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Artwork for Terrifying Questions
Society & CulturePhilosophy

Terrifying Questions

Eric Kaplan and Taylor Carman

Eric Kaplan, a comedy writer (Futurama, Big Bang Theory) and doctor of philosophy, and Taylor Carman (Barnard College, Columbia University), a philosophy professor specializing in phenomenology, existentialism, and hermeneutics, host a podcast that addresses unsettling questions concerning human existence and the order of things with the goal of finding a path to courage using comedy, imagination, and dialogue. Along the way they occasionally grapple with the deep uncanniness of being.

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  • 23 episodes
  • Avg 55 min
  • English

Episodes 23

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  • Aug 28, 2023 · 1 hr

    Episode 26: What Comes After Monotheism?

    Does belief in God lead to intolerance and violence? Is monotheism about the number of gods or is it, as Egyptologist Jan Assmann suggests, about “having no other gods” and stamping out idol worship and superstition? Are secular atheists really just monotheists fighting a holy war against religion? Does monotheism contribute anything good to psychology or politics, and if so, is it worth the price? Join Nietzsche, Kierkegaard, Moses, and the pharaoh Akhenaten for a discussion of whether we should be zealous for a jealous God or have an open relationship with the divinities.

  • Aug 14, 2023 · 53 min

    Episode 24: Is Being Deep Better than Being Shallow?

    What does it mean to be deep? Is profundity something good or is it pretentious and boring? Are there different kinds of deepness? Is shallowness itself a kind of depth? Is it only shallow people who try to sound deep? Are profound utterances dark oceans or plastic mirrors? Join Eric and Taylor on this, their first video episode as they plum the depths of shallowness and skate the surface of the abyss.

  • Aug 8, 2023 · 49 min

    Episode 23: Are There Monsters Among Us?

    What are monsters? Do they lurk among us? Are some of us monsters? How would we know? What’s really frightening about monsters – that they’re inhuman or that they’re all too human? If a shark could speak, would you climb into its tank to talk to it? And what exactly is so creepy about the dad in The Shining? Tune in and get the lowdown about monsters, monstrosity, and human monstrousness.

Showing 21–23 of 23 episodes