Entitled Opinions (about Life and Literature)

In this show Robert Harrison discusses the concept of “ordinary horror” with Andrea Capra, Assistant Professor of Italian Studies at NYU. Dr. Capra’s book Ordinary Horror was published by Stanford University Press in 2026. Songs featured in this episode: “The Killing” by Frans Bak and “Knives Out” by Radiohead.

In this show, Robert Harrison discusses the remarkable evolutionary theories of French naturalist Jean-Baptiste Lamarck with Stanford professor Jessica Riskin. Dr. Riskin is the Frances and Charles Field Professor of History at Stanford University. She is the author of The Restless Clock (2019), Science in the Age of Sensibility (2002), and most recently The Power […]

In this show, Robert Harrison and Chloe Summers Edmondson discuss the cultural history of Paris, from the Enlightenment to the present day. Dr. Edmondson is Assistant Professor of French in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures at the University of Miami. She holds a Ph.D. in French and a master’s degree in communication, both […]

In this episode Werner Herzog speaks with Robert about the future of truth, which is the subject and title of Herzog’s new book, published in 2025. Songs in this episode: “Moby Dick” by Glass Wave, and “Balena” by Glass Wave.

Entitled Opinions is pleased to air Robert Harrison’s interview with Masud Gaziyev, which aired on the YouTube channel of “Philosophy Everyday” earlier this month. Inspired by Robert’s book “The Dominion of the Dead”, the interview centered around the meaning of death in our time.

In this show Robert Harrison and Ato Quayson discuss tragedy and postcolonial literature (the topic of Professor Quayson’s 2021 book of the same title). Ato Quayson is the Jean G. and Morris M. Dolye Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies and English at Stanford University, and chair of the Department of African and African American Studies. Songs in […]

In this show Robert Harrison and Dr. Miles Osgood from The Ho Center For Buddhist Studies discuss the figure of Ulysses as he appears in Homer and many subsequent incarnations, especially in literary modernism. Songs in this episode: “Nausicaa” by Glass Wave, and “Calypso” by Suzanne Vega.

In this show Robert Harrison and Adrienne Corn discuss the biology, psychology, and sociology of aging. Adrienne Corn earned a Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University in Leadership, Policy and Organizational Behavior. She is the founder of HumanTalented, a software and services company located in Nashville. Songs in this episode: “From the Beginning” by Emerson, Lake & […]

Mark Gonnerman received his Ph.D. in Religious Studies at Stanford University, has taught the comparative philosophy of religions, and is the author of “A Sense of the Whole: Reading Gary Snyder’s Mountains and Rivers Without End”. Songs in this episode: “On the Edge of Uncertainty” by Steve Hunter, and “Bold as Love” by Jimi Hendrix.

In this episode we re-broadcast a show that aired on Abby Walthausen’s podcast “A Lovely Wallpaper” in which she engages Robert Harrison on the meaning of the winter solstice and the generative power of darkness.

In this show Robert Harrison and Crystal Cassidy discuss the biology, spirit, and outcomes of meditation. Crystal Cassidy is a meditation master and founder of SoulPod. Songs in this episode: “Silence Must be Heard” by Enigma, and “The Voice of Enigma” by Enigma.

This episode features Robert Harrison’s conversation with Christy Wampole about Zeitgeist and the spirit of planet Earth, which took place at Princeton University on October 23, 2025.

A conversation between Robert Harrison and Christy Wampole about the origins and history of Entitled Opinions.

In this monologue Robert Harrison reflects on the differences between human intelligence, animal intelligence, and artificial intelligence. Songs in this episode: “From the Beginning” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer; “La Nuit du Rat” by La Féline; and “If” by Pink Floyd.

In this show Robert Harrison and Michaela Hulstyn discuss various experiences of unselfing, focusing on the nature of its shapeshifting and the knowledge that unselfing delivers. Michaela Hulstyn is a Lecturer at Stanford and Associate Director of Stanford’s Structured Liberal Education program. She is the author of Unselfing: Global French Literature at the Limits of […]

A conversation about the uses and abuses of action in the history of philosophy and contemporary society with Grant Dowling. Songs in this episode: “Silence Must Be Heard” by Enigma, and “Easy Does It” by Supertramp.

A conversation about crystals and their mysterious quantum powers with Dr. Aaron Breidenbach. Songs in this episode: “From the Beginning” by Emerson, Lake & Palmer, and “Crystalised” by The xx.

A monologue in which our host, Professor Robert Harrison, gets swept up by the spirit of the wind and carried toward some indeterminate destination. Songs in this episode: “The Chain” by Fleetwood Mac, “Annabelle Lee” by Glass Wave, and “The Wind Cries Mary” by Jimi Hendrix.

A conversation about David Jones’ “In Parenthesis” with Tim Noakes, Head of Public Services, Special Collections at Stanford University. Songs in this episode: “A Fool No More” by Peter Green, and “Machine Gun” by Jimi Hendrix.

A conversation about sex, intimacy, and human relations in the era of AI with Jeanne Proust, Vice President of the Public Philosophy Network. Songs in this episode: “Reckoner” by Radiohead, and “She’s Not There” by The Zombies.