Bad Philosophy

Bad Philosophy Episode 116 "Santorific" Recorded 03-02-2012 Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence, Kevin Saunders, Brian Morgan, Ryan Usher Not many people get the distinct honor of having their name turned into a derogatory term. Rick Santorum now shares the distinct company of the Patsies and Benedict Arnold in that the very mention of his moniker elicits feelings of disgust and revulsion. Thanks, Dan Savage. In this episode we take a look at Rick's religious radicalism in the greater context of politics, the 2012 election, and QUILTBAGs. Joining me and Kevin for this episode are two *BRAND NEW* guests, my good friend and cinephile Brian Morgan and his philosopher god-brother Ryan Usher. So grab your voter registration card, hold onto your holy book, and tear off a generous portion of paper towels, it's BF time!

Bad Philosophy Episode 115 "Scorns and Flattery" Recorded 02-24-2012 Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence, Kevin Saunders "To be or not to be? Aye, there's the point." Quite honestly, it astounds me that this particular wording of a line from Shakespeare's Hamlet comes to us from a so-called "bad" version. I rather like it. But who am I to judge thespian subtleties, eh? That's why I called in certified Master of Theatre Kevin Saunders to help me gush over and carefully analyze Canadian dramedy Slings and Arrows. It's carefully woven story lines and brilliantly developed characters expertly weave the themes of Shakespeare into a modern setting, and make for some lively discussion of course. Why, it may even tear you away from writing that good version of The Phantom Menace that someone should've convinced King George to make in the first. Break a leg! And have a listen...

Bad Philosophy Episode 114 "Wikissori" Recorded 02-16-2012 Bad Philosophers: Kevin Saunders, Stephen Torrence, Shawn Brackett It's been a while since we've delved head first into the chaotic classrooms of the American education system. In the eyes of Sir Ken Robinson, deficiencies here present one of the most pressing problems for our world, and it's time for a paradigm shift. Kevin and I pulled out all the stops on this one, even inviting Shawn "Motherf--king" Brackett to lend his expertise to the discussion. I daresay we solved the education problem, people. Seriously. Ask John Dortmunder.

Bad Philosophy Episode 113 "Max Headroom" Recorded 02-03-2012 Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence, Simon Ponder, Kevin Saunders Have you ever noticed how fast food that you buy never looks like the pictures? Oh, or gotten super frustrated when you plug in a USB port backwards? Have you ever just wished that everyone followed a simple set of rules for living? Now... have you ever thought about writing hyper-rational, detailed rants on these issues down as if they were akin to the Laws of Thermodynamics? An intriguing chap named Dario D has, and this episode Kevin, Simon and I decided to rip him a new one for it. We disagree with this intrepid modernist on many, many things... but to be honest, it's about as bad as Bad Philosophy can get. Have a listen! This Week's Post-show Song Pimpage: "Be My Echo" by Grover and Madeline Khan

Bad Philosophy Episode 112 "Titles Don't Really Matter" Recorded 01-13-2012 Bad Philosophers: Kevin Saunders, Stephen Torrence In fact, nothing does. Screw life. Screw death! Screw anyone and everyone you've ever cared about, including your precious self. ... It's hard not to come away from the movie Synecdoche: New York without similar feelings (or simply a lack of feeling whatsoever). Recently Kevin and I delved into this systematic deconstruction of reality, life, death, itself, people, relationships, identity, and well... pretty much everything. We spent a mere hour trying to make sense of it, which felt entirely inadequate and is, apparently, far less than some others have. If you haven't seen the film, this episode will make far less sense than it already does even if you have. Listen, if you dare, as I try feebly to grasp any semblance of understanding about it, and Kevin unrelentingly questions whether such a grasp is even possible. F************K... This Week's Post-show Song Pimpage: "Dream is Collapsing" from Inception by Hans Zimmer

The Bad Philosophers share their (non-apocalyptic) predictions for 2012 and beyond over some delicious beer.

Bad Philosophy Episode 110 "Good Enough" Recorded 12-22-2011 Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence, Kevin Saunders, Britton Peele, Kiki Canon, Simon Ponder

Bad Philosophy Episode 109 "A Heifer Wheezin" Recorded 12-01-2011 Bad Philosophers: Kevin Saunders, Stephen Torrence We Bad Philosophers have a particular affinity for a certain sitcom called Community. This highly experimental, genre-busting adventure was recently put on hiatus by NBC, much to the chagrin of the fan base. So, as we always do in anticipation of great shows going the way of the Dodo, we decided to convene and discuss what we love about this show and where it fits in the context of modern television. Kevin joined me to offer his more in-tune perspective on the industry and blow my mind in a couple of unexpected ways. Do you know where your pen is? It's BF time!

Bad Philosophy Episode 108 "The Ultimate Egotist" Recorded 11-10-2011 Bad Philosophers: Jacie Hood, Stephen Torrence, Kevin Saunders People change. Recently I made a video about how I'd like to change my approach to YouTube rather significantly. In hindsight, it's one of the most egotistical videos I've ever made, and Kevin had no hesitation telling me this. He and Jacie Hood joined me to discuss and critique my latest endeavor, the changing nature of my ASL fame, and the YouTube community in general. Have a listen...

Bad Philosophy Episode 107 "Killer Hipstinct" Recorded 11-03-2011 Bad Philosophers: Shawn Brackett, Bryan Mitchell, Matt Legler, Stephen Torrence Have you ever found yourself uttering anything like the following phrases? "Oh, I was totally into that band before they sold out" or "Forget polyester, tweed is where it's at" or maybe "Gosh, I wish they'd bring back the phonograph cylinder; vinyl is so mainstream." Well, I have some good news, my hipster friend -- we recorded an episode just for you! On my first visit to Texas Tech University in over a year, I managed to rally some old stalwarts to tackle this topic: Shawn Brackett (of synesthesia fame), Matt Legler (who I swear will get carded at bars until he's 40), and Bryan Mitchell (that guy who wore hats and wasn't Kevin but now doesn't wear hats anymore). Load this MP3 onto your iRiver H10 before your friends do, it's BF time! This Week's Post-show Song Pimpage: "Too Soon" by Hey Ocean! Question Answers in This Week's Formsqueeze: Babies?

Bad Philosophy Episode 105 "Accident Alley" Recorded 10-27-2011 Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence, Kevin Saunders Chances are that even despite these rough economic times, you've probably got a job at the moment. But have you ever asked yourself why you work so hard to perpetuate the capitalist construct, condemning yourself and a significant portion of your hapless peers to a lifetime of wage slavery? This episode Kevin and I brainstormed some paradigm-shifting theories on the subject during our downtime. It was one of the most productive BF's ever, IMHO ASAP... FYI.

Bad Philosophy Episode 105 "Down With the WORMHELPs!" Recorded 10-20-2011 Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence, Kevin Saunders, Kiki Canon Protesting is one of those most righteous and time-honored of human activities. Something about the simple act of getting angry, going somewhere, and shouting pithy phrases repeatedly with a group of people all holding signs appeals to our deep inner psyche. Is it the adrenaline rush of potentially getting busted by the authorities? Is it the sense of common purpose and participation in meaningful change? Is it the attention you get for doing all of the above? The world may never know. In the mean time, you've got us to help you make even less sense of it all! This episode Kiki, Kevin, and I explored the Occupy X protests that are currently sweeping the disgruntled hipster communities in cities worldwide... oh, and that Wall Street thing too. Kevin even busted out his brand new plan for fixing our election system! Hint: if you hated the SAT, you're gonna LOVE it. So grab your giant Sharpee, meet us in front of city hall, and prepare to get real cozy with the 99%, it's BF time!

Bad Philosophy Episode 104 "Thinking Different" Recorded 10-06-2011 Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence, Kevin Saunders, Kiki Canon, Simon Ponder, Jediah Cummins The human race lost one of its finest this past Wednesday, as Steve Jobs passed away at the age of 56. All of us here at BF had opinions to share on the man in the black turtleneck, so Kevin, Jed, Simon, Kiki and I gathered together for our first live-streamed episode in quite some time. Glorify or vilify him, but Steve changed things. I've created every single episode of Bad Philosophy on a Mac using GarageBand, tools that never would have existed but for him and his passionate view of the future. We're gonna miss him, but we're also going to take inspiration from his drive to revitalize the show. Part of that revitalization? We're back LIVE streaming, baby! You can now watch us and chat with us live on the Interwebs again at our official Livestream page once a week. We're still nailing down the exact schedule, so keep an eye on that page and our twitter stream for updates. In the meantime, you can watch this week's episode from the archive below. This Week's Post-show Song Pimpage: "The Times They Are A-Changin" by Bob Dylan

Bad Philosophy Episode 103 "yhposolihP sdrawkcaB" Recorded 09-23-2011 Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence, Kevin Saunders, Kiki Canon This Week's Post-show Song Pimpage: "Artificial Heart" by Jonathan Coulton (reversed) Reverse your expectations, everyone! It's BF time. Hate to spoil it for you, but Kevin is officially a published scholar. This week we gathered to join with Kiki and discuss some good ol' equivocation of the religious variety. Apparently having little more than a cross or uttering the world "Jesus" in your film automatically makes it Christian. Who'd have guessed? We certainly didn't! It's a backwards kind of world out there y'all, but in here, it's all your glorious BF.

Bad Philosophy Episode 102 "A.I. Troopers" Recorded 09-02-2011 Bad Philosophers: Stephen Torrence, Kevin Saunders, Kiki Canon, Simon Ponder For the last century or so, we have had a healthy little obsession with replicating the human ability to reason using machines. We here at BF are happy to announce that these efforts have finally brought us the holy grail of artificial intelligence: robot radio DJs! That's right, now you can enjoy all your favorite radio banter distilled down to its bare, Cleverbot-on-Cleverbot essentials. This episode Kevin, Simon, Kiki and I put our connectomes together to discuss Stanford's free A.I. class and marvel at the sheer 90's gloriousness of VR Troopers. Let's hope Watson adds some rabbit trails to its thought routines, 'cause we're pretty sure he'll be our guest someday. Until then, it's BF time!