Entitled Opinions (about Life and Literature)

Episodi

• Werner Herzog on Truth 04.05.2026 44min

  In this episode Werner Herzog speaks with Robert about the future of truth, which is the subject and title of Herzog’s new book, published in 2025. Songs in this episode: “Moby Dick” by Glass Wave, and “Balena” by Glass Wave.
• Robert Harrison on Death, Logos, and Technology 20.04.2026 1h 23min

  Entitled Opinions is pleased to air Robert Harrison’s interview with Masud Gaziyev, which aired on the YouTube channel of “Philosophy Everyday” earlier this month. Inspired by Robert’s book “The Dominion of the Dead”, the interview centered around the meaning of death in our time.
• Tragedy and Postcolonial Literature with Ato Quayson 18.03.2026 48min

  In this show Robert Harrison and Ato Quayson discuss tragedy and postcolonial literature (the topic of Professor Quayson’s 2021 book of the same title). Ato Quayson is the Jean G. and Morris M. Dolye Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and English at Stanford University, and chair of the Department of African and African American Studies. Songs in […]
• The Many Lives of Ulysses with Miles Osgood 04.03.2026 51min

  In this show Robert Harrison and Dr. Miles Osgood from The Ho Center For Buddhist Studies discuss the figure of Ulysses as he appears in Homer and many subsequent incarnations, especially in literary modernism. Songs in this episode: “Nausicaa” by Glass Wave, and “Calypso” by Suzanne Vega.
• On Aging with Adrienne Corn 29.01.2026 50min

  In this show Robert Harrison and Adrienne Corn discuss the biology, psychology, and sociology of aging. Adrienne Corn earned a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in Leadership, Policy and Organizational Behavior. She is the founder of HumanTalented, a software and services company located in Nashville. Songs in this episode: “From the Beginning” by Emerson, Lake & […]
• On William James with Mark Gonnerman 15.01.2026 46min

  Mark Gonnerman received his Ph.D. in Religious Studies at Stanford University, has taught the comparative philosophy of religions, and is the author of “A Sense of the Whole: Reading Gary Snyder’s Mountains and Rivers Without End”. Songs in this episode: “On the Edge of Uncertainty” by Steve Hunter, and “Bold as Love” by Jimi Hendrix.
• An Offering for the Winter Solstice with Abby Walthausen 24.12.2025 38min

  In this episode we re-broadcast a show that aired on Abby Walthausen’s podcast “A Lovely Wallpaper” in which she engages Robert Harrison on the meaning of the winter solstice and the generative power of darkness.
• What is Meditation? A conversation with Crystal Cassidy 16.12.2025 43min

  In this show Robert Harrison and Crystal Cassidy discuss the biology, spirit, and outcomes of meditation. Crystal Cassidy is a meditation master and founder of SoulPod. Songs in this episode: “Silence Must be Heard” by Enigma, and “The Voice of Enigma” by Enigma.
• A Conversation about Spirit with Christy Wampole 04.12.2025 53min

  This episode features Robert Harrison’s conversation with Christy Wampole about Zeitgeist and the spirit of planet Earth, which took place at Princeton University on October 23, 2025.
• Entitled Opinions: The Twentieth Anniversary 10.11.2025 54min

  A conversation between Robert Harrison and Christy Wampole about the origins and history of Entitled Opinions.
• Robert Harrison on Human Intelligence 22.10.2025 34min

  In this monologue Robert Harrison reflects on the differences between human intelligence, animal intelligence, and artificial intelligence. Songs in this episode: “From the Beginning” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer; “La Nuit du Rat” by La Féline; and “If” by Pink Floyd.
• Unselfing the Self with Michaela Hulstyn 02.10.2025 42min

  In this show Robert Harrison and Michaela Hulstyn discuss various experiences of unselfing, focusing on the nature of its shapeshifting and the knowledge that unselfing delivers. Michaela Hulstyn is a Lecturer at Stanford and Associate Director of Stanford’s Structured Liberal Education program. She is the author of Unselfing: Global French Literature at the Limits of […]
• The Philosophy of Inaction with Grant Dowling 19.09.2025 49min

  A conversation about the uses and abuses of action in the history of philosophy and contemporary society with Grant Dowling. Songs in this episode: “Silence Must Be Heard” by Enigma, and “Easy Does It” by Supertramp.
• The Physics and Spirit of Crystals with Aaron Breidenbach 05.09.2025 38min

  A conversation about crystals and their mysterious quantum powers with Dr. Aaron Breidenbach. Songs in this episode: “From the Beginning” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and “Crystalised” by The xx.
• The Wind: A Monologue 08.05.2025 27min

  A monologue in which our host, Professor Robert Harrison, gets swept up by the spirit of the wind and carried toward some indeterminate destination. Songs in this episode: “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac, “Annabelle Lee” by Glass Wave, and “The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix.
• World War I, Modernism, David Jones with Tim Noakes 15.04.2025 52min

  A conversation about David Jones’ “In Parenthesis” with Tim Noakes, Head of Public Services, Special Collections at Stanford University. Songs in this episode: “A Fool No More” by Peter Green, and “Machine Gun” by Jimi Hendrix.
• Cyber-Intimacy with Jeanne Proust 26.03.2025 44min

  A conversation about sex, intimacy, and human relations in the era of AI with Jeanne Proust, Vice President of the Public Philosophy Network. Songs in this episode: “Reckoner” by Radiohead, and “She’s Not There” by The Zombies.
• The Destructive Character: A Cover 20.02.2025 6min

  A monologue in which our host, Professor Robert Harrison, performs a “cover” of Walter Benjamin’s essay titled “The Destructive Character,” first published in 1931.
• Carl Jung with Laura Wittman 11.02.2025 47min

  A conversation about Carl Jung, the Red Book, and Jung’s descent into the unconscious with Laura Wittman, Associate Professor of French and Italian at Stanford University. Songs in this episode: “Into the Night” by Julee Cruise, and “End of the Night” by The Doors.
• What is the Virtual? with Jan Söffner 12.12.2024 46min

  A conversation about the real, the actual, and the virtual with Jan Söffner, Visiting Professor in German Studies at Stanford University and Chair of Cultural Theory and Cultural Analysis at Zeppelin University. Songs in this episode: “Echo” by Glass Wave, and “Compared to What” by Ray Charles.