App Store

Google Play

Details page - Device banner - 894x1036

Step into an infinite world of stories

Listen and read

Stephen West

Beginner friendly if listened to in order! For anyone interested in an educational podcast about philosophy where you don't need to be a graduate-level philosopher to understand it. In chronological order, the thinkers and ideas that forged the world we live in are broken down and explained.

Philosophize This!

Today we talk about the philosophical themes of one of Dostoevsky's most famous books: Notes From Underground. We talk about contemplative inertia, the "stone wall" of rationality, utopian socialism, the tension between love and freedom in the modern world, self-loathing as a defense mechanism, and much more. Hope you enjoy it. :)

Sponsors:
Nord VPN: https://nordvpn.com/philothis 
Aura Frames: https://www.AuraFrames.com use promo code: PT
Better Help: https://www.BetterHelp.com/PHILTHIS

﻿Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

Social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast
X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode #218 ... Dostoevsky - Notes From Underground

Today we talk about the philosophical themes that Dostoevsky had in mind when writing Crime and Punishment. We talk about Russian Nihilism and its consequences. Rational Utilitarianism and Egoism. A common misunderstanding of Raskolnikov as an embodiment of Nietzsche's work. Confession. Guilt. Affirming life through consent. And much more. Hope you love it! :)

Sponsors:
Nord VPN: https://nordvpn.com/philothis 

Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

Social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast
X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode #219 ... Dostoevsky - Crime and Punishment

Today we discuss the philosophical themes of the book Demons by Fyodor Dostoevsky. We talk about western liberalism, the lack of moral leadership, the promises of Nihilism, the Madman and the Saint, and Dostoevsky's complicated relationship to faith. Hope you love it! :)

Sponsors:
Better Help: https://www.BetterHelp.com/PHILTHIS
Quince: https://www.QUINCE.com/pt

Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

Social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast
X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode #220 ... Dostoevsky - Demons

Today we talk about the book The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky. We talk about the curse of sainthood. The connection between beauty and morality via his moral-aesthetic spectrum. Realism vs. Idealism. And how beauty can save the world. Hope you love it! :)

Sponsors:
ZocDoc: https://www.ZocDoc.com/PHILO
Better Help: https://www.BetterHelp.com/PHILTHIS
Nord VPN: https://nordvpn.com/philothis 

Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

Social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast
X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode #221 ... Dostoevsky - The Idiot

Today we talk about the philosophical themes around love in The Brothers Karamazov. We talk about Dostoevsky's existential, tragic form of Christianity. Family as a microcosm of society. Active love as an experiential framing. The Grand Inquisitor. Hope you love it! :)

Sponsors:
ZocDoc: https://www.ZocDoc.com/PHILO
Rocket Money: http://www.RocketMoney.com/PT
Better Help: https://www.BetterHelp.com/PHILTHIS

﻿Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

Social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast
X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode #222 ... Dostoevsky - Love in The Brothers Karamazov

Today we talk about the relationship between philosophy and religion. We talk about the duck-rabbit as a metaphor that may have something useful to teach us about the way we experience reality. We talk about the enormous difficulty of fully addressing the question: what is religion? We talk about Schelling's historical view of revelation and its connection to a possible new era of Christian religious practice. Hope you love it! :)

Sponsors:
Harry’s: https://www.harrys.com/PHILOSOPHIZE
Nord VPN: https://nordvpn.com/philothis

Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

Social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast
X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode #223 ... Religion and the duck-rabbit - Kyoto School pt. 3

Today we talk about the book The Stranger by Albert Camus. We talk about why Camus saw himself as an artist and not a philosopher. We talk about happiness. The absurd and it's full implications. The Mediterranean lifestyle. The sun as a symbol of immanence. Revolt against the absurd as a descriptive claim-- not a normative one.

Sponsors:
ZocDoc: https://www.ZocDoc.com/PHILO
Better Help: https://www.BetterHelp.com/PHILTHIS

Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

Social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast
X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode #224 ... Albert Camus - The Stranger

We look at Albert Camus' The Plague. We talk about a common misreading from the Myth of Sisyphus. We talk about different cycles of his work from his earlier individual confrontation with the absurd to a more community focus. We talk about solidarity. Absurd heroes. Empathy and metaphysical rebellion. Hope you enjoy it, my friends. :)

Sponsors:
Factor: https://www.FactorMeals.com/pt50off
Better Help: https://www.BetterHelp.com/PHILTHIS
Quince: https://www.QUINCE.com/pt

Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

Social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast
X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode #225 ... Albert Camus - The Plague

Today we talk about Camus’ concept of rebellion and how it offers a powerful alternative to abstract ideologies. We talk about solidarity as the foundation for justice without systems. We talk about the death penalty as a symbol of premeditated murder disguised as virtue. We talk about rebellion as something closer to art than politics—an act rooted in experience, defined by limits, and carried out with sincerity. Hope you love it! :)

Sponsors:
Nord VPN: https://nordvpn.com/philothis 
The Perfect Jean: https://theperfectjean.nyc Code: PT15 
Harry’s: https://www.harrys.com/PHILOSOPHIZE

﻿Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

Social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast
X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode #226 - Albert Camus - The Rebel

Today we talk about the concept of exile from the work of Camus. We focus on a couple stories from his book Exile and The Kingdom. We talk about why Camus insists that true lucidity can only arise from the jarring lived experience he calls “exile,” not from armchair reflection. We talk about Janine’s desert epiphany in “The Adulterous Woman.” We talk about school‑teacher Daru in “The Guest,” trapped between France and Algeria, whose double exile shows how history can choose for us. We talk about the everyday escape hatches—nostalgia, comfort contracts, curated news bubbles—that let people dodge exile until reality blindsides them. Hope you enjoy it! :)

Sponsors:
ZocDoc: https://www.ZocDoc.com/PHILO
Incogni: https://www.Incogni.com/philothis

Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

Social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast
X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode #227 ... Albert Camus - On Exile

On this episode, we track the changes in Peter Singer's ethical views throughout his career. We talk about Emotivism. R.M. Hare's Prescriptivism. Nozick's Experience Machine. Some thought experiments from Derek Parfit. Henry Sidgwick and Objectivist Hedonistic Utilitarianism. Hope you enjoy it!

Sponsors: 
ZocDoc: https://www.ZocDoc.com/PHILO
LMNT: https://www.DrinkLMNT.com/philo
Better Help: https://www.BetterHelp.com/PHILTHIS

﻿Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 

Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 

Social:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast
X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episode #208 ... The moral evolution of a philosopher. (Peter Singer)

Listen and read

Other podcasts you might like ...