Philosophy on the Fringes – Details, episodes & analysis
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Philosophy on the Fringes
Megan Fritts & Frank Cabrera
Frequency: 1 episode/37d. Total Eps: 25
A couple of philosophy professors, Megan Fritts and Frank Cabrera, try to prove that you can do philosophy about almost anything. Join them as they explore the philosophical dimensions of topics on the outskirts of the academy. From Bigfoot to birthday parties, they take a Socratic approach to phenomena strange and mundane, asking listeners the question: What if we did philosophy on the fringes?
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Apple Podcasts
🇨🇦 Canada - philosophy
23/07/2025#97🇨🇦 Canada - philosophy
22/07/2025#70🇨🇦 Canada - philosophy
09/06/2025#85🇨🇦 Canada - philosophy
08/06/2025#64🇩🇪 Germany - philosophy
02/06/2025#97🇩🇪 Germany - philosophy
01/06/2025#70🇩🇪 Germany - philosophy
02/05/2025#100🇩🇪 Germany - philosophy
01/05/2025#60🇨🇦 Canada - philosophy
02/09/2024#81
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See allScore global : 52%
Publication history
Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.
Biohacking
Episode 17
lundi 20 mai 2024 • Duration 49:07
In this episode, Megan and Frank tackle the growing trend of "hacking" one's biology to increase longevity and possibly attain immortality. Are biohackers right to fear death, though? Would immortality be desirable? And is the human condition worth preserving? Thinkers discussed include: Epicurus, Bernard Williams, Schopenhauer, John Martin Fischer, Martha Nussbaum, and J.R.R. Tolkien.
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Hosts' Websites:
Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com
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Bibliography:
What Is Biohacking And How Does It Work? – Forbes Health
Challenging Bryan Johnson On His “Never Die” Biohacking Protocol (youtube.com)
Letter to Menoeceus by Epicurus (mit.edu)
Is Death Bad for You? by Shelley Kagan (chronicle.com)
Williams on Immortality.pdf (nd.edu)
John Martin Fischer Response to Williams
Gift of Ilúvatar | The One Wiki to Rule Them All | Fandom
Schopenhauer - The vanity of existence
Brooke Alan Trisel, Human extinction and the value of our efforts
Being and Becoming in Modern Physics (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Megan Fritts, Arresting Time's Arrow: Death, Loss, and the Preservation of Real Union
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Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts
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Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs
License code: DEKZTEGOGV2Q0TH7
Myths, Pt. 2
Episode 16
mercredi 24 avril 2024 • Duration 01:22:54
In this episode, Megan and Frank continue their discussion of myths and mythology. Join them as they further explore different approaches to interpreting and understanding myth. How have creation myths differed across cultures? Should myth be regarded as an allegory? Is the point of myth to justify society’s norms? Is myth a tool for exploring the subconscious aspects of our minds? And do we have any use for myth in the modern world? Thinkers discussed include Joseph Cambell, Carl Jung, Karl Popper, and Mary Midgley.
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Hosts' Websites:
Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com
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Bibliography:
Powell - A Short Introduction to Classical Myth (earlhaig.ca) (Chs. 2-3 for an excellent overview of theories of myth)
Classical Mythology - Prof. Vandiver (A great lecture series we learned a lot from)
Myth in Human History - Grant Voth (Another great lecture series we drew from)
Myth and Knowing: An Introduction to World Mythology (quoted a few times in the episode)
Teaching Jung - Kelly Bulkeley; Clodagh Weldon (Ch. 5 by Robert Segal was very helpful!)
Campbell's "Other" Monomyth - The Hero's Journey: Life's Great Adventure
A Secular Age — Charles Tayllor
Conjectures & Refutations - Karl Popper
The Myths We Live By - Mary Midgley
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Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts
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Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs
License code: LRDE4XFUJKAMEDIZ
Kids
Episode 7
mercredi 31 mai 2023 • Duration 43:13
The kids are alright… or are they? On today’s episode, Megan and Frank cover the following topics: is childhood a morally horrible stage of life? What does the “good life” look like for a kid? Should children get the right to vote for elected officials? Can young children understand philosophical questions and reasoning? And if so, should we be bringing philosophy to the youth?
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Hosts' Websites:
Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)
Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com
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Bibliography:
Paul, LA. - Transformative Experience - Oxford University Press (oup.com)
Kazez, J. - Old Age as a Stage of Life - Journal of Applied Philosophy - Wiley Online Library
Cicero — De Senectute [On Old Age] (uchicago.edu)
Mill, J.S. - On Liberty (Ch. 3)
Sandel, M. - the Case Against Perfection - The Atlantic
Big Ideas for Little Philosophers (penguinrandomhouse.com)
Social Contract Theory | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Feminist Critique)
Nussbaum, M. - Frontiers of Justice (Ch. 2, "Disabilities and the Social Contract)
Rowlands, M. - Contractarianism and Animal Rights
Wiland, E. - Should Children Have the Right to Vote?
Brennan, J. - Against Democracy | Princeton University Press
Aristotle - Nicomachean Ethics (Bk. 1, Sect. 3)
Philosophy for Children (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Do Kids Have a Fundamental Sense of Fairness? - Scientific American
Augustine - Confessions, (Bk. 1, Ch. 7)
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Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts
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Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs
License code: LBJAOXPIK1VAALIR
Extra-Terrestrial Life
Episode 6
dimanche 14 mai 2023 • Duration 44:47
Why did early modern philosophers posit legions of blissful aliens to help solve the problem of evil? Is life essentially terrestrial? Does SETI count as a scientific enterprise? If Martians could talk, would we ever be able to understand them? Join Megan and Frank as they philosophize about our friends from the final frontier!
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Hosts' Websites:
Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)
Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com
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Bibliography:
Defense Department announces new UFO task force - CBS News
Plutarch • On the Face in the Moon (Part 1 of 4) (uchicago.edu)
Lucretius - On the Nature of Things by Lucretius (mit.edu)
Pearce, K. - Space Aliens and Skeptical Theism (blog.kennypearce.net)
Draper, P. (1989) Pain and Pleasure: An Evidential Problem for Theists on JSTOR
Fantastically Wrong: Why the Guy Who Discovered Uranus Thought There's Life on the Sun | WIRED
There Is Only One Other Planet In Our Galaxy That Could Be Earth-Like, Say Scientists (forbes.com)
Rare Earth hypothesis: Why we might really be alone in the universe | Astronomy.com
Pseudoscience and the Demarcation Problem | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (utm.edu)
A More Parsimonious Explanation for UFO Abduction on JSTOR
75 Years Ago, 'War Of The Worlds' Started A Panic. Or Did It? : The Two-Way : NPR
Whitmore, J. (1995). Religious Dimensions of the UFO Abductee Experience ("UFO abductions seem to be primarily an American phenomenon; although several important cases have been reported outside the U.S., some argue that abductions are mainly confined to this country.", p. 81)
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Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts
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Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs
License code: CWK7B5OYQTUXZOER
Dating Apps
Episode 5
dimanche 16 avril 2023 • Duration 44:16
From Tinder to FarmersOnly, dating apps not only help us meet the love of our life, they also raise new philosophical questions! Does an endless stream of potential partners arrest our romantic agency? Is it morally wrong to care about looks? Why do these apps function like games--and has this gameplay forced our digital love lives into a functional flop? Join Frank and Megan as they discuss all these questions, as well as their own experiences, or lack thereof, in the world of online dating.
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Hosts' Websites:
Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)
Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com
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Bibliography:
Key findings about online dating in the U.S. | Pew Research Center
Kierkegaard - The Seducer's Diary | Princeton University Press
Existentialism is a Humanism, Jean-Paul Sartre 1946 (marxists.org)
Is It Bad to Prefer Attractive Partners? - William D’Alessandro (see social science references contained therein)
C. Thi Nguyen - How Twitter gamifies communication - PhilPapers
Paradox of Hedonism | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (utm.edu)
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Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts
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Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs
License code: XZ0M3FIAMJSIK86P
Polytheism
Episode 4
dimanche 12 mars 2023 • Duration 43:35
Is there a goddess of Victory? A deity governing the sea? What about a god of the door hinge? In this episode, Megan and Frank discuss polytheism—the belief in many gods—from both historical and philosophical perspectives. They try to show that examining polytheism can help us think more clearly about the concept of “god”.
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Hosts' Websites:
Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)
Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com
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Bibliography:
City of God (St. Augustine) (newadvent.org)
Xenophanes (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
The Internet Classics Archive | The Republic by Plato (mit.edu)
LacusCurtius • Cicero — De Natura Deorum I.1‑19 (uchicago.edu)
LacusCurtius • Cicero — De Divinatione: Book II (uchicago.edu)
Estate Planning in Hellenic Antiquity: Aristotle's Last Will and Testament
The Internet Classics Archive | Metaphysics by Aristotle (mit.edu)
On Counting Gods | TheoLogica: An International Journal for Philosophy of Religion and Philosophical Theology (uclouvain.be) (by Dale Tuggy)
Eric Steinhart, On the plurality of gods - PhilArchive
David Lewis, Philosophical Papers, Volume 1 - PhilPapers (page xi)
Gravity and Grace - 1st Edition - Simone Weil - Routledge Book
Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, by David Hume (Part 5)
Monotheism - Monotheism in world religions | Britannica
Oration of Constantine (Eusebius) (newadvent.org)
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Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts
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Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs
License code: ZYVY5ICVVNMBBD3H
Road House
Episode 3
dimanche 26 février 2023 • Duration 40:38
What philosophical lessons can we draw from the action movie Road House? In this episode, Megan and Frank do philosophy alongside Patrick Swayze's legendary character Dalton, examining the nature of pain, the limits of pacifism, and whether one can find the meaning of life while being a bouncer.
Footnotes: 1) Road House is NOT a family friendly movie. 2) Prior viewing of Road House is not required for listening. Clips of some of the scenes we discuss can be found here:
Road House (1/11) Movie CLIP - Three Simple Rules (1989) HD - YouTube
Road House (2/11) Movie CLIP - Pain Don't Hurt (1989) HD - YouTube
JcPenny's Came Here Because of Me.wmv - YouTube
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Hosts' Websites:
Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)
Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com
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Bibliography
The Internet Classics Archive | The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (mit.edu) (Ch. 4)
The Internet Classics Archive | The Enchiridion by Epictetus (mit.edu)
Is the Sage Free from Pain? (wku.edu) by Jan Edward Garrett
Jeremy Bentham: An Introduction to the Principles of Morals and Legislation (utilitarianism.com) (Ch. 5)
Pacifism | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (utm.edu)
Nietzsche’s Moral and Political Philosophy (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Opioids and the Brain - How do changes in the brain begin? - PursueCare
Frontiers | Cognition and Pain: A Review (frontiersin.org)
Congenital Insensitivity to Pain Overview - GeneReviews® - NCBI Bookshelf (nih.gov)
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Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts
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Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs
License code: LOEVGA6IP8O5FQSV
Bigfoot
Episode 2
samedi 11 février 2023 • Duration 42:41
Is Bigfoot carelessly categorized amongst the less credible cryptids? Megan and Frank discuss the possibility of the existence of this hairy hominid, debate the weight of evidence from eye-witness testimony, and try to get to the bottom of why Frank just can't believe.
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Hosts' Websites:
Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)
Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com
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Bibliography:
Hunting Monsters: Cryptozoology and the Reality Behind the Myths , Naish, Darren - Amazon.com (Ch. 4)
If Bigfoot Were Real - Scientific American Blog Network (by Darren Naish)
The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Natural History of Pliny, Volume II., by Pliny the Elder. (Book VII, Ch. 2)
Jane Goodall on How to Change Minds and Why She Isn't Ruling Out Bigfoot | GQ
Knowledge: A Very Short Introduction by Jennifer Nagel (Ch. 6)
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Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts
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Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs
License code: GXITJWQZJVEP5XV8
New Year's Resolutions
Episode 1
jeudi 9 février 2023 • Duration 30:34
What is a resolution? Are popular New Year's resolutions too self-centered? What can the ancients teach us about maintaining our resolutions and avoiding temptation? And is the very practice of making New Year's resolutions irrational? These are just some of the questions we explore in this episode.
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Hosts' Websites:
Frank J. Cabrera - Research (google.com)
Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com
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Bibliography:
New Year’s Resolutions Statistics And Data – Forbes Health
The resolution solution: Longitudinal examination of New Year's change attempts - ScienceDirect
A Medieval Man’s New Year’s Resolutions (medievalists.net)
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Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts
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Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs
License code: 0TQXA2M8GGXGEUKZ
Myths, Pt. 1
Episode 15
lundi 1 avril 2024 • Duration 50:36
In this episode, Frank and Megan discuss myths and mythology. What role has myth played in philosophy? What's the relationship between myths, history, and truth? And did the ancients really believe their myths? Join us as we engage with thinkers such as Thales of Miletus, Plato, Aristotle, Herodotus, Augustine, Paul Veyne, and R.G. Collingwood. This is the first part of a two-part episode.
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Hosts' Websites:
Email: philosophyonthefringes@gmail.com
-----------------------
Bibliography:
Powell - A Short Introduction to Classical Myth (earlhaig.ca) (Main source for claims about history of word "mythos" and its use in Plato/Herodotus/Aristotle. Highly recommended!)
Lehoux - All things are full of gods": naturalism in the classical world
R. G. Collingwood - The Idea of History
The Herodotus - The Histories (See also BBC "In Our Time" podcast episode on Herodotus)
Thucydides - The History of the Peloponnesian War (See also BBC "In Our Time" podcast episode on Thucydides)
Plato’s Myths - (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Julia Annas - Plato's Myths of Judgement (Discusses Aristotle critique of Plato's geography in the myth in the Phaedo)
Paul Veyne - Did the Greeks Believe in Their Myths?
Dana L. Burgess - Review of Veyne's "Did the Greeks Beleive in Their Myths?"
Augustine - Two Books on Genesis
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Cover Artwork by Logan Fritts
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Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/simon-folwar/neon-signs
License code: VYYZJBODHJSDWNZP
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