Very Bad Wizards

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. 

January 14, 2025
300
01:48:01123.84 MB

Episode 300: If We Only Had A Brain

David and Tamler celebrate their 300th episode with a deep dive into the movie that inspired the podcast’s title. Why is "The Wizard of Oz" the most influential American movie of all time? How does it dig deep into our collective psyches? What makes the ...

December 24, 2024
299
02:06:33145.03 MB

Episode 299: Oh the Humility!

David and Tamler wrap up the new year talking about intellectual virtues and Rachel Fraser’s excellent essay “Against Humility.” What is intellectual humility exactly and do we need it for knowledge and understanding? Does the value of humility depend on...

December 10, 2024
298
01:20:3892.49 MB

Episode 298: Pass the Peace Pipe

Why do we punish people? How did our punishment practices evolve and what is their primary function? David and Tamler talk about a new paper that examines punitive justice in three small-scale societies - the Kiowa equestrian foragers in late 19th centur...

November 26, 2024
297
01:41:24116.41 MB

Episode 297: No Pleasure in Meanness (Flannery O'Connor's "A Good Man is Hard to Find")

David and Tamler face off with the Misfit in Flannery O’Connor’s classic short story “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” We sort through the biblical allusions, dark comedy, nihilism, and the possibility of grace or rebirth (but whose?). Plus why do motorists ...

November 12, 2024
296
01:03:2372.75 MB

Episode 296: The Other CRT

David and Tamler share a few brief thoughts on the election and then raise some questions about Tucker Carlson being attacked by a demon as he slept in the woods with his wife and four dogs (still don’t believe in ghosts, people?). In the main segment we...

Listener Reviews

Read what other people are saying about our podcast!

Apple Podcasts
Yep

Palatable

Apple Podcasts
Repugnant

Repugnant

Apple Podcasts
Dope hip hop beats and some incidental chatter - best podcast ever.

Best podcast by far. It’s like thinking out loud with someone else’s brain (someone bipolar and significantly smarter and funnier than myself). I never tire of hearing sage polymath Dave wax lyrical on an array of interesting subjects. The endearing comic relief from his doting sidekick Tamler is the perfect foil. I’ve...

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