Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Keegan Kjeldson of @untimelyreflections returns to the channel to discuss the merits of continental philosophy. While he is largely in favor and I am not, we both agree that Hegel is abysmally obscure.
This interview is also available as a podcast:
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/84-continental-philosophy-genius-or-gibberish-keegan/id1776277450?i=1000767998054
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/11ceBqSQBzgcDeGOAPi9tl?si=d0270eb5d5464bb4
Substack: mileskdonahue.substack.com/publish/post/197831476?r=1pf1v9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Check out my Substack where you can get a paid membership because you're awesome: mileskdonahue.substack.com
To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/mileskdonahue.
Follow me on X: twitter.com/PhilosopherMKD
EPISODE CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:09 Hegel vs Plantinga: obscurity and clarity
00:02:58 Keegan’s defense of continental philosophy
00:08:29 Why continental philosophy feels impenetrable
00:11:06 Spinoza and intuitive knowledge
00:14:16 Nietzsche, style, and philosophical insight
00:17:58 Logical positivism and ethics
00:22:12 What is metaethics?
00:27:08 Utilitarianism and moral intuitions
00:30:08 Do arguments bottom out in intuition?
00:36:30 What is philosophy for?
00:44:32 Moral realism and objective moral truth
00:48:50 Judith Butler and the charge of gibberish
00:54:01 Clear continental thinkers
00:55:48 Heidegger and justified obscurity
01:01:51 Is clarity always a virtue?
01:06:40 Can poetry give us rational grounds?
01:12:43 Moral knowledge vs moral persuasion
01:15:20 Motivated reasoning in ethics
01:25:12 Ethics, emotion, and objectivity
01:28:05 The Nazi example and moral realism
01:32:17 Abortion, personhood, and moral disagreement
01:38:35 Objective truth in morality and science
01:41:08 Has humanity made moral progress?
Keegan Kjeldson of @untimelyreflections returns to the channel to discuss the merits of continental philosophy. While he is largely in favor and I am not, we both agree that Hegel is abysmally obscure.
This interview is also available as a podcast:
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/84-continental-philosophy-genius-or-gibberish-keegan/id1776277450?i=1000767998054
Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/11ceBqSQBzgcDeGOAPi9tl?si=d0270eb5d5464bb4
Substack: mileskdonahue.substack.com/publish/post/197831476?r=1pf1v9&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
Check out my Substack where you can get a paid membership because you're awesome: mileskdonahue.substack.com
To support the channel, do please oh please consider donating via Buy Me a Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/mileskdonahue.
Follow me on X: twitter.com/PhilosopherMKD
EPISODE CHAPTERS
00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:09 Hegel vs Plantinga: obscurity and clarity
00:02:58 Keegan’s defense of continental philosophy
00:08:29 Why continental philosophy feels impenetrable
00:11:06 Spinoza and intuitive knowledge
00:14:16 Nietzsche, style, and philosophical insight
00:17:58 Logical positivism and ethics
00:22:12 What is metaethics?
00:27:08 Utilitarianism and moral intuitions
00:30:08 Do arguments bottom out in intuition?
00:36:30 What is philosophy for?
00:44:32 Moral realism and objective moral truth
00:48:50 Judith Butler and the charge of gibberish
00:54:01 Clear continental thinkers
00:55:48 Heidegger and justified obscurity
01:01:51 Is clarity always a virtue?
01:06:40 Can poetry give us rational grounds?
01:12:43 Moral knowledge vs moral persuasion
01:15:20 Motivated reasoning in ethics
01:25:12 Ethics, emotion, and objectivity
01:28:05 The Nazi example and moral realism
01:32:17 Abortion, personhood, and moral disagreement
01:38:35 Objective truth in morality and science
01:41:08 Has humanity made moral progress?
