945726000626] Sleep Medicine, 108823. [scientificdirect.com] Good Country People by Flannery O'Connor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_Country_People] [wikipedia.org]