Philosophy for the People's mission is an educational program aimed at overcoming the paucity of serious, fair-minded, and accessible philosophical discourse available to a popular audience. Though we are ourselves dedicated to the Catholic intellectual tradition, we are likewise committed to exploring ideas from all rigorous traditions of philosophizing (scholastic, classical, analytic, and phenomenological). We pursue this mission by providing long-form guided readings of great texts, discussions with expert guests, our own open-ended philosophical discussions of issues and thinkers, live question and answer opportunities, in depth lecture courses, and our own articles and book-length writings. Philosophy for the People's pedagogical materials will be provided either without charge or for minimal cost to assure provision of broad access to first-rate philosophical education.
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
Can God Be the Ultimate Explanation? Dissertation Defense, Part II
Dr. W. Matthews Grant—one of my greatest philosophical inspirations—served as an external examiner for my dissertation defense. Apparently, he didn't beat me up enough th
Jul 31 1 h 10 min
My Dissertation on God: Divine Simplicity, Arguments for God, and More
Pat is interviewed by Jake Buscher about his disseration (and other things).
Jul 17 2 h 01 min
Is Hell Just? w/ Ethan Muse
Pat and Ethan discuss Hell.
Jul 16 1 h 55 min
Why Thomism Still Matters w/ Dr. Gaven Kerr
Dr. Gaven Kerr returns to the podcast to discuss his recent editted volume Thomism Revisited: https://amzn.to/4m3Z4Jx
For more philosophy content, head to Pat's Substa
Mar 31 1 h 05 min
Aquinas's Five Ways Are Stronger Than You Think (w/ Dr. Rob Koons)
Dr. Robert Koons has two forthcoming books on Aquinas's Five Ways—one popular, one academic—so we spend this episode walking through how he understands and defends each o
Jan 13 1 h 22 min
Can Evolution Fit With Christianity? Dr. Tim Pawl Says Yes.
Pat talks with philosopher Dr. Tim Pawl, author of Jesus and the Genome, about the theological and philosophical challenges raised by evolutionary biology and how Christi
Nov 25 2025 1 h 18 min
Did the Church Change Her Mind on the Death Penalty? (Catholics Debate the Death Penalty)
Pat is joined by Suan Sonna and Daniel Vecchio to discuss recent controversies related to capital punishment and magisterial teaching.
Pat's Substack article: https://j
Oct 16 2025 2 h 12 min
Does God Exist? Contingency, Beauty, and Evil | Dr. Mark Spencer
Dr. Mark Spencer returns to the podcast to discuss natural theology.
Head to Pat's Substack for more: https://journalofabsolutetruth.substack.com/
Aug 21 2025 58 min
Bible Basics w/ John Derosa
John DeRosa is launching an online Bible Workshop--and you should join! Here's the link: https://classical-theism-podcast.aweb.page/p/3e983115-1a58-48ed-a9cc-e5b9ef419c28
Aug 18 2025 45 min
John Henry Newman on Common Sense, Faith, and Epistemology | w/ Dr. Logan Paul Gage
Dr. Logan Paul Gage joins Pat for a conversation on the thought of John Henry Newman—soon to be declared a Doctor of the Church—with a special focus on his commonsense ep
Aug 1 2025 1 h 04 min
Philosophy and the Interpretation of Scripture w/ Dr. Gaven Kerr
Dr. Gaven Kerr returns to Philosophy for the People to discuss another recent article of his: Primary Causality, Providence, and Scripture. https://www.cambridge.org/core
Jul 21 2025 1 h 04 min
The Nature and Conditions of Knowledge w/ Dr. Gaven Kerr
Dr. Gaven Kerr returns to Philosophy for the People to discuss Thomistic epistemology and cognitional theory. We discuss the metaphysics of knowledge, proper functionalis
Jul 14 2025 1 h 05 min
Establishing the Real Distinction w/ Dr. Gaven Kerr
Gaven Kerr returns to Philosophy for the People to discuss some of the recent work he's been doing with respect to the Thomistic understanding of existence. For most phil
Jul 7 2025 44 min
Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God? w/ Tomas Bogardus
Pat is joined by Dr. Tomas Bogardus to discuss the question of whether Muslims and Christians worship the same God. We chat philosophy of language, including different th
Jul 2 2025 1 h 30 min
Analyzing (Some of) Jordan Peterson's Claims
In this episode, Pat and Mike respond to Jordan Peterson's recent appearance on Surrounded.
For more undoubtedly awesome philosophy content, head to Pat's Sbstack at ht
Jun 23 2025 57 min
Flynn & DeRosa Respond to Dr. Brett Weinstein on Creation & Evolution
This episode is a replay from John DeRosa's Classical Theism Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/classical-theism-podcast/id1432200694
Jun 2 2025 53 min
1 philosopher everyone should read
Pat and Mike discuss one particular philosopher everyone should read (that isn't Plato, lol).
For more philosophy content see Pat's substack at https://journalofabsolut
May 21 2025 32 min
talking arguments for God (w/ Mike Schramm)
Pat introduces Mike Schramm, new associate editor for The Journal of Absolute Truth. They then discuss the state of some argumetns for God.
https://journalofabsolute
May 12 2025 42 min
The Philosophy of Freud (Part 1)
Pat and Jim begin a new series on Freud. Live QnA at the end!
More philosophy content on Pat's Substack: https://journalofabsolutetruth.substack.com/
Jan 13 2025 50 min
Our Favorite Philosophy Books of 2024 (Plus Live QnA)
Pat and Jim do a year in review, including discussing some of their favorite books. Also, live QnA at the end.
Head to Pat's Substack for more philosophy content: https
Jan 6 2025 1 h 05 min
What listeners say
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
This podcast has taught me so much! I am using it as a resource for getting through my Aristotle class this semester. Pat Flynn and Jim Madden are amazing teachers, funny guys, and both wicked smart. Also, they are both shredded. That’s a plus I guess. Dr. Madden in particular looks like what I imagine the avatar you play as in the video game Doom looks like under his mask. Highly recommend!
Beluga man2220 · Feb 2023
Pat Flynn isn’t afraid to confront the perennial questions that mankind has pondered since the beginning. The guests he invites on are always engaging and interesting while explaining their philosophical outlook or answer to a problem. This podcast isn’t for the faint of heart!
Mike99999990 · Sep 2022
This podcast has changed my life and my perspective of it. It made me aware of the importance of knowing philosophy.
Pat and Jim both have an excellent way of explaining such abstract thought to a “regular” people, which is appreciated since I have no formal training in philosophy. The great thing though, is they do not sacrifice the quality of their discussion and they often dive into deep waters, which I appreciate since it challenges me to grow and seek to truly understand what is being said.
They frequently bring in a variety of guests to discuss many topics, and offer commentary on various (difficult) texts from the prominent thinkers throughout history (e.g. Aristotle, Plato, Aquinas, and Kant to name a few) and are illuminating. PFTP also provides other resources such as their Substack posts or GumRoad courses in which they go deeper in thought. For the amount they do, it’s surprising it’s free.
Another review mentioned this is an echo chamber of sorts. If I learned anything in my short amount of time studying philosophy, is that philosophy oftentimes requires us to wrestle with certain views and beliefs, even opposing ones, to find truth and our basis for it. Even if you disagree completely with this podcast, their views, and their interpretation of certain texts, it’s an amazing resource to understand “the other side’s” thought. I encourage anyone who wants to expand their mind to give a listen.
gmoreno97 · Sep 2022
This is a great show. Pat and Jim do a good job introducing a lot of philosophical topics in a way I understand. Pat does a great job discussing philosophy stuff with guests as well. I’m not the most articulate, and I struggle understanding a lot of this stuff when I try to read it, but they talk about it in ways I can follow. Well worth your time!
gokartz · Aug 2022
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