The Philosophize This! podcast

Whenever people ask me after my hobbies, I am tempted to say that philosophy is one of them. Usually, however, I refrain from doing so, as people have wildly different ideas about what philosophy is — chances are people will think I am being pretentious. The way I view philosophy probably doesn’t quite match the dictionary entry either. To me, exercising philosophy is partly about evaluating how I live and think and act — and changing it if necessary — and partly about exposing myself to new ideas and perspectives about the world and the people in it. The main channel I use for the latter is the Philosophize This! podcast.

My initial interest in philosophy was sparked by my Latin teacher in high school, who taught us about the Stoics, especially Seneca’s letters. The stoic philosophy resonated with me, and while I didn’t do much with it at the time, I eventually started listening to the Stoic Coffee Break podcast somewhere in 2021. While I find it very enjoyable, I would recommend it primarily to people who are already into stoicism.

About the podcast

Philosophize This!, on the other hand, is a great starting point for anyone interested discovering new ways to view the world. The host, Stephen West, manages to distill complex philosophical ideas into entertaining yet educational episodes. Typically, episodes discuss a certain philosopher or group of philosophers and their ideas, but sometimes it is more about a specific topic without referencing anyone specifically.

In the early years — the podcast has been running since 2013! — he was still finetuning the format, and because he starts off with the ancient Greeks and works his way up to the present day, the philosophical ideas at the start feel less relevant to the present day. Anyone interested in this podcast might consider starting with some recent episodes and then go back to the beginning if they want more historical context.

My favourite episodes

Listening to Philosophize This has helped me greatly in forming more nuanced views about a broad range of topics, some of which may end up this website sometime. While I have yet to finish the show, I am compiling my favourite episodes in a Spotify playlist. These ones I found the most eye-opening, thought-provoking, or most challenging to my existing views. Give it a listen!