Make Judaism’s greatest thinker and Halachic scholar part of your life. Rabbi Scott Kahn presents two halachot from the Rambam’s Mishneh Torah every weekday.
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Maimonides Podcasts
Everything you wanted to know about Moshiach. Meticulously sourced and explained.
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Study the Final Work of the Rambam with the benefit of the most current commentaries of R' Shlomo Toledano and Machon Hagos VeDa'as Yisrael
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Our mission is to create a platform for all serious students to easily study the entire Tanach (Torah, Nevi’im and Ketuvim) in a comprehensible fashion. We seek to generate an experience that allows our members to become intimately familiar with the text, framework, and storyline of the Tanach. Our emergent objectives are to increase knowledge of our ancestral Jewish history, to strengthen our sense of awe and love of God, and reinforce our personal and national Jewish identity.
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Scholarly, Compassionate, and Practical Jewish Teachings on God, Prayer, Torah and Kabbalah with Rabbi Nadav Caine (ravnadav)
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A podcast where we confront big questions with bold thinking and honest searching. Each week, Rabbi Shai Held sits down with a leading thinker or teacher to explore one powerful Jewish idea. This podcast doesn’t have all the answers, but it can uncover new insights and model what it means to take Torah and Jewish thought seriously.
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The New Thinkery is a podcast devoted to political philosophy and its history, along with its many guises in literature, film, and human experience generally. Named after Socrates' infamous "Thinkery" in Aristophanes' Clouds, The New Thinkery strikes a balance between the seriousness of academia and the playfulness of casual conversation among friends.
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In Season two of The Evolution of Torah, Rabbi Mordecai Schwartz takes usto four regions of the Medieval world to understand the specific Torah cultures that emerged from each place and their approach to Torah learning. The season covers Muslim Spain and North Africa, France, Germany, and Christian Spain over the course of 500 years, from the closing of the Talmud around the year 800 to the Spanish Inquisition. There is also one episode about Maimonides.
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Holy....! Each week we’ll discuss an episode of ”The Good Place” along with a Jewish text or idea or two that relates to the theme of the episode. Hosted by Jon Spira-Savett, rabbi and lover of great TV comedy and ethical philosophy, along with different co-hosts who teach Judaism and Torah and are smart and funny. We may not be as funny as ”The Good Place” itself, but we channel our own inner Chidis and Janets, as well as our Eleanors and Michaels and Tahanis and Jasons. Subscribe now, chec ...
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Hosted by Rabbi Dr. Levi Brackman, "Truths: Jewish Wisdom for Today" is an insightful podcast exploring the confluence of religion, science, and philosophy. The podcast serves as a platform for curious minds who value nuance and pursue wisdom. It is not designed for individuals seeking absolute truths or those inclined towards unquestioning religious adherence, but instead for those who traverse our rapidly evolving world as seekers and explorers. With the mission to impart valuable insights ...
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In an era of political division and polarized debate, we are losing our ability to hear each other. The volume of our disagreements is at an all-time high, while our ability to communicate with kindness and empathy is at an all-time low. This podcast seeks to change that by engaging people from different backgrounds and beliefs in good old-fashioned conversation. Listen in as Rabbi Michael Beyo and anthropologist Dr. Adrian McIntyre spend time listening, sharing, and discovering common groun ...
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Maimonides' Laws of War & Talking About Gaza
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26:17Most of us have been avoiding the painful conversations with friends and family over Gaza. Why? It seems like we have no common frame of reference, and so it hardly seems worth it. In this Rosh Hashanah sermon, I do something a little bizarre: I use Judaism's main halakhic code about war -- Maimonides' codification of all the Torah's statements on …
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What Can the Rabbinic Debate about Noah Teach Us About Equity?
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15:03
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15:03I relate the debate from Bereishit Rabbah to This American Life episode 550.By Rabbi Nadav Caine
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Getting "Miracles" Right in Judaism and in Our Lives (Yom Kippur Sermon 2025)
25:48
25:48
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25:48Miracle may be the most misunderstood concept in Judaism. While some Jewish sects officially (like Chabad), and most Jews unofficially, construe "miracles" as supernatural interventions in the nature, as in Christianity, the Jewish tradition tends to understand the word "miracle" (in Biblical Hebrew: "nes") in a far more subtle way. In this sermon,…
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Dreaming of the Messiah: What Can We Learn from Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook?
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39:23
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39:23Was Rabbi Kook a mystic, a radical, or a realist? And what did he really believe about redemption? In this season finale, Rabbi Shai Held is joined by Professor Yehudah Mirsky to unpack the bold and complex messianic vision of Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook and the ways in which this vision still reverberates today. Together, they explore Kook’s hopes fo…
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Is studying Torah really the most important thing a Jew can do? Or is that just something rabbis say—because they're the ones doing the studying? In this episode, Rabbi Shai Held talks with Rabbanit Devorah Zlochower about the value and limits of Talmud Torah. Together, they wrestle with classic rabbinic sources, the meaning of learning as a spirit…
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Is lighting candles, giving tzedakah, or saying a prayer enough if your heart’s not in it? Rabbis Shai Held and Josh Feigelson sit down to explore what it means to live a heart-centered Jewish life—and why it matters more than we often think. Together, they reflect on the perceived split between "the duties of the limbs" and "the duties of the hear…
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Special Episode: Maimonides, With Earl Schwartz
1:13:39
1:13:39
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1:13:39As long promised, a conversation about Rabbi Moses Maimonides! Maimonides’ specific formula of teshuvah, the Jewish metaphor for personal change, is at the core of this entire podcast series. Jon Spira-Savett talks with Earl Schwartz, Jon’s own first teacher about moral philosophy and education. We discuss Maimonides and his ethical theory, his vie…
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Where is God? Lessons from the Book of Ruth
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41:58What does it mean to embody God’s love in a world where God sometimes feels absent? In this episode, Rabbi Shai Held is joined by Christian biblical scholars Dr. Judy Fentress-Williams and Dr. Ellen Davis to explore what the Book of Ruth reveals—not just about loyalty and love, but about God’s subtle presence in human lives. Together, they ask: Wha…
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Questions That Can't be Answered: The Theology of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik
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36:04What do we do with the questions that have no answers? How does Jewish faith confront suffering, loneliness, and finitude? And how did Soloveitchik's own life—marked by grief, tradition, and the tension between reason and revelation—shape his unique theological voice? In this episode, Rabbi Shai Held and scholar Arna Poupko Fisher explore the life …
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Parashat Behaalotkhah: Grievance and Getting the Leaders We Deserve
12:34
12:34
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12:34In this long section of the Torah, where Miriam and Aaron are disciplined by God for challenging Moses, where Moses tries yet again to resign his leadership, where the 70 Elders to help Moshe go ahead and prophesy, but strangely nothing seems to come from it, I am struck by how much the parashah speaks to our time, where the strangest of leaders ar…
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God in Search of Man: The Theology of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel
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40:29What if God isn't just the one we seek—but the one who seeks us? In this episode, Rabbi Shai Held is joined by Rabbi Dr. Michael Marmur for a profound and passionate exploration of the theology of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel—one of the most influential Jewish thinkers of the 20th century. Together, they unpack Heschel’s daring idea that God is not…
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Warning: This episode includes discussion of suicide. What does it mean to truly meet another person—or even God—as a “Thou” and not an “It”? In this episode, Rabbi Shai Held and Dr. Arnie Eisen dive into Martin Buber’s transformative philosophy of relationship. They explore how Buber’s I and Thou challenges us to encounter others with presence and…
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God Has No Attributes: The Theology of Maimonides
40:14
40:14
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40:14Can we really describe God—or does every word fall short? In this episode, Rabbis Shai Held and Jason Rubenstein explore the bold theology of Maimonides, who argued that the only true way to speak about God… is not to speak at all. Together they unpack why saying “God is loving” might actually be misleading, what it means to worship a God beyond hu…
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Rabbis Shai Held and Tali Adler explore one of the most provocative images in rabbinic tradition: that at Sinai, God held a mountain over the Israelites’ heads and threatened them into accepting the Torah. What does this say about the nature of faith, agency, and obligation? In this episode, Rabbi Shai Held and Rabbi Tali Adler explore deep questio…
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Rabbi Irwin Kula reminds us that when we engage deeply with Torah, it can serve "as our mirror" which illuminates our inner complexities, strivings, horizon of significance, so we can better understand ourselves, others, and the world. In this presentation, I note how the Biblical story of Pinchas (who gets his own name on a parashah!) is a little …
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Can we really judge everyone favorably? Rabbis Shai Held and Steve Greenberg dive into this Jewish idea, exploring how a generous outlook can transform relationships, personal healing, and even our view of God. But where do we draw the line? Tune in for a candid conversation that gets real about the power – and potential pitfalls – of seeing the be…
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Chabad Without Lubavitch — A Conversation with Rabbi Avrohom Wilner
1:07:32
1:07:32
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1:07:32Rabbi Avram Wilner has reissued, footnoted, and clarified key works of Rabbi Aharon of Staroshelye, a towering but under-learned student of the Alter Rebbe. We explore the fault line between learning Chabad as a path of inner avodah and affiliating with the modern Lubavitch movement; the two tiers of Kabbalah (universal vs. elite); the role of hisp…
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Welcome Back for Season 2 of Answers WithHeld!
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1:31Rabbi Shai Held returns with a new cast of guest for another season of Answers WithHeld, the podcast where we confront big questions with bold thinking and honest searching. Every week, Rabbi Shai Held invites a leading thinker or teacher to explore one powerful Jewish idea or the life and legacy of a great Jewish thinker: Can We Really Judge Every…
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Can a Post-Talmudic Orthodoxy Become Talmudic Again? – A Conversation with Menachem Fisch
1:25:31
1:25:31
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1:25:31Is Orthodox Judaism still Talmudic — or has it slipped into safe, post-Talmudic conformity? Professor Menachem Fisch — Joseph & Ceil Mazer Professor Emeritus at Tel Aviv University, Director of its Center for Religious and Inter-religious Studies, and Humboldt Research Prize laureate — joins Levi Brackman to reveal the Talmud as a radical engine of…
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Introducing JTS's Expanding the Conversation
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30:41Check out this new offering from JTS Podcasts: Expanding the Conversation, a podcast that brings the thought-provoking discussions and dynamic scholarship of JTS directly to you. Drawing from live events, lectures, and panel discussions, this podcast goes beyond the moment—offering not only recordings of these programs but also exclusive interviews…
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First-Language Judaism vs. Rule-Book Religion: My Conversation with Prof. Moshe Koppel
1:02:29
1:02:29
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1:02:29Rabbi Dr. Levi Brackman sits down with Prof. Moshe Koppel—mathematician, long-time Israeli resident, and author of Judaism Straight Up—to explore what it means to “speak” Judaism naturally instead of consulting a rule book at every turn. Highlights include: Shimen vs. Heidi: two real people who illustrate organic tribal Judaism and cosmopolitan uni…
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Since launching in July 2020, The New Thinkery hasn't taken an extended break—but after nearly five years of weekly episodes, the guys are finally taking a much needed summer pause. The show will return with fresh conversations on political philosophy, literature, film, and more on September 3, 2025, with high-caliber guests on the horizon. In the …
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Joshua Parens on Maimonides' Guide of the Perplexed
1:17:35
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1:17:35Josh Parens joins Alex and Greg to discuss his recently released book, Maimonides's Guide on Obstacles to Knowledge, Being, and Action. Parens elaborates on a bold interpretation of Maimonides's Guide of the Perplexed that highlights how the philosopher uses "obstacles" to structure his defense of law, prophecy, and providence. This episode delves …
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Rabbi Manis Friedman vs. Classical Sources: Does God need Us?
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48:52
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48:52Welcome to Truths—"Seeking Ecstasy" season, Rabbi Dr. Levi Brackman’s first solo deep dive in the new series. After opening with a heartfelt prayer for Israel amid the current Iran conflict, Rabbi Levi tackles the heated debate sparked by Rabbi Manis Friedman’s bold claim that “God needs our mitzvot.” ► What do classic sources—Maimonides, Nachmanid…
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Richard Polt on Heidegger' Origin of the Work of Art
1:06:46
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1:06:46This week, a full complement of the guys are back, and are joined by Professor Richard Polt for a deep dive into Heidegger's The Origin of the Work of Art. Together, they unpack Heidegger's claims about truth, being, and the unique role art plays in revealing the world. The episode offers an accessible entry point into one of Heidegger's most chall…
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Why Maimonides Falls Short and Psychedelics Matter - Rabbi Yuval Cherlow in Conversation
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45:06
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45:06“In His Image: Why Maimonides Alone Isn’t Enough & Psychedelics Have Their Place — A Conversation with Rabbi Yuval Cherlow” In this episode of Truths: Jewish Wisdom for Today, Rabbi Dr. Levi Brackman sits down with the esteemed Rabbi Yuval Cherlow to ask: Can a purely intellectual theology—à la Maimonides—ever deliver the full depth of Jewish trans…
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Greg welcomes Prof. Rob Wyllie back to the show for a thoughtful conversation on the philosophical legacy of Alasdair MacIntyre. Ranging across MacIntyre's major works—from After Virtue to his reflections on tradition, ethics, and rationality—they consider his influence on contemporary moral philosophy and make an attempt at placing his thoughts in…
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Abraham Joshua Heschel Second Class: Ethics vs Holiness
54:56
54:56
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54:56We have grown accustomed to seeing Ethics and Holiness as virtually the same thing. I show that in order to properly understand Heschel's interlocking concepts of Blessing (berakhah), Faith (emunah), Awe (yirah), and Commandedness (Mitzvah), one needs to grasp that Ethics and Holiness are VERY different. This podcast has been edited to remove the Q…
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Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness offers more than a critique of empire—it's a meditation on the slipperiness of truth, the fragmentation of self, and the unsettling possibility that meaning is just another European export gone missing. This episode peers into the novella's narrative hall of mirrors, examining its existential fog, moral vertigo, an…
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The End of Certainty: A New Jewish Theology – A Conversation with Yehudah Ber Zirkind
1:21:37
1:21:37
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1:21:37In this episode of Truths: Jewish Wisdom for Today—part of the Seeking Ecstasy season—Rabbi Dr. Levi Brackman visits Jerusalem to sit down with Yehuda Ber Zirkind for their second full-length conversation. After their first discussion in New Haven sparked passionate debate, they explored: What “Jewish theology” really is: A living dialogue about Go…
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Welcome to the intro episode of the new season of Truths: Jewish Wisdom for Today—“Seeking Ecstasy.” In this kickoff, Rabbi Dr. Levi Brackman explains why the podcast paused, why he’s launching from the holy city of Safed, and what this season is all about: exploring personal Jewish theology and the paths each of us can take to encounter the Divine…
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Abraham Joshua Heschel First Class: Gratitude, Awe, and Actually Connecting to God
57:25
57:25
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57:25The vast majority of work on Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel is academic: summaries, clarification, footnotes and so on. In this series of classes, I'm here to show you how to live Heschel's religious philosophy, not understand it. In this first lecture, I show how one begins this process by first gathering three philosophies: 1) Schleiermacher, 2) Pr…
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Imagine a Jetsons-esque home that attempts to meet all of your needs while also featuring a room that makes your imagination into reality. Add some behaviorally troubled children imagining bloodthirsty lions into the mix, and you have the setup for Ray Bradbury's The Veldt. In a dystopian tale that would make an excellent episode of Black Mirror, B…
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Michael McShane on Shakespeare's King Lear
1:21:58
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1:21:58Recorded at the most recent ACTC conference, this episode features Michael McShane—educator, writer, and Shakespearean interlocutor—in a wide-ranging discussion of King Lear with both Greg and Alex. The group examine the play's structural and philosophical dimensions, from the politics of authority and the aesthetics of suffering to questions of ju…
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By Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky
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Deacon Harrison Garlick on Gorgias, Part III
1:21:26
1:21:26
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1:21:26To celebrate The New Thinkery's 250th episode... David and Alex take the week off. Instead, Greg joins Deacon Harrison Garlick of Ascend - The Great Books Podcast, to take a closer look at the third section of Plato's Gorgias which centers on a dialogue between Socrates and Calicles. The pair follow Socrates as he dismantles the arguments of Callic…
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By Rabbi Aaron Lopiansky
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Bernard J. Dobski on Mark Twain's Recollections of Joan of Arc
1:02:53
1:02:53
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1:02:53Professor B.J. Dobski joins Greg and David this week to examine Mark Twain's Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, a work that stands in stark contrast to Twain's more familiar satirical writings. Through careful analysis, and using his latest book—Mark Twain's Joan of Arc: Political Wisdom, Divine Justice, and the Origins of Modernity—as a backdr…
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Werner Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God
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50:48This week, Alex and Greg dive into Werner Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God, unraveling its haunting exploration of madness, ambition, and the human condition. They trace the film's philosophical undercurrents—from existential isolation to the limits of power—set against the backdrop of the unforgiving Amazon. Through sharp analysis and reflective…
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Kierkegaard's Philosophical Fragments with Rob Wyllie & Matt Dinan
1:09:40
1:09:40
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1:09:40This week, Greg has locked David and Alex out of the recording room, and replaced them with Kierkegaard scholars Rob Wyllie & Matt Dinan. Together, they dive into Kierkegaard's Philosophical Fragments to examine what it means to become a self, whether truth can be received as a gift, and why Socrates might need a divine upgrade. It's a lively explo…
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