Who or what rules the world today? And by what right? In this episode, your favorite philosophers-on-tap—Talia Bettcher, Rick Lee, and Leigh M. Johnson—pull back the curtain on one of political theory’s most enduring (and most elusive) concepts: sovereignty. From dusty monarchs and divine right to corporations, constitutions, and contested rights, they explore how sovereignty continues to shape the world we live in—often in ways we no longer recognize. What is sovereign power? Can it be shared? ...
Jun 27, 2025•57 min•Season 13Ep. 188
The central debate this week? Whether interpretation goes “all the way down.” Leigh stakes out a position, arguing that even the simplest acts of clarification are interpretive performances grounded in systems of meaning. Talia, donning her analytic hat, pushes back hard—insisting that certain discursive acts, like clarifications and first-person avowals of emotional states, are distinct from interpretation and must retain ethical authority, especially in politically fraught times. Rick mediates...
Jun 20, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Season 13Ep. 187
Is it time to panic? In this episode, we invite rhetorician Ira Allen to the bar to explore the possibility that, yes, it might be—and that panic isn’t just an irrational breakdown but a vital, even necessary, affective response to the ongoing collapse we’re all living through. Allen’s recent book Panic! Now: Tools for Humanizing in an Age of Staggered Collapse challenges the neoliberal injunction to “stay calm” and instead asks what might be made possible if we allowed ourselves to feel—and liv...
Jun 13, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 13Ep. 186
How can we talk, or think, about "private parts" in a philosophical way? In this provocative and unexpectedly tender episode of Hotel Bar Sessions , co-hosts Leigh M. Johnson, Rick Lee, and Talia Mae Bettcher unpack the philosophical complexities of “private parts.” What starts as a playful premise quickly becomes a deep exploration of bodily privacy, modesty, and the moral and social codes that govern our most intimate physical boundaries. Drawing from cultural history, personal anecdotes, and ...
Jun 06, 2025•57 min•Season 13Ep. 185
Can the University be saved? Should it be saved? In this sobering and timely episode of Hotel Bar Sessions, co-hosts Leigh M. Johnson, Rick Lee, and Talia Mae Bettcher tackle the existential crisis facing higher education in the U.S. and beyond. Nothing is off limits in this conversation! From the increasing defunding of universities to their alignment with neoliberal capitalism, we're looking at the deeper values and societal roles that universities are meant to serve—and how far many instituti...
May 30, 2025•1 hr 17 min•Season 13Ep. 184
In this episode of Hotel Bar Sessions , your favorite philosophical trio—Leigh Johnson, Rick Lee, and Talia Bettcher—dive headfirst into the squirmy, complicated world of cringe . From wedding speeches gone wrong to tone-deaf icebreaker confessions, they unpack the peculiar affective cocktail we experience when someone's self-presentation dramatically misfires. Cringe isn’t just about secondhand embarrassment—it's a visceral, full-body response that blends aesthetic, moral, and even ontological ...
May 23, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 13Ep. 183
Sean Kirkland unpacks living on the edge of "was" and "not yet." What if time isn’t just something we move through—but something that shapes us, wounds us, and makes us who we are? In this episode of Hotel Bar Sessions , Leigh and Rick sit down with philosopher Sean D. Kirkland (DePaul University), author of Aristotle and Tragic Temporality , to talk about what Aristotle can teach us about the tragic structure of human life. Together, they explore how ancient philosophy—and especially tragedy—re...
May 16, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 13Ep. 182
In this season-opening episode of Hotel Bar Sessions , Rick Lee and Leigh Johnson welcome new co-host Talia Mae Bettcher , a leading voice in trans philosophy and feminist theory, to dive into the deceptively simple but persistently perplexing question: What is philosophy? This wide-ranging conversation explores whether philosophy is defined by its methods (argument, critique, concept creation), its outcomes (or lack thereof), or the scenes and communities in which it takes place. Along the way,...
May 09, 2025•1 hr•Season 13Ep. 181
What can Frantz Fanon and Friedrich Nietzsche teach us about the Israeli/Palestinian conflict? [NOTE: This episode originally aired on October 11, 2024.] This week, we're joined by Zahi Zalloua (Whitman College) to discuss the final chapter of his most recent book The Politics of the Wretched: Race, Reason, and Ressentiment (Bloomsbury, 2024)-- entitled "Zionist ressentiment , the Left, and the Palestinian Question"-- which offers a fresh lens through which to understand the complex affects and ...
May 02, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 13Ep. 1
The HBS co-hosts learn why it's not just about pronouns. [This episode originally aired in November 2023.] In recent years, society has witnessed a seismic significant shift in our understanding of gender. For some, the binary notion of gender, once seen as immutable and fixed, has given way to a more inclusive and fluid understanding of identity… a transformation that has brought to the forefront the lived experiences of transgender individuals, who have long grappled with issues of self-identi...
Apr 25, 2025•58 min
Who, if anyone, is speaking truth to power these days? In the Season 12 finale of Hotel Bar Sessions , we take a deep dive into Michel Foucault’s late lectures on parrhesia , the ancient Greek concept of "fearless speech." But don’t be fooled—this isn’t a dusty historical exercise. With campuses erupting in protest, free speech weaponized by the powerful, and truth-tellers increasingly under threat, parrhesia has never felt more urgent. What does it mean to speak truth to power today—and who is ...
Apr 18, 2025•1 hr 7 min•Season 12Ep. 180
Do universals “exist”? Are they real? And why are we talking about porcupines so much?! In this episode, Leigh, Rick, and Devonya dive headfirst into one of philosophy’s oldest and knottiest questions: Is “porcupine-ness” a real thing, or just a name we slap on pointy animals? Starting with the simple question of what makes a beer a beer (and not a Long Island iced tea), this wide-ranging conversation traces the debate from Plato and Aristotle to TikTok documentaries, Sally Haslanger, and Star T...
Apr 11, 2025•51 min•Season 12Ep. 179
Can democracy be saved from totalitarianism? In this episode, the co-hosts are joined by political theorist Dr. Peg Birmingham (DePaul University) for an urgent discussion on the topic of totalitarianism. Starting with a critique of what counts as “the people” in democratic systems, our conversation unpacks the entanglement of nationalism and racism, the dangerous erosion of the rule of law, and the troubling resurgence of executive overreach in the United States. Drawing from theorists like Han...
Apr 04, 2025•50 min•Season 12Ep. 178
Carlos Amador on Latin American aesthetics, precarity, and what it means to be completely f*cked. In this episode, the HBS crew welcomes Carlos Amador —Associate Professor of Spanish in the Department of Romance Languages and Literature at the University at Buffalo SUNY—for a raw and wide-ranging conversation about lo jodido : the aesthetic, political, and material condition of being well and truly fucked. Drawing on Latin American literature and film, Amador introduces lo jodido not just as a d...
Mar 28, 2025•58 min•Season 12Ep. 177
This week, we're pulling up a seat at the intersection of faith, governance, and democracy as we take on the Establishment Clause—that little First Amendment provision that’s supposed to keep church and state in their own lanes. But is that how it’s really playing out? Leigh, Rick, and Devonya dig into the history and contemporary implications of the separation of church and state, from school prayer to Supreme Court decisions, faith-based government offices, and religious encroachments on repro...
Mar 21, 2025•54 min•Season 12Ep. 176
Who's afraid of DEI? And why? Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) initiatives have become institutional mainstays in corporate and academic settings—but they are currently under attack. In this episode of Hotel Bar Sessions , Leigh and Devonya sit down with Freedom Rider and retired Associate Professor of History at Boston College, Paul Breines , to reflect on the evolution of social justice movements from the civil rights struggles of the 1960s to today’s embattled DEIA progr...
Mar 14, 2025•56 min•Season 12Ep. 175
When does decorum keep us civil-- and when does it keep us silent? From courtroom etiquette to the Oval Office, from department meetings to NFL sidelines, decorum shapes our public interactions—but who gets to decide what counts as “proper” behavior? In this episode of Hotel Bar Sessions , Rick, Leigh, and Devonya take on the contested role of decorum in social and political life. Is it a necessary lubricant for peaceful coexistence, or a tool for policing and silencing dissent? The hosts explor...
Mar 07, 2025•57 min•Season 12Ep. 174
Who gets to decide who we are? In this episode, Rick Lee and Devonya Havis pull up a chair with philosopher and political theorist Falguni Sheth to talk about the ways identity is shaped, claimed, and—more often than not—forced upon us. From census categories and legal definitions to personal choices and political struggles, they dig into the tensions between how we see ourselves and how we’re seen by others. What does it mean to be recognized—or misrecognized—by the state? How do institutions d...
Feb 28, 2025•1 hr 6 min•Season 12Ep. 173
When nothing is clear, how do we decide? Many people prefer their morality to be straightforward—right or wrong, good or bad, clear as day. But more often than not, human life is a mess of contradictions, competing values, and gray areas. In this episode of Hotel Bar Sessions , Rick, Leigh, and Devonya wade into the murky waters of ambiguity—what it means, how we experience it, and why we’re often so uncomfortable with it. From moral dilemmas and political rhetoric to aesthetics and queer theory...
Feb 21, 2025•58 min•Season 12Ep. 172
Can anyone be trusted anymore? Trust is the glue that holds our social world together, yet it’s one of the most fragile bonds we have. In this episode of Hotel Bar Sessions , Rick, Leigh, and Devonya dive into the complexities of trust—what it means, how it functions, and why it’s so easy to break but so difficult to restore. From everyday acts of trust, like believing the grocery store clerk’s name tag, to the deep-seated political crisis of trust in institutions and democracy, the hosts explor...
Feb 14, 2025•59 min•Season 12Ep. 171
Who gets to judge right and wrong? And on what grounds? In this episode of Hotel Bar Sessions , Leigh, Rick, and Devonya talk about judgment —what it is, when we need it, and whether it’s a skill or just a faculty of reason. They start with Aristotle’s distinction between knowledge and judgment, move through Kant’s ideas about moral and aesthetic judgment, and consider how judgment functions in ethical reasoning, political life, and even artificial intelligence. The conversation raises questions...
Feb 07, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 12Ep. 170
How, and for what, are we responsible? What does it even mean to be responsible? Is it about blame? Credit? Or something else entirely? Leigh, Devonya, and Rick hash it out over drinks, tackling everything from personal accountability to collective responsibility, and digging into big questions about freedom, moral agency, and how our social and political systems shape what we’re capable of doing—and not doing. This week’s conversation covers some heavy ground: systemic racism, climate change, a...
Jan 31, 2025•1 hr 3 min•Season 12Ep. 169
Is ChatGPT usurping the authority of the "Author"? Or is it just a pretender to the throne? We're opening up the question of "authority" to extend well beyond the usual suspects of kings, generals, or politicians. To borrow a line from Tennyson's poetry: “authority forgets the dying King.” That is, power begins to slip from the grasp of political authorities as they weaken, as respect for and obedience to them wanes. Now almost 60 years after Foucault announced the “death of the author,” we migh...
Jan 24, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 12Ep. 168
The HBS co-hosts savor the complexities of a dish best served cold. Is revenge ever ethical? Can it be a form of justice, or is it always about personal satisfaction? In this episode, Rick Lee, Leigh Johnson, and Devonya Havis take a deep dive into the philosophy of revenge. From the timeless allure of stories like Kill Bill and The Count of Monte Cristo to the rise of cancel culture and online harassment, the hosts explore how revenge plays out in both individual and collective contexts. They t...
Jan 17, 2025•59 min•Season 12Ep. 167
Is "virtue" an outdated concept? And why is there a bear in this classroom?! This week at the hotel bar, Rick, Devonya, and Leigh are digging deep into the idea of virtue . What does it mean to be virtuous? How do we cultivate virtues? Are they timeless ideals or shaped by culture and history? We talk about Aristotle, sure, but we’re also unpacking modern critiques of virtue and asking how power and privilege shape what counts as “virtuous” in the first place. In a world that seems more focused ...
Jan 10, 2025•58 min•Season 12Ep. 166
This week's episode is a REPLAY of a previously-aired episode from Season 9. HBS will return with all new episodes on January 10, 2024. Stay tuned! The HBS hosts wonder how a hard heart is melted and mended. In a world often colored by misunderstandings, hurtful actions, and lingering grudges, the concept of forgiveness emerges as a beacon of hope and healing. For some, its transformative power to mend relationships, free us from the shackles of resentment, and grant us the gift of emotional lib...
Jan 03, 2025•57 min
This week's episode is a REPLAY of a previously-aired episode from Season 9. HBS will return with all new episodes on January 10, 2024. Stay tuned! The HBS hosts dig into Jacque Derrida's philosophy to see if it really is responsible for everything that's wrong with the world. There are very few philosophies that are blamed for so much as deconstruction. Introduced by Jacques Derrida in the late 60s, deconstruction rose to popularity in the late 70s and 80s, fought a real battle to be accepted a...
Dec 27, 2024•57 min
What if morality was law-governed in the same way as logic and physics? The Hotel Bar Sessions hosts close out Season 11 with a deep dive into one of philosophy’s most important moral principles: Immanuel Kant’s “Categorical Imperative.” They carefully unpack Kant’s three formulations of the “moral law”—the Universality formulation, the Humanity formulation, and the Kingdom of Ends formulation—to demonstrate how Kant sought to ground morality in rationality, universality, and freedom. Through ac...
Dec 20, 2024•1 hr 7 min•Season 11Ep. 165
What if our cosmic unimportance is itself not all that important? This week, the Hotel Bar Sessions hosts welcome Joshua Glasgow , author of The Significance Impulse: On the Unimportance of Our Cosmic Unimportance , to unpack humanity’s seemingly irrepressible drive to seek significance and the societal and psychological effects of this pervasive impulse. Glasgow argues that the quest for cosmic importance is not only unrealistic, but detrimental, and he urges us to embrace our smallness as a pa...
Dec 13, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 11Ep. 164
The HBS hosts survey theories of justice from the ancients to the present. What does it mean to think justice, to pursue justice, or to act justly? Are we servicing justice, or just serving our self-interests? How do different philosophical approaches help us imagine a “just” society? This week, we consider retributive, restorative, and distributive theories, among others, exploring how each shapes our understanding of equality, rights, and fairness, and try to determine which approach provides ...
Dec 06, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 11Ep. 163
