What podcasts do you recommend and why?

[J.A.K.]

I couldn't find an equivalent for podcasts to the other threads like, "What book are you reading?" So here's a podcast thread with a slight variation in that it's not so much about what you're listening to or have listened to, but a little closer to a positive review of what you've listened to or are listening to.

I recently heard a podcaster mention that podcasts, in particular, rely heavily on word of mouth promotion. So if there's a podcast you love listening to and you want it to continue, or just get the kudos you think it deserves, then write a little something to give them a potential bump.

 

[J.A.K.]

The History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps

I love philosophy but have always struggled with the recursive nature of studying it. By this I mean constantly butting up against what I feel I'm expected to know when reading most philosophical works. Certain assumptions are made by philosophical writers so there's a constant pressure to 'go back' and learn what you don't know in order to understand what you're reading.

So I decided to start with the Pyramid Texts and work my way up through the entire history of philosophical works. Then, of course, the monumental nature of such a task smacked me back to reality and so I found this podcast and started listening from the first episode. I'm now caught up and about half-way through the companion podcast, "The History of Africana and Indian Philosophy."

It's fascinating, well presented, entertaining, succinct and informative. Episodes tend to be about twenty minutes long, give or take for various subjects or the occasional interview. There are also giraffes and almond croissants. If you have an interest in philosophy but don't know where to start, I highly recommend starting with the History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps.

 

[Chuckeee]

PodCastle. It is a free fantasy fiction pod cast of mostly current fantasy fiction read by a single reader (not a dramatization). Mostly the stories themselves with minimal intro (usually a short author and reader bio). Current place to listen to new/current fiction. New episodes on a weekly basis. Mostly single episode short stories, occasionally a multi episode novella. Good place to find out about new up & coming authors.

PodCastle

PodCastle - The Fantasy Fiction Podcast

podcastle.org

 

[icanhazmac]

JRE (Joe Rogan Experience): long form conversations with a huge diversity of guests from comedians to doctors to cage fighters to scientists to authors to hunters to entrepreneurs, etc. If you don't care for one category of guests you just skip them and move on to one you do. Each lasts about 3 hours so even if you skip a category or two of guests you probably still have a ton to enjoy.

 

[VisceralRealist]

Some of my favorite podcasts are overtly political (even if they are not about politics per se), so I'd rather not discuss them here, even if I do think highly of them. One that isn't such is Ordinary Unhappiness, a podcast about psychoanalysis (both the history of it, but also covering various topics in the field and their current relevance). This year there's going to be a major focus on Lacan. Why do I recommend it? I find it interesting to learn about the mind and why humans do and think the things that they do. I've found it to be very insightful. Some of the topics can be a bit dense and some content might be a little troubling to listen to, but overall it's one of my favorites.

 

[scubachap]

I tend to like history ones, so a couple of those..

The Ancients is a really good series.

If you're in the UK (or are interested) the Three Ravens go round county by county retelling the local old myths and stories. Great fun.

 

[avz]

I like how Louise Perry gets you in with a "near sex" conversations and then very methodically with every rock of her head grinds a very basic statesmanship competencies in your brain.

Ray Dalio is absolutely brilliant at explaining how the mechanics of life works. Always a must listen.