Two Beers Until Phronesis

Apr 27 2021 60 ep. 51 mins 11

Two Beers Until Phronesis Podcast artwork

Welcome to Two Beers Until Phronesis: A philosophy podcast for students, graduates and anybody else interested in ideas. Each month we're joined by regular guests and friends, as we take some time to discuss some of life's big questions over a few beers. We're also on YouTube, iTunes and Spotify FYI: Phrónēsis is Aristotle's notion of practical wisdom.

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52. The Power of Music (w/ Nye, Begley & Jack)

Apr 27 2021 98 mins

Four guys with varying experiences in the world of music talk about performing, listening to and working with music. We explore a few questions like - What are the challenges facing the music industry today? How can music shape identity and meaning? Can any genres be considered pretentious or is pretention a myth? Is there a valid argument for "culturally appropriating" music? And

51. The Big Screen vs. Streaming (w/ Jack)

Mar 25 2021 71 mins

Connor and Jack have an increasingly drunken chat about rising streaming platforms and the decline of movie theatres. Is there something romantically irreplaceable about the experience of going to the movies or does streaming really have it all? How should one behave when attending the pictures? And are these changes actually good for the movie industry after all? Find out… maybe

50. A Conversation about Meaning (w/ Nye)

Mar 02 2021 55 mins

For our 50th episode we thought we'd try something a little different… Our off the cuff conversation takes us from experience machines to belief in god, free will, happiness and humanism. We ask whether it makes sense to think of a non-religious life as meaningless and whether "unearned" or "false" happiness is desirable (or indeed, even possible). What is the relationship betwee

49. The Philosopher Who Believed in Giants (w/ Bertie)

Feb 23 2021 61 mins

This is what the wait has been for... Two drunk blokes talking about giants. Giambattista Vico was an Italian Enlightenment philosopher and historian who, for some reason, believed in giants. Though somewhat obscure, his ambitious work "Scienza Nuova" attempts to combine all humanities into a single subject and explain the cyclical nature of human history and has influenced

48. Reason & Religion: Aristotle's Legacy (w/ The One Joe)

Jan 03 2021 63 mins

Why do atheists and theists never seem to convince one another? Why do modern debates about God never work? What exactly is the difference between reason and religion? When medieval Christians like Thomas Aquinas got their hands on the logic and rationalism of Aristotle they worked to combine their scripture with the reason of philosophy… but would it work? Years later we

47. Beginner's Guide to Quantum Mechanics: The History of QM (w/ Nye & Joe)

Dec 21 2020 63 mins

We've all heard of it but have you ever wanted to find out what Quantum Mechanics actually is? Well here's a Christmas treat! As promised, Nye explains QM from the ground up; starting with the history and context of why and how it was theorised. Going through all the major scientific developments and players leading up to its inception, we break down some of the relevant concepts a

46. Reason & Religion: The Rediscovery of Aristotle (w/ The One Joe)

Dec 14 2020 41 mins

The Dark Ages; philosophy is all but unknown to this world of staunch faith and brutal conflict. A relatively new religion has arisen in the Middle East, carving out an empire from the Pagan and Christian Kingdoms left in the wake of the collapse of the ancient world. As their culture grows and interacts with others, pioneering Muslim intellectuals are tasked with translating the w

45. Quantum Immortality (w/ Al & The Other Joe)

Dec 04 2020 29 mins

Philosophy graduates attempt to understand science. _ Edited by Connor. Audio & music mastering / production by Nye James. Jingles recorded by Nye (guitars) & Connor (harmonica, mandolin)

44. The Fermi Paradox: "Where Is Everybody?" (w/ Nye)

Nov 27 2020 128 mins

Named after Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi, the Fermi Paradox characterises the contradiction between optimistic probabilistic arguments for the existence of life elsewhere in the universe and the lack of evidence for it. In this podcast Nye explains why most estimates (such as the Drake equation) are so high and covers the suggested explanations for this famous

43. Plato's Early Dialogues (History of Ideas III)

Nov 12 2020 83 mins

Outraged by the death of his mentor Socrates, and the thoughtlessness of ancient Greek society, a young Plato set off travelling on his adventures. It was during this time that Plato turned to writing his first dialogues. Using the character of Socrates in some of the craziest ancient fan fiction ever written, Platonic dialogues explored questions of truth, reality, virtue and the