Tell us about your podcast.
Philosophy Bakes Bread, co-hosted by Anthony Cashio and myself, is an award-winning, syndicated radio show and podcast providing food for thought about life and leadership. Episodes are about an hour long, aside from our breadcrumb episodes. A production of the Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA), the show grew out of SOPHIA’s mission of supporting philosophical conversation and community building. Guests have ranged from Martha Nussbaum to journalist Matthew Yglesias. We were named Overall Favorite Show on WRFL Lexington in 2018. You can subscribe on iTunes,Google Play, Spotify, YouTube, or just listen on our Web site: PhilosophyBakesBread.com.
Why did you start doing a podcast?
Anthony and I both once thought that we should be lawyers. When we each found philosophy, we realised what our life’s work needed to be. Following in the footsteps of Socrates and John Dewey, we take philosophy to the streets with Philosophy Bakes Bread. I am the Executive Director and Trustee of the Society of Philosophers in America (SOPHIA) and Associate Professor of Educational Policy Studies at the University of Kentucky. Anthony is a Trustee of SOPHIA and Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Virginia’s College at Wise.
What are the best three episodes you’ve aired so far, in your opinion?
Our three most downloaded episodes are: Episode 19 – On Anger and Forgiveness, with Martha Nussbaum. Anger and Forgiveness was her most recent book at the time. Next, Episode 85 – God Is a Question, with William Irwin. This episode is based on Dr. Irwin’s book, God Is a Question, Not an Answer. And then Episode 32 – The Public Philosopher and the Gadfly, with Tommy Curry. At the time, Dr. Curry was at Texas A&M University. He joined us to talk about the controversy and death threats that he endured when a piece was published mischaracterising his work in The American Conservative. Dr. Curry is the author of The Man-Not: Race, Class, Genre, and the Dilemmas of Black Manhood, which was published in July of 2017 with Temple University Press. Dr. Curry’s work and the attacks he received were examined closely in a piece published on Snopes.com, which shows the dangerous error that the AC piece made.
Can you recommend one other philosophical podcast and tell us about one good episode?
There are so many philosophy podcasts these days and so many good ones. One that your readers may not yet have heard about is from an up and coming philosopher, James Murray, who’s launched the Maladjusted Life podcast. In particular, I’d recommend the episode with Tanya Faison, Founder of Black Lives Matter Sacramento, about “what it means to do grassroots work in an age of overwhelming state surveillance.” He’s also got a great episode with Dr. Tommy Curry, who was our guest in one of our top three most downloaded episodes too. Always a great listen.
Beside straight up philosophy podcasts, could you recommend another podcast?
I’m a huge Star Trek nerd, so I am only slightly embarrassed to say that I love The Greatest Generation podcast, about Star Trek: The Next Generation, and then also about Deep Space Nine. It goes through each episode both with recap and seriously funny commentary.
