Video Podcasts

In this video podcast series, host Reinhard Mueller brings into conversation various guests not only from philosophy and academia, but also from diverse professional backgrounds, where orientation skills play a crucial role. Above all, these video podcasts are designed to offer philosophical reflections regarding fundamental reorientations that humanity faces in the 21st century.

Video Podcast #1 (July 2020)

Topic: How will the Coronavirus pandemic change our world?

Conversation with Mike Hodges, Founder of the Foundation for Philosophical Orientation

The first FPO video podcast guest was Mike Hodges, founder of the Foundation for Philosophical Orientation, hosted by Reinhard Mueller. Before delving into the main topic of “How does the Coronavirus pandemic change our world?” Mike Hodges describes his path to philosophy and to the philosophy of orientation. You can watch the full 1h 11min video podcast or shorter video segments. This podcast was recorded on July 10, 2020 in Nashville, TN. Click here to watch the recording.

Video Podcast #2 (November 2021)

Conversation with Olga Faccani, Hodges Fellow 2021-22

In this video podcast, Reinhard Mueller and Olga Faccani discuss Olga’s biographical background, her dissertation research and her work as a teacher at UC Santa Barbara and in the “Odyssey Project,” a theater program between undergraduate students and incarcerated youth. This podcast was recorded on November 17, 2021. Watch it here.

Video Podcast #3 (July 2022)

The God Dionysus: Second Video Podcast with Olga Faccani (Hodges Fellow 2021-22)

In this second video podcast between Olga Faccani and Reinhard G. Mueller, the two explore the various facets of the mysterious god Dionysus, including his depiction in Euripides’ tragedy The Bacchae, the myths surrounding his two births, as well as the philosophical principles he represents: absurdity, chaos, madness, frenzy, truth, fertility, change, and destruction. Watch it here.

Video Podcast #4 (June 2023)

Conversation with James Sirigotis (Dissertation Fellow 2022-23)

In this podcast with James Sirigotis, Reinhard is asking James about his path to graduate school, his dissertation project “Resilient Optionality: (Infra-)Structures of Water, Feeling, and Finance,” and now his concept of resilient optionality applies to our contemporary world. Watch it here.

Video Podcast #5 (June 2024)

A Conversation with Nicolás Wiggenhauser (Dissertation Fellow 2023-24)

In this podcast with Nicolás Wiggenhauser, Reinhard is discusses with Nicolás the scientific field of evolutionary neuroscience, his dissertation project on “The Macroevolution of the Striatum in Mammals and Primates,” Nicolás’ path to his PhD studies at Stony Brook University, and the fundamental philosophical questions of: How does the human brain differ from those of other primates and mammals? How is the human being unique among the animals? Watch it here.