The Grindstone

In this episode of the Grindstone, Jonah Falcone sits down with Jeff Brower, a professor of philosophy at Purdue University. The focus of this interview is to discuss Dr. Brower’s latest book, “Aquinas’s Ontology of the Material World”. This episode is mainly concerned with how Dr. Brower interprets Aquinas’ views on the fundamental reality of both the material and immaterial world. Topics discussed are the line between philosophy and religion, the nature of God, Aquinas’s hylomorphism, and whether hylomorphism is compatible with our understanding of modern science. Thank you to Mo Hunt for controlling the audio behind the scenes. Enjoy!

In this episode, Lael Keller has two special guests: Joe Schmid and Paul Draper. Joe Schmid received his undergraduate degree in Philosophy from Purdue University and has went on to the PhD program at Princeton University. In this episode, he details his rapid success, which includes publishing two books as well as starting a very successful YouTube channel. Dr. Draper is a professor of philosophy at Purdue University who has written extensively on the problem of evil. He is known for many works including “Pain and Pleasure: An Evidential Problem for Theists”.                The topics discussed include what benefits you get from the study of philosophy, existential inertia, classical theism, the problem of evil, and near-death experiences. Thank you to Cameron Walters who controlled the audio for this episode. Enjoy!

Do you ever find yourself wondering how a few undergraduate philosophy students might summarize the whole history of philosophy in less than an hour? Well, if that’s something that sounds interesting to you then this is your lucky day. In this episode of the Grindstone, Lael Keller, Jonah Falcone, and Mert Kiroglu introduce the subject of philosophy by explaining how it has developed from the Pre-Socratics all the way to the 21st century. The topics addressed include Ancient Greek Philosophy such as Stoicism, how ancient philosophy combined with different religions of the Middle Ages and gave birth to Medieval Philosophy, and how a focus on the individual helped develop Modern Philosophy. Thank you to Mo Hunt for controlling the audio for this episode. Enjoy!

In this relaxed introduction, Purdue undergraduates Lael Keller, Jonah Falcone, Mert Kiroglu, and Mo Hunt introduce themselves as new members of the Grindstone team. They discuss what to expect for season five of the Grindstone, as well as what philosophical topics they are interested in, their favorite classes at Purdue, and some tips for beginning to read philosophical works. 

In the final episode of The Grindstone's COVID-19 series, our guests share their thoughts on how this pandemic is changing, will change, and could change the world...for better and for worse. Topics of discussion include technology’s role in our experience of this pandemic, what the economic crisis might mean for the future, what we can expect as we return to school, when we can expect things to return to normal - whether or not such a thing is possible - and what positive societal growth may come out of these challenges.Today's guests are: Dr. Audrey Ruple, Assistant Professor of One Health Epidemiology at Purdue; Dr. Kevin Harrelson, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Ball State University; Dr. Jillian Carr, Assistant Professor of Economics at Purdue; PhD candidate in the Department of History at Purdue, Caitlin Fendley; Dr. Dan Kelly, Professor of Philosophy at Purdue; Dr. Nilupa Gunaratna, Assistant Professor of Public Health at Purdue; and Dr. David Bernard, an emergency pediatrics physician in Birmingham, AL.Special thanks to Al Terity for all the new sounds.Thanks for listening and enjoy!

In the sixth episode of The Grindstone's COVID-19 Series, we explore the economic impact of the pandemic. We begin by revisiting the dilemma of choosing between our physiological and economic health. We then examine three specific aspects of the economy: the macroeconomic concern with the job market and current unemployment rates in the US; global food supply chains and the workers that comprise it who have been effected by COVID-19; and finally, the microeconomics of crime and crime reporting during the economic shutdown.Today's episode features returning guests Dr. Kevin Harrelson, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Ball State University, and Dr. Jillian Carr, Assistant Professor of Economics at Purdue University. We also welcome to the series for the first time Dr. Nilupa Gunaratna, Assistant Professor of Public Health at Purdue.Enjoy and thanks for listening!

In the fifth episode of The Grindstone's COVID-19 Series, we consider our bodies and minds as they experience illness and the current pandemic. To do this, we first share some personal stories about times in our lives when we experienced severe illness. We talk to Purdue Philosophy graduate student Tom Doyle about the phenomenology of illness, quiet and loud bodies, the concept of 'dis-ease', and the social dis-ease being caused by the pandemic. And finally we shift the conversation to mental health, mental healthcare, and the anxiety of social isolation and the uncertainty of such a disruptive virus.In addition to Tom Doyle, today's episode also features returning guests: Dr. Dan Kelly, Professor of Philosophy at Purdue; Dr. Amy Martin, a bioethicist at IU Health; and Dr. David Bernard, an emergency pediatrics physician in Birmingham, AL.Enjoy and thanks for listening!

In the fourth episode of The Grindstone's COVID-19 Series, we return to our typical interview format to speak with Dr. Faithe Day, Assistant Director of COVID Black: A Taskforce on Black Health and Data.We discuss the COVID Black Taskforce, its mission, and how it was formed; the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on Black essential workers; environmental factors in healthcare inequities in communities of color; how COVID Black has responded to the recent murders of Black lives at the hands of white police officers and white civilians; balancing the need for peaceful protests and social activism with the need to remain physically distant and to wear face coverings; and what people can do to support the push for racial equity and to dismantle racist policies.Dr. Faithe Day is the Assistant Director of COVID Black and a CLIR Postdoctoral Fellow in Data Curation within the Libraries and School of Information Studies and the African American Studies and Research Center at Purdue University. Dr. Day works on developing curriculum, data collection, and curation projects in collaboration with other scholars to identify critical frameworks and best practices to ensure an ethical and justice-centered approach to data curation, with a focus on Black and LGBTQIA+ community-based data and discourse. Some helpful links are below:COVID Black WebsiteCOVID Black Twitter: @COVIDBLK  Dr. Day's post in the AMSJ Blog "On Teaching in the Time of COVID-19"Thank you to Dr. Day, and thanks for listening!