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Very Bad Wizards

Tamler Sommers & David Pizarro
Very Bad Wizards
Latest episode

348 episodes

  • Very Bad Wizards

    Episode 339: Is Analytic Philosophy Truthmaxxing?

    25/08/2026 | 1h 21 mins.
    Since well before the big bang, people have been bitching about Tamler's chosen field. We talk about Bernard Williams' (qualified) defense of analytic philosophy in his essay "On Hating and Despising Philosophy." We also dig into Lily Hu's review of a recent book by Christoph Schuringa, an ideological and historical critique of the philosophical tendency to think they engage in an unbiased perspective-free search for truth. Plus - is it unethical for philosophers and other academics to make money on Substack?    
    Is it unethical for academics to monetize Substack? by Walter Veit [substack.com]
     On Hating and Despising Philosophy by Bernard Williams [lb.co.uk]
    Review of A Social History of Analytic Philosophy: How Politics Has Shaped an Apolitical Philosophy by Lily Hu  [academic.oup.com]
  • Very Bad Wizards

    The Lotus Eaters Episode 4: I Am Odysseus [unlocked]

    20/08/2026 | 45 mins.
    Tamler and David discuss books 7 & 8 of The Odyssey--while at Alcinous' palace in Phaeacia, Odysseus listens to poetry, plays some games, cries some more, and finally starts to regain his identity.
  • Very Bad Wizards

    The Lotus Eaters Episode 3: The Halfway House to Humanity [unlocked]

    13/08/2026 | 41 mins.
    Tamler and David discuss books 5 & 6 of The Odyssey, where we follow Odysseus as he finally leaves Calypso's Island and returns to the realm of the human. We also finally pick a name for the podcast. But only after recording this episode (as will be obvious from the first few minutes).
  • Very Bad Wizards

    The Lotus Eaters Episode 2: Intangible as Wind [unlocked]

    06/08/2026 | 54 mins.
    Welcome to The Lotus Eaters! This is part 2 of our 12 part series on Homer's Odyssey that will be released every Thursday. The series was supported by our Patreon community, but we are now making it available to everyone who would like to listen to our discussions to accompany their reading of The Odyssey. We hope you enjoy!
    Episode Notes: 
    Tamler and David finish up the Telemachy (the saga of Odysseus' son, Telemachus) in their discussion of books 3 & 4 of The Odyssey. (Oh yeah, we get an appearance from THAT Helen of Troy).
  • Very Bad Wizards

    The Lotus Eaters Episode 1: The Journey Begins [unlocked]

    06/08/2026 | 1h
    Welcome to The Lotus Eaters! This is part 1 of our 12 part series on Homer's Odyssey that will be released every Thursday. The series was supported by our Patreon community, but we are now making it available to everyone who would like to listen to our discussions to accompany their reading of The Odyssey. We hope you enjoy! [Note that this discussion of Books 1 & 2 was already published as the main segment of Episode 321, but this contains only the discussion of the Odyssey in order to make The Lotus Eaters series complete and standalone.]
    Episode Notes:
    David and Tamler begin their long journey home to Homer's Odyssey, the tale of king Odysseus' 10 year journey home after the Trojan war (maybe the greatest story ever told). We dive into the first two books, which focus on Odysseus' 20-year-old son Telemachus, the swarm of suitors who have descended on Odysseus' house during his long absence in the hopes of marrying his clever and beautiful wife Penelope, and the goddess Athena, whose plan to get Odysseus home to Ithaca is finally set into motion.
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About Very Bad Wizards
Very Bad Wizards is a podcast featuring a philosopher (Tamler Sommers) and a psychologist (David Pizarro), who share a love for ethics, pop culture, and cognitive science, and who have a marked inability to distinguish sacred from profane. Each podcast includes discussions of moral philosophy, recent work on moral psychology and neuroscience, and the overlap between the two.
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