Episode #16: Rob Koons on Philosophy and the Good Life

National Association of Scholars

Dear Listener, 

Philosophy books are rarely stolen from university libraries, says Rob Koons, this week’s podcast guest. Does that mean virtue can be taught? Or just that no one wants philosophy textbooks?

But there is one subsection of philosophy that does get stolen. Can you guess? Midway through our conversation, Rob reveals which one. 

Rob is a professor of philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin and a former board member of the National Association of Scholars. In this conversation, we take on some of the big timeless philosophical questions, such as “what is the nature of truth?” And we also discuss how higher education today fosters each of the seven deadly sins.

Late in our conversation, Rob also weighs in on what is the best great books program in the country. And we talk about whether the US should adopt the Oxford grading model, in which one professor teaches and another evaluates students’ performance.

Best,
Peter W. Wood

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