The 10 Best Practical Philosophy Podcasts to Navigate an Uncertain Era
Last updated on April 27th, 2023
I’m almost certain I broke my mother’s heart when I told her I was going to pursue philosophy at University. She didn’t say it at the time and ironically kept a stoic face about her throughout the entire conversation. Practical philosophy isn’t a career path.
You won’t find “philosopher” in the want ads.
One of the biggest objections to studying philosophy is that it just isn’t practical. That it’s practiced by ivory tower elite professors with tenure and an innate desire to be esoteric for its own sake.
But when you dive into the practitioners and writers within a given philosophical school, you quickly find that philosophy, in general, isn’t meant to be learned and read alone. No, its meant to be applied vigorously to everyday life.
Since we are already committed to learning something new every day, why not punch up your philosophy skillset in the process.
Podcasts are an invaluable resource for making practical philosophy applicable to everyone’s daily lives. So, let’s keep an open mind and show my Mom that philosophy can be useful, practical, and entertaining all at the same time.
Here are the 10 best practical philosophy podcasts to get your feet wet.
*Editors Note* It’s a list we will continue to update, so check back often to see what has been added and updated.
Table of Contents
The Daily Stoic
Listen Time: 5 minutes
Post Frequency: Daily
Stoicism is experiencing a bit of a moment. It’s a school of thought that asks us to look inward for the aspects of life we can control, and recognize the aspects we can’t. If you’ve ever heard the serenity prayer in any context of your life, this sounds familiar.
Based on his book of the same name, Ryan Holliday walks listeners through a roughly 5-minute thought experiment each day. Ryan keeps the mediations short and universally practical. These 5 minutes you spend grappling with stoicism will yield outsized returns on your investment. 5-minute practical philosophy lessons… yes, please.
Jump In:
Patience is How We Will Survive This
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify
The Philosopher’s Zone
Listen Time: ~30 minutes
Post Frequency: Weekly
Coming out of the Australian Broadcast Company (ABC), the Philosopher’s Zone aims to be a primer for all things related to logic, metaphysics, and ethics. Throw in a bit of epistemology and the history of philosophy, and you get a compact little show with a lot of punch behind it.
What makes this such an engaging philosophy podcast is it’s host, David Rutledge. David is not a professor of philosophy. He’s a broadcaster, so his hosting duties come first. That said, he does have a PhD in theology and literature from the University of Edinburgh. He’s no slouch in the Groves of Academe.
If philosophy seems a bit boring or dry, start here. You can get the most complex answers from the simplest questions.
Jump in with the most recent episode as of the time of this update. The anti-philosophers.
Philosophy 24/7
Listen Time: ~ 1 Hour
Post Frequency: One Episode Per Month
Philosophy 24/7 is hosted by an award-winning journalist from the BBC. This means the interview/discussion is going to be engaging, because the hosts are, well, professional. And that’s before I mention that the host is David Edmonds. The very same David Edmonds who happens to write some of the more insightful philosophy books aimed at the layman.
The marriage of professional broadcaster and academic chops is a relationship that demands consumption. It would be nice if the show was more than once a month, but it takes at least that long to sit and ruminate in the topics discussed. So the posting frequency is understandable.
Jump In:
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts | RSS
The Unmute Podcast
Listen Time: ~45 minutes
Post Frequency: Monthly
The host of the Unmute Podcast is a brilliant moral philosopher working at the intersection of psychology and political philosophy. She explores the crux of what we ought to do to get better. And could there be a better time for Myshia Cherry’s voice? Doubtful.
There’s a youthful exuberance to her show that makes the whole project seem fresh. Are these big ideas? Absolutely. But they are approached by a group of thinkers who aren’t bound to the most recent institutional dogmas. They aren’t tied down by anything but getting to a practical solution to intractable societal problems.
That’s just downright infectious listening.
Jump In:
Episode 054 – Overdoing Democracy
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify
Making Sense With Sam Harris
Listen Time: ~90 minutes
Post Frequency: ~Bi-Weekly
Sam Harris doesn’t court controversy. It just seems that way. That said, the Socratic examination he takes to thinking about any issue draws a lot of ire, from seemingly every direction. A lot of times, that’s what makes for the best philosophy podcast you can listen to.
In addition to a degree in philosophy, Sam’s PhD in neuroscience helps to slow the conversation down and allows space for intriguing thought experiments. It means this show helps tighten up our daily, practical, thinking.
Originally titled Waking Up, his podcast drew its name from his meditation app of the same name. Because the agenda of Harris’ work isn’t to rankle feathers for the sake of rankling feathers. The mission is to bring critical thinking, deep thought, and considered focus on the assumptions we all make. The podcast has since been branded “Making Sense.”
On a practical level, challenging our assumptions come what may, is a lot of work. So finding balance on that path is critical to sustainable success. Nobody wants to be outrage fatigued.
But everyone does want to listen to Waking Up.
Jump in:
#217 – The New Religion of Anti-Racism
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify
Philosophy Talk
Listen Time: ~60 minutes
Post Frequency: Weekly
Philosophy Talk has been producing some of the most engaging philosophical discussions of the past two decades. Yeah, I know, there weren’t podcasts back then, but this show started life as an over the airwaves program (still is on KALW 91.7FM) before adding in the podcast format.
John Perry and the late Ken Taylor co-founded the show, but now there are a number of co-hosts.
The show is on a quest to make the audience question their long held beliefs and really examine what they believe. The show covers a wide range of topics, such as current events, popular culture, moral psychology, and just about every other topic you might think of.
It’s a philosophy podcast that teaches the listener how to think, not necessarily what to think, and they do that through some engaging, humorous, and useful discussions.
Jump In: Liberty and Justice For Who?
In this episode the main hosts are joined by author and political philosopher Uday Singh Mehta to discuss the contradiction between the British liberalism that served as the foundation for most liberal democratic societies, and how that same British liberalism could be used to justify the horrific colonial past.
As history and politics go, this is one of the best philosophy podcast episodes.
The Partially Examined Life
Listen Time: ~ 1 Hour
Post Frequency: Weekly
The Partially Examined Life podcast is hosted by a bevy of former philosophy students who decided that an academic career might not be the most practical life choice. And really, making better choices about how we ought to live our lives is what practical philosophy is all about.
The four hosts, Mark Linsenmayer, Seth Paskin, Wes Alwan, and Dylan Casey, share enough common academic backgrounds to give the show a coherent theme but are distinct enough to make the conversations feel lively.
Overall, it’s a podcast that should sit in your subscription list, even if every episode isn’t your cup of tea. When applying philosophy actively in your everyday life, it’s important to have examples that are entertaining and intellectually honest.
Even if it’s from a bunch of guys who didn’t make it past the final gatekeeper.
Jump In:
#244 – Camus and Strategies for Facing Plague
Listen Here: Apple Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify
Akimbo: A Podcast from Seth Godin
Listen Time: ~30 min
Post Frequency: Weekly
Chances are high that you’ve heard of Seth Godin. While may not be an official philosopher, he is a brilliant thinker, and author of more than 20 New York Times best sellers on a range of topics. That makes him a philosopher of sorts. A public philosopher, if you will.
Seth’s philosophy podcast, blog, and book are designed to get that gray matter fired up. Akimbo translates to “posture of possibility.” The posture is literally standing, hands on hips, elbows out with a straight back. It’s the posture that instills self-confidence. Think Superman on a tall building.
We could all use a little more possibility right now.
What makes his show and work relevant to a list of practical philosophy podcasts, is that he’s a teacher who focuses on his audience’s success. Once you’re done gorging on his podcast, take a look at signing up for one of his Udemy courses to help break out of the 9-5 doldrums.
Seth Godin on Presenting to Pursuade
Jump In: The dance with AI, reality and identity. In this episode, Seth begins to explore the implications of AI on our sense of self. Very interesting discussion.
Overthink
Listen Time: ~1 Hour
Post Frequency: Weekly
While this philosophy podcast may be hosted by two powerhouse philosophy professors, Ellie Anderson, PhD and David Pena-Guzman, PhD, it is by no means a philosophy podcast only for true academics. The insightful discussions they have can be translated into real world advice.
That said, this is what doing real philosophy looks like. No fluff, and citing canonical sources.
For example, their discussion of how the concept of silence fits into our daily lives was particularly engaging and interesting. More importantly it was applicable. Our hosts dive into several heavy hitters, like Heidegger, Aquinas, and the tenants of Buddhism.
But bringing that discussion back to the practice of meditation and the impact that can practice can have. It’s a clever way to get philosophy in your own life without having to crack the dense text themselves. If anyone tells you they understand the introduction to Being and Time, they’re lying to you. Guaranteed.
If you’re interested more in meditation, consider taking a course to get you started with your own practice.
A Practical Guide to Meditation
But before doing that, take an hour to listen to our hosts break down how silence fits into our lives.
Jump In: Silence
Hi-Phi Nation
What makes Hi-Phi Nation from Slate such an interesting philosophy podcast is that it takes a story telling approach. Everything else we’ve covered has been either narrative or an interview. Something like that. But this tack is a twist that draws you in as a listener.
Your host, Barry Lam, PhD, works on the Philosophy of Cognitive Science at Vassar college. So, while a storyteller, he’s bona fide.
His recent show on Love in the Time of Replika was a brilliant look at what happens when users fall in love with a glorified chatbot. Stranger things have happened, and with AI making progress at a frankly absurd rate, it’s a trend that may well continue.
Scott Galloway recently discussed at some length the declining birth rates, and the fact that people are having less sex. Perhaps they’re replacing real relationships with purely virtual ones?
Jump In: Love in the Time of Replika
Conclusion
We live in heady, uncertain times. Not that that couldn’t be said of any time in history, but the past is for historians. We live in the here and now, and the present moment belongs to the philosophers.
This is just an inkling of what’s available to get you started on your practical philosophy journey. I hope there are some actionable takeaways from this list and if I missed any glaring entry into the practical philosophy list, let me know in the comments.
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