Very Bad Wizards

Episode 132: Emotional Willpower (with David DeSteno)

23 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What's the best way to build self-control, patience, productivity, and delayed marshmallow eating? For decades psychologists and economists have told ...

Episode 131: I Have No Genitals and I Must Scream

09 Jan 2018

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler break down two episodes (with full spoilers) from the new season of Charlie Brooker's bleaker-than-bleak Netflix series Black Mirror....

Episode 130: Dehumanization and Disintegration (with Paul Bloom)

26 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In this Very Special Boxing Day edition of the podcast, Tamler and David welcome back honorary Third Wizard Paul Bloom to discuss his latest article i...

Episode 129: Dystopias

12 Dec 2017

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler assert their autonomy as individuals by discussing their favorite dystopian works of art. Rebelling against a repressive regime, they...

Episode 128: Fragmented Values and Sex Panics (with Christina Hoff Sommers)

28 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler keep their Nagel streak alive, discussing the essay "The Fragmention of Value" from his collection "Mortal Questions." How should we ...

Episode 127: Moral Luck

14 Nov 2017

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler dip back into the Thomas Nagel well, and discuss the problem of "moral luck." Why do we blame drunk drivers who hit someone more than...

Episode 126: The Absurd

24 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Is life meaningless? Are humans just glorified dung beetles, pushing around our piles of poop with no greater purpose? What would it take for life to ...

Episode 125: Can You Feel It?

10 Oct 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What do we mean when we say someone is angry? Can we identify anger (or any other emotion) via facial expressions, physiological changes, or neural ma...

Episode 124: Dr. Strawson or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Episodic Life

26 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Do you think of your life as a story? Does your life have a narrative structure or form? Do you identify with your past selves and your future selves?...

Episode 123: What Chilling Effect? (Intelligence Pt. 2)

12 Sep 2017

Contributed by Lukas

It's Part 2 of the Patreon listener selected episode! David and Tamler continue their discussion on intelligence from our last episode by tackling the...

Episode 122: Nothing but a "G" Thing (Intelligence Pt. 1)

29 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler do their best to talk frankly about intelligence and IQ research. (It's our Patreon listener-selected topic! We probably would never ...

Episode 121: The Beauty of Illusion - David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive"

15 Aug 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Guest Yoel Inbar joins David and Tamler to break down David Lynch's dreamy masterpiece Mulholland Drive. (FULL SPOILERS – watch before you listen!) ...

Episode 120: Clap Your Hand for Robert Wright

25 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Special guest Robert Wright joins the podcast to discuss his latest book "Why Buddhism is True." What is the Buddhist conception of not-self? When we ...

Episode 119: A Brief History of Values

12 Jul 2017

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when we discover why we believe the things we believe? What if we discover that our values are the product of our cultural tradition, or ...

Episode 118: We Don't Love Them Hoax

28 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler try to put the topic of campus politics to bed once and for all – with limited success. First, we get into a big fight about the pr...

Episode 117: Extended Minds, Extended Foreskins

13 Jun 2017

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler break down a recent classic in the philosophy of mind: "The Extended Mind" by Andy Clark and David Chalmers. What is boundary of your...

Episode 116: Pain, Pleasure, and Peer-Reviewed Penises

31 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler break down the latest small-stakes academic controversy--yes the one about conceptual penises. Does the recent "Sokal-like" hoax expo...

Episode 115: Which Field is More Fu@%ed: Philosophy or Psychology?

16 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler go ambulance chasing for scandals in their own fields. Inspired by a tweet from Jay Van Bavel, they argue about which of their discip...

Episode 114: Great Vengeance and Furious Anger (Top 5 Movies About Revenge)

04 May 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Somehow, after 113 episodes David and Tamler have never done a top 5 movie episode about revenge (so unbelievable that we had to double-check). That c...

Episode 113: Pascal, Probability, and Pitchforks

18 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler break down what may be the best argument that it's rational to believe in God: Pascal's Wager. (No, we're not just trolling our Sam H...

Episode 112: Gettier Goggles

04 Apr 2017

Contributed by Lukas

For four years Tamler has been bitching about Gettier cases without even explaining what they are or why he hates them. That ends today. David and Tam...

Episode 111: Our Language Doesn't Have a Word For This Title (with Yoel Inbar)

22 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

In Part 2 of our episode with film scholar Yoel Inbar (AOS: Quebecois New Wave Cinema), we break down the philosophy and psychology of the movie Arriv...

Episode 110: Stepsisters and Neck Braces (with Yoel Inbar)

14 Mar 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Any time the topic is campus politics there's a good chance we'll have to record more than once. True to form, David and Tamler yelled at each other f...

Episode 109: Moral Pluralism: Behind the Lube

28 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler return to their repugnant roots to talk about Cornell's refusal to hire conservative faculty, Milo getting disinvited from CPAC, and ...

Episode 108: The Gimp Exception

07 Feb 2017

Contributed by Lukas

Inspired by a recent article, David and Tamler try to figure out what's behind our aversion to moral hypocrisy. Why do we have such low opinions of pe...

Episode 107: Winking Under Oppression (with Manuel Vargas)

24 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

The philosopher and pride of Bakersfield, CA Manuel Vargas joins us to talk about culpability under conditions of oppression. How should we treat wron...

Episode 106: American Grandstand

10 Jan 2017

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler take a break from moral grandstanding to talk about moral grandstanding. How often do we moralize to make us look respectable? Does g...

Episode 105: Wizards With (Reactive) Attitudes

28 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler go back to basics--discussing a paper (Victoria McGeer on responsibilty and Strawson) and arguing about restorative justice. What is ...

Episode 104: Smelling Salts for Morality: Our Top 3 Movies About Empathy (with Paul Bloom)

14 Dec 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Bloom takes some time away from his "Waking Up" appearances to join us for a very special movie episode: our top three films about empathy. Can m...

Episode 103: Very Bad Utopias

29 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the Thanksgiving episode! David and Tamler give thanks to their listeners and Patreon supporters with an episode chosen by our top Patreon...

Episode 102: Red, Black, and Blue

15 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler stumble their way through talking about the election results, how Trump got elected, the role of racism, sexism, the liberal bubble, ...

Episode 101: Having Desert and Eating It Too

01 Nov 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we call Mozart a creative genius? He created his music, but do we also think that he created himself? How do we determine who deserves praise a...

Episode 100: It's a Celebration

13 Oct 2016

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler have their 100th episode hijacked briefly before taking it back like Wesley Snipes in Passenger 57. To celebrate the milestone Tamler...

Episode 99: Mockingbirds, Destructo-Critics, and Mr. Robot

27 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler tackle three topics on their last double digit episode. First, should a middle school perform "To Kill a Mockingbird" even if they ha...

Episode 98: Mind the Gap

13 Sep 2016

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler break down the biggest question in moral philosophy -- can we derive value judgments from a set of purely factual claims? Like the S...

Episode 97: Dogmatic Slumber Party

30 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Do you have strong views on climate change, taxes, health care, or gun control? Do you think the evidence and reason support your side of the debate?...

Episode 96: Memory and Meaning in "Memento" (with Paul Bloom)

16 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

So where are you? You're in some house. What am I listening to? Sounds like the radio. Is it the radio? No, you're not allowed to use that language...

Bonus Episode: More Doobie-ous Theories About "Mr. Robot" (Season 2)

09 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Hello friend, did you come from the Berenstein with an 'E' universe? Or have you lived in the Berenstain with an 'A' universe? David and Tamler try ...

Episode 95: The Repugnance of Repugnance

02 Aug 2016

Contributed by Lukas

We all remember the famous iTunes review calling David and Tamler "repugnant." (And the T-shirt/mugs are coming soon, we promise!) But what did the re...

Episode 94: Buttery Friendships

19 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Dave and Tamler don't agree about much, but one thing they do share is an affinity for character-based approaches to ethics. Using Tamler's interview...

Episode 93: Avalanches, Blame, and Cowardice (With Yoel Inbar)

05 Jul 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Scandinavian film scholar Yoel Inbar joins the podcast for a deep dive on the Swedish film Force Majeure, a darkly funny meditation on what our instin...

Episode 92: Jonathan Edwards' Basement

21 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler continue their intermittent "classic paper series" with an episode on Jonathan Bennett's "The Conscience of Huckleberry Finn" (publis...

Episode 91: Rage Against the Machines

07 Jun 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Inspired by a recent ProPublica report on racial bias in an algorithm used to predict future criminal behavior, David and Tamler talk about the use of...

Episode 90: Of Mice and Morals

25 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler have their first real fight in a while over an article defending "social mixing"--distributing babies randomly across families such t...

Episode 89: Shame on You (with Jennifer Jacquet)

10 May 2016

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler welcome author and environmental science professor Jennifer Jacquet to the podcast to discuss the pros and cons of shame. What's the ...

Episode 88: A Doobie for Elijah

26 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler celebrate Passover with a high-spirited episode on guns, revenge, liberals, being offended, the fear of death, and whether kids have ...

Episode 87: Lucky You (with Robert Frank)

12 Apr 2016

Contributed by Lukas

We hit the jackpot with this one! Economist Robert Frank (you may remember him from such episodes as The Greatest Books Ever Written) joins David and...

Episode 86: Guns, Shame, and the Meaning of Punishment

22 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

We know that criminal punishment has consequences, both good and bad, and that many people think that offenders deserve it. But what does punishment ...

Episode 85: A Zoo with Only One Animal (with Paul Bloom)

12 Mar 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Philosophers can be funny and funny movies can be philosophical. David and Tamler welcome frequent VBW guest and arch-enemy of empathy Paul Bloom to ...

Episode 84: Lifting the Veil

23 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler talk about the perils of trying to step outside of your own perspective in ethics, science, and politics. What do Rawls' "original p...

Episode 83: Ego Trip

09 Feb 2016

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler continue their series of breaking down a classic essay/article in their fields. For this installment, David assigns Tamler Anthony G...

Episode 82: Totalitarian Slide-Rulers

26 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler take a break from their main jobs as TV critics to talk about a masterpiece in political philosophy: "Two Concepts of Liberty" by Isa...

Episode 81: Domo Arigato, Mr. Robot (With Yoel Inbar)

12 Jan 2016

Contributed by Lukas

Hello, listener. Hello, listener? That's lame. Maybe I should give you a name, but that's a slippery slope. You're only in my head. Or maybe we're...

Episode 80: The Coddling of the Wizard Mind (with Vlad Chituc and Christina Hoff Sommers)

21 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

It's our last episode on campus protests and political correctness for a while, we promise! But it's a fun one.  David and Tamler welcome two guests...

Episode 79: Good Lives, Good Friends, and Gay Mormons (with Valerie Tiberius)

04 Dec 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Special guest Valerie Tiberius joins us to talk about values, well-being, and friendship. What role should reflection play in the good life? What ab...

Episode 78: Wizards Uprising

24 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler return to the minefield of campus politics and talk about recent events at Yale, Missouri, and Amherst. Are the protests are long ov...

Episode 77: On the Moral Nature of Nazis, Jerks, and Ethicists (with Eric Schwitzgebel)

09 Nov 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Special guest Eric Schwitzgebel joins David and Tamler to discuss the moral behavior (or lack thereof) of ethicists. Does moral reflection make us b...

Episode 76: Cha-Cha-changes

26 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler list three things they've changed their minds about in their careers. (This episode was recorded before Episode 75, but that one was ...

Episode 75: A Golden Shower of Guests

06 Oct 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Dave and Tamler celebrate their 75th episode by welcoming six BFFs of the podcast and asking them to share the biggest thing they've changed their min...

Episode 74: Lies, Damned Lies, and Ashley Madison

16 Sep 2015

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler return after an end of summer hiatus to finally talk about the ethics of deception….eventually. But first they break down a recent ...

Episode 73: Authentic Apes and Infinite Torture

12 Aug 2015

Contributed by Lukas

In what is possibly our most repugnant first segment ever, David and Tamler break down the ethics of zoophilia and investigate the true nature of con...

Episode 72: Tweenie Turing Tests, AI, and Ex Machina (with Joshua Weisberg)

28 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

It finally happened: David and Tamler welcome special guest Joshua Weisberg to the podcast to talk about Turing machines, Chinese Rooms, and AI. Wha...

Episode 71: The Murky Morals and Mysterious Metaphysics of "Mr. Robot"

14 Jul 2015

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler go deep into the best TV show of the summer, "Mr. Robot. They talk about the moral ambiguity of its central character, the distorte...

Episode 70: Some Favorite Things

29 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, papers by Williams and movies from Sweden. Long graphic novels that celebrate being. These are a few of ou...

Episode 69: CHiPs on Our Shoulders (Lessons in Objectivity)

17 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Dave and Tamler try to figure out what we talk about when we talk about objectivity. In past episodes we've claimed that logic and science (when i...

Episode 68: Risky, Reckless, and Regretful

01 Jun 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Dave drags Tamler into the nerd abyss by making him watch an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation ("Tapestry," from the 6th season. It's avai...

Episode 67: Funny How?

18 May 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Dave and Tamler break the cardinal rule of comedy by trying to analyze it. What are the origins and functions of humor? Can a theory explain what mak...

Episode 66: Übermensch at Work

20 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Special guest Yoel Inbar (author of Hitchcock's Women: From Margaret Sullivan to Tippi Hedren) joins us to talk about Hitchcock's long take masterpi...

Episode 65: Philocalypse Now

06 Apr 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Holy crap, it's the apocalypse!!!!   ...for philosophy. Maybe. Has this 2500 year old discipline become too technical, too disconnected from the ...

Episode 64: Believing in a Just World

19 Mar 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Dave and Tamler talk about the human tendency to believe in a just world. Why do we have the belief? Does it make us less motivated to fight injustice...

Episode 63: Stalemates and Closets (with Sam Harris)

28 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Harris gets back in the VBW ring for another round on moral responsibility, ethical theories, and the grounds for our obligations to other peop...

Episode 62: Brain Jizz and "Black Mirror"

09 Feb 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Dave and Tamler discuss a new study that, according to Tamler, offers decisive support for restorative approaches to criminal punishment (the only pro...

Episode 61: Putting a Little Meaning in Your Life

19 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Dave and Tamler take a break from blame and responsibility to tackle a much easier subject: meaning in life. We discuss Susan Wolf's new book "Meanin...

Episode 60: Drunk on Intuitions

02 Jan 2015

Contributed by Lukas

Dave and Tamler argue some more about the role of emotion and intuition in blame judgments, and then offer some moral psychology-related recommendatio...

Episode 59: Tumors All the Way Down (With Sam Harris)

16 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Bestselling author and friend of the podcast Sam Harris joins Tamler and Dave for a marathon podcast. (Seriously, pack two pairs of astronaut diapers ...

Episode 58: Do the Right Thing (with Yoel Inbar)

02 Dec 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Film critic, VBW regular, and social psychologist Yoel Inbar joins David and Tamler to talk about Spike Lee's controversial 1989 film, Do the Rig...

Episode 57: Free Willie

18 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler talk about a new study that links your belief in free will to the fullness of your bladder. How do our bodily states influence our me...

Episode 56: Moral Heroes and Drunk Utilitarians

03 Nov 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Following up their discussion of moral villains, Dave and Tamler argue about what makes a moral hero. Tamler defends Sharon Krause's view that honor...

Episode 55: Rooting for Evil (With Paul Bloom)

21 Oct 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Paul Bloom joins us to talk all things villainous -why we sometimes root for the bad guys, why we admire them even when we don't, why they are much mo...

Episode 54: Pooping on Ecstasy (Pain, Pleasure, and the Ethics of Breeding)

24 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Tamler and David get bullied into talking about "anti-natalism," (the view that it is unethical to bring a being into existence), and to defend our et...

Episode 53: The Psychology People Love to Hate (Evolutionary Psychology Pt.1)

08 Sep 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Dave and Tamler take a shot at answering the question: what is an evolutionary psychologist? Is it just a psychologist who believes in evolution? (N...

Episode 52: Thought Experiments (Huh!) What Are They Good For? (Part 2)

25 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Experience Machines, Chinese Rooms, Original Positions, and Ice Buckets.  ("I don't know what you have in mind for this evening Homer, but count me o...

Episode 51: Zombies, Trolleys, and Galileo's Balls

12 Aug 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Episode Audio Dave and Tamler talk about the value and purposes of thought experiments in philosophy and science. Does the trolley problem tell us m...

Episode 50: Keeping it Unreal

15 Jul 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Dude, do you ever think about how, like, we could be all be in the Matrix? Seriously, no no, dude, I'm being serious. It's like, none of this might be...

Episode 49: Psychopaths and Contrastivizzzzzzzz (With Walter Sinnott-Armstrong)

23 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Special guest Walter Sinnott-Armstrong joins the podcast to explain how his theory which desperately needs a new name ("contrastivism") can dissolve m...

Episode 48: Restorative Circle Jerk

09 Jun 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Dave and Tamler take a mulligan and try to resolve their conflict about restorative justice.  Do restorative processes lead to more just outcomes tha...

Episode 47: Schooled By Our Listeners

22 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Tamler and David leech off of their listeners and dedicate an episode to their favorite comments, questions, and criticisms from the past few weeks (b...

Episode 46: The Real Josh Knobe

05 May 2014

Contributed by Lukas

May I have your attention please? Will the real Josh Knobe please stand up? Will the real... [you know what, screw this--we're just dating ourselves.]...

Episode 45: Rounded Brains and Balanced "Play Diets"

21 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

A British tabloid article about kids, brains, and spatial skills somehow provokes the biggest argument ever on the podcast. Dave and Tamler get into i...

Episode 44: Killer Robots

05 Apr 2014

Contributed by Lukas

David and Tamler argue about the use of autonomous robots and drones in warfare.  Could it lead to less suffering during wars and afterwards? Would ...

Episode 43: The Nature of Nudges

17 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Dave and Tamler talk about a recent study that seems to support the view that "justice is what the judge had for breakfast" (or at least how long ago ...

Episode 42: Reason, Responsibility, and Roombas (With Paul Bloom)

03 Mar 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Can a fully determined creature deliberate? How big a role does conscious reasoning play in moral judgment and everyday life? Are we responsible for o...

Episode 41: Moral Dilemmas at the Movies

19 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Dave keeps trying to explain to Tamler that we're not a movie podcast, but somehow they're doing another podcast about movies. This time they each lis...

Episode 40: How Many Moralities Are There? Pt. 2 (with Jesse Graham)

03 Feb 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Jesse Graham joins us for part 2 of our discussion on the nature of morality, and his recent paper on Moral Foundations Theory. He highlights the key ...

Episode 39: How Many Moralities Are There? (Pt.1)

20 Jan 2014

Contributed by Lukas

Dave and Tamler bounce back this week after having to trash the last episode. Does morality ultimately boil down to a single principle (such as harm o...

Episode 38: The Greatest Movies Ever Made about Personal Identity

31 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Who is the real you? What happens to your identity when your body gets cloned or reconstituted with all the same memories and character traits? Does s...

Episode 37: Porn, Poop, and Personal Identity (with Nina Strohminger)

17 Dec 2013

Contributed by Lukas

The guest we've been waiting for--Nina Strohminger--joins us to talk about the connection between disgust and humor, cheap laughs, moral character and...

Episode 36: An Irresponsible Meta-Book Review of Joshua Greene's "Moral Tribes"

25 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Our most irresponsible episode ever!  Dave and Tamler talk about two reviews of a book they haven't read--Joshua Greene's Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reas...

Episode 35: Douchebags and Desert

11 Nov 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Dave and Tamler talk about the influence of character judgments on attributions of blame. What is the function of the blame--to assign responsibility ...

Episode 34: Does Reading Harry Potter Make You Moral? (with Will Wilkinson)

28 Oct 2013

Contributed by Lukas

Special guest Will Wilkinson joins the podcast to talk about whether fiction makes us better people, and to discuss his recent Daily Beast article tha...