Stanford Report, Jan. 08, 2004
'Philosophy Talk' radio series kicks off
"Philosophy Talk," a radio program created and hosted by faculty members John Perry and Kenneth Taylor, is now airing every Tuesday at noon on San Francisco's KALW 91.7 FM. Listeners can also tune in by visiting the station's website.
The first show debuted Tuesday and focused on President Bush's controversial doctrine of military pre-emption. Perry, the Henry Waldgrave Stuart Professor of Philosophy, and Taylor, an associate professor of philosophy, will talk with George R. Lucas Jr., a philosophy professor at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and editor of the State University of New York Press's "Ethics and the Military Profession" book series.
A pilot of "Philosophy Talk" on the topic of lying was first broadcast Aug. 20 on KALW. Since then, Perry and Taylor have secured enough funding for 26 one-hour shows and attracted the attention of several other radio stations and networks. Oregon Public Broadcasting will air recordings of the program Thursdays at 8 p.m. starting Jan. 15.
The program recently won a grant from the Greenwall Foundation, as well as support from the Hoover Institution, the Office of Public Affairs and the Office of the Dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences. However, Taylor is quick to note that they are producing the program "on a shoestring" and "are still in full fundraising mode."
The show's executive producer, Ben Manilla, is president of the award-winning Ben Manilla Productions (BMP), which, in conjunction with Martin Scorsese and WGBH Boston, recently produced "The Blues," a 13-hour radio documentary series. BMP also produces the nationally syndicated "House of Blues Radio Hour." It is currently developing a new public radio series with The New Yorker magazine.
