Eighteen years of thoughtful, non-adversarial, accessible, and welcoming philosophy.
Sometimes it feels like there isn’t any intelligent debate left in the world. All we hear is fighting: irresponsible, loud-mouthed partisanship disguised as information. For 2500 years, philosophers have tried to cut through the rhetoric, the infighting, and the abuse, but they forgot that everyone doesn’t speak in the same technicalities.
It’s time for accessible and fun philosophy. It’s time for Why? Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life.
Join us each month as we engage in philosophical discussions about the most commonplace topics. From explorations of hunting to discussions about domestic violence, from classic works of art to the most cutting-edge digital media, from the American prairie to the heart of post-communist Romania, Why? Radio takes you on a journey through the great questions, the puzzling answers, and the deepest recesses of your mind.
We’re not just a podcast. We’re part of National Public Radio, so you know we have the highest standards and have earned our reputation.
Why? Radio is a partnership between Prairie Public Radio and The University of North Dakota’s College of Arts & Sciences. Our mission is to entertain while we inform and educate. Our host and guests translates even the most obscure philosophy into a language that anyone can understand. We want to convince all of our listeners that philosophy is relevant to our daily lives and that everyone is doing philosophy all the time, most people just don’t know it.
Our host
Host Dr. Jack Russell Weinstein is a Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and the Director of the Institute for Philosophy in Public Life at the University of North Dakota. He is an award winning teacher, author of three books and dozens of academic and popular articles, and has edited six collections for both academics and general audiences. He is an amateur triathlete and a hobbyist baker.
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The Latest Episode
“What is Jewish Philosophy?” with guests Paul W. Franks and Yitzhak Y. Melamed
Jewish Philosophy has been around since before the word philosophy even existed, but it gets little attention. It is a rich and interesting tradition that gives us deep insight into the great human questions. It presents challenging conceptions of morality, the meaning of life, justice, the holy scripture, and God. On this episode we explore these and other topics from a Jewish perspective to see how marginalized thinkers explore points of view that can challenge assumptions many of us didn’t even know we made.
Paul W. Franks is the Robert F. and Patricia Weis Professor of Philosophy and Judaic Studies, and Professor of Religious Studies, at Yale University. He has published a number of books on German Idealism and theology. Yitzhak Y. Melamed is the Charlotte Bloomberg Professor of Philosophy at John Hopkins. He has published books on Spinoza and other areas of metaphysics, the history of ideas, and Jewish Philosophy. Together, they have edited the Oxford Handbook of Jewish Philosophy published last year by Oxford University Press.
A Bonus Episode of Why? Radio
“Why? Radio Celebrates 200 Episodes!” Bonus interview with Erik Deatherage, Kim Donehower, and Jack Russell Weinstein
The next episode of Why? Radio will be its 200th, a milestone eighteen years in the making. In this bonus interview Prairie Public radio’s Program Manager Erik Deatherage talks to host Jack Russell Weinstein and his wife Kim Donehower, a Professor of English at the University of North Dakota, a former guest on the show as well as its announcer. Together, they offer an intimate look behind the scenes at the making of Why? Radio, an exploration of Jack’s philosophies of interviewing and teaching, the romance of radio, the emotions behind philosophy, and how twenty-five years of living in North Dakota has affected their way of looking at the world. The episode concludes with brief testimonies from other past guests, Jack’s colleagues, Prairie Public staff, and Adina Moore Weinstein, Kim and Jack’s daughter who is currently a fashion-design major in New York City.
A Podcast Special Event!
“Race, A.I., War, and Humanity’s Future”
A new interview with Why? Radio host Jack Russell Weinstein, on the iCover video podcast
Hosts Nishant and Rana sit down with Jack to tackle race, culture, artificial intelligence, war, ethics, the future of humanity, and the value of Hip Hop. The conversation also examines how culture shapes our beliefs, why meaningful dialogue is more important than ever, and what the future may hold as technology and society continue to evolve.
“Easily the Best I’ve encountered ★★★★★
The only problem with this podcast is that there are not enough of them. Jack Russell Weinstein is first, brilliant and second, as unbiased as a human could be. The problem i have with nearly every other philosophy podcast is the systemic negativity. I understand it is in a philosophers blood to find the failings of any affirmative position, but it gets tiring when hosts don’t even attempt to present the position being torn down fairly. J.R.W. will argue brilliantly for one side as he inhales then exhales, just as brilliantly the opposing position; all the while keeping in mind the whole point of the podcast, which is to answer the question ‘why?’”
Veritruviann iTunes Review
“Great Show About Ideas ★★★★★
At first glance, I wouldn’t think a public radio show about philosophical ideas would make it. I say this and I’m a philosopher by trade. Jack Weinstein makes it work wot a great combination of good guests, interesting topics, and great conversation. One of the marks of a great conversation is that you don’t usually notice the wheels turning. Good conversations can sound easy and effortless, but they take really good listening and thoughtfulness. Three thumbs up for this show, and I’m glad a show like this really can make it in the United States. Wahoo for Why?”
Tony Cunningham
iTunes Review
The Best Philosophy Podcast★★★★★
I’ve listened to a lot of philosophy podcasts, but this one takes the cake. Jack does an outstanding job at facilitating fascinating conversations while still being accessible and easily digestible. The guests are always a delight, and you can tell that everyone is invested in the project. Highly recommend for anyone that’s intellectually curious and wants to hear genuine conversations between genuine people! <3
— Anna478,
iTunes
More from Why? Radio
Philosophical Currents
A Philosopher’s Exploration of this Month’s Most Intriguing New Stories
When Life Isn’t Ours to Control
Wildfire smoke raises a broader question: what do we owe ourselves when life is beyond our control? Before we answer it, however, it is worth asking whether there is anything in our control at all. What does it mean to be in command of our own lives, our own feelings, and our response to them? Is it ever okay to “give up”? In this episode, Craig and Jack engage in a wide-ranging discussion about the human experience that references prejudice, our characters, and even a classic Peanuts cartoon.
Read the Free Book from Why? Radio Host Jack Russell Weinstein
Israel, Palestine, and the Trolley problem
On the futility of the search for the moral high ground
Arguments about Israel and Palestine are almost always accusatory and polemical. Rather than learning from one another, opponents jockey for the moral high ground trying to find that one attack they believe proves their side to be completely on the right, without compromise. This means Israel’s advocates dismiss Palestinian land claims without due consideration and Pro-Palestinian voices falsely accuse Israel of the most heinous modern crimes: colonialism, genocide, and apartheid. None of this is productive or healthy.
In Israel, Palestine, and the Trolley Problem: On the Futility of the Search for the Moral High Ground, philosopher Jack Russell Weinstein interweaves philosophy, history, politics, and personal experience to expose the argumentative mistakes we all make too often. Mapping out moral psychology—how we actually make moral decisions—and using the famous Trolley Problem as a metaphor, Weinstein paves the way for a new, more empathetic exchange of ideas about today’s most puzzling moral dilemma: how to find peace in the Middle East.
Jack Russell Weinstein is Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor and Director of the Institute for Philosophy in Public Life at the University of North Dakota. He is also the host of the public radio show/podcast Why? Philosophical Discussions About Everyday Life.
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“What is empathy for?”
The battle over empathy is more than just politics. It’s actually about nihilism, masculinity, and the stability of the American republic.
Empathy makes you weak. This is a message that Charlie Kirk is supposed to have communicated to his millions of followers. Interestingly, he never actually said this; Elon Musk is the one who did. In an interview on the Joe Rogan Experience, Musk remarked that “The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy. The empathy exploit. They’re exploiting a bug in Western civilization, which is the empathy response.” You should care about other people, he reluctantly concedes, but then he doubles down: “there’s so much empathy that you actually suicide yourself.”
Kirk’s comments about empathy are different but more extreme. Criticizing Bill Clinton, he opines: “I can’t stand the word empathy, actually. I think empathy is a made-up, new age term that—it does a lot of damage.” Kirk also looks like he will concede his point by admitting that some people should, at times, feel sympathy for others, but he waves that conversation away. He is assuming that the distinction between empathy and sympathy is both clear and significant. It is not.