Very Bad Wizards
Tamler Sommers and David Pizarro
Two philosophers dissecting literary classics and philosophical texts with irreverent humor.
Why we picked this
We picked Very Bad Wizards because no other philosophy podcast sounds like this. Hosts David Pizarro and Tamler Sommers trade arguments about free will, moral psychology, and AI sycophancy with the looseness of two people at a bar, not a lectern. They treat academic texts and Flannery O'Connor stories with equal seriousness and equal willingness to curse. The show trades polished monologues for real-time disagreement, dead-end tangents, and jokes that land because the hosts actually know the material. Subscribe for philosophy that refuses to behave.
Recent episodes
Episode 336: That Oceanic Feeling (Stanisław Lem's "Solaris")
Jul 14, 20261h 35m
Episode 335: The Wright Stuff
Jun 30, 20261h 30m
Let's Get Metaphysical
Jun 16, 20261h 20m
Episode 333: P-hacking the Mind
May 26, 202654 min
Episode 332: Talking to Myself ("The Other" by Jorge Luis Borges)
May 12, 20261h 54m
Episode 331: Who's Your Law Daddy? (Plato's "Crito")
Apr 28, 20261h 31m
Episode 330: A Fact-Based Podcast (Gogol's "The Overcoat")
Apr 14, 20261h 16m
Episode 329: Why We Suffer
Mar 31, 20261h 20m
Episode 328: Weapons Free
Mar 17, 20261h 42m
Episode 327: You Ain't So Smart (Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People")
Feb 24, 20261h 32m
Episode 326: The Most Important Episode of Your (Academic) Life
Feb 10, 202659 min
Episode 325: It Is Happening Again
Jan 27, 20261h 12m
Related shows
Hi-Phi Nation
Philosophers and critics discuss ethics and culture in unexpected contexts, from zombies to gig work.
The Partially Examined Life
Four philosophers closely read European thinkers like Hegel and Habermas, often in multi-part episodes.
Word of Mouth
Linguist Michael Rosen's eclectic conversations on language, culture, and communication.
Closereads: Philosophy with Mark and Wes
Mark and Wes dissect dense philosophy texts line-by-line.