At the beginning of the year, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) launched a podcast that examines controversial social issues from a philosophical perspective. Leonard Stephan and Mathilde Fuhr talk to their guests about fake news, climate ethics, moral courage and gender identity, taking the time to look closely at what is being debated, what arguments are being used and how they are justified. In February, philosopher Dr Anna Welpinghus will be a guest on the show.
What is the podcast about?
The podcast "Auf eine Argument mit..." (In an argument with...) focuses on topics that make headlines every day: Why is disinformation dangerous for our democracy? Does our society need more courage? What does it mean to be a woman? In conversation with philosophers, the hosts and guests approach these controversial topics with sound arguments and clear concepts. The aim is to bring clarity to the debate and train critical thinking. Each week, a different philosopher is invited as a guest. In addition to current topics, the podcast also focuses on the guests themselves: How did they find their way into academic philosophy and what defines their work as philosophers?
Who is the target audience?
The podcast is aimed at anyone interested in philosophy, regardless of how much prior knowledge they have. The podcast is kept as understandable as possible, technical terms are avoided, and if they are unavoidable, the "technical term alarm" sounds with a helpful explanation.
Who are the creators?
They are Leonard Stephan and Mathilde Fuhr, two former philosophy students at HU. They have been working together for several years on the Public Philosophy Berlin initiative and organise lectures and discussion events at HU under the title "Philosophy for All". Dr Romy Jaster from the Institute of Philosophy at HU and Dr David Löwenstein from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf accompany the podcast as scientific advisors.
What is the current episode about?
Dr Anna Welpinghus is the guest on the current episode. She teaches philosophy at Bielefeld University and is also a consultant in the Quality Management for Teaching and Studies department at HU. The conversation focuses on the question of what it means to be courageous in everyday life and everyday language, what Aristotle thought about courage and bravery over 2000 years ago, and what we can learn from this for the present day. The second part of the episode deals with Anna Welpinghus' professional career and her views on what constitutes philosophy and what it can contribute to social debate.
Who hosts the podcast? Who are the guests?
Academic philosophers from various philosophy institutes at German universities are invited to participate. So far, Dr Romy Jaster from HU Berlin and Dr Viktoria Knoll from Saarland University have been guests. Leonard Stephan moderates the discussions, while Mathilde Fuhr frames the episodes from off-camera with an intro, outro and explanatory interludes.
What's next?
The first season is currently running with a total of six guests and twelve episodes – new episodes are released every Tuesday at 10:15 a.m. After a short break, the next season will continue in the second half of the year. Updates and links are available on the website (see below).