The beautiful show that both entertains me and makes me argue with myself.

Love philosophy, but I’ve always thought it had a bit of a barrier to entry. Taking it out of the “traditional” framing, bringing it to more unique and real world topics, and using accessible language has revitalized my interest and really made me feel like I can comprehend more than I ever thought possible in the past.

Always amazes me how bright some people are - dedicating their lives to investigating all

Fascinating topics and the stories are told so well. Can’t wait for next season

Introduced to Barry from the Very Bad Wizards podcast. Look forward to diving into the back catalog, listened to the Cannibal episode and jumped back to the pop music episode from the first season. Well made, thoughtful, such a treat.

The David Lewis mini-series is especially good!

I have paid $59 a fair price for a magazine. However, I still hear ads. Having spoken to the listener services and still getting ada, i am writing each podcast. Can you help?

Justice, ethics, and political philosophy at its best

I enjoyed the 2020 episodes. Any luck that more will be done in 2021? Fingers crossed. Thank you & stay safe!

My new favorite podcast. It is clear that the host deeply understands the topics he is covering, and he presents them in a very accessible manner. Topics ranging from music, philosophy of science and war. Always thought provoking and inviting.

This is my new favorite podcast. The stories are highly relevant, thoughtful, engaging and cover a range of topics. I am about halfway through the previous episodes and have thoroughly enjoyed every one so far.

I am SO excited for this season! I adore this show. A show that teaches you complex philosophical arguments, without talking down to you, and also while yelling entertaining stories. It makes me think deeply about issues I encounter in daily life - and it helps me understand other people’s arguments too, even those I disagree with politically. The sound editing is also great, and I love Barry Lam’s voice - in additional to all of the insightful questions he brings us. I wish I was a student in one of Professor Lam’s classes, after every episode I just want to keep discussing. I can’t recommend Hi-Phi Nation enough

Barry, as a Vassar grad and philosophy major (say hi to Prof Church for me) I can’t tell you awesome it is to have a podcast like this coming out of Poughkeepsie. It’s great storytelling and you find great entry points into philosophical issues, which you explore wonderfully. So why nothing new since June? Keep it coming!

Great for the culture: Extremely well produced, with both the pro credentials behind it and the audience-friendly hook. Yay Barry! Yay public philosophy!

Not my favorite. Kinda wish it was a little deeper but over all pretty good.

Hands down my favorite podcast. I love the narrative style and Hi-Phi Nation always gets me thinking. Thank you so much!

What a great way they’ve found to make philosophy relatable. Kudos!

“For women Only” is one of the better more well put together podcasts. I have been listening to Slates’ Waves and Gabfest for over a decade and and half. This podcast is an example of the amazing uptick that Slate has taken in bringing excellent content to their lineup.

If, in consuming your media, you’ve ever felt frustrated that they didn’t go *there*—you know, deeper, or more broadly, or more specifically... like, yeah, but *now* what? What are the implications of *that*? Or but where did *that* idea come from and what does *that* portend?—your philosophical and practical frustrations are answered here.

Awesome Podcast!!

The brilliant concept for this podcast, exploring topics in philosophy through compelling storytelling, meets fantastic execution. One of my favorite podcasts.

If you enjoy having various facts and truths about a topic presented to you in a manner flavored with bias and limited perspectives that more greatly serve the thinly veiled agenda than your intellectual development, then go no further. Counterpoints are presented poorly and only serve to trick you into a false sense that you are getting perspectives on both sides of the topic while the undertow is trying to persuade you into conforming to the narrator’s chosen stance. Well produced with a charming narrator.

After a few episodes, I realized this is not for anyone very thoughtful. Listen to “VERY BAD WIZARDS” if you want real debate and not this drivel. What broke me was the episode that was overly sympathetic to the plight of volunteer US military personnel. In the episode about the wishes of the dead affecting the living, the professor of philosophy made a comparison that was fundamentally inaccurate to drive home a point. I had high hopes.

I put this podcast in the same league as 99% invisible, song exploder, flash forward, the allusionist, dirty words, and zig zag (to name a few).

Fantastic. This is out of the box thinking that has really challenged my perceptions about the nature of human cognition and of “truth.” The “Be a Man” episode about the ways in which traditional male and female roles/expectations harms boys and men has been useful in my practice as a psychiatrist who primarily treats active duty service members with post-traumatic stress injuries, as have been the episodes about the morality of war. I have directed my patients to these podcasts as they work to transform their relationships with their traumatic experiences. The “Soul and Its Survival” episode blew my mind-I actually yelled out, “What?!” while listening to it by myself on a bike ride. Please keep up the excellent work—this kind of thinking and teaching gives me hope that humanity may continue to evolve its consciousness enough and in time to prevent its own extinction.

I have missed this podcast so so so much. Can’t wait to hear the new season. Seeing this promo made my day, maybe even entire 2019

I doubt I could be as eloquent at most the prior ratings. I only recently found this podcast and as a lover and daily listener of Philosophy Podcasts, this is one of my top 5 favorite podcasts.

I recently discovered this show (via Very Bad Wizards) and really enjoy it. I’m looking forward to the start of season three in January 2019. As an individual listener, I’m spreading the word to all and hope the podcast is a big success.

All the junk-food satisfaction of great storytelling with none of the calories. What I mean is, I’ve been so entertained while learning and thinking about new concepts or old concepts in new ways. Love this podcast!!!

Barry does a great job of pairing narrative and big ideas. Listening to this podcast is like sitting in on a really great philosophy seminar.

One of the few decent philosophy podcasts

Beautifully produced, flawlessly written, the equal of any NPR podcast. Content is fascinating. I’m telling everyone I know’

An independent project with impeccable production and thought.

Simply the best philosophy podcast available!

Barry has a great voice and this podcast is tight on concept but still lets the story weave around. This is A+ philosophy and so relevant.

Barry Lam finds fascinating angles on philosophical questions with the real-life situations he examines in these episodes-- it's a rewarding listen, and I will be donating to support this work. Thank you for this, Barry! It's such a pleasure to be able to listen to this--please continue.

Hi-Phi Nation is unlike any other philosophy podcast in that it explores ideas and is applicable to everyday life. No boring history lessons here, just deeply thoughtful examinations of interesting subjects.

I have listened to several of these podcasts and find myself thinking about them days later. Several of them I return to and listen a second time to better understand them. They are intellectually probing and relate to our everyday life at the same time. I am thankful for the opportunity to listen to them. Also, I share them with friends and we end up talking about them together.

Barry has a great voice.

It is difficult to pull of a compelling story in which serious and complex ideas are well integrated and don't appear as mere ornaments to the narrative. Barry Lam is doing an excellent job in making this show work, not just once, but consistently.

Profound thinking, beautiful stories, I look forward to every episode.

Consistently awesome! Creative applications of philosophical concepts.

Only 1 episode of season 2 has been posted, thus far (it’s 11.19.17; season 2 began 10.30.17). Here’s hoping there will be many more to come. Maybe I missed an announcement about scheduling, in which case I apologize. But that’s a sign of how good this thing is. More, please! It’s the perfect combo of humanity + science, and an example to all about what this medium can do.

Every episode triggers highly contested issues within philosophy, which means this is never an introduction to the field, but a deep dive into questions philosphers have addressed for centuries--gives you a while new respect for the discipline and a love for thinking big and deep. I'm a huge podcast fiend and this is by far my very favorite. So happy for a second season.

I minored in continental philosophy a while ago and am always looking for ways to keep tuned with current debates or ideas. Not only does the medium (i.e. podcast) lend itself perfectly to take philosophy beyond the written form, making it resonate all the while with contemporary mediascapes, also the host takes good care of not sacrificing complexity for the sake of thorough storytelling. Can hardly wait for the next season.

This is one of the best podcasts I've listened to in a long time. I'm a philosophy professor and not only do I enjoy it, but so do my intro philosophy students. Please listen and subscribe!!!!

In 10 words or less: The most enjoyable way to start thinking critically about something. I listen to LOTS of podcasts (see below). This is — BY FAR — my favorite! What I Like: - the narrator's/host's clarity and cogency in thinking through our experiences and circumstances; - the inclusion of (and reliance) on experts in the relevant fields; - the importance of the topics (so far); - no ads (yet); - the soundscape - the audio quality, of course Other Podcasts I like (for context): - Axons and Axioms - Elucidations - FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast - Hidden Brain - History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps - In Our Time — Philosophy - Inquiring Minds - Minerva - New Books in Philosophy - New Books in Psychology - No Jargon (2nd best, in my view) - Oxford's Philosophy Talks - Philosophy 24/7 - Philosophy Bites - Philosophy of our times - Philosophy Sites - Planet Money - Radio Lab - Rationally Speaking - Social Science Bites - The Philosopher's Zone - The Public Philosopher - The UnMute Podcast - Very Bad Wizards

Thoughtful, informative storytelling

Love it! Thinking clearly and interestingly laid out.

At first this podcast's slogan--which states that it "turns stories into ideas"--seemed off to me. Isnt' it precisely the opposite? Aren't the ideas turning into stories by finding narratives that help explain them? But after listening to four or five episodes straight (it's hard to stop) I realize how brilliant the mission of this podcast is. The ideas are everywhere around us. We embody and take part in philosophy every day. We simply need to turn these stories (the stories we live by) into ideas. Lam is an ideal guide for this process. He is clear and helpful without every seeming patronizing or simplifiny. I really treasure this podcast and thank Barry for sharing it. It's a great service.