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EPISODE · Sep 21, 2025 · 11 MIN

Robert Musil and Life as Experiment

from Philosophy Talk Starters · host Philosophy Talk Starters

More at https://philosophytalk.org/shows/robert-musil.Robert Musil (1880-1942) was an Austrian novelist, famous for The Man Without Qualities. Set in Austria just before the start of World War I, it features a character who tries to live without fixed principles. But is it a good idea to conduct your life in this way? Is it even possible? Could having a rigid system of beliefs make you insensitive to changes in society? Is there a happy medium between dogmatism and spinelessness? Josh and Ray remain flexible with Bence Nanay from the University of Antwerp, author of Philosophy Without Qualities: Robert Musil, the Thinker (forthcoming).

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Sep 21, 2025

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