RS109 - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein on Plato at the Googleplex

Release date: June 1, 2014

Rebecca Newberger GoldsteinRebecca Newberger Goldstein -- philosopher, author, and Genius-grant recipient -- returns to the Rationally Speaking podcast to discuss her latest book, "Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won't Go Away." Rebecca, Julia and Massimo argue over the value of philosophy in modern science, and whether it makes sense to designate "experts" in ethical reasoning.

Rebecca's pick: "The Mathematician's Shiva: A Novel"

RS108 - Suicide

Release date: May 18, 2014

"There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide," wrote Albert Camus. In this episode of Rationally Speaking, Massimo and Julia discuss the ethics of suicide through the lens of several major philosophies. They also explore the social science of suicide: how does one person's suicide affect the community?

Massimo's pick: "Farewell to Reality: How Modern Physics Has Betrayed the Search for Scientific Truth"
Julia's pick: "Slate Star Codex"

RS107 - MOOCs

Release date: May 4, 2014

Does the future belong to MOOCs? Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs for short, have been hailed as the next wave in secondary education, poised to replace brick-and-mortar colleges with their expensive infrastructure and sky-high tuition. In this episode of Rationally Speaking, Julia and Massimo discuss how to measure MOOCs' effectiveness, separating the hype from the genuine promise.

Massimo's pick: "The Dark Side of the Enlightenment: Wizards, Alchemists, and Spiritual Seekers in the Age of Reason"
Julia's pick: "A Person Paper on Purity in Language"