The Institute for Philosophy in Public Life
Because there is no ivory tower.
When Jason Hill was in Turkey, he met a family with a gregarious nine year old daughter. When he compared her lively personality with the distant, quite, and isolated behavior of her burka-clad mother and sister, he began to shudder. He realized that in a few years, she too would be expected to put on similar outfits and withdraw from the world. …Continue reading “Saying ‘No’ Through Civil Disobedience” with Jason D. Hill
If you believed the pundits, you’d think that America has always had one kind of economy; that our democracy has always relied upon the same kind of free market. But this isn’t the case. If you believe the politicians, you’d think capitalism and democracy are pretty much identical, that when you talk about one, you are really talking about the other. Are this episode of Why? Radio we are going take a journey through American history and examine the actual arguments that helped determine just what kind of economy America should have….Continue reading “Do we live in a commercial republic? A Discussion about American Government and its Economy” with Mike O’Connor
Five years ago, the North Dakota Museum of Art hosted a panel on art and human rights in order to commemorate their exhibit The Disappeared. We thought the recording was lost forever, but we found it, cleaned it up, and presenting it here.
…Continue reading “The Disappeared: Human Rights and Art” with Sarah Cahill, Christian Correa, Father Jack Davis, and Emmanuel Jal
It is no secret that there are strained relations between Native American tribes and the U.S. Government. In fact, many tribes want to be considered sovereign nations, free from US law and expectations. Even more so, most Americans understand little about American Indian life, traditions, and history. How are we to have a serious conversation about Indian liberation if we don’t know the basic facts? On this episode, we look not only at political question of tribal sovereignty, but delve deeply into its relationship to Native American culture, theology and history. …Continue reading “Are Indian Tribes Sovereign Nations?” with George Tinker
Our world is getting smaller and people are migrating from place to place. It feels like the old ideas of ethnicity and national origin just don’t hold the same power that they used to. Instead, the real question may turn out to be, how can we all be world citizens? On this episode we investigate cosmopolitanism and ask what it means to live without national boundaries and travel restrictions. …Continue reading “Can there be a world without borders?” with Seyla Benhabib
Think about those that work and those that are falling apart. What influences their character, and, perhaps, more importantly, why do some succeed and others fail? On today’s episode of Why? we are going to ask these question and take a special look at how design creates urban problems, how what and where they build encourages violence, poverty, and unhappiness. …Continue reading “The Urbanization of Happiness” with Teddy Cruz and Fonna Forman
When Ross Kind decided to tell the story of Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel, he didn’t start with the paint colors or brushes; he started with politics, gossip, power and intrigue. When he told the story of Brunelleschi’s dome for the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, he started with competition and rivalry. Is this how we should tell the story or art? Is one painting or one building so complex, that he needs hundreds of pages to prepare the audience? Ross King thinks so and we’re going to find out why. …Continue reading “How to Tell the Story of Art” with Guest Ross King
Everybody wants happiness, but no one seems to agree on what it is. This is not new; figuring out what it means to be happy is one of the most longstanding and difficult philosophical problems in history. So, obviously, WHY? Radio is going to ask it….Continue reading “What is happiness?” with Sissela Bok
Every one of us has been encouraged to be an involved citizen, but what exactly does this mean? Every one of us has been told that small groups of thoughtful people are the only things that change the world? Is this true? Every one of us has been told that the government represents our interests, but the government doesn’t seem to know that. This episode of looks at all these puzzles and examine activism, democracy, the attempts to influence government policy….Continue reading “Civic Renewal in America” with guest Peter Levine
WHY? Radio is, of course, a philosophy show, but our guests aren’t just philosophers. They are historians, artists, scientists, musicians, sociologists and specialists from many different fields. Are we doing something wrong? Aren’t all these disciplines different? On this episode of WHY? we are going to tackle these questions. We will ask about the classic “unity of the sciences,” look at the relationship between how cultures describe knowledge and how they describe themselves….Continue reading “The Unity of the Sciences: Is All Knowledge Connected?” with guest Joseph Margolis
Education in the United States has changed radically in the last twenty years – standardized tests and the new Common Core goals have changed the way students are taught. At the heart of the debate is a complex philosophical question: should there be national standards for education or should educational goals be determined on the local level? Does the federal government have the best idea of what students should learn, or do local school boards, towns, cities, and counties? Should politicians and policy makers determine standards, or should teachers and parents? On this episode we discuss the Common Core, the purpose and nature of education, necessary educational goals, and Michael Apple’s new book “Can Education Change Society?” …Continue reading “Should there be a national standard for education?” with Michael Apple