Podcast

Very Bad Wizards

By Tamler Sommers & David Pizarro

A philosopher and a psychologist talk about moral psychology, ethics, literature and film.

These are Stoa's briefs of episodes from Very Bad Wizards. The episodes belong to their makers, and every brief links to the original.

Episode briefs 4

Theodicy and Deception in Homer's Odyssey, Books 13-14
Very Bad Wizards Sep 10, 2026 56 min

Two hosts read Books 13 and 14 of the Odyssey to ask whether the gods reward virtue and why Odysseus lies even to those who could help him.
Malinowski on Magic, Science, and Religion
Very Bad Wizards Sep 8, 2026 1 hr 16 min

Tamler Summers and Dave Pizarro discuss Bronisław Malinowski's essay on magic and religion and George Gmelch's study of baseball superstition.
Bernard Williams on Why People Hate and Despise Philosophy
Very Bad Wizards Aug 25, 2026 1 hr 22 min

Tamler Summers and Dave discuss Bernard Williams's essay on philosophy's critics and debate whether professionalization and its plain writing style have hollowed out the discipline.
Tarkovsky's Solaris: Copies, Guilt, and Real Contact
Very Bad Wizards Jul 28, 2026 1 hr 46 min

Tamler Sommers and David Pizarro discuss how Tarkovsky's Solaris turns Lem's novel about an alien ocean into a meditation on guilt, memory, and whether love for a copy can be real.