Best Quixotic Podcasts (2025)

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365: Is Climate Action "Quixotic"?: Don Quixote's Psychosis & the Misuses of Political Nostalgia 21:48

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29d ago21:48

21:48

Is that a noble man rejecting modernity and embracing tradition? Or is it a lunatic with a lance trying to disembowel a shepherd? The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes (Saavedra) is the much beloved literary classic—and perhaps the world's first true novel—but its reputation goes far beyond the book itself. The cha…

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369: I See a Darkness—The Climate Movement Expects Deep Overshoot 42:28

1d ago42:28

42:28

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Mozart's Cosi fan tutte 48:01

2d ago48:01

48:01

Sarah Lenton chooses her favourite recording of Mozart's opera Cosi fan tutte.By BBC Radio 3

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HoP 477 The Mind Has No Sex: Cartesianism and Gender 20:44

3d ago20:44

20:44

Why Cartesianism appealed to women and became the inspiration for a pioneering feminist, Poullain de la Barre; and why Cartesianism was not the only option for women philosophers of the age.By Peter Adamson

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Jürgen Schaflechner, "Hinglaj Devi: Identity, Change, and Solidification at a Hindu Temple in Pakistan" (Oxford UP, 2018) 1:26:58

5d ago1:26:58

1:26:58

About two hundred kilometers west of the city of Karachi, in the desert of Baluchistan, Pakistan, sits the shrine of the Hindu Goddess Hinglaj. Despite the temple's ancient Hindu and Muslim history, an annual festival at Hinglaj has only been established within the last three decades, in part because of the construction of the Makran Coastal Highwa…

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Clara A. B. Joseph, "India's Non-violent Freedom Struggle: The Thomas Christians (1599-1799)" (Routledge, 2023) 37:46

6d ago37:46

37:46

India's Nonviolent Freedom Struggle focuses on the Thomas Christians, a group of Christians in South India who waged a nonviolent struggle against European colonization during the politically volatile period of 1599-1799. India's Non-violent Freedom Struggle: The Thomas Christians (1599-1799) (Routledge, 2023) has three related objectives and uniqu…

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368: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty: Carbon Removal's Feature Film Debut, LEGION 44—w/ Leila Conners, filmmaker 48:31

8d ago48:31

48:31

We all want to make sure carbon removal works. But who is working to make it beautiful? And could creating beauty be one of the most important jobs in all of climate? Leila Conners is a filmmaker who has been making environmental films for decades, including legendary ones like The 11th Hour with Leonardo DiCaprio. Her latest opus is Legion 44, whi…

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Kenneth R. Valpey, "Yoga and Animal Ethics" (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025) 43:42

13d ago43:42

43:42

This open access book, Yoga and Animal Ethics (Palgrave Macmillan, 2025) offers a comprehensive understanding of yoga theory and practice as it bears on several dimensions of animal-related ethical reflection and action. "Yoga" has become a household word in recent decades and, increasingly, has drawn physical yoga practitioners to explore its phil…

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367: Is CDR Even Using "Bankability" Correctly?—w/ Ryan Covington, Attorney at Philip Lee LLP 54:00

15d ago54:00

54:00

Or "project finance", for that matter? Or are these just the current words we say at happy hours? Today, we attempt to nail down some of these definitions so we might have a chance of achieving either of these concepts. Ryan Covington is an attorney and partner in the Climate Projects team of Philip Lee (US) LLP, focused on the development and fina…

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Strauss's Le bourgeois gentilhomme 38:55

16d ago38:55

38:55

Nigel Simeone chooses his favourite recording of Strauss's Le bourgeois gentilhomme.By BBC Radio 3

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HoP 476 What He Should Have Said: the Early Cartesians 26:07

17d ago26:07

26:07

Early Cartesians including Cordemoy and de La Forge develop but also challenge Descartes’ ideas, defending atomism and occasionalism.By Peter Adamson

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I'm sailing from Seattle to San Francisco. Want to tag along? 9:15

18d ago9:15

9:15

Are you interested in sailing from Seattle to San Francisco on a sailing vessel older than World War 1?! Well, you can at the end of October 2025. Moreover, you'll be crewing alongside me. I recently joined the team of Maritime Blue as an Executive in Residence, working with ocean tech startups on commercial strategy, storytelling, and go-to-market…

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M.A. in Yoga Studies with Christopher Chapple 37:35

20d ago37:35

37:35

Dr. Christopher Chapple, founder of Loyola Marymount University’s pioneering M.A. in Yoga Studies, joins us to discuss how the program blends rigorous scholarship with embodied practice. We explore its study of Sanskrit, classical texts, philosophy, and modern applications, as well as its flexible residential and low-residency formats. Hear how thi…

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366: Raising Anti-Doomer Kids & Processing the Many Feelings of Climate Change—w/ Ariella Cook-Shonkoff, MFT; author of Raising Anti-Doomers 55:33

22d ago55:33

55:33

Raising kids is hard enough. How do we do it now when existential dread is such a major part of youth experience? And how do we keep ourselves mentally healthy enough to be good at both our professional climate work and parenting? Today's show is with Ariella Cook-Shonkoff, psychotherapist and author of the new book, Raising Anti-Doomers: How to Br…

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Jan E. M. Houben and Julieta Rotaru, "Vedic Myths and Rituals" (Dev Publishers, 2025) 57:44

27d ago57:44

57:44

Vedic Myths and Rituals, edited by Jan E.M. Houben and Julieta Rotaru, is a scholarly volume exploring the deep interplay between mythic narrative and ritual practice in the Vedic tradition. Drawing on diverse case studies—from the myth of Pedu’s horse to the consecration rites of the Soma sacrifice—the book examines how ritual structure, symbolic …

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HoP 475 Ariane Schneck on Elisabeth and Descartes 34:33

1M ago34:33

34:33

We finish our look at Elisabeth of Bohemia and Descartes by talking to Ariane Schneck about their correspondence, focusing on the mind-body problem and the passions.By Peter Adamson

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Ruth Perini, "Varaha Upanishad: The Path to Supreme Knowledge" (2025) 30:29

1M ago30:29

30:29

This conversation examines the newly published translation of the Varāha Upaniṣad, a lesser-known but deeply transformative scripture from the Kṛṣṇa‑Yajurveda, composed between the 13th and 16th centuries CE and spanning 249 verses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! http…

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364: Lowering the Onion into Hell: Strategic Realism vs. Christian Pacifism 42:29

1M ago42:29

42:29

In The Brothers Karamazov, the character Grushenka tells a story about an old peasant woman who never did a good deed in her entire life and went to Hell when she died. The woman's guardian angel petitioned God to let him search her life for a single good deed and if he found one, God would let her into Heaven. God agreed. It turns out she had once…

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A Ukrainian Translation of the Devi Mahatmya 1:03:54

1M ago1:03:54

1:03:54

In this episode, Dr. Raj Balkaran speaks with art historian and curator Alisa Lozhkina about her groundbreaking Ukrainian translation of the Devī Māhātmya—the first ever in the language. They explore the inspiration behind this bold project, the text’s unique reception in the Ukrainian cultural and spiritual landscape, and broader reflections on th…

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363: Carbon Markets & The Art of Not Being Governed: Legibility vs. Complexity in James C. Scott—w/ Grant Faber 1:02:11

1M ago1:02:11

1:02:11

One of my biggest podcasting regrets is not having been able to interview the anthropologist Dr. James C. Scott before he died in 2024. We had corresponded by email, but he'll forever be one of the ones who got away... Rest in peace, James. Your scholarship is still making people think. Today's show serves as an introduction to anthropology, and to…

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Vinay Lal, "Gandhi, Truth, and Nonviolence: The Politics of Engagement in Post-Truth Times" (Oxford UP, 2025) 1:08:31

2M ago1:08:31

1:08:31

The anthology presents a diverse array of essays delving into Gandhi's political activities, ethical beliefs, and philosophical stance. Distinguished Gandhian scholars contribute to this collection, setting it apart from similar compilations by focusing not just on Gandhi's impact or the debate over his relevance, but on maintaining his bold ethica…

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362: Will Humanity Pass Through the Great Filter and Become a Permanent Civilization? 28:10

2M ago28:10

28:10

If there are so many inhabitable planets in the universe, why haven't we made contact with other civilizations? One terrifying answer is that very few civilizations are able to create world-altering technology without also killing themselves off in the process. This monologue episode introduces the concept of Great Filter Events through the work of…

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Learning Ancient Languages: A Conversation with Antonia Ruppel 1:37:18

2M ago1:37:18

1:37:18

Sanskritist and seasoned teacher Dr. Antonia Ruppel shares her views on the merits and pitfalls of academic enterprise, the brave new world of self-employed scholarship and the teaching of ancient languages. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supporti…

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Vinay Lal, "India and Its Intellectual Traditions: of Love, Advaita, Power, and Other Things" (Oxford UP, 2024) 1:08:47

2M ago1:08:47

1:08:47

The book, the third volume to emerge from the enterprise known as 'The Backwaters Collective on Metaphysics and Politics', attempts to further the collective's ambition to put into question the certitudes of conventional social science discourse, decolonize the dominant knowledge frameworks, and understand how the intellectual and cultural resource…

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Kirin Narayan, "Cave of My Ancestors: Vishwakarma and the Artisans of Ellora" (U Chicago Press, 2024) 1:17:25

2M ago1:17:25

1:17:25

On the podcast today I am joined by Kirin Narayan, emerita professor at the College of Asia and the Pacific at the Australian National University. Kirin is joining me to talk about her new book, Cave of my Ancestors: Vishwakarma and the Artisans of Ellora published by Chicago University Press in 2024, and in 2025 as an Indian edition by HarperColli…

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361: Carbon-to-Value's Long-Awaited Vindication—w/ Matt Atwood, Founder & CEO of Aircapture 36:39

2M ago36:39

36:39

A $50M Series A?! In this economy? Aircapture recently raised a big round at a time when big raises in climatetech are hard to come by. Their secret? Producing a valuable product better for their customers than what currently exists, and not being dependent upon policy or carbon credits. They're doing modular direct air capture in places that other…

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Navjivan Rastogi, "Kalikrama and Abhinavagupta: The Epistemological Ethics of a Tantric Tradition" (Nalanda, 2022) 27:58

2M ago27:58

27:58

The Krama School of the Trika Saivism of Kashmir, more familiar as Kalikrama in the contemporary parlance, has turned out to be the most crucial among the monistic Saiva traditions of medieval Kashmir after the Pratyabhijna school, a scenario people could hardly envisage six decades back when it first came to the notice of modern scholarship. The d…

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360: Jon Raymond's excellent new climate fiction novel, God and Sex 52:52

2M ago52:52

52:52

Writing fiction about climate change is notoriously difficult. Some authors have gone for massive ensemble casts to defeat the hyperobject. But what if one zoomed in to smaller, quieter, interpersonal stories? Jon Raymond is a screenwriter and novelist whose work I very much enjoy. He is a frequent collaborator of Kelly Reichardt's, on films such a…

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Joanna Jurewicz, "Invisible Fire: Memory, Tradition and the Self in Early Hindu Philosophy" (2021) 51:55

2M ago51:55

51:55

Invisible Fire by Joanna Jurewicz explores early Hindu philosophy through the Manusmṛti, Bhagavadgītā, and Mokṣadharma, showing that reality is a single cognitive field manifesting through subject-object perception. Drawing from Vedic roots and cognitive linguistics, Jurewicz argues that creation, bondage, and liberation are all epistemic processes…

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Ankur Barua, "The Hindu Self and Its Muslim Neighbors: Contested Borderlines on Bengali Landscapes" (Lexington, 2022) 1:26:44

2M ago1:26:44

1:26:44

In The Hindu Self and its Muslim Neighbors, the author sketches the contours of relations between Hindus and Muslims in Bengal. The central argument is that various patterns of amicability and antipathy have been generated towards Muslims over the last six hundred years and these patterns emerge at dynamic intersections between Hindu self-understan…

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359: Why Is the Pulp and Paper Industry So Great for CDR?—w/ Natalie Khtikian & Jon Rhone, Cofounders of CO280 41:47

2M ago41:47

41:47

Many hardtech entrepreneurs develop a technology and then figure out how to commercialize it. What happens if you find an industry with potential and then engineer a solution to open an entirely new market to them? Today's show is with two of the cofounders of CO280: Natalie Khtikian, the Chief Commercial Officer, and Jonathan Rhone, the Chief Exec…

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Amir Hussain, "One God and Two Religions: Christians and Muslims as Neighbors" (Fortress Press, 2025) 55:52

3M ago55:52

55:52

Islam is a religion of violence and behind every Muslim there lurks a potential terrorist. Islam is a threat to values of the Christian West. They are like oil and water. Clearly, they don't mix. One God and Two Religions: Christians and Muslims as Neighbors (Fortress Press, 2025) confronts these popular perceptions head-on. With keen insight and g…

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Christopher T. Fleming, "Equity and Trusts in Sanskrit Jurisprudence" (British Academy, 2025) 57:38

3M ago57:38

57:38

This monograph outlines the core principles of equity and trusts in Sanskrit jurisprudence (Dharmaśāstra) and traces their application in the practical legal administration of religious and charitable endowments throughout Indian history. Dharmaśāstra describes phenomena that, in Anglo-American jurisprudence, are associated with courts of equity: t…

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Audrey Truschke, "India: 5,000 Years of History on the Subcontinent" (Princeton UP, 2025) 1:18:56

3M ago1:18:56

1:18:56

Much of world history is Indian history. Home today to one in four people, the subcontinent has long been densely populated and deeply connected to Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas through migration and trade. In this magisterial history, Audrey Truschke tells the fascinating story of the region historically known as India--which includes tod…

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358: A Beginner's Mind for this Bizarre Moment in Carbon Removal—w/ Marian Krueger, Coauthor of Race to Zero: How Companies Can Lead the Way to Climate Neutrality 1:00:21

3M ago1:00:21

1:00:21

When you finish painting the Golden Gate Bridge, it is time to paint the Golden Gate Bridge. With a subject as interdisciplinary as carbon dioxide removal, a beginner's mind can also be a great asset! Marian Krueger is the co-author of Race to Zero: How Companies Can Lead the Way to Climate Neutrality, an intoductory text to CDR that lucidly explai…

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HoP 474 States of the Union: Descartes on the Passions 19:20

3M ago19:20

19:20

What do emotions reveal about the connection between mind and body? We turn to Descartes’ correspondence with Elisabeth and his On the Passions to find out.By Peter Adamson

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Jessica Patterson, "Religion, Enlightenment and Empire: British Interpretations of Hinduism in the Eighteenth Century" 38:40

3M ago38:40

38:40

In the second half of the eighteenth century, several British East India Company servants published accounts of what they deemed to be the original and ancient religion of India. Drawing on what are recognised today as the texts and traditions of Hinduism, these works fed into a booming enlightenment interest in Eastern philosophy. At the same time…

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Rachel Fell McDermott and Daniel F. Polish, "A Hindu-Jewish Conversation: Root Traditions in Dialogue" (Lexington Books, 2024) 1:02:19

3M ago1:02:19

1:02:19

This book engages historically and theologically with the Hindu and Jewish traditions, covering conceptions of the divine, religious heroes, women, devotional literature, theodicy, land, and nationalist claims on it, and social differentiation and oppression. Scholarly considerations are enriched with actual conversations between Hindus and Jews. L…

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357: Making Graphite from Carbon Removal for Lithium-Ion Batteries—w/ Makoto Eyre, Founder & CEO of Homeostasis 43:40

3M ago43:40

43:40

We primarily talk about pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and ocean and storing it. But there are some places where we should actually be using it productively. Is graphite for lithium-ion batteries one of those places? Makoto Eyre is the Founder and CEO of Homeostasis, a Tacoma-based company making graphite from carbon dioxide. In the f…

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Corelli's Concerti grossi 49:07

3M ago49:07

49:07

Kirsten Gibson's personal recommendation of the Concerti grossi by Arcangelo Corelli.By BBC Radio 3

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Ilanit Loewy Shacham, "Empire Inside Out: Religion, Conquest, and Community in Kṛṣṇadevarāya's Āmuktamālyada" (Oxford UP, 2024) 32:04

3M ago32:04

32:04

Examining the interplay of religion, history, and literature through a case study of King Krsnadevaraya's celebrated Telugu poem Āmuktamālyada, Ilanit Loewy Shacham showcases the groundbreaking worldview that this often-overlooked poem embodies. Krsnadevaraya (r.1509-1529) ruled over the Vijayanagara Empire during its heyday, and his monumental poe…

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356: The World's First International Transfer of Carbon Removals Between Countries Under the Paris Agreement—w/ Victoria Harvey, CDR Strategy Lead at ClimeFi 45:28

3M ago45:28

45:28

When you think of Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, you probably aren't thinking about carbon removal. But should you be? Today's guest is Victoria Harvey, CDR Strategy Lead at ClimeFi. ClimeFi just structured the world's first Article 6.2 international transfer of durable carbon removal credits between Norway and Switzerland, and there's a lot to …

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Vaughan Williams's Symphony No.5 51:09

3M ago51:09

51:09

Kate Kennedy picks her favourite recording of Vaughan Williams's Symphony No.5.By BBC Radio 3

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HoP 473 As Rational As You: Elisabeth of Bohemia 21:44

3M ago21:44

21:44

A royal scholar and philosopher sets aside the tribulations of her family to debate Descartes over the relation between mind and body and the nature of happiness.By Peter Adamson

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Richard K. Payne and Glen A. Hayes eds., "The Oxford Handbook of Tantric Studies" (Oxford UP, 2024) 36:48

3M ago36:48

36:48

Since the earliest encounters between tantric traditions and Western scholars of religion, tantra has posed a challenge. The representation of tantra, whether in Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Tibet, or Japan, has tended to emphasize the antinomian, decadent aspects, which, as attention-grabbing as they were for audiences in the West, created a one-dimensiona…

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355: Is a Carbon Credit Registry Creating Methodologies an Inherent Conflict of Interest?—w/ Peter Minor, Co-Founder & CEO of Absolute Climate 1:00:31

3M ago1:00:31

1:00:31

Many a business was launched in carbon credits trying to fix a conflict of interest problem. Has Absolute Climate cracked the code? Should registries get out of the methodology development business? Peter Minor, CEO and Co-Founder of Absolute Climate, is on the show today to talk about the many issues of trying to create an ultimate standard in car…

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Satie's Sports et divertissements 52:30

3M ago52:30

52:30

Kathryn Stott's personal recommendation of Satie's Sports et divertissements.By BBC Radio 3

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J. P. Mallory, "The Indo-Europeans Rediscovered: How a Scientific Revolution Is Rewriting Their Story" (Thames & Hudson, 2025) 45:04

3M ago45:04

45:04

Today the number of native speakers of Indo-European languages across the world is approximated to be over 2.6 billion—about 45 percent of the Earth’s population. Yet the idea that an ancient, prehistoric population in one time and place gave rise to a wide variety of peoples and languages is one with a long and troubled past. In this expansive inv…

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354: Why You Should Fill Out the 2025 CDRjobs Salary Survey: Tales of HR, Compensation, & Paradoxes of Fairness 22:14

3M ago22:14

22:14

Salary is touchy. It's tied up with shame on all sides: are we being underpaid? Did we overpay for someone that is unfair? Is it too late to fix it?! Today, host Ross Kenyon monologues about the 2025 Salary Survey from the folks at CDRjobs (which you should go fill out right now!), and shares some lessons he learned about designing HR policies the …

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Haydn's The Seasons 49:01

4M ago49:01

49:01

Jeremy Summerly chooses his favourite recording of Haydn's The Seasons.By BBC Radio 3