KZSU – SFFaudio

Entitled Opinions: Homer and Homeric Epics with Richard Martin

SFFaudio Online Audio

I don’t listen to every episode of Entitled Opinions but my excuse for that is that some of them are conducted entirely in French, or Italian! The program, when I understand it, is wonderful. It’s a show operating on the very highest level of scholarship, deep subjects, discussed by a knowledgeable host (most often with an equally thoughtful guest). When a show topic is one that interests me, and in a language I understand, I come away enriched and inspired. The latest to do this was the November 16, 2011 episode. In it the host, Robert Harrison, spoke with Stanford professor of Classics, Richard Martin, about Homer and his two greatest works, The Iliad and The Odyssey.

|MP3|

Posted by Jesse Willis

Entilted Opinions: The Disenchantment and Re-Echantment Of The World

SFFaudio Online Audio

Entitled Opinions is a radio program (and podcast) from Stanford university’s radio station KZSU. In discussion from a program in May 2009 are the editors of
The Re-Enchantment of the World: Secular Magic in a Rational Age: Joshua Landy (a professor of French at Stanford) and Michael Saler (professor of history at the UC Davis). Together they are responding to Max Weber’s famous statement:

“The fate of our times is characterized by rationalization and intellectualization, and, above all, by the ‘disenchantment of the world.’ —Max Weber

This concept, disenchantment (entzauberung), was introduced by Weber to describe the character of his modernized, and increasingly secularized society, where scientific understanding had become more highly valued than religious belief. In their discussion Saler and Landy ask questions like:

‘Do all philosophical inquiries begin in wonder?’

‘Why does Science Fiction take off as a genre?’

‘Can we replace God and the Devil with Sherlock Holmes’ rationality and Moriarty’s criminality?’

‘Is the hierarchy of Middle Earth something we’d like to see in our world?’

It’s a fascinating discussion! |MP3|

Posted by Jesse Willis

Entitled Opinions: Google and the future of the Internet

SFFaudio Online Audio

Entitled Opinions is a radio program (and podcast) from Stanford university’s radio station KZSU. It’s hosted by Professor Robert Harrison. Harrison teaches in the department of French and Italian – on the show his guests are usually literary or philosophical – but his November 11th 2008 podcast is a bit different being: “A conversation with Vinton Cerf about Google and the future of the Internet.” Cerf is an ex-Stanford prof and one of the co-fathers of the internet. It is a great conversation, with lots of talk about where the internet came from and where it might be going. They also manage to have a knowledgeable conversation about Star Trek (particularly TNG). Neato!

Listen to the show |MP3|

Posted by Jesse Willis