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Podcast episodes

Check latest episodes from History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps podcast

HoP 485 Liz Jackson on Pascal's Wager

2026/01/25

An interview on contemporary approaches to Pascal's Wager: where decision theory meets philosophy of religion.

HoP 484 You Bet Your Life: Pascal’s Wager

2026/01/11

Should we gamble on belief in God to have a chance at infinite reward?

HoP 483 Between Infinity and the Void: Blaise Pascal

2025/12/28

Blaise Pascal was a pioneering scientist and deeply spiritual religious thinker; what united these two sides of his thought?

HoP 482 Indivisible, Under God: the Revival of Atomism

2025/12/14

Why did Sébastian Basso and Pierre Gassendi think ancient atomism was the key to developing a new, modern science?

HoP 481 True Fool’s Gold: Pierre Gassendi

2025/11/30

Gassendi’s path from skepticism to “baptized Epicureanism.”

HoP 480 Honorable Ignorance: French Skepticism

2025/11/16

So-called “libertines” like Mothe le Vayer revive ancient skepticism, provoking a backlash from Mersenne and Arnauld. Were they right to see the skeptics as anti-religious?

HoP 479 Gideon Manning on Cartesian Medicine

2025/11/02

An interview exploring Descartes' interest in medicine, how his medical ideas relate to his dualism, and his influence on medical science.

HoP 478 This Gland Is Your Gland: Cartesian Science

2025/10/19

From comets to blood transfusions, embryology, and the debate over the pineal gland: Descartes’ impact on science, especially medicine.

HoP 477 The Mind Has No Sex: Cartesianism and Gender

2025/10/05

Why Cartesianism appealed to women and became the inspiration for a pioneering feminist, Poullain de la Barre; and why Cartesianism was not the only option for women philosophers of the age.

HoP 476 What He Should Have Said: the Early Cartesians

2025/09/21

Early Cartesians including Cordemoy and de La Forge develop but also challenge Descartes’ ideas, defending atomism and occasionalism.

HoP 475 Ariane Schneck on Elisabeth and Descartes

2025/09/07

We finish our look at Elisabeth of Bohemia and Descartes by talking to Ariane Schneck about their correspondence, focusing on the mind-body problem and the passions.

HoP 474 States of the Union: Descartes on the Passions

2025/07/20

What do emotions reveal about the connection between mind and body? We turn to Descartes’ correspondence with Elisabeth and his On the Passions to find out.

HoP 473 As Rational As You: Elisabeth of Bohemia

2025/07/06

A royal scholar and philosopher sets aside the tribulations of her family to debate Descartes over the relation between mind and body and the nature of happiness.

HoP 472 Less Cheer, More Knowledge: Descartes’ Ethics

2025/06/22

Descartes’ “provisional” morality and his views on free will and virtue.

HoP 471 Unclear and Indistinct Ideas: Debating the Meditations

2025/06/08

Descartes’ Meditations caused controversy as soon as it appeared. In this episode we look at criticisms including the “Cartesian Circle,” and how Descartes answered them.

Podcast reviews

Read History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps podcast reviews

4.7 out of 5

1589 reviews

3Peter3 2026/01/06

My favorite podcast

I love this so much! I laugh all the time, and I love how Hiawatha is a staple of the show. Every time I forget about her, she’s used in another examp...

Simply-Di 2025/12/05

Educational and Entertaining

Such an interesting podcast! Professor Adamson is clearly brilliant, but he also has a fantastic, easy-to-listen-to voice, and is funny without being ...

LoydC91362 2025/06/22

Always Fascinating

This is a masterpiece of a podcast. Each episode builds on the one before it. Just the right mix of history, detail and humor. There are also some gre...

White cedar tree 2025/08/22

He skipped Francis Bacon!!

WHUT??? Bacon is the “patron saint of the enlightenment” according to Peter Gay. He inspired Descartes. Descartes and Leibniz and Kant etc etc etc. w...

ibrtthiyffvhh 2025/02/16

My happy place!

Many happy hours spent on my walks listening to this podcast, deciding to walk another hour so I can listen to another episode! ❤️

Mary Ann Beatrice 2025/02/12

5 Stars from another philosopher

This is an excellent introduction to philosophy. The balance between depth and entertainment is perfectly achieved. The scholars invited are first-rat...

Squirrelbustsanut 2024/07/28

Wonderful

A wonderful podcast with a wonderful host

pancesco 2024/03/23

Longtime fan

Yet something seems to have changed in the last few episodes, and not exactly for the better.

Poetry Person 2024/01/15

Philosophy for Fun

Really enjoy and have learned so much from this podcast. I’ve laughed out loud, I’ve reexamined my beliefs. Hooked ever since lockdown. Thank you, Pet...

Jesse9859 2023/12/15

Thank you!

I just want to say that I really appreciate everybody involved in making this podcast. What a huge undertaking! Thank you for sticking with it.

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