Danielle and José assess whether or not the Law of Attraction is total bullshit. After careful consideration, we’ve determined that although there are lots of ways in which the Law of Attraction might be helpful, it also can be politically dangerous and, at times, utter nonsense.
Read MoreAre you the same person that you were when you were six years old? Does identity exist over time? Danielle suggests that there is no such thing as a permanent essential self or soul and argues for the Buddhist idea of “no-self.” José is skeptical, believing instead that we are essentially the same over time.
Read MoreIn this episode, Danielle argues that philosophy makes an excellent foundation for counseling and coaching. Not only is history of philosophy foundational for psychology, but philosophers have skills of critical inquiry and analysis, which they bring to a whole host of human experiences and aspects of the human condition.
Read MoreJosé gives an extended response to a listener question about what it means to be yourself. Who are you, really, and how do you know if you’re being yourself? Is the self a fixed identity that is sustained through time, or is it fractured into lots of different selves? How do you become a certain kind of person?
Read MoreDanielle suggests that identity politics—organizing and motivating political action through features of your identity such as race, gender, class, nationality, religion, etc.—is insufficient for the type of collective action needed to solve some important global problems. How do we, as a society, tackle issues like climate change or global poverty when we see ourselves as fractured groups, each with its own concerns? José believes that all political action must necessarily begin with the interests, needs, and perspectives of identity.
Read MoreDanielle and José try to answer a listener question that asks: How do I know when to accept myself as I am and when to strive to improve myself? José offers a philosophical approach to knowing when enough is enough.
Read MoreDanielle and José discuss philosophy as self-help. José hates self-help as a genre, and Danielle claims that philosophy would make for better self-help than many of the books currently on the market. She outlines how philosophy could address what makes so many self-help books annoying and ultimately disappointing.
Read More