Episodes
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Episode 94: Deconstructionism and Postmodernism (July 25, 2021)
In this episode, Phil Kallberg explains what Deconstructionism and Postmodernism are as they relate to stories. He also draws a distinction between the soft applications of these ideas and hard Deconstructionism and Postmodernism. While the soft variants of these ideas can at times be useful the...
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Episode 93: Why Aliens are almost certainly Demonic (July 3, 2021)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg speaks in light of the US government's report on UFOs/UAPs, explaining why it's highly likely that many of the reported encounters with aliens are just encounters with demonic entities. If you already have a worldview that allows for belief in…
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Episode 92: Why You Should Take the Vaccine (May 28, 2021)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg explains why you should take the COVID vaccine. He gives a practical and a moral argument for taking the vaccine and explains where some of the common objections people give to getting vaccinated go wrong. (May 28, 2021)
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Episode 91: Thought Experiments and Stories (April 30, 2021)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg gives a very brief overview of thought experiments and explains how they demonstrate that one of the purposes of good stories is to train us to be better people. He also gives out a face palm and sigh award for cherry picking from the Bible....
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Episode 90: Types of Criticism (April 19, 2021)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg explains the general ideas behind the types of criticism that are used in literature, film, and other types of media. When criticism is done well, it illuminates aspects of stories and media that we will otherwise not see. Also he recommends the...
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Episode 89: The Philosophy of Story: Archetypes (April 5, 2021)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg continues discussing the philosophy and theory behind stories with the theory of archetypes. He explains the theory of archetypes, goes over some criticism of the theory, and discusses if the theory can apply to the real world as well as to...
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Episode 88: How Not to Argue for Anything: George Stephanopoulos and Rand Paul (March 5, 2021)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg devotes a whole episode to exploring the many errors in reasoning and argumentation that both George Stephanopoulos and Rand Paul committed during a recent interview. While they both lowered the bar of discourse, dissecting and analyzing their...
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Episode 87: The Monomyth (January 18, 2021)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg talks about the monomyth, the idea that all stories follow the same universal pattern. He further argues the reason this pattern is universal is that it is a reflection of the story of Christ's saving of humanity and other stories cannot help…
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Episode 86: Philosophy of Story: Introduction (December 11, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg introduces the topic of engaging with stories philosophically. He explains what he thinks makes a good story, four of the different ways of looking at stories, and how some stories work well in some media and not in others. (December 11, 2020)
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Episode 85: An Episode of Segments (November 27, 2020)
In this episode, Phil Kallberg catches up on some segments he has been putting off for the last few months. He gives out a face palm and sigh award, explain why the claim "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" is wrong, and go through a listener's feedback. (November 27, 2020)
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Episode 84: Using Inference to the Best Explanation to Explore claims of Election Fraud (November 13, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg lays out the general idea of inference to the best explanation and then use it to explore and evaluate the ongoing claims of election fraud. (November 13, 2020)
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Episode 83: Practical Political Philosophy: Libertarianism with a small "l" from Phil (October 30, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg I wrap up the series on political philosophy by giving you my take on things. I argue for small scale libertarianism which is best summed up by the idea, "the government that governs least governs best." I also tell you how I see the current...
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Episode 82: Practical Political Philosophy: The Political Left from Dustin Crummett (October 23, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Dustin Crummett of Ludwig Maximilian University joins Phil Kallberg to make a case for supporting the political left and the Democrats in this year's election. We discuss his theory of government, arguments surrounding single issue voting, various problems…
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Episode 81: Practical Political Philosophy: Anarcho-Capitalism from Jonathan Reed (October 16, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg discuss his political view, Anarcho-Capitalism, a political theory which argues that all human interactions (including the government) should be dependent on a voluntary choice. Jon defends his view against my objections and gives his thoughts…
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Episode 80: Practical Political Philosophy: Common Good Conservatism from Pat Flynn Part 2 (October 9, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Catholic evangelist Pat Flynn joins Phil Kallberg to talk about politics and philosophy. They discuss more of the implications of conservatism, the government's response to the pandemic, how Pat's view differs from the other ones, and Pat answers some of the...
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Episode 79: Practical Political Philosophy: Common Good Conservatism from Pat Flynn Part 1 (October 2, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Pat Flynn joins Phil Kallberg to talk about politics and philosophy. He makes a case for Common Good Conservatism and argues that Abortion is such an evil that it overrides nearly every other political issue. This is part one of two. (October 2, 2020)
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Episode 78: Eternal Security (September 25, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg joins David Pallmann for a discussion on Eternal Security. David and Phil discuss the various positions on Eternal Security, the arguments pro and con, as well as what makes a good theory and proof texting. (September 25, 2020)
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Episode 77: Appeal to Authority and Expertise: When it Works and When it Doesn't (September 11, 2020)
In light of the growing skepticism of experts and institutions I spend this episode going through the reasoning behind appeals to authority and expertise and explain why sometimes this is fallacious reasoning and why sometimes it's a good and wise thing to do. (September 11, 2020)
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Episode 76: The need for Terminators in Reasoning (August 28, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg explores the need for lines of reasoning to have an end (terminators) and a beginning, and he points to some practical examples of the problems that arise when the terminators are avoided. (August 28, 2020)
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Episode 75: The Philosophical Roots of the Riots (July 31, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg attempts to explore the origins of the pathological philosophy that seems to be a significant part of the ongoing riots and political unrest in America. I get into language and communication theory, the foundations of Postmodernism, and argue…
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Episode 74: The Problem with Presuppositionalism (July 17, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg explains the key problem with Presuppositional Apologetics, a system that is popular in some circles and on the internet. I also cover some of the history of how this system developed. (July 17, 2020)
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Episode 73: Why Most Criminal Justice Reform Doesn't Work (June 19, 2020)
In this issue of The Examined Life, philosopher Phil Kallberg explains why most Criminal Justice reform doesn't work. (June 19, 2020)
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Episode 72: Distinctions, Definitions, and Current Events (June 5, 2020)
In this episode of "The Examined Life," Phil Kallberg covers some of the most important things for thinking and philosophizing well, how to make appropriate distinctions, define terms, and avoid improper distinctions. Then he applies this basic standard of thinking to some current events and...
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Episode 71: The Problem of Universals (April 24, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg covers one of the key problems or distinctions in philosophy, the problem of universals. How you end up answering this question dictates how you will end up thinking about many other things. Also he gives out a face palm and sigh award to the…
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Episode 70: An Argument Against Agnosticism (April 10, 2020)
This week I go through my own (somewhat technical) argument against agnosticism. I argue that a certain principle in logic demonstrates that God either must exist or must not exist, hence agnosticism is not a reasonable option. (April 10, 2020)
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Episode 69: The Facepalm and Sigh Awards. COVID-19 Edition (April 3, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg does a whole episode of facepalm and sigh awards for some particularly poor examples of reasoning from various people talking about the COVID-19 pandemic. (April 3, 2020)
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Episode 68: What is toxic? American Society and Masculinity (March 27, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg works his way through an essay he prepared for the 2020 meeting of the society for Pentecostal Studies on masculinity and American society. Since the conference was canceled, he provides podcast version of the essay where he argues that it is…
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Episode 67: Pascal's Wager, the Trolley Problem, and the Coronavirus (March 20, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, philosopher Phil Kallberg talks about the common claim that most of philosophy is useless for practical, real world problems. This week, he demonstrates why this is a foolish claim as Pascal's Wager and the Trolley Problem can help us make sense of how to…
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Episode 66: Three Types of Philosophy (March 13, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg gives out a face palm and sigh award to the US Ambassador to Germany and compare the analytic, continental, and skeptical methods of philosophy. (March 13, 2020)
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Episode 65: The Moral Argument and the Ontological Argument (March 6, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg plays a discussion he had with Suan Sonna of Intellectual Conservatism on the Moral and Ontological Arguments for God's existence. He makes a case for the soundness of these arguments. (March 6, 2020)
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Episode 64: How not to Argue for Universalism (February 21, 2020)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg spends this week giving a face palm and sigh award to David Bentley Hart for a poorly argued article in the New York Times. He pulls several lessons on how to argue rationally and persuasively from Hart's article as Hart demonstrates what not to...
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Episode 63: Creation, Science, and Evolution: Old Earth Creationism (February 14, 2020)
This week, I make the case for Old Earth Creationism (OEC). OEC claims that the Earth is quite old and that God is responsible for Creation. I argue that there is a lot of physical evidence that indicates that the Earth is quite old and that this fact is perfectly compatible with Genesis. Also I...
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Episode 62: Creation, Science, and Evolution: Was the Flood local? Part 3 (February 7, 2020)
This week, Rob and I conclude our discussion on the theory that Noah's flood was a regional event and spend some time examining the problems that arise from postulating a global flood. This is part three of three. (February 7, 2020)
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Episode 61: Title: Creation, Science, and Evolution: Was the Flood local? Part 2 (January 31, 2020)
This week, Rob Rowe and Phil Kallberg continue discussing many of the issues surrounding the interpretation of Genesis, and Rob lays out the case for Noah's flood being a regional, as opposed to a global, event. This is part two of three. (January 31, 2020)
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Episode 60: Creation, Science, and Evolution: Was the Flood local? Part 1 (January 24, 2020)
This week, Rob Rowe and I begin a lengthy discussion on Noah's flood and the issues surrounding it. Rob and I begin by discussing the issues surrounding the interpretation of Genesis, and Rob explains his theory that Evolution fits neatly with the Atonement. This is part one of three. (January…
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Episode 59: Debating Inerrancy: Audience Q & A, Post Debate Thoughts, and Unasked Questions (January 17, 2020)
This week I'm playing the audience question and answer section of the debate on inerrancy I did with David Van Bebber. I offer my thoughts and reflections of the debate and also answer the audience questions that there was not time to address at the event. (January 17, 2020)
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Episode 58: Debating Inerrancy: Phil Kallberg vs David Van Bebber (January 10, 2020)
On January 6, 2020 in Springfield, MO I accepted an invitation to debate David Van Bebber over the nature of Biblical Inerrancy. This is the debate. (January 20, 2020)
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Episode 57: Creation, Science, and Evolution: Scarlett Clay presents Biblical Creationism, Part Two (December 27, 2019)
This week Scarlett Clay responds to the standard objections to the idea that the Earth is young and we discuss how to interpret the first chapters of Genesis. This is part two of a two part episode. (December 27, 2019)
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Episode 56: Creation, Science, and Evolution: Scarlett Clay presents Biblical Creationism, Part 1 (December 20, 2019)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg engages Scarlett Clay, who explains and argues for Biblical Creationism, the view that God created the Earth in six days about six thousands years ago. This is part one of a two part episode. (December 20, 2019)
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Episode 55: What is Evidence? (December 13, 2019)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg offers another offshoot episode of the series on Creation, Evolution, and Science. He examines what the nature of evidence is, and how we can recognize and understand evidence. He also gives out a face palm and sigh award to Bart Ehrman for...
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Episode 54: Listener Feedback (November 29, 2019)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg responds to some of the feedback the podcast has been getting, gives out another face palm and sigh award, and does more Calvin and Hobbes and Philosophy. (November 29, 2019)
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Episode 53: An Argument against Evolution from Morality (November 22, 2019)
This week I argue that despite numerous claims to the contrary, Evolution cannot adequately explain the existence of morality. And I give the face palm and sigh award to a prominent cosmologist for arguing that physics proves that there is no afterlife. (November 22, 2019)
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Episode 52: The Evolutionary Argument against Naturalism (November 15, 2019)
Drawing on the work of Alvin Plantinga, I explain what the Evolutionary Argument against Naturalism is, go through how it works, and attempt to demonstrate that believing in both Evolution and Naturalism is self-defeating. Also I give a CNET reviewer a face palm and sigh award for pushing…
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Episode 51: The Problem with Scientism (November 8, 2019)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg explains what Scientism is, what the problems with it are, and why it is a bad way to look at the world. Also he gives out another face palm and sigh award. (November 8, 2019)
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Episode 50: 50 Episodes! A Summary of What We've Covered (November 1, 2019)
Since this is the 50th episode of this podcast, I take some time to run through and summarize all the prior episodes and talk about which ones I enjoyed the most. Here's to 50 more! (November 1, 2019)
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Episode 49: Metaphysics from Edith Stein and Aristotle (October 25, 2019)
In order to help lay a foundation for some upcoming episodes this week, Phil Kallberg goes over some aspects of the philosophy of Edith Stein and Aristotle's philosophy. Stein's Personal Core and Aristotle's substance share many features and Phil uses them both to explain what metaphysics is....
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Episode 48: Peter Rasor and The Controversy of the Ages, Part 2 (October 18, 2019)
In this episode of The Examined Life, Phil Kallberg talks to Peter Rasor about the book he co-authored, "The Controversy of the Ages: Why Christians Should not Divide over the Age of the Earth." Peter and Phil discuss the various issues surrounding the interpretation of Genesis and the principles...
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Episode 47: Peter Rasor and The Controversy of the Ages, Part 1 (October 11, 2019)
I talk to Peter Rasor about the book he co-authored, "The Controversy of the Ages: Why Christians Should not Divide over the Age of the Earth." Peter tells me about what led to him writing the book and we get into some of the history of the supposed conflicts between science and religion. This is...
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Episode 46: Creation, Evolution, and Science: David Pallman presents a case for Intelligent Design. Part 3 (October 4, 2019)
David Pallman of Faith because of Reason presents the case for Intelligent Design. In this episode David gives his criticisms of Young Earth Creationism and Theistic Evolution. I conclude the episode by doing a segment of Calvin and Hobbes and Philosophy. This is part three of a three part…
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Episode 45: Creation, Evolution, and Science: David Pallman presents a case for Intelligent Design. Part 2. (September 27, 2019)
In this episode of The Examined Life, David Pallman of Faith because of Reason presents the case for Intelligent Design. In this episode David addresses the common criticisms of Intelligent Design and begins giving his criticisms of Young Earth Creationism. Also I gave out a face palm and sigh...