https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dangerous-ideas-thinkers-who-paid--7317498
Each episode reconstructs one case in full, cinematic detail: the idea taking shape in private notebooks, the authorities deciding it could not be allowed, the trial or the ambush, and the long afterlife of an idea that refused to die with its thinker. No host chatting between clips, no panel debating philosophy. Just one complete story, narrated start to finish, built from letters, trial records, and banned books.

You will follow dangerous ideas smuggled across borders in false-bottomed trunks, scientists forced to recant what they could see with their own eyes, and writers who chose prison over silence. Some episodes follow one thinker through the years that broke them; others trace a single dangerous idea from whisper to revolution. All of them treat dangerous ideas as what history proves them to be: the most powerful and most punished force in the world.

If you are drawn to the history of dangerous ideas told like a thriller, this is built for you. New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe now so the next of these dangerous ideas lands the moment it goes live.]]>enSociety & CultureCopyright OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENThttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/2f6b73d5163ccdfe071b78128313f9ee.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/dangerous-ideas-thinkers-who-paid--7317498Sat, 19 Sep 2026 08:03:35 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTOBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTcreators@obomedia.comDangerous ideas have always cost more than money. To say the earth moves, that kings rule without divine right, that all people are equal: each of these dangerous ideas sent someone to a cell, an exile, or a stake. This show tells the true stories of...
Each episode reconstructs one case in full, cinematic detail: the idea taking shape in private notebooks, the authorities deciding it could not be allowed, the trial or the ambush, and the long afterlife of an idea that refused to die with its thinker. No host chatting between clips, no panel debating philosophy. Just one complete story, narrated start to finish, built from letters, trial records, and banned books.

You will follow dangerous ideas smuggled across borders in false-bottomed trunks, scientists forced to recant what they could see with their own eyes, and writers who chose prison over silence. Some episodes follow one thinker through the years that broke them; others trace a single dangerous idea from whisper to revolution. All of them treat dangerous ideas as what history proves them to be: the most powerful and most punished force in the world.

If you are drawn to the history of dangerous ideas told like a thriller, this is built for you. New episodes drop regularly. Subscribe now so the next of these dangerous ideas lands the moment it goes live.]]>false0e67143d-8e5a-5fef-9b8d-696868712b1depisodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-chains-that-offered-a-choice--74909512
The Chains That Offered a Choice

This episode explores the life of Agustín Guzmán, a military commander who built and lost a republic. It delves into the decisions made in the aftermath of public disgrace and the consequences of those choices.

Person: Agustín Guzmán
Date: February 17, 1840
Location: Guatemala City
Event: Public humiliation

- Agustín Guzmán, a former army commander and republic builder, was paraded in chains through Guatemala City.
- He arrived in Central America in 1822 as a soldier in the Mexican imperial army, but stayed after the empire collapsed.
- Guzmán found a place in Quetzaltenango, a highland city that felt separate from Guatemala City.
- In 1838, Los Altos declared itself a separate state, with Guzmán named commander of its army.
- The new government of Los Altos reinstated tribute payments and jailed indigenous leaders who complained.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909512Sun, 20 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA man paraded in chains through Guatemala City faces a choice: let public humiliation define him, or rebuild. This historical moment explores the complex path of a military leader. The Chains That Offered a Choice This episode explores the life...
The Chains That Offered a Choice

This episode explores the life of Agustín Guzmán, a military commander who built and lost a republic. It delves into the decisions made in the aftermath of public disgrace and the consequences of those choices.

Person: Agustín Guzmán
Date: February 17, 1840
Location: Guatemala City
Event: Public humiliation

- Agustín Guzmán, a former army commander and republic builder, was paraded in chains through Guatemala City.
- He arrived in Central America in 1822 as a soldier in the Mexican imperial army, but stayed after the empire collapsed.
- Guzmán found a place in Quetzaltenango, a highland city that felt separate from Guatemala City.
- In 1838, Los Altos declared itself a separate state, with Guzmán named commander of its army.
- The new government of Los Altos reinstated tribute payments and jailed indigenous leaders who complained.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1311falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-stand-at-russell-s-door-with-one-book-would-you-stay--74909510
You stand at Russell's door with one book - would you stay?

In this episode, we trace a moment when Ludwig Wittgenstein arrives at Cambridge and faces the weight of his past: family deaths, a colossal inheritance, and nine years spent contemplating suicide. What does it take for someone to remain and what must they leave behind?

Person: Ludwig Wittgenstein
Date: October 18, 1911; April 1951; April 26, 1889
Location: Cambridge; Vienna; Trinity College
Topic: family suicides, wealth, philosophical pursuit
Event: Wittgenstein’s arrival at Russell’s rooms and his reaction to terminal diagnosis

- A twenty-three-year-old Wittgenstein, almost silent and speaking little English, appears unannounced at Bertrand Russell’s rooms and returns day after day.
- Born into Austria’s second-wealthiest family, he grew up amid mansions, private concerts by Brahms and Mahler, and commissioned art by Klimt and Rodin.
- Three of his brothers-Hans, Rudolf, and Kurt-died by suicide in separate incidents that deeply affected him.
- He spent nine consecutive years thinking about ending his own life and later told David Pinsent those years were continuous thoughts of suicide.
- At the end of life in April 1951, told he had days to live, Wittgenstein quietly said “Good,” and three days later asked to be told he had “had a wonderful life.”

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909510Sat, 19 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA dying man sits at Russell’s door with one book and a single choice: stay and confront a life shaped by loss. Would you stay? You stand at Russell's door with one book - would you stay? In this episode, we trace a moment when Ludwig...
You stand at Russell's door with one book - would you stay?

In this episode, we trace a moment when Ludwig Wittgenstein arrives at Cambridge and faces the weight of his past: family deaths, a colossal inheritance, and nine years spent contemplating suicide. What does it take for someone to remain and what must they leave behind?

Person: Ludwig Wittgenstein
Date: October 18, 1911; April 1951; April 26, 1889
Location: Cambridge; Vienna; Trinity College
Topic: family suicides, wealth, philosophical pursuit
Event: Wittgenstein’s arrival at Russell’s rooms and his reaction to terminal diagnosis

- A twenty-three-year-old Wittgenstein, almost silent and speaking little English, appears unannounced at Bertrand Russell’s rooms and returns day after day.
- Born into Austria’s second-wealthiest family, he grew up amid mansions, private concerts by Brahms and Mahler, and commissioned art by Klimt and Rodin.
- Three of his brothers-Hans, Rudolf, and Kurt-died by suicide in separate incidents that deeply affected him.
- He spent nine consecutive years thinking about ending his own life and later told David Pinsent those years were continuous thoughts of suicide.
- At the end of life in April 1951, told he had days to live, Wittgenstein quietly said “Good,” and three days later asked to be told he had “had a wonderful life.”

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1379falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-stand-on-a-cambridge-street-corner-and-refuse-to-cheer-and-lose-everything--74909509
You stand on a Cambridge street corner and refuse to cheer, and lose everything

In this episode, we follow Bertrand Russell from his childhood in a household where religious instruction was imposed against his father’s will through his radical loss of belief and his moral choices during World War I. The episode covers how his convictions collided with university and national expectations and asks whether refusal or compromise is the right response to institutional pressure.

Person: Bertrand Russell
Date: born 18 May 1872
Location: Cambridge; Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park; Ravenscroft, Trellech
Event: refusal to cheer for Britain’s entry into World War I
Period: early 20th century, including 1914

- Raised by grandparents after early parental deaths and legally required Christian upbringing despite his father’s agnostic will
- Secretly recorded doubts in a private journal in Greek letters while still a teenager under his grandmother’s roof
- Studied at Trinity College, Cambridge; became Seventh Wrangler (1893) and a Fellow in philosophy (1895)
- Watched public wartime enthusiasm in 1914 and felt physically sick on a Cambridge street corner, prompting public moral choice
- Faced institutional consequences from university and state for publicly refusing to support the war, forcing decisions about recanting or sacrifice

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909509Fri, 18 Sep 2026 08:00:05 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Cambridge Fellow refuses to cheer for war on a street corner and risks his career, his fellowship, and everything he owns - what would you do? You stand on a Cambridge street corner and refuse to cheer, and lose everything In this episode, we...
You stand on a Cambridge street corner and refuse to cheer, and lose everything

In this episode, we follow Bertrand Russell from his childhood in a household where religious instruction was imposed against his father’s will through his radical loss of belief and his moral choices during World War I. The episode covers how his convictions collided with university and national expectations and asks whether refusal or compromise is the right response to institutional pressure.

Person: Bertrand Russell
Date: born 18 May 1872
Location: Cambridge; Pembroke Lodge, Richmond Park; Ravenscroft, Trellech
Event: refusal to cheer for Britain’s entry into World War I
Period: early 20th century, including 1914

- Raised by grandparents after early parental deaths and legally required Christian upbringing despite his father’s agnostic will
- Secretly recorded doubts in a private journal in Greek letters while still a teenager under his grandmother’s roof
- Studied at Trinity College, Cambridge; became Seventh Wrangler (1893) and a Fellow in philosophy (1895)
- Watched public wartime enthusiasm in 1914 and felt physically sick on a Cambridge street corner, prompting public moral choice
- Faced institutional consequences from university and state for publicly refusing to support the war, forcing decisions about recanting or sacrifice

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1410falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-thirty-seconds-that-revealed-a-test-of-loyalty--74909507
The thirty seconds that revealed a test of loyalty

This episode explores the story of Peter Millican, a philosopher and programmer, who received a phone call with a politically charged request. It delves into the ethical dilemma he faced and the thirty seconds that defined his response.

Person: Peter Millican
Date: Late October 2008
Location: Oxford
Topic: Loyalty and academic integrity

- Peter Millican, a philosopher and chess grandmaster, received a phone call seeking proof that Barack Obama did not write his memoir.
- The caller offered money and prestige for specific, technical evidence to support the claim.
- Millican, born in 1958 in Kent, England, studied mathematics, philosophy, and computer science at Oxford and Leeds.
- He developed a software called Signature as a teaching tool to analyze stylistic features of written texts.
- Unbeknownst to Millican, his Signature software was being used by American researchers to support the claim that Bill Ayers ghostwrote Obama's memoir.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909507Thu, 17 Sep 2026 08:00:05 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA chess grandmaster gets a call offering money to prove a presidential candidate didn’t write his memoir - what will he do? The thirty seconds that revealed a test of loyalty This episode explores the story of Peter Millican, a philosopher and...
The thirty seconds that revealed a test of loyalty

This episode explores the story of Peter Millican, a philosopher and programmer, who received a phone call with a politically charged request. It delves into the ethical dilemma he faced and the thirty seconds that defined his response.

Person: Peter Millican
Date: Late October 2008
Location: Oxford
Topic: Loyalty and academic integrity

- Peter Millican, a philosopher and chess grandmaster, received a phone call seeking proof that Barack Obama did not write his memoir.
- The caller offered money and prestige for specific, technical evidence to support the claim.
- Millican, born in 1958 in Kent, England, studied mathematics, philosophy, and computer science at Oxford and Leeds.
- He developed a software called Signature as a teaching tool to analyze stylistic features of written texts.
- Unbeknownst to Millican, his Signature software was being used by American researchers to support the claim that Bill Ayers ghostwrote Obama's memoir.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1316falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-sentence-that-gave-a-right-to-terror--74909505
The sentence that gave a right to terror

This episode explores the life and work of Ted Honderich, a philosopher whose consistent application of a single principle led to profound controversy. It examines the consequences of following one's beliefs to their most uncomfortable conclusions.

Person: Ted Honderich
Born: 1933
Location: Baden, Ontario
Field: Analytic Philosophy
Book: After the Terror

- Ted Honderich studied under A. J. Ayer at University College London, later inheriting his Grote Chair.
- He developed the "Principle of Humanity," stating that human action should aim to move people from bad lives to better ones.
- This principle identified six fundamental goods defining a decent human life, including freedom from physical want and meaningful choices.
- Honderich applied his Principle of Humanity to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his 2002 book, "After the Terror."
- In the book, he wrote a twelve-word sentence arguing that Palestinians had a moral right to their terrorism.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909505Wed, 16 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA philosopher donates to charity and is accused of funding terrorism. What happens when a good deed becomes a twenty-year shadow? The sentence that gave a right to terror This episode explores the life and work of Ted Honderich, a philosopher...
The sentence that gave a right to terror

This episode explores the life and work of Ted Honderich, a philosopher whose consistent application of a single principle led to profound controversy. It examines the consequences of following one's beliefs to their most uncomfortable conclusions.

Person: Ted Honderich
Born: 1933
Location: Baden, Ontario
Field: Analytic Philosophy
Book: After the Terror

- Ted Honderich studied under A. J. Ayer at University College London, later inheriting his Grote Chair.
- He developed the "Principle of Humanity," stating that human action should aim to move people from bad lives to better ones.
- This principle identified six fundamental goods defining a decent human life, including freedom from physical want and meaningful choices.
- Honderich applied his Principle of Humanity to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in his 2002 book, "After the Terror."
- In the book, he wrote a twelve-word sentence arguing that Palestinians had a moral right to their terrorism.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1260falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-lost-dissertation-that-erased-a-philosopher-s-start--74909504
The Lost Dissertation That Erased a Philosopher's Start

This episode explores the life and philosophy of John Dewey, a man whose birth immediately followed the death of his older brother, also named John. It delves into how this early experience influenced his core belief that no human being is replaceable, and the unexpected ways his ideas challenged powerful institutions.

Person: John Dewey
Date of Birth: October 20, 1859
Location of Birth: Burlington, Vermont
First Major Work: The Psychology of Kant
Status of First Work: Never published, now lost

- John Dewey was born 40 weeks after the death of his older brother, receiving the same name.
- His first academic position was as a schoolteacher, a role he concluded he was unsuited for after three years.
- He founded the Laboratory Schools at the University of Chicago in 1894, which are still open today.
- Dewey's doctoral dissertation, "The Psychology of Kant," was submitted in 1884 but was never published and is now lost.
- At 28, he declared that "Democracy and the one, ultimate, ethical ideal of humanity are to my mind synonymous."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909504Tue, 15 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA philosopher's life begins as a replacement for his dead brother, shaping his dangerous ideas about human replaceability and the nature of democracy. The Lost Dissertation That Erased a Philosopher's Start This episode explores the life and...
The Lost Dissertation That Erased a Philosopher's Start

This episode explores the life and philosophy of John Dewey, a man whose birth immediately followed the death of his older brother, also named John. It delves into how this early experience influenced his core belief that no human being is replaceable, and the unexpected ways his ideas challenged powerful institutions.

Person: John Dewey
Date of Birth: October 20, 1859
Location of Birth: Burlington, Vermont
First Major Work: The Psychology of Kant
Status of First Work: Never published, now lost

- John Dewey was born 40 weeks after the death of his older brother, receiving the same name.
- His first academic position was as a schoolteacher, a role he concluded he was unsuited for after three years.
- He founded the Laboratory Schools at the University of Chicago in 1894, which are still open today.
- Dewey's doctoral dissertation, "The Psychology of Kant," was submitted in 1884 but was never published and is now lost.
- At 28, he declared that "Democracy and the one, ultimate, ethical ideal of humanity are to my mind synonymous."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1305falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-question-she-carried-out-of-a-revolution-built-an-infrastructure--74909501
The question she carried out of a revolution built an infrastructure

This episode explores the journey of a philosopher who, after leaving revolutionary Iran, dedicated her career to understanding how societies determine truth and knowledge. It delves into the personal and academic path that led her to tackle one of the most fundamental questions in philosophy.

Person: Maria
Date: 1979
Location: Tehran, Iran
Topic: Relativism in philosophy
Event: Islamic Revolution

- Maria, born in Tehran in 1954, grew up with an Armenian heritage, a minority culture within Iran.
- At 24, she left Iran during the Islamic Revolution, carrying a question about how to decide truth when experts conflict.
- She began her philosophical studies in Ireland, first through social anthropology at Queen's University Belfast.
- Her doctoral work at Trinity College Dublin, supervised by Timothy Williamson, intensified her central question on relativism.
- Maria's experience of a society reorganizing around a different account of truth made the philosophical question of relativism feel urgent.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909501Mon, 14 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA 24-year-old woman flees the Iranian Revolution, carrying a question that will shape her life: How do we decide what is true when experts disagree? The question she carried out of a revolution built an infrastructure This episode explores the...
The question she carried out of a revolution built an infrastructure

This episode explores the journey of a philosopher who, after leaving revolutionary Iran, dedicated her career to understanding how societies determine truth and knowledge. It delves into the personal and academic path that led her to tackle one of the most fundamental questions in philosophy.

Person: Maria
Date: 1979
Location: Tehran, Iran
Topic: Relativism in philosophy
Event: Islamic Revolution

- Maria, born in Tehran in 1954, grew up with an Armenian heritage, a minority culture within Iran.
- At 24, she left Iran during the Islamic Revolution, carrying a question about how to decide truth when experts conflict.
- She began her philosophical studies in Ireland, first through social anthropology at Queen's University Belfast.
- Her doctoral work at Trinity College Dublin, supervised by Timothy Williamson, intensified her central question on relativism.
- Maria's experience of a society reorganizing around a different account of truth made the philosophical question of relativism feel urgent.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1153falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-messenger-s-mistake-forced-a-friar-to-risk-everything--74909500
A Messenger's Mistake Forced a Friar to Risk Everything

This episode explores the extraordinary circumstances surrounding Roger Bacon's forbidden writings, including a formula for an explosive device. It delves into the intellectual courage required to defy institutional restrictions in the medieval world.

Person: Roger Bacon
Date: 1267
Location: England
Status: Friar under institutional restriction
Topic: Medieval science and intellectual defiance

- Roger Bacon, a friar, was forbidden to publish anything without permission from his superiors.
- A messenger, Raymond of Laon, mistakenly informed Cardinal Guy de Foulques that Bacon had already completed a major scientific work.
- Cardinal Guy de Foulques, who later became Pope Clement IV, secretly commissioned Bacon to send him his writings.
- Bacon had to write approximately one million words by hand in about twelve months to fulfill the Pope's secret request.
- His family's property was seized during the Second Barons' War, leaving Bacon without outside resources.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909500Sun, 13 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA medieval friar, forbidden to publish, holds a dangerous formula. A messenger's mistake forces him to risk everything to send his explosive ideas. A Messenger's Mistake Forced a Friar to Risk Everything This episode explores the extraordinary...
A Messenger's Mistake Forced a Friar to Risk Everything

This episode explores the extraordinary circumstances surrounding Roger Bacon's forbidden writings, including a formula for an explosive device. It delves into the intellectual courage required to defy institutional restrictions in the medieval world.

Person: Roger Bacon
Date: 1267
Location: England
Status: Friar under institutional restriction
Topic: Medieval science and intellectual defiance

- Roger Bacon, a friar, was forbidden to publish anything without permission from his superiors.
- A messenger, Raymond of Laon, mistakenly informed Cardinal Guy de Foulques that Bacon had already completed a major scientific work.
- Cardinal Guy de Foulques, who later became Pope Clement IV, secretly commissioned Bacon to send him his writings.
- Bacon had to write approximately one million words by hand in about twelve months to fulfill the Pope's secret request.
- His family's property was seized during the Second Barons' War, leaving Bacon without outside resources.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1250falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-letter-that-demanded-you-question-everything--74909498
The letter that demanded you question everything

This episode explores the mysterious collapse of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, beginning with his final, unusual letters. It delves into the questions surrounding his mental state and the controversial fate of his unpublished work.

Person: Friedrich Nietzsche
Date: January 3, 1889
Location: Turin
Status: Cause of collapse unknown
Book: The Will to Power

- In January 1889, Nietzsche wrote eleven precise, syntactically complete letters in four days to powerful European figures.
- The letters, signed "Dionysus" and "the Crucified One," ordered the German emperor shot and the pope imprisoned.
- Nietzsche, a former professor of Classics at Basel University, was 44 years old and would never write a coherent sentence again.
- His sister Elisabeth took control of his unpublished notebooks, assembling them into "The Will to Power" after his death.
- Scholar Mazzino Montinari later called "The Will to Power" a forgery, claiming passages were reordered and meaning inverted.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909498Sat, 12 Sep 2026 08:00:05 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA brilliant philosopher unravels in public, sending cryptic letters to Europe's elite. What happens when a radical thinker's legacy is left to others? The letter that demanded you question everything This episode explores the mysterious collapse...
The letter that demanded you question everything

This episode explores the mysterious collapse of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, beginning with his final, unusual letters. It delves into the questions surrounding his mental state and the controversial fate of his unpublished work.

Person: Friedrich Nietzsche
Date: January 3, 1889
Location: Turin
Status: Cause of collapse unknown
Book: The Will to Power

- In January 1889, Nietzsche wrote eleven precise, syntactically complete letters in four days to powerful European figures.
- The letters, signed "Dionysus" and "the Crucified One," ordered the German emperor shot and the pope imprisoned.
- Nietzsche, a former professor of Classics at Basel University, was 44 years old and would never write a coherent sentence again.
- His sister Elisabeth took control of his unpublished notebooks, assembling them into "The Will to Power" after his death.
- Scholar Mazzino Montinari later called "The Will to Power" a forgery, claiming passages were reordered and meaning inverted.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1462falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-bury-your-own-grave-would-you-lie-down-and-die--74909497
You bury your own grave - would you lie down and die?

This episode explores the life of a philosopher who, despite never seeing his work published during his lifetime, believed he had escaped the world's grasp. What ideas did he hold so dear that they became his life's defining struggle?

Person: Hryhorii Savych Skovoroda
Born: December 3, 1722
Location: Chornukhy, Cossack Hetmanate
Occupation: Philosopher, poet, teacher
Status: Unpublished during his lifetime

- Hryhorii Skovoroda was born in a village in a territory that no longer exists on any map, to a Registered Cossack father and a mother with Crimean Tatar ancestry.
- At age eleven, he entered the Kiev-Mohyla Academy, a rigorous institution where he learned Latin and Greek, and read the ancient Stoics.
- He spent three years in his late teens singing in the imperial choir in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, observing how power used music.
- At twenty-two, he traveled Central Europe on a commission to procure wines for the imperial court, reading and conversing in Latin.
- Dismissed from the Pereiaslav Collegium for asserting a teacher's intellectual authority over a bishop's administrative power, he later tutored a noble's son and began writing his enduring work, "The Garden of Divine Songs."

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909497Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA 71-year-old man digs his own grave, knowing his time is near. He claims the world tried to capture him, but failed. What was he protecting? You bury your own grave - would you lie down and die? This episode explores the life of a philosopher...
You bury your own grave - would you lie down and die?

This episode explores the life of a philosopher who, despite never seeing his work published during his lifetime, believed he had escaped the world's grasp. What ideas did he hold so dear that they became his life's defining struggle?

Person: Hryhorii Savych Skovoroda
Born: December 3, 1722
Location: Chornukhy, Cossack Hetmanate
Occupation: Philosopher, poet, teacher
Status: Unpublished during his lifetime

- Hryhorii Skovoroda was born in a village in a territory that no longer exists on any map, to a Registered Cossack father and a mother with Crimean Tatar ancestry.
- At age eleven, he entered the Kiev-Mohyla Academy, a rigorous institution where he learned Latin and Greek, and read the ancient Stoics.
- He spent three years in his late teens singing in the imperial choir in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, observing how power used music.
- At twenty-two, he traveled Central Europe on a commission to procure wines for the imperial court, reading and conversing in Latin.
- Dismissed from the Pereiaslav Collegium for asserting a teacher's intellectual authority over a bishop's administrative power, he later tutored a noble's son and began writing his enduring work, "The Garden of Divine Songs."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1144falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-wrote-a-land-reform-that-threatened-the-powerful-then-exiled--74909495
He Wrote a Land Reform That Threatened the Powerful - Then Exiled

In this episode, we follow Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos from Asturias through a career in Spain’s judiciary to the seven years he spent drafting a radical agrarian report. We hear how his Informe named three legal “locks” on land and why presenting reform through official channels still made him a threat; what choices did he face next?

Person: Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos
Date: Report completed 1794, published 1795; death November 27, 1811
Location: Born Gijón, died Vega de Navia (Asturias)
Topic: Informe en el case file de ley agraria - three locks on Spanish land
Event: Seven years spent writing agrarian reform ignored by government

- Born January 5, 1744 in Gijón, Jovellanos rose from criminal judge in Seville to positions in Madrid and the Council of Military Orders.
- Influenced by Adam Smith, he argued for land circulation and individual ownership as the engine for agricultural improvement.
- His 1794 report identified three structural obstacles: entailment, Church-held land, and non-privatized commons.
- He submitted the report through official commissions and used the system’s language, aiming for reform rather than revolution.
- Despite his moderate approach and friendships with figures like Francisco de Cabarrús, the report’s implications threatened the holders of power who would need to authorize changes.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909495Thu, 10 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA reform-minded jurist sends a seven-year land-reform report to Spain’s rulers and they refuse to unlock the land - what would you do? He Wrote a Land Reform That Threatened the Powerful - Then Exiled In this episode, we follow Gaspar Melchor de...
He Wrote a Land Reform That Threatened the Powerful - Then Exiled

In this episode, we follow Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos from Asturias through a career in Spain’s judiciary to the seven years he spent drafting a radical agrarian report. We hear how his Informe named three legal “locks” on land and why presenting reform through official channels still made him a threat; what choices did he face next?

Person: Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos
Date: Report completed 1794, published 1795; death November 27, 1811
Location: Born Gijón, died Vega de Navia (Asturias)
Topic: Informe en el case file de ley agraria - three locks on Spanish land
Event: Seven years spent writing agrarian reform ignored by government

- Born January 5, 1744 in Gijón, Jovellanos rose from criminal judge in Seville to positions in Madrid and the Council of Military Orders.
- Influenced by Adam Smith, he argued for land circulation and individual ownership as the engine for agricultural improvement.
- His 1794 report identified three structural obstacles: entailment, Church-held land, and non-privatized commons.
- He submitted the report through official commissions and used the system’s language, aiming for reform rather than revolution.
- Despite his moderate approach and friendships with figures like Francisco de Cabarrús, the report’s implications threatened the holders of power who would need to authorize changes.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1237falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-society-that-funded-him-forced-a-choice-loyalty-or-truth--74909494
The society that funded him forced a choice: loyalty or truth?

This episode explores the life of Nicolae Dimitrie Xenopol, Romania's first Ambassador to Japan, a man whose career was marked by conflict and reinvention. It examines the forces that shaped him and the choices he made that led him to a diplomatic post at the edge of the world.

Person: Nicolae Dimitrie Xenopol
Date: October 11, 1858
Location: Iași, Romania
Event: Diplomatic posting to Japan
Society: Junimea

- Nicolae Dimitrie Xenopol's father, Dimitrie Xenopoulos, underwent multiple reinventions, changing his name, religion, and profession across 19th-century Europe.
- Nicolae, born in 1858, became a lawyer, journalist, politician, and diplomat, embodying his father's philosophy that identity is earned.
- At 19, he joined Junimea, a dominant intellectual society in Iași, which funded his law studies in Paris and Liège.
- His early literary works, including a satirical novel, explored Romanian society through an outsider's perspective.
- In 1882, Xenopol left Junimea and became the main editor of Românul, the National Liberal Party's newspaper, directly challenging his former patrons.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909494Wed, 09 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Romanian diplomat accepts an unpaid posting; crossing a war-torn continent, his identity is tested - can loyalty and truth survive? The society that funded him forced a choice: loyalty or truth? This episode explores the life of Nicolae...
The society that funded him forced a choice: loyalty or truth?

This episode explores the life of Nicolae Dimitrie Xenopol, Romania's first Ambassador to Japan, a man whose career was marked by conflict and reinvention. It examines the forces that shaped him and the choices he made that led him to a diplomatic post at the edge of the world.

Person: Nicolae Dimitrie Xenopol
Date: October 11, 1858
Location: Iași, Romania
Event: Diplomatic posting to Japan
Society: Junimea

- Nicolae Dimitrie Xenopol's father, Dimitrie Xenopoulos, underwent multiple reinventions, changing his name, religion, and profession across 19th-century Europe.
- Nicolae, born in 1858, became a lawyer, journalist, politician, and diplomat, embodying his father's philosophy that identity is earned.
- At 19, he joined Junimea, a dominant intellectual society in Iași, which funded his law studies in Paris and Liège.
- His early literary works, including a satirical novel, explored Romanian society through an outsider's perspective.
- In 1882, Xenopol left Junimea and became the main editor of Românul, the National Liberal Party's newspaper, directly challenging his former patrons.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1226falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-are-handed-a-library-and-told-to-count-chickens-what-do-you-do--74909492
You are handed a library and told to count chickens-what do you do?

This episode explores the life of Jorge Luis Borges, a writer who faced professional invisibility and political punishment. It asks what one does when their intellect is deliberately underutilized.

Person: Jorge Luis Borges
Date: August 24, 1899 (birth)
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Occupation: Writer, Library Assistant
Event: Reassignment to poultry inspector

- Jorge Luis Borges was born in Palermo, a poor district of Buenos Aires, into a household with a large library and both English and Spanish spoken.
- By age six, Borges decided to be a writer, and by ten, he had a Spanish translation of Oscar Wilde's "The Happy Prince" published, though credit went to his father.
- In 1914, his father's hereditary eye condition began to manifest, leading the family to Geneva where Borges learned French and German and graduated from the Collège de Genève.
- After returning to Buenos Aires, Borges published his first poetry collection in 1923 and slowly built a reputation through journals and collaborations.
- Following a severe infection from an accident in 1938, Borges took a job at the Miguel Cané Municipal Library, where he deliberately slowed his cataloguing pace to avoid shaming his colleagues.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909492Tue, 08 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA man is forced to catalogue books he cannot read, then reassigned to inspect chickens. What does he do with a mind the world refuses to use? You are handed a library and told to count chickens-what do you do? This episode explores the life of...
You are handed a library and told to count chickens-what do you do?

This episode explores the life of Jorge Luis Borges, a writer who faced professional invisibility and political punishment. It asks what one does when their intellect is deliberately underutilized.

Person: Jorge Luis Borges
Date: August 24, 1899 (birth)
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Occupation: Writer, Library Assistant
Event: Reassignment to poultry inspector

- Jorge Luis Borges was born in Palermo, a poor district of Buenos Aires, into a household with a large library and both English and Spanish spoken.
- By age six, Borges decided to be a writer, and by ten, he had a Spanish translation of Oscar Wilde's "The Happy Prince" published, though credit went to his father.
- In 1914, his father's hereditary eye condition began to manifest, leading the family to Geneva where Borges learned French and German and graduated from the Collège de Genève.
- After returning to Buenos Aires, Borges published his first poetry collection in 1923 and slowly built a reputation through journals and collaborations.
- Following a severe infection from an accident in 1938, Borges took a job at the Miguel Cané Municipal Library, where he deliberately slowed his cataloguing pace to avoid shaming his colleagues.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1057falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-first-cell-s-chemistry-undoes-a-lifetime-of-logic--74909491
The First Cell's Chemistry Undoes a Lifetime of Logic

This episode explores the story of Antony Flew, a prominent atheist philosopher whose foundational arguments were tested by a specific problem in the chemistry of the first living cell. It delves into the intellectual journey that led him to a crossroads, raising questions about the nature of evidence and belief.

Person: Antony Flew
Born: February 11, 1923
Location: London
Book: The Presumption of Atheism
Topic: Philosophy of atheism

- Antony Flew, born to a Methodist minister, lost his faith quietly at the age of fifteen.
- During WWII, Flew worked at Bletchley Park, where he was exposed to the idea that complex systems could be decoded.
- As an Oxford student, Flew attended C.S. Lewis's Socratic Club but remained unpersuaded by his arguments.
- In 1976, Flew published "The Presumption of Atheism," arguing that atheism is a default position, not a claim.
- By the early 2000s, Flew began to seriously consider the problem of the first reproducing organism and the implications of DNA.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909491Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:05 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA philosopher faces a biological puzzle that threatens his life's work-will one problem dismantle his worldview? The First Cell's Chemistry Undoes a Lifetime of Logic This episode explores the story of Antony Flew, a prominent atheist...
The First Cell's Chemistry Undoes a Lifetime of Logic

This episode explores the story of Antony Flew, a prominent atheist philosopher whose foundational arguments were tested by a specific problem in the chemistry of the first living cell. It delves into the intellectual journey that led him to a crossroads, raising questions about the nature of evidence and belief.

Person: Antony Flew
Born: February 11, 1923
Location: London
Book: The Presumption of Atheism
Topic: Philosophy of atheism

- Antony Flew, born to a Methodist minister, lost his faith quietly at the age of fifteen.
- During WWII, Flew worked at Bletchley Park, where he was exposed to the idea that complex systems could be decoded.
- As an Oxford student, Flew attended C.S. Lewis's Socratic Club but remained unpersuaded by his arguments.
- In 1976, Flew published "The Presumption of Atheism," arguing that atheism is a default position, not a claim.
- By the early 2000s, Flew began to seriously consider the problem of the first reproducing organism and the implications of DNA.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1254falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-poker-that-vanished-would-you-have-stayed-silent--74909490
The poker that vanished: Would you have stayed silent?

This episode explores the disappearance of a fireplace poker from a room at King's College Cambridge in 1946 and the subsequent 44 years of silence from its owner, Richard Bevan Braithwaite. It delves into the life of a philosopher who witnessed a pivotal moment and the enduring question of whether to correct an idea that takes on a life of its own.

Person: Richard Bevan Braithwaite
Location: King's College Cambridge
Date: October 1946
Topic: Analytic philosophy

- A fireplace poker disappeared from Richard Bevan Braithwaite's room at King's College Cambridge in October 1946.
- Braithwaite was a mathematician who later studied Moral Sciences at Cambridge, a discipline emphasizing precision over eloquence.
- He served as a conscientious objector with the Friends' Ambulance Unit during World War I, operating in war zones.
- Braithwaite was elected a Fellow of King's in 1924 and became a Cambridge Lecturer in Moral Sciences by 1928.
- He edited the papers of his close friend, philosopher Frank Ramsey, who died at age 26 in 1930.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909490Sun, 06 Sep 2026 08:00:03 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA fireplace poker vanishes from a Cambridge room after a heated philosophical debate. The owner stays silent for decades, leaving a mystery. The poker that vanished: Would you have stayed silent? This episode explores the disappearance of a...
The poker that vanished: Would you have stayed silent?

This episode explores the disappearance of a fireplace poker from a room at King's College Cambridge in 1946 and the subsequent 44 years of silence from its owner, Richard Bevan Braithwaite. It delves into the life of a philosopher who witnessed a pivotal moment and the enduring question of whether to correct an idea that takes on a life of its own.

Person: Richard Bevan Braithwaite
Location: King's College Cambridge
Date: October 1946
Topic: Analytic philosophy

- A fireplace poker disappeared from Richard Bevan Braithwaite's room at King's College Cambridge in October 1946.
- Braithwaite was a mathematician who later studied Moral Sciences at Cambridge, a discipline emphasizing precision over eloquence.
- He served as a conscientious objector with the Friends' Ambulance Unit during World War I, operating in war zones.
- Braithwaite was elected a Fellow of King's in 1924 and became a Cambridge Lecturer in Moral Sciences by 1928.
- He edited the papers of his close friend, philosopher Frank Ramsey, who died at age 26 in 1930.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1211falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-joke-that-let-him-defy-popes-and-kings--74909489
The Joke That Let Him Defy Popes and Kings

This episode explores the life of John Scotus Eriugena, an Irish scholar whose radical philosophical ideas challenged the religious and political authorities of his time. It delves into how he navigated a world where his writings were condemned, yet he remained protected within the Frankish court.

Person: John Scotus Eriugena
Period: 9th Century
Location: Frankish Court
Main Work: Periphyseon (De divisione naturae)

- John Scotus Eriugena was an Irish monk who served in the Frankish court of Charles the Bald.
- He was the director of the Palace School, a prestigious intellectual center for the royal household.
- Eriugena possessed a rare knowledge of Greek in Western Europe, allowing him to access ancient philosophical texts.
- His close relationship with King Charles the Bald provided him with unusual protection.
- Eriugena's writings included ideas that were deemed heretical by church councils and popes.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909489Sat, 05 Sep 2026 08:00:04 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA scholar at the king's table cracks a joke, but his dangerous ideas soon draw the ire of popes and church councils. Can one man's intellect defy the powerful forces of ninth-century Europe? The Joke That Let Him Defy Popes and Kings This...
The Joke That Let Him Defy Popes and Kings

This episode explores the life of John Scotus Eriugena, an Irish scholar whose radical philosophical ideas challenged the religious and political authorities of his time. It delves into how he navigated a world where his writings were condemned, yet he remained protected within the Frankish court.

Person: John Scotus Eriugena
Period: 9th Century
Location: Frankish Court
Main Work: Periphyseon (De divisione naturae)

- John Scotus Eriugena was an Irish monk who served in the Frankish court of Charles the Bald.
- He was the director of the Palace School, a prestigious intellectual center for the royal household.
- Eriugena possessed a rare knowledge of Greek in Western Europe, allowing him to access ancient philosophical texts.
- His close relationship with King Charles the Bald provided him with unusual protection.
- Eriugena's writings included ideas that were deemed heretical by church councils and popes.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1474falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-books-you-carried-cost-you-school-and-freedom--74909488
The books you carried cost you school and freedom

This episode explores the life of Narendra Nath Bhattacharya, later known as M.N. Roy, an Indian intellectual who challenged multiple systems of power. It asks what it means to hold beliefs that come at a great personal cost.

Person: Narendra Nath Bhattacharya (M.N. Roy)
Date: March 21, 1887 (birth)
Location: Arbelia, British Raj
Period: Early 20th Century
Event: Partition of Bengal (1905)

- Narendra Nath Bhattacharya was born in Arbelia, British Raj, the fourth of eight children to a hereditary priest and Sanskrit teacher.
- At 18, he organized a protest march against the 1905 British partition of Bengal, leading to his expulsion from school.
- Through his cousin, he joined the Anushilan Samiti, a significant revolutionary network in Bengal.
- In 1907, he was arrested for carrying two books by revolutionary writer Barin Ghosh, which were classified as seditious.
- He was assigned a mission in 1914 to travel to Java to secure weapons and money from German contacts for an armed uprising in India.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909488Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:59:26 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTExpelled and flagged for organizing a march, a young man must decide: will he go home quietly? The books you carried cost you school and freedom This episode explores the life of Narendra Nath Bhattacharya, later known as M.N. Roy, an Indian...
The books you carried cost you school and freedom

This episode explores the life of Narendra Nath Bhattacharya, later known as M.N. Roy, an Indian intellectual who challenged multiple systems of power. It asks what it means to hold beliefs that come at a great personal cost.

Person: Narendra Nath Bhattacharya (M.N. Roy)
Date: March 21, 1887 (birth)
Location: Arbelia, British Raj
Period: Early 20th Century
Event: Partition of Bengal (1905)

- Narendra Nath Bhattacharya was born in Arbelia, British Raj, the fourth of eight children to a hereditary priest and Sanskrit teacher.
- At 18, he organized a protest march against the 1905 British partition of Bengal, leading to his expulsion from school.
- Through his cousin, he joined the Anushilan Samiti, a significant revolutionary network in Bengal.
- In 1907, he was arrested for carrying two books by revolutionary writer Barin Ghosh, which were classified as seditious.
- He was assigned a mission in 1914 to travel to Java to secure weapons and money from German contacts for an armed uprising in India.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1458falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-philosopher-nobody-executed-how-gabriel-wagner-vanished-from-history--74909487
The Philosopher Nobody Executed: How Gabriel Wagner Vanished from History

In this episode, we follow the brief, troubled trail of Gabriel Wagner from student to exile and the strange institutional erasure that swallowed him. The story tracks his expulsion, a satirical tract aimed at his teacher, and why Leibniz bothered to answer - leaving us to ask what it costs to say what you truly believe.

Person: Gabriel Wagner
Date: 1691 (expulsion and imprisonment)
Location: Leipzig; later Halle, Berlin, Vienna, Göttingen
Author: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (correspondent)
Topic: expulsion, imprisonment, erasure

- Studied under Christian Thomasius in Leipzig and adopted then exceeded his teacher’s reformist methods
- Expelled from the University of Leipzig in 1691 with the official record citing a rent dispute
- Published a satirical tract in 1691 attacking Thomasius, dubbing him the “German Socrates”
- Imprisoned the same year; records do not clarify whether the rent dispute, publication, or both caused it
- Leibniz wrote a substantial philosophical letter to locate and argue with Wagner in 1696 despite Wagner’s lack of institutional standing

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909487Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:59:22 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Leipzig student publishes a shocking book and is expelled and erased - what happens when you speak your true beliefs aloud? The Philosopher Nobody Executed: How Gabriel Wagner Vanished from History In this episode, we follow the brief,...
The Philosopher Nobody Executed: How Gabriel Wagner Vanished from History

In this episode, we follow the brief, troubled trail of Gabriel Wagner from student to exile and the strange institutional erasure that swallowed him. The story tracks his expulsion, a satirical tract aimed at his teacher, and why Leibniz bothered to answer - leaving us to ask what it costs to say what you truly believe.

Person: Gabriel Wagner
Date: 1691 (expulsion and imprisonment)
Location: Leipzig; later Halle, Berlin, Vienna, Göttingen
Author: Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (correspondent)
Topic: expulsion, imprisonment, erasure

- Studied under Christian Thomasius in Leipzig and adopted then exceeded his teacher’s reformist methods
- Expelled from the University of Leipzig in 1691 with the official record citing a rent dispute
- Published a satirical tract in 1691 attacking Thomasius, dubbing him the “German Socrates”
- Imprisoned the same year; records do not clarify whether the rent dispute, publication, or both caused it
- Leibniz wrote a substantial philosophical letter to locate and argue with Wagner in 1696 despite Wagner’s lack of institutional standing

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1299falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-king-s-own-yes-trapped-his-legal-system--74909486
A King's Own "Yes" Trapped His Legal System

This episode explores the story of Yin Wen, a philosopher from the Warring States period, who used a king's own words to dismantle his legal system. It delves into the intellectual danger of unanswered questions and the power of precise language in governance.

Person: Yin Wen
Period: Warring States period
Location: State of Qi
Texts that recorded the conversation: The Zhuangzi, The Kongcongzi, The Lüshi Chunqiu, The Gongsunlongzi, The Yin Wen
King: King Min of Qi

- Yin Wen lived in the State of Qi during the Warring States period, between 350 and 284 BCE.
- He was trained in the Jixia Academy tradition, where philosophers publicly debated and advised kings.
- Yin Wen developed a theory of naming, which became his most dangerous tool.
- He served King Min of Qi before King Min took the throne.
- Yin Wen built a trap for King Min using the king's own words about what he admired in a scholar.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909486Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:59:17 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA philosopher challenges a king's legal system by asking what it means to obey the law. What would you do if following the rules made you a disgrace? A King's Own "Yes" Trapped His Legal System This episode explores the story of Yin Wen, a...
A King's Own "Yes" Trapped His Legal System

This episode explores the story of Yin Wen, a philosopher from the Warring States period, who used a king's own words to dismantle his legal system. It delves into the intellectual danger of unanswered questions and the power of precise language in governance.

Person: Yin Wen
Period: Warring States period
Location: State of Qi
Texts that recorded the conversation: The Zhuangzi, The Kongcongzi, The Lüshi Chunqiu, The Gongsunlongzi, The Yin Wen
King: King Min of Qi

- Yin Wen lived in the State of Qi during the Warring States period, between 350 and 284 BCE.
- He was trained in the Jixia Academy tradition, where philosophers publicly debated and advised kings.
- Yin Wen developed a theory of naming, which became his most dangerous tool.
- He served King Min of Qi before King Min took the throne.
- Yin Wen built a trap for King Min using the king's own words about what he admired in a scholar.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1278falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-find-your-uncle-s-glove-and-must-choose-teach-or-stay-silent--74909485
You find your uncle's glove and must choose: teach or stay silent

This episode explores the early life of Thomas Hobbes, a philosopher whose ideas on human nature and governance were shaped by fear and a chaotic upbringing. It delves into the influences that led him to challenge established thought.

Person: Thomas Hobbes
Date: December 4, 1679
Location: Hardwick Hall
Period: 16th-17th Century England
Topic: Philosophy of human conduct

- Thomas Hobbes spent the last thirteen years of his life unable to publish his work on human conduct in England.
- He was born prematurely in April 1588, during the threat of the Spanish Armada, leading him to claim he and fear were born twins.
- His father, a vicar, abandoned his family after a fight outside his church, leaving young Thomas to be raised by his uncle.
- His uncle Francis, a prosperous glove manufacturer, recognized Hobbes's intellect and funded his education.
- Hobbes attended Oxford, where he became critical of the prevailing scholastic and Aristotelian philosophies.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909485Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:59:14 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA philosopher writes a book on human conduct, but Parliament bans it, fearing the dangerous ideas within. What would you risk to share your truth? You find your uncle's glove and must choose: teach or stay silent This episode explores the early...
You find your uncle's glove and must choose: teach or stay silent

This episode explores the early life of Thomas Hobbes, a philosopher whose ideas on human nature and governance were shaped by fear and a chaotic upbringing. It delves into the influences that led him to challenge established thought.

Person: Thomas Hobbes
Date: December 4, 1679
Location: Hardwick Hall
Period: 16th-17th Century England
Topic: Philosophy of human conduct

- Thomas Hobbes spent the last thirteen years of his life unable to publish his work on human conduct in England.
- He was born prematurely in April 1588, during the threat of the Spanish Armada, leading him to claim he and fear were born twins.
- His father, a vicar, abandoned his family after a fight outside his church, leaving young Thomas to be raised by his uncle.
- His uncle Francis, a prosperous glove manufacturer, recognized Hobbes's intellect and funded his education.
- Hobbes attended Oxford, where he became critical of the prevailing scholastic and Aristotelian philosophies.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1362falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-philosopher-s-thought-experiment-asks-will-you-unplug-him--74909483
A philosopher's thought experiment asks: will you unplug him?

This episode explores a thought experiment that appeared in a 1971 philosophy journal, challenging assumptions about unconsented obligation. It delves into the life of the philosopher who created it and the profound questions it raised.

Person: Judith Jarvis Thomson
Date: 1971
Topic: Unconsented obligation
Publication: Philosophy and Public Affairs

- A woman wakes up connected to a famous violinist, whose life depends on her remaining connected for nine months.
- The thought experiment was published in a 20-page academic paper titled "A Defense of Abortion."
- Judith Jarvis Thomson, the author, was born in New York City in 1929 and converted to Judaism at age fourteen.
- Thomson's argument granted the premise that a fetus is a person with a full right to life from conception.
- She studied philosophy at Barnard College, Cambridge, and Columbia University, later teaching at MIT.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909483Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:59:10 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTYou wake up in a hospital, tubes connecting you to a stranger. Doctors say if you unplug, a famous violinist will die. Are you obligated to stay? A philosopher's thought experiment asks: will you unplug him? This episode explores a thought...
A philosopher's thought experiment asks: will you unplug him?

This episode explores a thought experiment that appeared in a 1971 philosophy journal, challenging assumptions about unconsented obligation. It delves into the life of the philosopher who created it and the profound questions it raised.

Person: Judith Jarvis Thomson
Date: 1971
Topic: Unconsented obligation
Publication: Philosophy and Public Affairs

- A woman wakes up connected to a famous violinist, whose life depends on her remaining connected for nine months.
- The thought experiment was published in a 20-page academic paper titled "A Defense of Abortion."
- Judith Jarvis Thomson, the author, was born in New York City in 1929 and converted to Judaism at age fourteen.
- Thomson's argument granted the premise that a fetus is a person with a full right to life from conception.
- She studied philosophy at Barnard College, Cambridge, and Columbia University, later teaching at MIT.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1243falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/keep-juliette-and-refuse-johns-hopkins-lectureship-what-would-you-do--74909481
Keep Juliette and refuse Johns Hopkins' lectureship - what would you do?

In this episode, we follow Charles Sanders Peirce’s life between fieldwork and ideas, tracing how he developed foundations of logic, statistics, and computing while kept outside academia. What choices did he and the institutions around him make when a personal scandal intersected with professional power?

Person: Charles Sanders Peirce
Person: Juliette (Froissy or Pourtalai)
Person: Simon Newcomb
Date: 1879-1884 (Johns Hopkins offer and dismissal)
Location: rural Pennsylvania; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Johns Hopkins/Harvard connections

- Trained rigorously by his father Benjamin Peirce, Charles mastered formal logic by age twelve and graduated Harvard in 1859.
- Employed by the U.S. Coast Survey, he conducted geodetic and pendulum experiments while publishing on infinity, statistics, and randomized experiments.
- In 1886 he wrote out logical principles for switching circuits decades before modern computers existed, producing manuscripts later locked in archives.
- Johns Hopkins offered him a lectureship in 1879, the only academic post he would ever hold, then revoked it after accusations conveyed by Simon Newcomb.
- One hundred thousand pages of Peirce’s manuscripts remained in a Harvard archive for fifty years after his death, many written on recycled drafts as he lived in debt.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909481Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:59:06 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA brilliant thinker in rural Pennsylvania is denied a lectureship after a scandal; what would you do with that thought? Keep Juliette and refuse Johns Hopkins' lectureship - what would you do? In this episode, we follow Charles Sanders Peirce’s...
Keep Juliette and refuse Johns Hopkins' lectureship - what would you do?

In this episode, we follow Charles Sanders Peirce’s life between fieldwork and ideas, tracing how he developed foundations of logic, statistics, and computing while kept outside academia. What choices did he and the institutions around him make when a personal scandal intersected with professional power?

Person: Charles Sanders Peirce
Person: Juliette (Froissy or Pourtalai)
Person: Simon Newcomb
Date: 1879-1884 (Johns Hopkins offer and dismissal)
Location: rural Pennsylvania; Cambridge, Massachusetts; Johns Hopkins/Harvard connections

- Trained rigorously by his father Benjamin Peirce, Charles mastered formal logic by age twelve and graduated Harvard in 1859.
- Employed by the U.S. Coast Survey, he conducted geodetic and pendulum experiments while publishing on infinity, statistics, and randomized experiments.
- In 1886 he wrote out logical principles for switching circuits decades before modern computers existed, producing manuscripts later locked in archives.
- Johns Hopkins offered him a lectureship in 1879, the only academic post he would ever hold, then revoked it after accusations conveyed by Simon Newcomb.
- One hundred thousand pages of Peirce’s manuscripts remained in a Harvard archive for fifty years after his death, many written on recycled drafts as he lived in debt.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1288falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-discover-a-teenage-paper-that-proves-you-could-ve-been-right--74909480
You discover a teenage paper that proves you could've been right

In this episode, we follow the record of a seventeen-year-old who wrote a completeness theorem for modal logic and the lectures that later challenged decades of linguistic theory. We trace the choices, institutions, and moments that shaped Saul Kripke's early work and ask what it means to name someone and to think about possibility. What would you have done with that early clarity?

Person: Saul Aaron Kripke
Date: written at age seventeen; published at eighteen
Location: Omaha, Nebraska; lectures at Princeton, taught at MIT, studied at Harvard
Topic: completeness theorem for modal logic; rigid designators vs descriptivism
Event: three lectures in January 1970 that challenged descriptivism

- At seventeen in Omaha, Kripke wrote and had published a completeness theorem for modal logic.
- He taught a graduate-level logic course at MIT while still an undergraduate at Harvard.
- Raised in a rabbi's household, he taught himself Ancient Hebrew by six and read Shakespeare by nine.
- Harvard and the Society of Fellows received him, but Kripke said he learned more on his own and wished he could've skipped college.
- In three plain-spoken lectures at Princeton he introduced the idea of rigid designators that split from descriptivist theory.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909480Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:59:01 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA teenage prodigy in Omaha writes a paper that changes how names work - what would you do if you understood things the world had no category for yet? You discover a teenage paper that proves you could've been right In this episode, we follow the...
You discover a teenage paper that proves you could've been right

In this episode, we follow the record of a seventeen-year-old who wrote a completeness theorem for modal logic and the lectures that later challenged decades of linguistic theory. We trace the choices, institutions, and moments that shaped Saul Kripke's early work and ask what it means to name someone and to think about possibility. What would you have done with that early clarity?

Person: Saul Aaron Kripke
Date: written at age seventeen; published at eighteen
Location: Omaha, Nebraska; lectures at Princeton, taught at MIT, studied at Harvard
Topic: completeness theorem for modal logic; rigid designators vs descriptivism
Event: three lectures in January 1970 that challenged descriptivism

- At seventeen in Omaha, Kripke wrote and had published a completeness theorem for modal logic.
- He taught a graduate-level logic course at MIT while still an undergraduate at Harvard.
- Raised in a rabbi's household, he taught himself Ancient Hebrew by six and read Shakespeare by nine.
- Harvard and the Society of Fellows received him, but Kripke said he learned more on his own and wished he could've skipped college.
- In three plain-spoken lectures at Princeton he introduced the idea of rigid designators that split from descriptivist theory.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1293falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-trusted-the-page-that-proved-a-limit-would-you-stop-eating--74909479
You trusted the page that proved a limit - would you stop eating?

In this episode, we follow the life and mind of Kurt Gödel from childhood to his work in Vienna and Princeton, tracing how his habit of trusting gaps in explanations led him toward a refusal to eat. The episode asks whether absolute logical certainty can become a force that unravels a life.

Person: Kurt Friedrich Gödel
Date: January 14, 1978
Location: Princeton
Event: Gödel’s refusal to eat leading to death-certificate cause "malnutrition and inanition caused by personality disturbance"
Topic: Gödel’s incompleteness theorems and the personal consequences of rigorous self-trust

- Born April 28, 1906 in Brünn, Gödel’s early habit of relentless questioning earned him the nickname "Herr Warum."
- At age six or seven he had rheumatic fever; medical records said full recovery but Gödel concluded the fever left permanent heart damage.
- At the University of Vienna he shifted from physics to logic after attending Moritz Schlick’s seminar and engaging with the Vienna Circle.
- In 1929 he completed a doctoral dissertation under Hans Hahn proving the completeness theorem for first-order logic, then pushed farther.
- In 1931 he published his incompleteness theorems using Gödel numbering to make mathematical statements refer to themselves.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909479Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:58:58 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA celebrated logician in a Princeton hospital refuses food - would you stop eating when your mind turns against you? You trusted the page that proved a limit - would you stop eating? In this episode, we follow the life and mind of Kurt Gödel...
You trusted the page that proved a limit - would you stop eating?

In this episode, we follow the life and mind of Kurt Gödel from childhood to his work in Vienna and Princeton, tracing how his habit of trusting gaps in explanations led him toward a refusal to eat. The episode asks whether absolute logical certainty can become a force that unravels a life.

Person: Kurt Friedrich Gödel
Date: January 14, 1978
Location: Princeton
Event: Gödel’s refusal to eat leading to death-certificate cause "malnutrition and inanition caused by personality disturbance"
Topic: Gödel’s incompleteness theorems and the personal consequences of rigorous self-trust

- Born April 28, 1906 in Brünn, Gödel’s early habit of relentless questioning earned him the nickname "Herr Warum."
- At age six or seven he had rheumatic fever; medical records said full recovery but Gödel concluded the fever left permanent heart damage.
- At the University of Vienna he shifted from physics to logic after attending Moritz Schlick’s seminar and engaging with the Vienna Circle.
- In 1929 he completed a doctoral dissertation under Hans Hahn proving the completeness theorem for first-order logic, then pushed farther.
- In 1931 he published his incompleteness theorems using Gödel numbering to make mathematical statements refer to themselves.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1271falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-confession-manual-that-hid-a-fortune-of-ideas--74909478
The Confession Manual That Hid a Fortune of Ideas

This episode explores the life of Martín de Azpilcueta, a scholar whose groundbreaking economic theory remained largely unnoticed for centuries, despite being published in a widely circulated book. It examines the journey of a dangerous idea and the man who refused to compromise his beliefs.

Person: Martín de Azpilcueta
Date of birth: December 13, 1492
Location of birth: Barásoain, Kingdom of Navarre
First English translation of appendix: 2014
Number of editions of his book by 1625: 81

- Martín de Azpilcueta entered the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso at fifteen, one of the most demanding intellectual institutions in Iberian Europe.
- At twenty-three, he crossed into France, and by twenty-five, he held doctorates in both civil and canon law from the University of Toulouse.
- By 1524, he held a chair in canon law at the University of Salamanca, where he taught for over thirty years.
- In 1545, Azpilcueta published "Commento en Romance," a guide to prayers in both Latin and Castilian, facing immediate opposition for using the vernacular.
- His "Manual de confesores y penitentes," a practical guide for priests, contained the proposition that when money is abundant, each coin buys less.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909478Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:58:53 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTAn 80-year-old scholar hides his key work in a confession manual. What would you do if your most important work was hidden? The Confession Manual That Hid a Fortune of Ideas This episode explores the life of Martín de Azpilcueta, a scholar whose...
The Confession Manual That Hid a Fortune of Ideas

This episode explores the life of Martín de Azpilcueta, a scholar whose groundbreaking economic theory remained largely unnoticed for centuries, despite being published in a widely circulated book. It examines the journey of a dangerous idea and the man who refused to compromise his beliefs.

Person: Martín de Azpilcueta
Date of birth: December 13, 1492
Location of birth: Barásoain, Kingdom of Navarre
First English translation of appendix: 2014
Number of editions of his book by 1625: 81

- Martín de Azpilcueta entered the Colegio Mayor de San Ildefonso at fifteen, one of the most demanding intellectual institutions in Iberian Europe.
- At twenty-three, he crossed into France, and by twenty-five, he held doctorates in both civil and canon law from the University of Toulouse.
- By 1524, he held a chair in canon law at the University of Salamanca, where he taught for over thirty years.
- In 1545, Azpilcueta published "Commento en Romance," a guide to prayers in both Latin and Castilian, facing immediate opposition for using the vernacular.
- His "Manual de confesores y penitentes," a practical guide for priests, contained the proposition that when money is abundant, each coin buys less.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1121falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-monk-s-remonstrance-forced-him-to-give-away-everything--74909477
A monk's remonstrance forced him to give away everything

This episode explores the dramatic life change of Gerard Groote, a prominent figure in 14th-century Holland, as he abandons his privileged life to become a powerful preacher. What compels someone to completely dismantle everything they have built?

Person: Gerard Groote
Date: 14th century
Location: Diocese of Utrecht, Holland
Event: Radical personal transformation

- Gerard Groote was born in 1340 in Deventer, a prosperous trading city.
- He studied at the University of Paris, mastering diverse subjects including scholastic philosophy, theology, canon law, medicine, astronomy, and magic.
- By 1362, Groote secured prebends in Utrecht and Aachen, providing income with minimal obligations.
- In 1366, at age twenty-five, he undertook a secret mission to the papal court at Avignon.
- His comfortable life continued until 1374, when he was confronted by Henry de Calcar, a Carthusian monk.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909477Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:58:49 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA 14th-century Dutch scholar faces a sudden transformation after a monk's confrontation. What would you give up for your beliefs? A monk's remonstrance forced him to give away everything This episode explores the dramatic life change of Gerard...
A monk's remonstrance forced him to give away everything

This episode explores the dramatic life change of Gerard Groote, a prominent figure in 14th-century Holland, as he abandons his privileged life to become a powerful preacher. What compels someone to completely dismantle everything they have built?

Person: Gerard Groote
Date: 14th century
Location: Diocese of Utrecht, Holland
Event: Radical personal transformation

- Gerard Groote was born in 1340 in Deventer, a prosperous trading city.
- He studied at the University of Paris, mastering diverse subjects including scholastic philosophy, theology, canon law, medicine, astronomy, and magic.
- By 1362, Groote secured prebends in Utrecht and Aachen, providing income with minimal obligations.
- In 1366, at age twenty-five, he undertook a secret mission to the papal court at Avignon.
- His comfortable life continued until 1374, when he was confronted by Henry de Calcar, a Carthusian monk.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1370falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-sentence-that-freed-violence-from-history--74909475
The sentence that freed violence from history

This episode explores the life of Georges Sorel, an engineer whose philosophical writings on political violence influenced opposing ideologies. It asks whether an idea, once released, still belongs to its creator.

Person: Georges Eugène Sorel
Born: November 2, 1847
Died: August 29, 1922
Location: Boulogne-sur-Seine
Occupation: Civil servant, philosopher

- Georges Sorel spent 23 years as an engineer for the French Department of Public Works, calculating drainage gradients.
- He published extensively on various subjects, including hydrology and the philosophy of science, while maintaining his engineering career.
- After retiring in 1892, Sorel declared himself a Marxist in 1893 and began writing for socialist publications.
- In 1897, Sorel wrote a sentence stating that "History is entirely in the past," aiming to destroy determinism in historical analysis.
- This conceptual move freed political violence from historical constraints, shifting the focus from its timing to its effect on those who practice it.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909475Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:58:45 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA French civil servant praises both Lenin and Mussolini - how did his words arm movements he never intended? The sentence that freed violence from history This episode explores the life of Georges Sorel, an engineer whose philosophical writings...
The sentence that freed violence from history

This episode explores the life of Georges Sorel, an engineer whose philosophical writings on political violence influenced opposing ideologies. It asks whether an idea, once released, still belongs to its creator.

Person: Georges Eugène Sorel
Born: November 2, 1847
Died: August 29, 1922
Location: Boulogne-sur-Seine
Occupation: Civil servant, philosopher

- Georges Sorel spent 23 years as an engineer for the French Department of Public Works, calculating drainage gradients.
- He published extensively on various subjects, including hydrology and the philosophy of science, while maintaining his engineering career.
- After retiring in 1892, Sorel declared himself a Marxist in 1893 and began writing for socialist publications.
- In 1897, Sorel wrote a sentence stating that "History is entirely in the past," aiming to destroy determinism in historical analysis.
- This conceptual move freed political violence from historical constraints, shifting the focus from its timing to its effect on those who practice it.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1197falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-letter-that-contradicted-his-life-s-work--74909474
The letter that contradicted his life's work

This episode explores the life and ideas of Pierre Jean Georges Cabanis, a French physician and senator whose scientific claims about the mind challenged the prevailing beliefs of his time. It delves into the paradox of his philosophical legacy and the enduring question of what constitutes human identity.

Person: Pierre Jean Georges Cabanis
Date of Birth: June 5, 1757
Date of Death: May 1808
Location of Birth: Cosnac, Limousin, France
Affiliations: Les Neuf Sœurs, American Philosophical Society

- Pierre Jean Georges Cabanis's body is buried in the Panthéon, Paris, while his heart rests in Auteuil.
- Cabanis spent his adult life arguing that the mind produces thought like the stomach produces digestive fluid, a scientific claim in revolutionary France.
- Sixteen years after his death, a letter attributed to Cabanis insisted the ego is immaterial and immortal, contradicting his life's work.
- As a teenager, Cabanis was left in Paris by his father for two years, pursuing his studies independently without supervision.
- Cabanis authored four papers on public education that were published under Honoré Mirabeau's name, receiving no public credit for his work.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909474Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:58:41 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA physician claims souls don't exist, then leaves a letter and a split burial-what did he truly believe about human consciousness? The letter that contradicted his life's work This episode explores the life and ideas of Pierre Jean Georges...
The letter that contradicted his life's work

This episode explores the life and ideas of Pierre Jean Georges Cabanis, a French physician and senator whose scientific claims about the mind challenged the prevailing beliefs of his time. It delves into the paradox of his philosophical legacy and the enduring question of what constitutes human identity.

Person: Pierre Jean Georges Cabanis
Date of Birth: June 5, 1757
Date of Death: May 1808
Location of Birth: Cosnac, Limousin, France
Affiliations: Les Neuf Sœurs, American Philosophical Society

- Pierre Jean Georges Cabanis's body is buried in the Panthéon, Paris, while his heart rests in Auteuil.
- Cabanis spent his adult life arguing that the mind produces thought like the stomach produces digestive fluid, a scientific claim in revolutionary France.
- Sixteen years after his death, a letter attributed to Cabanis insisted the ego is immaterial and immortal, contradicting his life's work.
- As a teenager, Cabanis was left in Paris by his father for two years, pursuing his studies independently without supervision.
- Cabanis authored four papers on public education that were published under Honoré Mirabeau's name, receiving no public credit for his work.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1165falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-found-a-fifteenth-century-parchment-do-you-read-it--74909473
You Found a Fifteenth‑Century Parchment - Do You Read It?

This episode explores the life of Lodovico Antonio Muratori, a priest and scholar whose meticulous work led him to a profound discovery. It delves into the intellectual climate of 18th-century Italy and the challenges of pursuing dangerous ideas within established institutions.

Person: Lodovico Antonio Muratori
Date of Birth: October 1672
Location of Birth: Vignola, Po Valley
First Library Appointment: Ambrosian Library, Milan, 1695
Second Library Appointment: Ducal Library, Modena, 1700

- Lodovico Antonio Muratori was born in 1672 in Vignola to a family with little money but high ambitions for their son.
- He was educated by the Jesuits and the University of Modena, studying law, philosophy, and theology before being ordained a priest in 1694.
- In 1695, at age 22, Muratori joined the Collegio dei Dottori at the Ambrosian Library in Milan, an institution dedicated to preserving scattered manuscripts.
- He was appointed archivist and librarian of the Ducal Library in Modena in 1700 by Duke Rinaldo the First, a post he held for the rest of his life.
- Muratori challenged prevailing views on religious matters, including the Immaculate Conception and the veneration of saints, drawing both criticism and respect from powerful Church figures.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909473Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:58:38 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA 15th-century parchment sits unread in a library for 47 years, holding a secret that eluded scholars for centuries. What hidden knowledge does it contain? You Found a Fifteenth‑Century Parchment - Do You Read It? This episode explores the life...
You Found a Fifteenth‑Century Parchment - Do You Read It?

This episode explores the life of Lodovico Antonio Muratori, a priest and scholar whose meticulous work led him to a profound discovery. It delves into the intellectual climate of 18th-century Italy and the challenges of pursuing dangerous ideas within established institutions.

Person: Lodovico Antonio Muratori
Date of Birth: October 1672
Location of Birth: Vignola, Po Valley
First Library Appointment: Ambrosian Library, Milan, 1695
Second Library Appointment: Ducal Library, Modena, 1700

- Lodovico Antonio Muratori was born in 1672 in Vignola to a family with little money but high ambitions for their son.
- He was educated by the Jesuits and the University of Modena, studying law, philosophy, and theology before being ordained a priest in 1694.
- In 1695, at age 22, Muratori joined the Collegio dei Dottori at the Ambrosian Library in Milan, an institution dedicated to preserving scattered manuscripts.
- He was appointed archivist and librarian of the Ducal Library in Modena in 1700 by Duke Rinaldo the First, a post he held for the rest of his life.
- Muratori challenged prevailing views on religious matters, including the Immaculate Conception and the veneration of saints, drawing both criticism and respect from powerful Church figures.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1252falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-book-for-indios-that-recorded-his-death--74909471
The book for indios that recorded his death

This episode explores the life of Eugenio Espejo, a brilliant mind in 18th-century colonial Quito, whose progressive thinking and writings put him at odds with the authorities. It delves into the personal and systemic challenges he faced for daring to speak uncomfortable truths.

Person: Francisco Javier Eugenio de Santa Cruz y Espejo
Date: December 28, 1795
Location: Quito, Audiencia de Quito
Status: Never convicted of any charges
Topic: Colonial legal system and intellectual freedom

- Eugenio Espejo died five days after his release from prison, from dysentery contracted while incarcerated.
- Despite years of surveillance, exile, detention, and imprisonment, no formal verdict was ever produced against him.
- Born in 1747, Espejo was the son of a Quichua Indian and a mulata quiteña, growing up acutely aware of social hierarchies.
- He earned degrees in medicine, jurisprudence, and canon law, becoming director of the Jesuit library and founding Quito's first newspaper.
- His 1785 treatise on smallpox, based on evidence and scientific method, was published in Madrid but earned him enemies in Quito.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909471Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:58:33 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA colonial physician in Quito challenges the established order with dangerous ideas, but his intellectual pursuits make him a target of the powerful. The book for indios that recorded his death This episode explores the life of Eugenio Espejo, a...
The book for indios that recorded his death

This episode explores the life of Eugenio Espejo, a brilliant mind in 18th-century colonial Quito, whose progressive thinking and writings put him at odds with the authorities. It delves into the personal and systemic challenges he faced for daring to speak uncomfortable truths.

Person: Francisco Javier Eugenio de Santa Cruz y Espejo
Date: December 28, 1795
Location: Quito, Audiencia de Quito
Status: Never convicted of any charges
Topic: Colonial legal system and intellectual freedom

- Eugenio Espejo died five days after his release from prison, from dysentery contracted while incarcerated.
- Despite years of surveillance, exile, detention, and imprisonment, no formal verdict was ever produced against him.
- Born in 1747, Espejo was the son of a Quichua Indian and a mulata quiteña, growing up acutely aware of social hierarchies.
- He earned degrees in medicine, jurisprudence, and canon law, becoming director of the Jesuit library and founding Quito's first newspaper.
- His 1785 treatise on smallpox, based on evidence and scientific method, was published in Madrid but earned him enemies in Quito.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1181falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-five-quetzal-bill-asks-what-would-you-build--74909469
The five-quetzal bill asks: What would you build?

This episode explores the life and legacy of Justo Rufino Barrios, a Guatemalan president whose reforms were both radical and contradictory. It delves into the complexities of his rule and the enduring questions surrounding his death.

Person: Justo Rufino Barrios
Period: 1873-1885
Location: Guatemala
Event: Central American Unification attempt
Status: Contradictory historical record

- Justo Rufino Barrios, depicted on Guatemala's five-quetzal bill, died at 49 leading a charge on the same day he declared himself president of five nations.
- He ruled Guatemala for twelve years, simultaneously building free schools and a torture prison.
- Barrios abolished the church's power and confiscated indigenous communal lands, redistributing them to army officers and foreign settlers.
- He enacted the Day Laborer Regulations, compelling the native population to work on private farms through a system of forced advance payments and debt.
- On February 28, 1885, Barrios declared himself President of Central American, aiming to unify Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909469Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:58:29 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA president declares himself leader, then invades a nation. What happens when a leader believes their vision is too important for rules? The five-quetzal bill asks: What would you build? This episode explores the life and legacy of Justo Rufino...
The five-quetzal bill asks: What would you build?

This episode explores the life and legacy of Justo Rufino Barrios, a Guatemalan president whose reforms were both radical and contradictory. It delves into the complexities of his rule and the enduring questions surrounding his death.

Person: Justo Rufino Barrios
Period: 1873-1885
Location: Guatemala
Event: Central American Unification attempt
Status: Contradictory historical record

- Justo Rufino Barrios, depicted on Guatemala's five-quetzal bill, died at 49 leading a charge on the same day he declared himself president of five nations.
- He ruled Guatemala for twelve years, simultaneously building free schools and a torture prison.
- Barrios abolished the church's power and confiscated indigenous communal lands, redistributing them to army officers and foreign settlers.
- He enacted the Day Laborer Regulations, compelling the native population to work on private farms through a system of forced advance payments and debt.
- On February 28, 1885, Barrios declared himself President of Central American, aiming to unify Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1213falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-must-choose-which-patanjali-to-teach-from-one-verse-s-claim--74909468
You must choose which Patanjali to teach from one verse's claim

This episode explores the complex identity of Patanjali, a name central to yoga, grammar, and medicine. It delves into how a single verse, composed centuries after the original texts, shaped the understanding of this influential figure.

Person: Patanjali
Period: 2nd century BCE to 5th century CE (Yoga Sutras)
Text: Yoga Sutras
Text: Mahabhashya
Author: Bhoja

- Scholars cannot agree on when the most famous Patanjali lived within a window of roughly seven hundred years.
- The Yoga Sutras, 196 aphorisms underpinning a global practice, cannot be dated more precisely than between the 2nd century BCE and the 5th century CE.
- The Mahabhashya, a commentary on Panini's grammar, describes the concept of sphota, which modern phonology calls the phoneme.
- The Mahabhashya and the Yoga Sutras, both attributed to Patanjali, show zero mutual awareness, with no cross-references or shared metaphors.
- A single 11-word Sanskrit verse, composed by scholar-king Bhoja in the 11th century CE, unified the authorship of grammar, yoga, and medicine under one Patanjali.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909468Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:58:25 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTFor decades, you've practiced yoga, invoking Patanjali's name. Now, imagine that name might belong to four different people, and your tradition was assembled by an 11th-century scholar-king. You must choose which Patanjali to teach from one verse's...
You must choose which Patanjali to teach from one verse's claim

This episode explores the complex identity of Patanjali, a name central to yoga, grammar, and medicine. It delves into how a single verse, composed centuries after the original texts, shaped the understanding of this influential figure.

Person: Patanjali
Period: 2nd century BCE to 5th century CE (Yoga Sutras)
Text: Yoga Sutras
Text: Mahabhashya
Author: Bhoja

- Scholars cannot agree on when the most famous Patanjali lived within a window of roughly seven hundred years.
- The Yoga Sutras, 196 aphorisms underpinning a global practice, cannot be dated more precisely than between the 2nd century BCE and the 5th century CE.
- The Mahabhashya, a commentary on Panini's grammar, describes the concept of sphota, which modern phonology calls the phoneme.
- The Mahabhashya and the Yoga Sutras, both attributed to Patanjali, show zero mutual awareness, with no cross-references or shared metaphors.
- A single 11-word Sanskrit verse, composed by scholar-king Bhoja in the 11th century CE, unified the authorship of grammar, yoga, and medicine under one Patanjali.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1113falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-thin-book-that-disappeared-a-career--74909467
The Thin Book That Disappeared a Career

This episode explores the life and work of Peter Winch, a philosopher who spent four decades arguing that modern social science was built on a flawed foundation. It delves into the distinction between being defeated and being avoided, and how that shaped Winch's career.

Person: Peter Winch
Date: 1958
Location: Swansea, Wales
Topic: Philosophy of Social Science
Book: The Idea of a Social Science and its Relation to Philosophy

- Peter Winch was born in East London and served three years in the Royal Navy during and after World War II before attending Oxford.
- In 1951, Winch became a lecturer at University College of Swansea, where he met Rush Rhees, a close intellectual companion and literary executor of Ludwig Wittgenstein.
- Winch never met Wittgenstein, but his ideas were profoundly shaped by conversations and arguments with Rhees, forming the basis of the "Swansea School" of philosophy.
- At 32, Winch published a thin book arguing that sociology, anthropology, and behavioral sciences had misunderstood human beings for over a century.
- Winch contended that social sciences were making a "category error" by attempting to explain human behavior with the same methods used to explain the motion of objects.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909467Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:58:22 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA philosophy teacher says social science misreads human action. What happens when an entire discipline sidesteps a challenge? The Thin Book That Disappeared a Career This episode explores the life and work of Peter Winch, a philosopher who spent...
The Thin Book That Disappeared a Career

This episode explores the life and work of Peter Winch, a philosopher who spent four decades arguing that modern social science was built on a flawed foundation. It delves into the distinction between being defeated and being avoided, and how that shaped Winch's career.

Person: Peter Winch
Date: 1958
Location: Swansea, Wales
Topic: Philosophy of Social Science
Book: The Idea of a Social Science and its Relation to Philosophy

- Peter Winch was born in East London and served three years in the Royal Navy during and after World War II before attending Oxford.
- In 1951, Winch became a lecturer at University College of Swansea, where he met Rush Rhees, a close intellectual companion and literary executor of Ludwig Wittgenstein.
- Winch never met Wittgenstein, but his ideas were profoundly shaped by conversations and arguments with Rhees, forming the basis of the "Swansea School" of philosophy.
- At 32, Winch published a thin book arguing that sociology, anthropology, and behavioral sciences had misunderstood human beings for over a century.
- Winch contended that social sciences were making a "category error" by attempting to explain human behavior with the same methods used to explain the motion of objects.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1376falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-crack-that-made-you-question-everything--74909465
The Crack That Made You Question Everything

This episode explores the life and work of Willard Van Orman Quine, a philosopher who challenged the foundations of Western analytic philosophy. It asks what happens when you understand a system well enough to see its fundamental flaws.

Person: Willard Van Orman Quine
Date: 1939
Location: Danzig
Topic: Logical positivism

- Alfred Tarski, a logician, escaped Danzig in 1939 on a ship arranged by Willard Van Orman Quine.
- Quine grew up in Akron, Ohio, where his father manufactured tire molds, instilling a respect for precision.
- He earned a PhD from Harvard at age 23, supervised by Alfred North Whitehead, co-author of Principia Mathematica.
- Quine's fellowship years in 1932-1933 took him to Prague and Vienna, where he encountered the Vienna Circle and logical positivism.
- He became a devoted student of Rudolf Carnap, absorbing the architecture of logical positivism, which claimed statements unverified by experience or logic were meaningless.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909465Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:58:17 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTAn Ohio philosopher helps a logician escape before Europe is sealed-then spends his life seeking a crack in Western philosophy? The Crack That Made You Question Everything This episode explores the life and work of Willard Van Orman Quine, a...
The Crack That Made You Question Everything

This episode explores the life and work of Willard Van Orman Quine, a philosopher who challenged the foundations of Western analytic philosophy. It asks what happens when you understand a system well enough to see its fundamental flaws.

Person: Willard Van Orman Quine
Date: 1939
Location: Danzig
Topic: Logical positivism

- Alfred Tarski, a logician, escaped Danzig in 1939 on a ship arranged by Willard Van Orman Quine.
- Quine grew up in Akron, Ohio, where his father manufactured tire molds, instilling a respect for precision.
- He earned a PhD from Harvard at age 23, supervised by Alfred North Whitehead, co-author of Principia Mathematica.
- Quine's fellowship years in 1932-1933 took him to Prague and Vienna, where he encountered the Vienna Circle and logical positivism.
- He became a devoted student of Rudolf Carnap, absorbing the architecture of logical positivism, which claimed statements unverified by experience or logic were meaningless.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1370falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-formula-that-arrived-before-the-name--74909464
The formula that arrived before the name

This episode explores the story of Ruth Barcan Marcus, a philosopher and mathematician whose groundbreaking work in logic went largely uncredited for decades. It asks what it means to be demonstrably right and watch the world take its time to notice.

Person: Ruth Barcan Marcus
Date: 1946
Field: Quantified Modal Logic
Education: New York University, Yale

- Ruth Barcan Marcus graduated magna cum laude from NYU with a double major in mathematics and philosophy.
- By 1946, while still a doctoral student, she published two papers in the Journal of Symbolic Logic.
- She constructed the first formal system combining quantification with modal operators, extending C.I. Lewis's framework.
- Her work introduced the Barcan Formula, connecting possibility to actuality with implications for metaphysics and theories of possible worlds.
- She also introduced the small square symbol (□) that logicians use to write "necessarily," which became a universal tool in the field.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909464Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:58:13 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA doctoral student publishes a logic formula that reshapes the field, but her name vanishes from its core tools. How do you claim your legacy? The formula that arrived before the name This episode explores the story of Ruth Barcan Marcus, a...
The formula that arrived before the name

This episode explores the story of Ruth Barcan Marcus, a philosopher and mathematician whose groundbreaking work in logic went largely uncredited for decades. It asks what it means to be demonstrably right and watch the world take its time to notice.

Person: Ruth Barcan Marcus
Date: 1946
Field: Quantified Modal Logic
Education: New York University, Yale

- Ruth Barcan Marcus graduated magna cum laude from NYU with a double major in mathematics and philosophy.
- By 1946, while still a doctoral student, she published two papers in the Journal of Symbolic Logic.
- She constructed the first formal system combining quantification with modal operators, extending C.I. Lewis's framework.
- Her work introduced the Barcan Formula, connecting possibility to actuality with implications for metaphysics and theories of possible worlds.
- She also introduced the small square symbol (□) that logicians use to write "necessarily," which became a universal tool in the field.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1247falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/would-you-follow-a-father-s-reason-or-his-son-s-godless-proof--74909463
Would you follow a father's reason or his son's godless proof?

In this episode, we trace a single philosophical conflict across a family household, two careers, and three books written over twenty-seven years. We follow the choices, places, and texts that shaped a lifetime of argument and ask what it means to inherit a mind that disagrees with you.

Person: John Edmund Hare
Person: Richard Mervyn Hare (R. M. Hare)
Event: Writing a trilogy across twenty-seven years
Topic: The Euthyphro question and secular moral philosophy
Location: Ewelme, south Oxfordshire

- A household in Ewelme where Catherine Verney led church music and R. M. Hare developed prescriptivist, secular ethics.
- John Hare grew up formed by both liturgical faith at home and his father’s rigorous secular reasoning.
- At age sixteen he taught in Kashmir, later won a scholarship to Rugby, read Literae Humaniores at Balliol, then took a Princeton PhD to establish independent identity.
- John Hare’s first book was a commentary on Plato’s Euthyphro; its central question frames whether morality needs God.
- Beginning in 1996 at age forty-seven, John Hare wrote The Moral Gap and then continued a deliberate, twenty-seven-year trilogy addressing his father’s philosophy.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909463Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:58:09 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA son answers his father’s famed secular ethics with a trilogy that forces family and philosophy to choose between reason and God - what would you do? Would you follow a father's reason or his son's godless proof? In this episode, we trace a...
Would you follow a father's reason or his son's godless proof?

In this episode, we trace a single philosophical conflict across a family household, two careers, and three books written over twenty-seven years. We follow the choices, places, and texts that shaped a lifetime of argument and ask what it means to inherit a mind that disagrees with you.

Person: John Edmund Hare
Person: Richard Mervyn Hare (R. M. Hare)
Event: Writing a trilogy across twenty-seven years
Topic: The Euthyphro question and secular moral philosophy
Location: Ewelme, south Oxfordshire

- A household in Ewelme where Catherine Verney led church music and R. M. Hare developed prescriptivist, secular ethics.
- John Hare grew up formed by both liturgical faith at home and his father’s rigorous secular reasoning.
- At age sixteen he taught in Kashmir, later won a scholarship to Rugby, read Literae Humaniores at Balliol, then took a Princeton PhD to establish independent identity.
- John Hare’s first book was a commentary on Plato’s Euthyphro; its central question frames whether morality needs God.
- Beginning in 1996 at age forty-seven, John Hare wrote The Moral Gap and then continued a deliberate, twenty-seven-year trilogy addressing his father’s philosophy.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1208falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-are-the-dominican-who-walks-from-a-prestigious-chair-do-you-speak--74909462
You are the Dominican who walks from a prestigious chair - do you speak?

In this episode, we follow Domingo de Soto’s choices and works: his resignation from a coveted university chair, his vow as a Dominican, his teaching at Salamanca, and the sentence about falling bodies that waited centuries to be noticed. What do you do when your discovery outlives you but your name does not?

Person: Domingo de Soto
Date: 1547 (Council of Trent ends); 1451 (earlier sentence written referenced)
Location: University of Salamanca; Council of Trent
Topic: law of falling bodies; academic and religious choices

- Resigned a philosophy chair at Alcalá at age twenty-six and later walked away from joining the Benedictines.
- Entered the Dominican Order in 1524 and became professor of dialectics in Segovia within a year.
- Received the Dominican chair in theology at Salamanca in 1532 and taught alongside Francisco de Vitoria and Melchor Cano.
- Published logic (1529), commentaries on Aristotle (1543, 1545), and a practical study proposing aid for poor students (1545).
- Served as imperial theologian and attended the Council of Trent (two years), then stayed on as Emperor Charles V’s personal confessor.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909462Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:58:05 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA Dominican in Salamanca watches a sentence vanish from history - do you speak up when you’re right and the world isn’t ready? You are the Dominican who walks from a prestigious chair - do you speak? In this episode, we follow Domingo de Soto’s...
You are the Dominican who walks from a prestigious chair - do you speak?

In this episode, we follow Domingo de Soto’s choices and works: his resignation from a coveted university chair, his vow as a Dominican, his teaching at Salamanca, and the sentence about falling bodies that waited centuries to be noticed. What do you do when your discovery outlives you but your name does not?

Person: Domingo de Soto
Date: 1547 (Council of Trent ends); 1451 (earlier sentence written referenced)
Location: University of Salamanca; Council of Trent
Topic: law of falling bodies; academic and religious choices

- Resigned a philosophy chair at Alcalá at age twenty-six and later walked away from joining the Benedictines.
- Entered the Dominican Order in 1524 and became professor of dialectics in Segovia within a year.
- Received the Dominican chair in theology at Salamanca in 1532 and taught alongside Francisco de Vitoria and Melchor Cano.
- Published logic (1529), commentaries on Aristotle (1543, 1545), and a practical study proposing aid for poor students (1545).
- Served as imperial theologian and attended the Council of Trent (two years), then stayed on as Emperor Charles V’s personal confessor.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1326falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-keep-the-arabic-slave-and-spend-nine-years-learning-his-language-what-do-you-do--74909459
You keep the Arabic slave and spend nine years learning his language-what do you do?

This episode explores the life of Ramon Llull, a medieval figure who developed a unique system of thought. It delves into the personal journey and intellectual ambition behind his creation of a universal logic.

Person: Ramon Llull
Born: 1232 or 1233, Mallorca
Died: Early 1316, at sea (probably)
Event: Vision of Christ on the Cross
Period: 13th-14th Century

- Ramon Llull was a knight and seneschal to the King of Majorca before his spiritual transformation.
- In 1263, Llull experienced five visions of Christ on the Cross, leading him to dedicate his life to God, converting Muslims, and writing a universal book.
- He purchased a Muslim slave and spent nine years, from 1265 to 1274, learning Arabic to prepare for his project.
- Llull developed his "Art" on Puig de Randa, a system using rotating geometric figures and letters assigned to God's attributes to generate true statements.
- His initial manuscripts, including the Ars compendiosa inveniendi veritatem, were presented to the University of Paris but were rejected.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909459Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:58:01 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA 13th-century knight abandons his life after a vision and creates a universal logic system to prove God, but the academic world rejects his computational philosophy. You keep the Arabic slave and spend nine years learning his language-what do you...
You keep the Arabic slave and spend nine years learning his language-what do you do?

This episode explores the life of Ramon Llull, a medieval figure who developed a unique system of thought. It delves into the personal journey and intellectual ambition behind his creation of a universal logic.

Person: Ramon Llull
Born: 1232 or 1233, Mallorca
Died: Early 1316, at sea (probably)
Event: Vision of Christ on the Cross
Period: 13th-14th Century

- Ramon Llull was a knight and seneschal to the King of Majorca before his spiritual transformation.
- In 1263, Llull experienced five visions of Christ on the Cross, leading him to dedicate his life to God, converting Muslims, and writing a universal book.
- He purchased a Muslim slave and spent nine years, from 1265 to 1274, learning Arabic to prepare for his project.
- Llull developed his "Art" on Puig de Randa, a system using rotating geometric figures and letters assigned to God's attributes to generate true statements.
- His initial manuscripts, including the Ars compendiosa inveniendi veritatem, were presented to the University of Paris but were rejected.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1454falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-question-that-made-you-look-for-yourself--74909458
The question that made you look for yourself

This episode explores the life of Albert Magnus, a 13th-century thinker whose radical approach to knowledge challenged the intellectual norms of his time. It delves into the impact of his ideas and the legacy he left behind.

Person: Albert Magnus
Century: 13th century
Location: Cologne, Europe
Order: Dominican Order

- Albert's sarcophagus is Roman, carved a thousand years before his birth, a detail that reflects his life's work of connecting ancient knowledge with his present.
- His collected writings, spanning logic, theology, botany, and more, filled thirty-eight volumes when gathered in 1899.
- Albert encountered the preserved works of Aristotle, including extensions by scholars like Avicenna and Averroes, which inspired his empirical approach.
- He openly declared that natural science's task is to inquire into the causes of natural things, not simply accept what is told.
- Albert became the first German Dominican to hold a master of theology by 1245 and later taught Thomas Aquinas in Paris.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909458Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:57:57 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA 13th-century scholar embraces dangerous questions about nature, sparking a radical shift in thought-but at what cost? The question that made you look for yourself This episode explores the life of Albert Magnus, a 13th-century thinker whose...
The question that made you look for yourself

This episode explores the life of Albert Magnus, a 13th-century thinker whose radical approach to knowledge challenged the intellectual norms of his time. It delves into the impact of his ideas and the legacy he left behind.

Person: Albert Magnus
Century: 13th century
Location: Cologne, Europe
Order: Dominican Order

- Albert's sarcophagus is Roman, carved a thousand years before his birth, a detail that reflects his life's work of connecting ancient knowledge with his present.
- His collected writings, spanning logic, theology, botany, and more, filled thirty-eight volumes when gathered in 1899.
- Albert encountered the preserved works of Aristotle, including extensions by scholars like Avicenna and Averroes, which inspired his empirical approach.
- He openly declared that natural science's task is to inquire into the causes of natural things, not simply accept what is told.
- Albert became the first German Dominican to hold a master of theology by 1245 and later taught Thomas Aquinas in Paris.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1247falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-margin-note-that-sentenced-a-man-to-death--74909457
The Margin Note That Sentenced a Man to Death

This episode explores the story of Kazimierz Łyszczyński, a Polish nobleman whose private philosophical writings led to a capital case. It delves into the question of what happens when a society deems a private idea a public crime.

Person: Kazimierz Łyszczyński
Date: March 30, 1689
Location: Old Town Market Place, Warsaw
Book: Theologia Naturalis

- Kazimierz Łyszczyński, a Polish nobleman, wrote "ergo non-est Deus" in the margin of a book.
- He spent eight years studying under the Jesuits before becoming a soldier, landowner, and judge in the Polish parliament.
- Around 1674, Łyszczyński began writing "De non-existentia Dei," a private manuscript arguing against the existence of God.
- Jan Kazimierz Brzoska, who owed Łyszczyński money, obtained the annotated book and the manuscript.
- Brzoska delivered these writings to ecclesiastical authorities, turning a debt dispute into a capital accusation.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909457Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:57:53 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA private thought, written in a book's margin, becomes a dangerous idea when discovered. In Catholic Poland, a man's life hangs on four words. The Margin Note That Sentenced a Man to Death This episode explores the story of Kazimierz...
The Margin Note That Sentenced a Man to Death

This episode explores the story of Kazimierz Łyszczyński, a Polish nobleman whose private philosophical writings led to a capital case. It delves into the question of what happens when a society deems a private idea a public crime.

Person: Kazimierz Łyszczyński
Date: March 30, 1689
Location: Old Town Market Place, Warsaw
Book: Theologia Naturalis

- Kazimierz Łyszczyński, a Polish nobleman, wrote "ergo non-est Deus" in the margin of a book.
- He spent eight years studying under the Jesuits before becoming a soldier, landowner, and judge in the Polish parliament.
- Around 1674, Łyszczyński began writing "De non-existentia Dei," a private manuscript arguing against the existence of God.
- Jan Kazimierz Brzoska, who owed Łyszczyński money, obtained the annotated book and the manuscript.
- Brzoska delivered these writings to ecclesiastical authorities, turning a debt dispute into a capital accusation.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1379falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-step-onto-bakunin-s-deserted-officer-list-do-you-desert-too--74909456
You step onto Bakunin's deserted officer list - do you desert too?

This episode explores the early life of Mikhail Bakunin, a radical thinker whose ideas challenged the most powerful institutions of his time. It delves into the formative experiences that led him to question authority and embrace a path of rebellion.

Person: Mikhail Bakunin
Date: 1862
Location: Paris
Topic: Anarchism
Country: Russia

- Mikhail Bakunin escaped six years of Siberian exile by crossing the Pacific Ocean alone.
- He grew up on an estate in the Tver region, where his family owned over five hundred serfs, while his father taught him about natural freedom.
- Commissioned as an officer in the Russian army in 1833, he was dispatched to Belarus and Lithuania for displeasing his commanders.
- He deserted the army by simply stopping his reports, leading to his discharge by the end of 1835.
- In Berlin in 1840, Bakunin encountered the Young Hegelians, who interpreted Hegel's philosophy as a call for revolutionary change.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909456Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:57:49 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA young officer, raised on ideals of freedom, is forced to enforce an empire's will. Does he betray his conscience or desert his post? You step onto Bakunin's deserted officer list - do you desert too? This episode explores the early life of...
You step onto Bakunin's deserted officer list - do you desert too?

This episode explores the early life of Mikhail Bakunin, a radical thinker whose ideas challenged the most powerful institutions of his time. It delves into the formative experiences that led him to question authority and embrace a path of rebellion.

Person: Mikhail Bakunin
Date: 1862
Location: Paris
Topic: Anarchism
Country: Russia

- Mikhail Bakunin escaped six years of Siberian exile by crossing the Pacific Ocean alone.
- He grew up on an estate in the Tver region, where his family owned over five hundred serfs, while his father taught him about natural freedom.
- Commissioned as an officer in the Russian army in 1833, he was dispatched to Belarus and Lithuania for displeasing his commanders.
- He deserted the army by simply stopping his reports, leading to his discharge by the end of 1835.
- In Berlin in 1840, Bakunin encountered the Young Hegelians, who interpreted Hegel's philosophy as a call for revolutionary change.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1528falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-travel-grant-that-funded-a-walk-through-rome--74909455
A travel grant that funded a walk through Rome

This episode explores the life of Ludvig Holberg, a man who challenged conventional paths to education and success. It delves into the unconventional choices he made and the lasting impact he had on literature and academia.

Person: Ludvig Holberg
Date: 1684 (birth)
Location: Bergen, Copenhagen, Rome, Paris, Oxford
Topic: Education, Literature, Philosophy

- Ludvig Holberg, the youngest of six brothers, was born in Bergen, a port city, and lost his father before his first birthday.
- He studied theology at the University of Copenhagen, earning a first degree, but then stopped without pursuing further academic titles.
- Holberg received a travel grant from a Protestant foundation intended for visits to Protestant universities, but instead went to Rome and Paris.
- In Rome, he observed street theater, and in Paris, he studied French comedy to understand how jokes work.
- He spent two years in Oxford, using libraries and participating in Latin discussions without formal admission or a higher degree.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909455Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:57:44 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA man with malaria defies a travel grant to pursue his education. What happens when institutions refuse to give you permission? A travel grant that funded a walk through Rome This episode explores the life of Ludvig Holberg, a man who challenged...
A travel grant that funded a walk through Rome

This episode explores the life of Ludvig Holberg, a man who challenged conventional paths to education and success. It delves into the unconventional choices he made and the lasting impact he had on literature and academia.

Person: Ludvig Holberg
Date: 1684 (birth)
Location: Bergen, Copenhagen, Rome, Paris, Oxford
Topic: Education, Literature, Philosophy

- Ludvig Holberg, the youngest of six brothers, was born in Bergen, a port city, and lost his father before his first birthday.
- He studied theology at the University of Copenhagen, earning a first degree, but then stopped without pursuing further academic titles.
- Holberg received a travel grant from a Protestant foundation intended for visits to Protestant universities, but instead went to Rome and Paris.
- In Rome, he observed street theater, and in Paris, he studied French comedy to understand how jokes work.
- He spent two years in Oxford, using libraries and participating in Latin discussions without formal admission or a higher degree.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1186falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-swivel-chair-that-questioned-everything-you-felt--74909453
The swivel chair that questioned everything you felt

This episode explores the life and work of Ernst Mach, a physicist whose philosophy of radical empiricism shaped modern science. It delves into the contradictions of a man who doubted everything but whose ideas became foundational.

Person: Ernst Mach
Date: February 18, 1838
Location: Chrlice, Moravia (now Czech Republic)
Topic: Philosophy of science

- Ernst Mach's early life was spent being homeschooled by his father, instilling a habit of trusting direct observation.
- He enrolled at the University of Vienna at 17 to study physics, also taking a semester of medical physiology.
- Mach completed his doctorate in physics in 1860 and his habilitation in 1861, already questioning established ideas.
- His early research focused on the Doppler effect, emphasizing experimental results over theoretical predictions.
- In 1873, Mach built a swivel chair to investigate how the body senses motion, applying scientific rigor to sensation itself.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909453Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:57:41 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA scientist who only trusts his senses captures the invisible, but his radical skepticism about physics creates a dangerous idea. The swivel chair that questioned everything you felt This episode explores the life and work of Ernst Mach, a...
The swivel chair that questioned everything you felt

This episode explores the life and work of Ernst Mach, a physicist whose philosophy of radical empiricism shaped modern science. It delves into the contradictions of a man who doubted everything but whose ideas became foundational.

Person: Ernst Mach
Date: February 18, 1838
Location: Chrlice, Moravia (now Czech Republic)
Topic: Philosophy of science

- Ernst Mach's early life was spent being homeschooled by his father, instilling a habit of trusting direct observation.
- He enrolled at the University of Vienna at 17 to study physics, also taking a semester of medical physiology.
- Mach completed his doctorate in physics in 1860 and his habilitation in 1861, already questioning established ideas.
- His early research focused on the Doppler effect, emphasizing experimental results over theoretical predictions.
- In 1873, Mach built a swivel chair to investigate how the body senses motion, applying scientific rigor to sensation itself.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1269falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-single-lie-that-saved-a-life-and-tested-a-scholar--74909452
The single lie that saved a life and tested a scholar

This episode explores the story of Uku Masing, a brilliant Estonian scholar and theologian, who made a dangerous choice during World War II. It delves into the profound implications of his decision to protect a Jewish colleague from the Gestapo, and what it meant to sustain that lie under immense pressure.

Person: Uku Masing
Date: 1941
Location: Estonia
Event: German occupation of Estonia

- Uku Masing, born Hugo Albert Masing, was a scholar who could read approximately sixty-five languages and translate from twenty.
- He was known for his brilliance and eccentricity, and held documented anti-German sentiment.
- Masing lectured at the University of Tartu, where he befriended Isidor Levin, a Jewish folklorist and theologian.
- When Germany occupied Estonia in 1941, Masing gave up his university post and, with his wife Eha, began protecting Jewish cultural items and hiding Isidor Levin.
- The Masings provided Levin with food, shelter, clothing, and forged documents from 1941 until the end of the war, maintaining a dangerous, sustained presence.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909452Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:57:37 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTIn occupied Estonia, a scholar is asked a question by the Gestapo. His answer, a single lie, will keep another man alive. What does he say? The single lie that saved a life and tested a scholar This episode explores the story of Uku Masing, a...
The single lie that saved a life and tested a scholar

This episode explores the story of Uku Masing, a brilliant Estonian scholar and theologian, who made a dangerous choice during World War II. It delves into the profound implications of his decision to protect a Jewish colleague from the Gestapo, and what it meant to sustain that lie under immense pressure.

Person: Uku Masing
Date: 1941
Location: Estonia
Event: German occupation of Estonia

- Uku Masing, born Hugo Albert Masing, was a scholar who could read approximately sixty-five languages and translate from twenty.
- He was known for his brilliance and eccentricity, and held documented anti-German sentiment.
- Masing lectured at the University of Tartu, where he befriended Isidor Levin, a Jewish folklorist and theologian.
- When Germany occupied Estonia in 1941, Masing gave up his university post and, with his wife Eha, began protecting Jewish cultural items and hiding Isidor Levin.
- The Masings provided Levin with food, shelter, clothing, and forged documents from 1941 until the end of the war, maintaining a dangerous, sustained presence.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1318falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/which-dinner-question-at-seventeen-would-decide-your-whole-life--74909451
Which dinner question at seventeen would decide your whole life?

This episode explores the pivotal, unrecorded dinner conversation that led Rosalind Hursthouse to pursue philosophy, tracing her journey from Wellington to becoming the first woman to teach at an all-male Oxford college. It asks how a single, unremembered moment can define a life's work.

Person: Rosalind Hursthouse
Date: Approximately 1961
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Topic: Modern virtue ethics

- Rosalind Hursthouse was seventeen when a dinner conversation in Wellington, New Zealand, inspired her to study philosophy.
- She immediately enrolled at Victoria University of Wellington and later transferred to the University of Auckland, completing her degrees in 1964 and 1965.
- Upon finishing her Master's, she was appointed Junior Lecturer at Auckland, recognized for her potential before publishing any work.
- In 1966, she received a fellowship to Oxford, where she became the first woman to teach at an exclusively male college in Oxford's history.
- At Oxford, she met Elizabeth Anscombe and Philippa Foot, who became lifelong friends and sources of philosophical inspiration, influencing her work on virtue ethics.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909451Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:57:33 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA seventeen-year-old girl attends a family dinner in New Zealand, where a single conversation sets her on a path to reshape modern virtue ethics. What would you do if a casual question changed your life? Which dinner question at seventeen would...
Which dinner question at seventeen would decide your whole life?

This episode explores the pivotal, unrecorded dinner conversation that led Rosalind Hursthouse to pursue philosophy, tracing her journey from Wellington to becoming the first woman to teach at an all-male Oxford college. It asks how a single, unremembered moment can define a life's work.

Person: Rosalind Hursthouse
Date: Approximately 1961
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Topic: Modern virtue ethics

- Rosalind Hursthouse was seventeen when a dinner conversation in Wellington, New Zealand, inspired her to study philosophy.
- She immediately enrolled at Victoria University of Wellington and later transferred to the University of Auckland, completing her degrees in 1964 and 1965.
- Upon finishing her Master's, she was appointed Junior Lecturer at Auckland, recognized for her potential before publishing any work.
- In 1966, she received a fellowship to Oxford, where she became the first woman to teach at an exclusively male college in Oxford's history.
- At Oxford, she met Elizabeth Anscombe and Philippa Foot, who became lifelong friends and sources of philosophical inspiration, influencing her work on virtue ethics.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1203falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-locked-door-that-opened-for-one-man--74909450
The locked door that opened for one man

This episode explores the journey of Luciano Floridi, a philosopher who questioned the boundaries of established academic disciplines. It asks what happens when a burning question has no existing field to contain it.

Person: Luciano Floridi
Date: 2009
Location: Göttingen, Germany
Award: Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize
Topic: Philosophy of Information

- Luciano Floridi was born in Rome in 1964, a city where philosophers typically focused on ancient Greek thinkers.
- He completed his first thesis in 1988 on anti-realism, supervised by Michael Dummett, a demanding philosopher of language.
- Floridi founded an online philosophy journal in Italy in 1995, at a time when academic journals were still primarily print-based.
- In 1999, Floridi moved to Oxford's Department of Computer Science, proposing that information should be treated as a substance, not just a tool.
- The Akademie der Wissenschaften in Göttingen awarded Floridi the Gauss Professorship in 2009, an honor historically reserved for mathematicians and scientists.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909450Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:57:28 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA philosopher proposes a new field of study. Will he convince the scientific establishment to open its doors? The locked door that opened for one man This episode explores the journey of Luciano Floridi, a philosopher who questioned the...
The locked door that opened for one man

This episode explores the journey of Luciano Floridi, a philosopher who questioned the boundaries of established academic disciplines. It asks what happens when a burning question has no existing field to contain it.

Person: Luciano Floridi
Date: 2009
Location: Göttingen, Germany
Award: Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize
Topic: Philosophy of Information

- Luciano Floridi was born in Rome in 1964, a city where philosophers typically focused on ancient Greek thinkers.
- He completed his first thesis in 1988 on anti-realism, supervised by Michael Dummett, a demanding philosopher of language.
- Floridi founded an online philosophy journal in Italy in 1995, at a time when academic journals were still primarily print-based.
- In 1999, Floridi moved to Oxford's Department of Computer Science, proposing that information should be treated as a substance, not just a tool.
- The Akademie der Wissenschaften in Göttingen awarded Floridi the Gauss Professorship in 2009, an honor historically reserved for mathematicians and scientists.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1042falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-seventy-six-year-old-man-walks-toward-the-most-dangerous-man-on-the-planet--74909449
A seventy-six-year-old man walks toward the most dangerous man on the planet

This episode explores the life of Alfred Jules Ayer, known as Freddie, and the philosophy he developed. It questions what truly constitutes the most dangerous thing a person can bring into a room.

Person: Alfred Jules Ayer
Date: 1987
Location: Manhattan
Topic: Philosophy

- Freddie Ayer, at seven years old, was sent to boarding school in Eastbourne in 1917, learning to live within his own mind.
- At Eton, he launched an unsuccessful campaign to abolish corporal punishment, demonstrating an early instinct to challenge irrational practices.
- In 1932, at age 22, he visited Vienna and encountered the Vienna Circle, whose philosophy asserted that statements are only meaningful if verifiable by logic or empirical evidence.
- At 26, he published "Language, Truth, and Logic" in 1936, a book that controversially argued metaphysical statements were meaningless.
- Throughout his life, Ayer applied his philosophy to public causes, including campaigning against appeasement, serving in WWII intelligence, and leading the Homosexual Law Reform Society.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909449Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:57:25 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA 76-year-old philosopher confronts the world's most dangerous man to help a young woman. What is the most powerful weapon in a confrontation? A seventy-six-year-old man walks toward the most dangerous man on the planet This episode explores the...
A seventy-six-year-old man walks toward the most dangerous man on the planet

This episode explores the life of Alfred Jules Ayer, known as Freddie, and the philosophy he developed. It questions what truly constitutes the most dangerous thing a person can bring into a room.

Person: Alfred Jules Ayer
Date: 1987
Location: Manhattan
Topic: Philosophy

- Freddie Ayer, at seven years old, was sent to boarding school in Eastbourne in 1917, learning to live within his own mind.
- At Eton, he launched an unsuccessful campaign to abolish corporal punishment, demonstrating an early instinct to challenge irrational practices.
- In 1932, at age 22, he visited Vienna and encountered the Vienna Circle, whose philosophy asserted that statements are only meaningful if verifiable by logic or empirical evidence.
- At 26, he published "Language, Truth, and Logic" in 1936, a book that controversially argued metaphysical statements were meaningless.
- Throughout his life, Ayer applied his philosophy to public causes, including campaigning against appeasement, serving in WWII intelligence, and leading the Homosexual Law Reform Society.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1273falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-syllable-you-invent-at-a-lecture-that-forces-you-to-choose-a-title--74909448
The syllable you invent at a lecture that forces you to choose a title

This episode explores the life of Robert Pullen, a scholar whose intellectual contributions shaped Christian doctrine. It delves into the profound impact of a single word he coined and the choices he made regarding the influence it brought.

Person: Robert Pullen
Period: 12th century
Location: England, Paris, Oxford
Topic: Transubstantiation

- Robert Pullen, known by at least seven different names in historical records, was born around 1080 in England.
- He studied in England and northern Europe, absorbing new intellectual currents, including the use of Aristotelian logic in theology.
- By 1133, Pullen was teaching in Oxford without charging fees, supporting scholars at his own expense.
- He was appointed Archdeacon of Rochester in 1134, but the civil war known as the Anarchy led him to Paris.
- While teaching in Paris, Pullen coined the word "transubstantiation," providing a precise term for a central Christian doctrine.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909448Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:57:21 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA medieval theologian invents a single word that splits Christianity in two. He must choose between power and the pursuit of knowledge. The syllable you invent at a lecture that forces you to choose a title This episode explores the life of...
The syllable you invent at a lecture that forces you to choose a title

This episode explores the life of Robert Pullen, a scholar whose intellectual contributions shaped Christian doctrine. It delves into the profound impact of a single word he coined and the choices he made regarding the influence it brought.

Person: Robert Pullen
Period: 12th century
Location: England, Paris, Oxford
Topic: Transubstantiation

- Robert Pullen, known by at least seven different names in historical records, was born around 1080 in England.
- He studied in England and northern Europe, absorbing new intellectual currents, including the use of Aristotelian logic in theology.
- By 1133, Pullen was teaching in Oxford without charging fees, supporting scholars at his own expense.
- He was appointed Archdeacon of Rochester in 1134, but the civil war known as the Anarchy led him to Paris.
- While teaching in Paris, Pullen coined the word "transubstantiation," providing a precise term for a central Christian doctrine.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1311falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-pamphlet-that-forced-a-choice-new-gospel-or-the-church--74909447
The pamphlet that forced a choice: new gospel or the Church?

This episode explores the life of Giovanni di Fidanza, a man whose philosophical system and leadership of the Franciscan Order shaped the medieval world. It delves into the intellectual crisis at the University of Paris and the dangerous ideas that challenged established beliefs.

Person: Giovanni di Fidanza
Date: 1221
Location: Civita di Bagnoregio, Papal States
Order: Franciscan Order
Text: Commentary on the Sentences

- Giovanni di Fidanza's body was found intact 160 years after his burial in 1274.
- He built a consequential philosophical system before the age of thirty and led a powerful religious order.
- The University of Paris faced a crisis with the arrival of the full Aristotle, translated from Arabic, and the commentaries of Islamic philosophers like Averroes.
- Averroes' interpretation of Aristotle suggested an eternal world, a mortal soul, and a distant God, challenging Church doctrine.
- At 27, Giovanni di Fidanza wrote the "Commentary on the Sentences" by order of his superiors.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909447Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:57:17 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA preserved medieval philosopher defies time while his ideas threaten the Church. Can one man bridge faith and reason in a world on the brink? The pamphlet that forced a choice: new gospel or the Church? This episode explores the life of...
The pamphlet that forced a choice: new gospel or the Church?

This episode explores the life of Giovanni di Fidanza, a man whose philosophical system and leadership of the Franciscan Order shaped the medieval world. It delves into the intellectual crisis at the University of Paris and the dangerous ideas that challenged established beliefs.

Person: Giovanni di Fidanza
Date: 1221
Location: Civita di Bagnoregio, Papal States
Order: Franciscan Order
Text: Commentary on the Sentences

- Giovanni di Fidanza's body was found intact 160 years after his burial in 1274.
- He built a consequential philosophical system before the age of thirty and led a powerful religious order.
- The University of Paris faced a crisis with the arrival of the full Aristotle, translated from Arabic, and the commentaries of Islamic philosophers like Averroes.
- Averroes' interpretation of Aristotle suggested an eternal world, a mortal soul, and a distant God, challenging Church doctrine.
- At 27, Giovanni di Fidanza wrote the "Commentary on the Sentences" by order of his superiors.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1245falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-sit-at-a-dinner-and-leave-the-meat-untouched-what-do-you-do--74909444
You sit at a dinner and leave the meat untouched - what do you do?

This episode explores the life of John Oswald, a Scottish philosopher and soldier whose convictions about vegetarianism clashed dramatically with his role as a military commander. It delves into the profound question of how one person can hold two completely opposing truths within the same life.

Person: John Oswald
Date: September 14, 1793
Location: Thouars, France
Status: Death certificate filed

- John Oswald taught himself seven languages by the time he enlisted in the Eighteenth Regiment of Foot around 1776.
- He rose to sergeant due to his education, not combat, and later purchased commissions in other regiments, serving in the American Revolutionary War.
- On a voyage to India, Oswald engaged in a duel with Colonel Norman Macleod where two shots were fired but neither man was hit.
- While in India, he adopted Hindu vegetarianism after eating enlisted rations and observing the practice among common soldiers.
- After resigning his commission in 1783, Oswald walked thousands of miles overland through Persia and Europe to return home.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909444Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:57:13 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA vegetarian philosopher commands a French pike battalion during the Revolution. How does a man reconcile his deepest beliefs with the violence of war? You sit at a dinner and leave the meat untouched - what do you do? This episode explores the...
You sit at a dinner and leave the meat untouched - what do you do?

This episode explores the life of John Oswald, a Scottish philosopher and soldier whose convictions about vegetarianism clashed dramatically with his role as a military commander. It delves into the profound question of how one person can hold two completely opposing truths within the same life.

Person: John Oswald
Date: September 14, 1793
Location: Thouars, France
Status: Death certificate filed

- John Oswald taught himself seven languages by the time he enlisted in the Eighteenth Regiment of Foot around 1776.
- He rose to sergeant due to his education, not combat, and later purchased commissions in other regiments, serving in the American Revolutionary War.
- On a voyage to India, Oswald engaged in a duel with Colonel Norman Macleod where two shots were fired but neither man was hit.
- While in India, he adopted Hindu vegetarianism after eating enlisted rations and observing the practice among common soldiers.
- After resigning his commission in 1783, Oswald walked thousands of miles overland through Persia and Europe to return home.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1326falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-held-her-ring-would-you-bury-her-silence--74909442
You Held Her Ring - Would You Bury Her Silence?

This episode explores the life of Simone de Beauvoir, a pivotal figure in feminist thought, through the lens of a mysterious ring and the tension between her revolutionary ideas and her personal choices. What does it mean when the philosophy that sets you free is one you cannot fully live up to?

Person: Simone de Beauvoir
Date: April 14, 1986
Location: Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris
Book: The Second Sex

- Simone de Beauvoir was buried wearing a small silver ring that she never mentioned in her extensive autobiographies or letters.
- Born in Paris in 1908, Beauvoir entered a society where women had limited legal rights and opportunities, often defined by marriage and household management.
- Her father, a lawyer, noted she had "a man's brain," reflecting the societal views of the time regarding female intellect.
- At 21, she placed second in the agrégation, France's most demanding university exam, behind Jean-Paul Sartre, a result critical for her financial independence.
- Beauvoir and Sartre formed a radical partnership lasting 51 years, characterized by intellectual and romantic connection without shared living or legal bonds.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909442Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:57:09 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA small silver ring, worn to the grave, holds a silent story of a philosopher who challenged societal norms but lived with her own contradictions. You Held Her Ring - Would You Bury Her Silence? This episode explores the life of Simone de...
You Held Her Ring - Would You Bury Her Silence?

This episode explores the life of Simone de Beauvoir, a pivotal figure in feminist thought, through the lens of a mysterious ring and the tension between her revolutionary ideas and her personal choices. What does it mean when the philosophy that sets you free is one you cannot fully live up to?

Person: Simone de Beauvoir
Date: April 14, 1986
Location: Montparnasse Cemetery, Paris
Book: The Second Sex

- Simone de Beauvoir was buried wearing a small silver ring that she never mentioned in her extensive autobiographies or letters.
- Born in Paris in 1908, Beauvoir entered a society where women had limited legal rights and opportunities, often defined by marriage and household management.
- Her father, a lawyer, noted she had "a man's brain," reflecting the societal views of the time regarding female intellect.
- At 21, she placed second in the agrégation, France's most demanding university exam, behind Jean-Paul Sartre, a result critical for her financial independence.
- Beauvoir and Sartre formed a radical partnership lasting 51 years, characterized by intellectual and romantic connection without shared living or legal bonds.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1444falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/you-find-an-abandoned-infant-on-church-steps-do-you-name-him-or-walk-away--74909440
You find an abandoned infant on church steps-do you name him or walk away?

This episode tells the story of Jean Le Rond d'Alembert, an 18th-century mathematician and philosopher. It explores the profound impact of his origins on his identity and his groundbreaking contributions to mathematics and the Enlightenment.

Person: Jean Le Rond d'Alembert
Date: November 1717
Location: Paris, France
Topic: Dangerous ideas
Status: Abandoned infant

- A newborn is left on the steps of Saint-Jean-le-Rond church in Paris.
- His mother, Claudine Guérin de Tencin, a writer, abandons him days after birth.
- The child is named Jean-Baptiste and raised by Madame Rousseau, a glazier's wife.
- His biological father, Chevalier Louis-Camus Destouches, secretly funds his care and education.
- Jean-Baptiste changes his name to Jean Le Rond d'Alembert, incorporating the church's name.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909440Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:57:05 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTA newborn is abandoned on church steps in 1717 Paris. He will become a mathematical genius, but the world refuses to name him. You find an abandoned infant on church steps-do you name him or walk away? This episode tells the story of Jean Le...
You find an abandoned infant on church steps-do you name him or walk away?

This episode tells the story of Jean Le Rond d'Alembert, an 18th-century mathematician and philosopher. It explores the profound impact of his origins on his identity and his groundbreaking contributions to mathematics and the Enlightenment.

Person: Jean Le Rond d'Alembert
Date: November 1717
Location: Paris, France
Topic: Dangerous ideas
Status: Abandoned infant

- A newborn is left on the steps of Saint-Jean-le-Rond church in Paris.
- His mother, Claudine Guérin de Tencin, a writer, abandons him days after birth.
- The child is named Jean-Baptiste and raised by Madame Rousseau, a glazier's wife.
- His biological father, Chevalier Louis-Camus Destouches, secretly funds his care and education.
- Jean-Baptiste changes his name to Jean Le Rond d'Alembert, incorporating the church's name.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1246falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-musician-s-phone-line-carried-a-banned-song-and-forced-a-crowd-to-hear-it--74909439
In March of 2010, a crowd in Brooklyn watched a musician perform live—except the musician was not in the room, and could not be. A government had ruled that this person's music should not exist in public, so the sound traveled in through a phone line while a collaborator stood on stage translating it into something the audience could hear and feel. Who builds a room like that, and why does he spend thirty years arguing that silence is never really safe?

In this episode, we trace Austin Dacey's path from a Christian rock band in the rural Midwest to a philosophy doctorate, from United Nations lobbying rooms to a stage in Brooklyn, asking whether conscience can ever be a private matter at all—or whether keeping it private is exactly what protects the people in power.

Person: Austin Dacey
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Date: March 2010
Case: the impossible music sessions, a concert format built to let censored musicians perform through a phone or stream connection
Status: expanded in the following years to connect musicians in North America with artists in Iran, Guinea Bissau, Cameroon, and Cuba, without the underlying censorship in those countries ending

- Born April 19, 1972, in the rural Midwest, raised by liberal Catholics; his father, Philip Dacey, was a poet
- Played in the Christian alternative rock band The Swoon, which released an EP produced by Charlie Peacock in 1990
- Earned his doctorate in applied ethics and social philosophy from Bowling Green State University in 2002
- Helped organize the Secular

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909439Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:57:01 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe musician's phone line carried a banned song and forced a crowd to hear it In March of 2010, a crowd in Brooklyn watched a musician perform live—except the musician was not in the room, and could not be. A government had ruled that this person's...
In March of 2010, a crowd in Brooklyn watched a musician perform live—except the musician was not in the room, and could not be. A government had ruled that this person's music should not exist in public, so the sound traveled in through a phone line while a collaborator stood on stage translating it into something the audience could hear and feel. Who builds a room like that, and why does he spend thirty years arguing that silence is never really safe?

In this episode, we trace Austin Dacey's path from a Christian rock band in the rural Midwest to a philosophy doctorate, from United Nations lobbying rooms to a stage in Brooklyn, asking whether conscience can ever be a private matter at all—or whether keeping it private is exactly what protects the people in power.

Person: Austin Dacey
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Date: March 2010
Case: the impossible music sessions, a concert format built to let censored musicians perform through a phone or stream connection
Status: expanded in the following years to connect musicians in North America with artists in Iran, Guinea Bissau, Cameroon, and Cuba, without the underlying censorship in those countries ending

- Born April 19, 1972, in the rural Midwest, raised by liberal Catholics; his father, Philip Dacey, was a poet
- Played in the Christian alternative rock band The Swoon, which released an EP produced by Charlie Peacock in 1990
- Earned his doctorate in applied ethics and social philosophy from Bowling Green State University in 2002
- Helped organize the Secular

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1383falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-phone-line-that-let-banned-musicians-play-live--74909437
A phone rings on a small Brooklyn stage in March of 2010, and through it comes a musician who cannot legally perform in their own country. A collaborator stands under the lights and plays the interpretation live, while the artist listens and sings from thousands of miles away, present and absent in the same instant. What does it take to build a stage that a government's border cannot reach?

In this episode, we trace the life of philosopher Austin Dacey, from a Christian rock band in rural Ohio to a seat at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva to a phone line running into a Brooklyn concert venue, asking what a person owes their own convictions when almost no one is willing to stand fully on their side.

Person: Austin Dacey
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Date: March 2010
Case: the Impossible Music Sessions, live concerts connecting audiences with musicians banned from performing in public
Status: still running as of 2022, having connected artists across North America with musicians in Iran, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon, and Cuba

- Austin Dacey was born April 19, 1972, raised in the rural Midwest by liberal Catholic parents; his father, Philip Dacey, is a poet
- As a teenager he became an evangelical Protestant and played in the Christian alternative rock band The Swoon, which released an EP in 1990 produced by Charlie Peacock
- He earned his doctorate in applied ethics and social philosophy from Bowling Green State University in 2002, after studying at The Evergreen State College
-

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909437Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:56:57 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Phone Line That Let Banned Musicians Play Live A phone rings on a small Brooklyn stage in March of 2010, and through it comes a musician who cannot legally perform in their own country. A collaborator stands under the lights and plays the...
A phone rings on a small Brooklyn stage in March of 2010, and through it comes a musician who cannot legally perform in their own country. A collaborator stands under the lights and plays the interpretation live, while the artist listens and sings from thousands of miles away, present and absent in the same instant. What does it take to build a stage that a government's border cannot reach?

In this episode, we trace the life of philosopher Austin Dacey, from a Christian rock band in rural Ohio to a seat at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva to a phone line running into a Brooklyn concert venue, asking what a person owes their own convictions when almost no one is willing to stand fully on their side.

Person: Austin Dacey
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Date: March 2010
Case: the Impossible Music Sessions, live concerts connecting audiences with musicians banned from performing in public
Status: still running as of 2022, having connected artists across North America with musicians in Iran, Guinea-Bissau, Cameroon, and Cuba

- Austin Dacey was born April 19, 1972, raised in the rural Midwest by liberal Catholic parents; his father, Philip Dacey, is a poet
- As a teenager he became an evangelical Protestant and played in the Christian alternative rock band The Swoon, which released an EP in 1990 produced by Charlie Peacock
- He earned his doctorate in applied ethics and social philosophy from Bowling Green State University in 2002, after studying at The Evergreen State College
-

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1303falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-wine-case-chalmers-accepted-that-cemented-the-hard-problem--74909434
In 1998, a neuroscientist and a philosopher sealed a bet over a case of wine, staking twenty-five years on whether science could locate the exact neural signature of conscious experience. Wine changes hands, arguments pile up in academic journals, thought experiments about zombies and silicon brains circulate for decades — but does any of it answer the question that started it all?

In this episode, we trace David Chalmers's path from a synesthetic childhood in Adelaide to the 1994 Tucson lecture that named "the hard problem of consciousness," asking why an inner feeling of experience exists at all, and whether that question can ever be closed by physical explanation alone.

Person: David Chalmers
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Date: 2023
Case: a 25-year wager with neuroscientist Christof Koch, sealed with a case of wine in 1998, over whether the neural basis of consciousness would be identified
Status: wine collected by Chalmers in 2023; the hard problem remains unresolved

- Chalmers was born in Sydney on April 20, 1966, grew up in Adelaide, and won a bronze medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad
- He read Douglas Hofstadter's "Gödel, Escher, Bach" at age thirteen, then later completed his 1993 PhD dissertation, "Toward a Theory of Consciousness," under Hofstadter's supervision at Indiana University Bloomington
- At the 1994 "Toward a Science of Consciousness" conference in Tucson, Chalmers introduced the term "the hard problem of consciousness," expanded in his 1995 paper "Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness" and his 1996 book "The Conscious Mind"
- More than twenty response papers, including from Daniel Dennett, Colin McGinn, Francis Crick, Roger Penrose, and Francisco Varela, were collected in the volume "Explaining Consciousness: The Hard Problem"
- Chalmers later held positions at UC Santa Cruz, the University of Arizona, the Australian National University, and NYU, where he co-directs the Center for Mind, Brain and Consciousness with Ned Block, and published "Reality+" in 2022

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909434Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:56:53 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe wine case Chalmers accepted that cemented the hard problem In 1998, a neuroscientist and a philosopher sealed a bet over a case of wine, staking twenty-five years on whether science could locate the exact neural signature of conscious...
In 1998, a neuroscientist and a philosopher sealed a bet over a case of wine, staking twenty-five years on whether science could locate the exact neural signature of conscious experience. Wine changes hands, arguments pile up in academic journals, thought experiments about zombies and silicon brains circulate for decades — but does any of it answer the question that started it all?

In this episode, we trace David Chalmers's path from a synesthetic childhood in Adelaide to the 1994 Tucson lecture that named "the hard problem of consciousness," asking why an inner feeling of experience exists at all, and whether that question can ever be closed by physical explanation alone.

Person: David Chalmers
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Date: 2023
Case: a 25-year wager with neuroscientist Christof Koch, sealed with a case of wine in 1998, over whether the neural basis of consciousness would be identified
Status: wine collected by Chalmers in 2023; the hard problem remains unresolved

- Chalmers was born in Sydney on April 20, 1966, grew up in Adelaide, and won a bronze medal at the International Mathematical Olympiad
- He read Douglas Hofstadter's "Gödel, Escher, Bach" at age thirteen, then later completed his 1993 PhD dissertation, "Toward a Theory of Consciousness," under Hofstadter's supervision at Indiana University Bloomington
- At the 1994 "Toward a Science of Consciousness" conference in Tucson, Chalmers introduced the term "the hard problem of consciousness," expanded in his 1995 paper "Facing Up to the Problem of Consciousness" and his 1996 book "The Conscious Mind"
- More than twenty response papers, including from Daniel Dennett, Colin McGinn, Francis Crick, Roger Penrose, and Francisco Varela, were collected in the volume "Explaining Consciousness: The Hard Problem"
- Chalmers later held positions at UC Santa Cruz, the University of Arizona, the Australian National University, and NYU, where he co-directs the Center for Mind, Brain and Consciousness with Ned Block, and published "Reality+" in 2022

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1339falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-philosopher-who-crossed-the-room-and-stopped-a-boxer--74909433
At a Manhattan party in 1987, an elderly man with a bad heart crossed a crowded room to confront the most feared athlete on the planet, using nothing but words. He was seventy-six years old, a lifelong philosopher who had spent his entire career insisting that moral claims like "this is wrong" carry no factual truth at all. What made him move, and did the moment prove his life's argument or break it?

In this episode, we trace the life of Alfred Jules Ayer from his wartime childhood and Oxford education through his encounter with the Vienna Circle, the writing of Language, Truth, and Logic, decades of public life and political action, and the party where he stepped between a young model and a heavyweight champion, asking whether a philosophy built on the meaninglessness of moral statements can still explain why a person moves to stop harm.

Person: Alfred Jules Ayer
Location: New York, at a party hosted by Fernando Sanchez
Date: 1987
Case: an intervention protecting Naomi Campbell from Mike Tyson
Status: Ayer proposed they "discuss the matter like rational men," and Campbell was able to leave

- Ayer was born on 29 October 1910 in St John's Wood, northwest London, to a Dutch-Jewish mother and a Swiss Calvinist father.
- He studied with Moritz Schlick and the Vienna Circle in Vienna during the winter of 1932-1933, at age 22.
- Language, Truth, and Logic was published in 1936, when Ayer was 26.
- He campaigned energetically for anti-appeasement candidate Sandie Lindsay in the October 1938 Oxford by-election, which Lindsay narrowly lost to Quintin Hogg.
- He served as president of the British Humanist Association (1965-1970) and president of the Homosexual Law Reform Society, and was knighted in 1970.
- In 1988, after choking on smoked salmon and being resuscitated, he wrote an article titled "What I Saw When I Was Dead" about the experience.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74909433Fri, 04 Sep 2026 20:56:49 +0000OBOMEDIA ENTERTAINMENTThe Philosopher Who Crossed the Room and Stopped a Boxer At a Manhattan party in 1987, an elderly man with a bad heart crossed a crowded room to confront the most feared athlete on the planet, using nothing but words. He was seventy-six years old,...
At a Manhattan party in 1987, an elderly man with a bad heart crossed a crowded room to confront the most feared athlete on the planet, using nothing but words. He was seventy-six years old, a lifelong philosopher who had spent his entire career insisting that moral claims like "this is wrong" carry no factual truth at all. What made him move, and did the moment prove his life's argument or break it?

In this episode, we trace the life of Alfred Jules Ayer from his wartime childhood and Oxford education through his encounter with the Vienna Circle, the writing of Language, Truth, and Logic, decades of public life and political action, and the party where he stepped between a young model and a heavyweight champion, asking whether a philosophy built on the meaninglessness of moral statements can still explain why a person moves to stop harm.

Person: Alfred Jules Ayer
Location: New York, at a party hosted by Fernando Sanchez
Date: 1987
Case: an intervention protecting Naomi Campbell from Mike Tyson
Status: Ayer proposed they "discuss the matter like rational men," and Campbell was able to leave

- Ayer was born on 29 October 1910 in St John's Wood, northwest London, to a Dutch-Jewish mother and a Swiss Calvinist father.
- He studied with Moritz Schlick and the Vienna Circle in Vienna during the winter of 1932-1933, at age 22.
- Language, Truth, and Logic was published in 1936, when Ayer was 26.
- He campaigned energetically for anti-appeasement candidate Sandie Lindsay in the October 1938 Oxford by-election, which Lindsay narrowly lost to Quintin Hogg.
- He served as president of the British Humanist Association (1965-1970) and president of the Homosexual Law Reform Society, and was knighted in 1970.
- In 1988, after choking on smoked salmon and being resuscitated, he wrote an article titled "What I Saw When I Was Dead" about the experience.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1535falsefull