In this episode I talk with philosophy professor Aaron Simmons about the practices and ethics of academic discourse, especially the questions of how and why scholars disagree with each other.

We begin with the recent controversy stirred up by Rebecca Tuvel's essay in the feminist philosophy journal Hypatia, titled "In Defense of Transracialism." Along the way, we discuss questions such as "why do scholars disagree so strongly with each other?" "What is the relative epistemological value of reason and experience?"  "Is anger a legitimate rebuttal of an academic argument?" "How should scholars use social media in this climate?"

And we finish with the perennial question, "What are you listening to," as Aaron takes us through some of his favorite hip-hop and metal bands. 

Theme music: Cynicism, "Purveyor of Chaos," Creative Commons 3.0.