In this episode talk with Dr Stuart Blaney about the French Philosopher Jacques Rancière, a thinker who has reshaped how we understand politics, equality, education, and art. We begin with his brief time in Algeria and his education in Paris, considering how these experiences shaped his outlook. From there, we trace his involvement in Louis Althusser’s circle, his eventual break with Althusser, and the broader impact of the May ’68 protests on his intellectual trajectory. Our conversation turns to Rancière’s redefinition of politics, not as governance but as an interruption of the sensible order, and his famous idea of the “distribution of the sensible.” We explore what he means by “unverifiable equality” and the “part of no part,” and how these concepts push against traditional leftist or Marxist frameworks. Alongside this, we examine his critique of expertise in governance and his challenge to technocratic or managerial approaches through a radical insistence on equality. Education and pedagogy also play a central role in Rancière’s work, and we take time to discuss The Ignorant Schoolmaster where Stuart claims Rancière offers a vision of intellectual emancipation that unsettles hierarchy in education and questions how knowledge is transmitted. We reflect on what this means for learning today and for the possibilities of education beyond traditional authority.

Stuart Blaney is an independent academic whose central interest lies in emancipation as a way of life, approached through aesthetic practices. His recent work draws on the philosophies of Michel Foucault and Jacques Rancière. He earned his doctorate in philosophy from Staffordshire University in 2022. His first academic paper was published in 2023, and his debut book, Equality and Freedom in Rancière and Foucault, was released by Bloomsbury in December 2024. With thanks to Tristen Nunes for editing and post-production.

In this episode, I talk to Dr Matthew Barnard from Manchester Metropolitan University. We talk about the question of freedom and it's significance for Philosophy. To do this, we also explore Heidegger’s complex and often misunderstood theory of freedom . Rather than approaching freedom through the usual optic of free will versus determinism, Barnard argues that we need to think of freedom as beyond cause and effect. We also talk a lot about Kant!

Dr Matthew J. Barnard is Lecturer in Philosophy at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he also completed his BA, MA, and PhD in philosophy. A Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, his teaching spans contemporary continental philosophy, phenomenology, and existentialism, with a research focus on post-Kantian thought. He is the author of Heidegger’s Conception of Freedom: Beyond Cause and Effect (Palgrave Macmillan, 2024) and has published widely on themes in Continental Philosophy. You can follow Matt on Bluesky here.

If you would like to study with me you can find more information about our online education MAs in Philosophy here at Staffordshire University. You can find out more information on our MA in Continental Philosophy via this link. Or, join our MA in Philosophy of Nature, Information and Technology via this link. Find out more about me here. September intakes F/T or January intakes P/T. You can listen to more free back content from the Thales' Well podcast on TuneIn Radio, Player Fm, Stitcher and Pod Bean. You can also download their apps to your smart phone and listen via there. You can also subscribe for free on iTunes. Please leave a nice review.

In this conversation with Terry Pinkard, I discuss Hegel’s famous Phenomenology of Spirit. Terry recently published a brilliant introductory guide to this famously difficult book [Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit: A Guide (2023)] which we use as our jumping off point. We discuss the origin of Hegel's book against the backdrop of its turbulent historical moment - the aftermath of the French Revolution and Napoleon’s decisive victory at the Battle of Jena. At Jena Hegel too was writing alongside figures like Hölderlin, Schelling, Goethe, and Schiller. Terry clarifies common misreadings of Hegel, particularly the idea of Geist [spirit] as some kind of cosmic spirit or divine substance, emphasizing instead how Hegel understands his notion of Geist as something very concrete and social. Geist is the collective activity of reason unfolding in history. We also discuss Hegel’s engagement with the scientific thought of his time, including the influence of Newton and Leibniz, and how their debates about force shaped his philosophy. The conversation traces key stages in the Phenomenology, from sense-certainty to understanding, and examines Hegel’s distinctive view of freedom - not as mere individual choice, but as embedded in institutional and social practices. Finally, we consider what Terry might ask Hegel himself if given the chance.

Prof. Terry Pinkard is a leading American philosopher and Hegel scholar, known for his influential work on German Idealism, phenomenology, and social philosophy. A professor at Georgetown University, he has written the definitive biography of Hegel (Hegel: A Biography 2000) and key interpretive works like Hegel’s Phenomenology: The Sociality of Reason (1994) and Hegel’s Naturalism (2011).

If you would like to study with me you can find more information about our online education MAs in Philosophy here at Staffordshire University. You can find out more information on our MA in Continental Philosophy via this link. Or, join our MA in Philosophy of Nature, Information and Technology via this link. Find out more about me here. September intakes F/T or January intakes P/T. You can listen to more free back content from the Thales' Well podcast on TuneIn Radio, Player Fm, Stitcher and Pod Bean. You can also download their apps to your smart phone and listen via there. You can also subscribe for free on iTunes. Please leave a nice review.