The Laughing Philosopher's Podcast

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Life is complicated. It is afflicted with more big questions than big answers. As one is tested by the suffering and irrationality of life, the questions become more compelling and imperative, and the answers become more urgent and necessary in order to be a good person and to live a happy life. What does it mean to be a good person? What is a happy life? What is love? Who am I before I was told who I am? Why haven’t I found myself yet? Why do I have regrets? Is the world just? Everything seems to have been figured out, except how to live. In this podcast, we will ask and answer the hard questions, and we will question the simple answers, the answers you’ve been told to believe almost from the moment of birth. Think for yourself. There is no feeling like it, and it really is the only good fight left. You may not be rewarded for your wisdom, but you will be rewarded by your wisdom. “The Laughing Philosopher” is Robert M. Khoury, Ph.D., a scholar and writer with a lifetime of teaching and learning at the intersection of sociology and philosophy.

“Nothing is so easy as to deceive one’s self; for what we wish, that we readily believe.”

- Democritus

About the Host

Welcome home to philosophy! Where we wonder about everything and anything is possible! I’m Dr. Robert Khoury, The Laughing Philosopher. Life is complicated. The world is complicated. And you are complicated. Figuring out how to live a happy, meaningful life guided by wisdom and reason is not easy. Is life a game? What is love? Should I fear death? Is this a just world? Almost from the moment of birth, you’ve been told how to behave, how to fit in, and how to fulfill other people’s expectations. You fear that you will lack importance or cease to exist in the lives of others if you think for yourself and question the rules and roles you’ve been told define you. Wisdom and reason will remove this illusion so you can live authentically in the world around you, find your true purpose, and become your real self.

New Episodes Published Twice a Month on Thursdays!

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Episodes

Thursday Oct 31, 2024

The Metaphysics of Heartbeats: Three Philosophical Truths for Instant Happiness

Thursday Oct 31, 2024

Do you want to feel happy right where you are, right now? Listening to your heartbeats will lead you to three philosophical insights and instant happiness: You got lucky. Your heartbeats are numbered. Some doors must close so others can open. Stop living your life piece by piece. Learn to live your life as a whole.

Thursday Oct 03, 2024

Emil Cioran as Architect of Purpose in a Purposeless Universe

Thursday Oct 03, 2024

He was a French philosopher. His philosophy of life is simple yet profound. We would have been better off not being born. Life sucks. We are born for no reason. We exist to do nothing. No one matters. Nothing matters. It doesn’t even matter that nothing matters. What are we to do? Cioran argues that the meaninglessness of life is not only a reason to live, it’s the only one!

Thursday Sep 05, 2024

Weber’s Divine Workaholic: Are You Chasing Capitalism’s Earthly Burnout Or Calvinism’s Heavenly Rewards?

Thursday Sep 05, 2024

Religion is the accidental force behind why we chase endless productivity, why working harder feels morally right and hardly working feels morally wrong, and why our self-worth and self-esteem revolve around our productivity and usefulness. Don’t you feel guilty and ashamed whenever you could have been more productive but chose not to? Wouldn’t you rather chose to fail as a spouse, fail as a parent, or fail as a friend than to fail at work? Why don’t happiness, relationships, or fun count as being productive? We are so bored with our lives and so indifferent to our fate that we’ve become apathetic to our own apathy!

Thursday Aug 01, 2024

Plato, Schopenhauer, and Spinoza: Is Peering Behind the Human Curtain A Backstage Pass to the Cosmos?

Thursday Aug 01, 2024

Our first experience of the world is our true self. Concealed behind our outward appearance, a bag of skin, inside ourselves, our unique, subjective consciousness is who we really are. And so, we look for absolute truth behind the natural world of appearances in Plato’s Forms, Schopenhauer’s Will, and Spinoza’s God. You are the blueprint of the gods and the key to unlock the secrets of the universe.

About the Podcast

"Thanks for sharing! I went and listened to the whole episode and it was really great. The message of letting go of preconceived notions about yourself to allow you to pursue whatever you want was something that I really wanted to hear."

- Honest-Ease-3481 (Reddit User)

"I love this. It led me to a helpful revelation last night. Thank you!"

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About the Podcast and You

Thank you for listening. I hope that what you’ve learned will help you to be a better person and live a better life. Think for yourself! Question everything. Accept nothing that does not agree with your own wisdom, experience, and good sense. In this crazy world, the good are wise, the wise are virtuous, and the virtuous are happy.

Be good.