Philosophize This!
Philosophize This!
Stephen West
Episode #233 ... A philosophy of self-destruction. (Dostoevsky, Bataille)
33 minutes Posted Aug 4, 2025 at 4:01 pm.
0:00
33:57
Download MP3
Show notes

Today we talk about two different theories for why we ritualize self-destructive behavior. We check out a lesser-known work from Dostoevsky called The Gambler. We consider how much we can hold people morally accountable for this kind of stuff. Then we look at the work of Georges Bataille, his book The Accursed Share, and how a hidden underlying economics may be a way we can understand self-destructive behavior from a new angle. Hope you love it and have a great week. :)


Sponsors:

Greenlight: https://www.greenlight.com/PT

Nord VPN: https://nordvpn.com/philothis

Better Help: https://www.BetterHelp.com/PHILTHIS

Thank you so much for listening! Could never do this without your help. 


Website: https://www.philosophizethis.org/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/philosophizethis 


Social:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/philosophizethispodcast

X: https://twitter.com/iamstephenwest

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/philosophizethisshow




Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices