PODCAST · society
Four Cubits
by Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon & Jeff Helmreich
A topical talk show that takes a philosophical look at some of the burning issues of the day.
Episodes
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The Elephant in The Room
After a quick review of the Barbie movie, Jeff and Eli talk about a widely-circulated petition that seeks to link the Israeli judicial overhaul with the larger Israeli-Palestinian conflict. To read the open letter, click/tap here. To read about the open letter, click/tap here.
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Free Speech, Hate Speech, and Group Libel
In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss the principle of free speech and how it comes into conflict with the desire to regulate hate speech, or group libel. In an attempt to tease apart and examine the various ideas and values at play in this conflict, they look at Stanley Fish, Ronald Dworkin, and...
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Antisemitism, Judeophobia, and the Battle Against Bigotry
In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss the issue of antisemitism. They examine and evaluate multiple definitions of the term, talk about the attempt of some to include anti-Zionism in their definitions, and reflect on the impact of social media on the spread of antisemitic ideas. They conclude…
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Race, Racism, and Antiracism Part VII
In this episode, Eli tells the story of a recent personal encounter he had with antisemitism and the intersectional bigotry that followed from it before he and Jeff discuss the meaning of patriotism. They then wade into the contemporary culture wars on race using Ross Douthat's recent OpEds in…
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Race, Racism, and Antiracism Part VI
In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss the Derek Chauvin verdict and its implications for the country and the criminal justice system. They then continue their deep dive into racism with an examination of Lawrence Blum's concept of the moral asymmetries inherent in different kinds of racism. Show...
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Race, Racism, and Antiracism Part V
In this episode, Jeff and Eli continue their discussion on the metaphysics of race with a quick review of Hardimon's biological realism and a discussion of social realism/constructionism and anti-realism. They examine the metaphysics of Sally Haslanger, Paul C. Taylor, and Joshua Glasgow as they...
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Race, Racism, and Antiracism Part IV
In this episode, Jeff and Eli begin by discussing a controversial SNL joke about Israel’s vaccination program. Next they discuss the devastating empirical problems faced by the classical racialist view of race before launching into a discussion of the different metaphysical camps in the…
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Race, Racism, and Antiracism Part III
In this episode, Jeff and Eli examine different definitions of racism. They look at Robin DiAngelo, Ibram X. Kendi, and Paul C. Taylor’s definitions and talk about the strengths and weaknesses of each before talking about the way in which Jeff thinks racism should be redefined. Show Notes: To…
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Race, Racism, and Antiracism Part II
In this episode, Jeff and Eli wrap up their non-comprehensive stroll through the history of racial thinking and move on to talk about the role that religion played in the history of racism and slavery. Eli then argues for the centrality of racism to the Enlightenment project, while Jeff defends…
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Race, Racism, and Antiracism Part I
In this episode, Jeff and Eli take a moment to reflect on the end of the Trump era before jumping into a discussion on race. They talk about their personal connection to race and then talk about the history of racial thinking using Paul C. Taylor’s account as a guide. Show Notes: To watch The New...
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What Are Emotions? Part III
In this episode, Jeff and Eli conclude their conversation about the empirical study of emotions by talking about the fall of the triune model of the brain and the developments in neuroscience that brought it about. They delve into Lisa Feldman Barrett’s model of emotions and talk about its...
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What Are Emotions? Part II
In this episode, Jeff and Eli continue their exploration of the empirical study of emotions. They track the public battle between Margaret Mead and Paul Ekman before making their way into Neuroscience where they meet Joseph Ledoux, Antonio Damasio, and finally begin a discussion of Lisa Feldman...
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What Are Emotions? Part I
After a short discussion about the upcoming presidential election in the United States and the new data about how Jewish Americans will be voting, Jeff and Eli dive into their next topic which is the empirical study of emotions. Starting with the foundational 19th century texts by Charles Darwin...
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(Un)Compromised Forgiveness
In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss Pamela Hieronymi’s seminal essay “Articulating an Uncompromising Forgiveness.” After a brief discussion about the revolution that Hieronymi wrought in moral philosophy, they dig into the differences between seeking forgiveness and apologizing. They then…
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On Anger Part III
In this episode, Jeff and Eli think they’re done with anger, but anger isn’t done with them. They take stock of the different positions and talk about where they each fall. Jeff describes his concept of Dialogic Anger in more detail and they end with a discussion of the Kavanaugh hearings. Show...
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On Anger Part II
In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss Marshall Rosenberg’s take on anger and moralism as expressed in his system of Nonviolent Communication. They dive into the benefits and drawbacks of eliminating moralistic language from communication and consciousness and they discuss the efficacy of moral...
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On Anger Part I
In this episode, Jeff and Eli kick off a discussion on the subject of anger and resentment. They focus on two texts by the philosopher Agnes Callard and branch off into a discussion about Nietzsche, the foundations of morality, and the analytic-continental divide. Show Notes: For the...
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The Ethics of Pandemic
In their first episode back after a three and a half year hiatus, Jeff and Eli talk about the loss of Jeff’s father to the virus, the paradoxical information environment of 2020, and the various kinds of ethical responsibilities that emerge from living through a pandemic. Show Notes: For the New...
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The Apologetic Stance Part II
In this episode, Jeff and Eli continue their discussion of apologies, but they broaden the scope to include apologies made by groups, institutions, and countries. Show Notes: To read more about the Victoria's Secret apology, click here. To watch veterans ask forgiveness from Native Americans at...
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The Apologetic Stance Part I
After a short follow-up discussion about the role that misogyny played in the U.S. presidential election, Jeff and Eli begin a discussion on the subject of apology. Show Notes: To read Jeff's article, click here.
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The 2016 Presidential Election
In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss the election of Donald Trump and what that means for people who care about prejudices like racism, sexism, and Islamophobia. Show Notes: For Jeff's friend's book, click here. For more on the Southern Poverty Law Center, click here. To see Bernie Sanders'...
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The Legacy of Elie Wiesel
In this episode, Eli talks to Professor Zachary Braiterman about the legacy of Elie Wiesel. This interview is then followed by an in-depth conversation between Jeff and Eli on the subject of ethics, the Holocaust, and Wiesel's refusal to criticize the State of Israel. Show Notes: To read more…
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The Curious Case Of Dr. Steven Salaita
In this episode, Jeff and Eli talk a little bit about American politics before they dive into a discussion of Steven Salaita, Zionism, and Jewish-American identity. Show Notes: Dr. Salaita's lively Twitter account. The Jewish Daily Forward's exposé on the Jewish-American non-profit colossus.
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Freundel, Gafni, and the Abuse of Religious Power
In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss Barry Freundel, Marc Gafni and the dynamics of sexual scandal in the religious world. Show Notes: Mark Oppenheimer's New York Times piece on Marc Gafni. The Huffington Post piece on the anniversary of Barry Freundel's arrest.
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Islamophobia Part II
In this episode, Jeff and Eli lay out the New Atheist argument against Islam in four parts. They then examine the weaknesses in the argument and explore their differences on the boundaries that ought to be imposed on would-be critics of religion. Show Notes: To see Bill Maher and Sam Harris go at...
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Islamophobia Part I
In this episode, Eli talks to Edina Lekovic, Director of Policy and Programming at the Muslim Public Affairs Council. They talk about the recent murders in Chapel Hill, the definition of Islamophobia, President Obama's relationship to the American Muslim community, the 2011 study by the Center…
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Terrorism and Freedom of Speech
In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss the attacks on Charlie Hebdo and the Kosher market in Paris. They examine each other's definitions of terrorism, discuss whether the actions of states can properly be called terrorism, and touch on the issue of freedom of speech. Show Notes: Wikipedia on the...
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Women and Judaism Part III
In this episode, Jeff and Eli are joined by Rabbi Sara Zacharia to conclude their discussion about the role of women in Judaism. Show Notes: To read Rabbi Pamela Barmash's Teshuva click here. To see evidence that Daniel Gordis lost his mind click here. To learn more about JTS click here. To learn...
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Women and Judaism Part II
In this Episode, Jeff and Eli are joined by Dr. Batya Ungar-Sargon, staff writer for Tablet, to continue the discussion about women and Judaism. Show Notes: To read Batya's piece on Yeshivat Maharat, click here. For more on the Maharat program, click here.
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Women and Judaism Part I
In this episode, Jeff and Eli talk about the role of women in the Jewish world. They touch on the legal status of women in Jewish law, leadership positions, and ritual participation and talk about the paradox posed by progressive forms of Orthodoxy. Show Notes: To learn more about Avi Weiss's...
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The "G" Word Part III
In this episode, Jeff and Eli continue their conversation about God. They start by talking about hermeneutics and the role of human perspective in religious interpretation and move to the subject of prayer. Show Notes: To read the story of the Oven of Akhnai click here. For background on the...
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The "G" Word Part II
In this episode, Jeff and Eli continue their discussion of God and talk about their own views on the subject. Show Notes: To read about Pascal's Wager, by which Jeff is utterly unconvinced, click here. To read about Christopher Hitchens, click here.
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The "G" Word Part I
In this episode, Jeff and Eli talk a little about the film The Wolf of Wall Street and then launch into their next big topic of conversation: God. Show Notes: Background on Maimonides. Background on Spinoza. Background on Hermann Cohen. The Ontological Proof.
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The ASA and BDS Part II
In this episode, Jeff and Eli continue their discussion of the BDS movement and explore their differences on the nature of the State of Israel. Show Notes: To read Larry Derfner's 972 piece on the ASA boycott, click here.
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The ASA and BDS Part I
In this episode, Jeff and Eli discuss the American Studies Association's recent resolution to boycott Israeli academic institutions and the BDS movement in general. Show Notes: The American Studies Association Resolution on Academic Boycott of Israel Jeffrey Goldberg's response to the resolution....
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The Pew Jews Part II
In this episode, Jeff and Eli are joined by Dr. Sarah Bunin Benor to examine Pew's A Portrait of Jewish Americans more closely. Show Notes: To read more about Dr. Benor, click here. To explore Dr. Benor's book, Becoming Frum, click here.
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The Pew Jews Part I
In this episode, Jeff and Eli wrap up their conversation about racism and antisemitism and move on to their next topic, the landmark Pew survey of American Jews. Show Notes: To read the survey in its entirety, click here. To read Eli's scale of racism, click here.
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Racism and Antisemitism Part II
In this episode, Jeff and Eli dig a little deeper into positive racism and the empirical problem of generalizing about people groups. They also tackle some recent examples of racism in the news in an attempt to apply some of these concepts. Show Notes: The remarks that got Martin Bashir fired…
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Racism and Antisemitism Part I
In the inaugural episode of Four Cubits, Jeff and Eli talk about the definition of race, who qualifies as an antisemite, and the conceptual difficulties associated with talking about racism and antisemitism. Show Notes: Read Eli's review of Daniel Goldhagen's The Devil That Never Dies here. Read...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A topical talk show that takes a philosophical look at some of the burning issues of the day.
HOSTED BY
Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon & Jeff Helmreich
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Four Cubits have?
Four Cubits currently has 39 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Four Cubits about?
A topical talk show that takes a philosophical look at some of the burning issues of the day.
How often does Four Cubits release new episodes?
Four Cubits has 39 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Four Cubits?
You can listen to Four Cubits on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Four Cubits?
Four Cubits is created and hosted by Eliyahu Ungar-Sargon & Jeff Helmreich.
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