What if everything you thought you knew about Plato's Republic... was wrong?

Quite Useless

Platonic Irony | The Republic, Part IV

An exploration of the art of philosophy, starring Plato, Simone de Beauvoir, Zhuang Zhou, Soren Kierkegaard, Diogenes of Sinope, Audre Lorde, and more! This is the third in a four-part series inspired by Plato's Allegory of the Cave. Scroll through the past episodes to find the first two parts, "Raising the Curtain, Lifting the Veil" and "Madmen." 

Another Name for Chaos

Joseph Campbell was a proponent of the power of myth in framing human life. But in America in the 21st Century, what myths do we have to live by? Well... there's always Star Wars...

American Myths

Antonin Artaud was a self-described 'madman' and persistent failure in the theatre... He was also one of the great artistic geniuses of the 20th Century.

Madmen | The Republic, Part II

Bertolt Brecht was the force behind some of the most popular and influential theater of the 20th Century. But he didn't make plays to entertain. He made them to wake people up to the insanity around them. This episode delves into Brecht's background and work, his philosophy and his legacy... and leads to some surprising places. This is the first in a sequence inspired by the Allegory of the Cave, from Plato's Republic.

Raising the Curtain, Lifting the Veil | The Republic, Part I

What lies at the intersection of art and commerce? Is it possible for these two categories of human endeavor to get along, or are they like cats and dogs, fated to engage in an endless struggle for dominance? (Okay, not really like cats and dogs, but you get the idea...) This episode features insights from Alan Watts, Tom Waits, Samuel Johnson, David Foster Wallace, and someone's psychic grandmother (seriously).

Angels & Demons

For the first episode of season two, I examine what the experience of creating and contemplating art does for us at the deepest level. A dip into the philosophy of art with some help from Tao master Zhuangzi, Thomas Merton, Simon Armitage, Duke Ellington, and Haruki Marukami.

The Use of the Useless

Season 2 of Quite Useless is on its way! Here's a sneak peek at the first episode, in which I take a few steps in the direction of a general theory of art (and arts education), with reference to Zhuangzi, Thomas Merton, Simon Armitage, Duke Ellington, and Haruki Murakami.

PREVIEW - The Use of the Useless

The Hero's Journey, as described by Joseph Campbell, is one of the most influential ideas in modern storytelling. Every Hero's Journey starts with a call to adventure. But what happens when the call is confusing or contradictory... or when it never comes? This is the final episode of Season One of Quite Useless.

Choices | In the Waiting Room | Appetite for Distraction

Why should the idea of a person having sex with a dead chicken bother us? And what insight can films like Deliverance, Indecent Proposal, and Nightcrawler give us into the thornier terrain of contemporary moral philosophy?

Boundaries

After a bit of a delay, Episode 6: Boundaries, will be landing soon. In this episode, we wade into some of the murkiest terrain in modern moral philosophy, seen through the lens of movies. Forget your grandparents' moral dilemmas -- we're talking about moral discomfort and dumbfounding. Check out the Facebook page for links to articles about the moral theories mentioned!

Boundaries Preview

Screenwriter Charlie Kaufmann couldn't figure out how to tell the story he was trying to tell... until he figured out how to frame it. A story about adaptations (framed as a story about frames), with reference to Stephen Belber, Richard Linklater, Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick, and some wild fan theories (including my own).

Frames

First Blood, the first installment in the iconic Rambo franchise, was released 35 years ago this fall. In this episode, I take a look at how the franchise has both reflected and influenced American culture--and question both the ethical and epistemic implications of the films' success. This is the second part of a double feature on action movies and American culture (and one piece of a half-season mini-arc concerning the ethics of adaptation). It's also the third episode in a row to mention Ronald Reagan!

The Rambo Effect | Heroes Part II

Eric Poulin, host of the political podcast The People's Soapbox, takes a look at the classic 1988 action movie Die Hard, asking what its development and continued popularity tell us American cultural--both then and now. Also, Eric and I discover something shady as we're preparing the episode to air... This is the first part of a double feature on action movies and American culture (and one piece of a half-season mini-arc concerning the ethics of adaptation).

What Dies Hardest | Heroes Part I

What do Anton Chekhov, Dr. Seuss, and Bruce Springsteen have in common (aside from similar haircuts)? Their work has been misunderstood and misconstrued--whether they knew it or not. Episode two kicks off a four-episode mini-arc about the ethics and ironies of interpretation and adaptation. Fair warning: after hearing this episode, you might never view The Seagull, Antonin Scalia, or Green Eggs and Ham the same again.

Interpretations

A podcast about art and its role in our lives. Artist and armchair aesthetic philosopher Greg Beam probes various topics in the arts, asking how art both reflects and shapes our perceptions of the world.

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Quite Useless

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