This blog post is my fan page for Agnes Callard, a philosopher who teaches at the University of Chicago. It is inspired by an earlier fan page, which, at the time of writing, I thought had gone down because its URL had changed. That page, made by Sravan Bhamidipati, summarized Agnes’s opinions on various topics and linked to all of her articles.
This page reproduces Sravan’s list of links and adds other links, as well as some biographical information about Agnes that I thought was worth noticing. Unlike Sravan, I have not attempted to summarize Agnes’s opinions on any topics here, although I have a separate post that summarizes her book. This page has benefited from having been noticed and praised by Agnes herself and pinned to her Twitter, which has helped bring some information I had missed to my attention.
For biographical information about Agnes, touching chiefly on the event christened “Arnoldgate” below, I also recommend the profile of her that was published by the New Yorker on 2023-03-06, which Agnes herself seemed to think was fair.
- Drama
- Links
- Social media profiles by Agnes Callard
- Videos with Agnes Callard
- Podcasts with Agnes Callard
- Articles about Agnes Callard, and written interviews with her
- Articles by Agnes Callard
- Asterisk Magazine
- Boston Review
- Cato Unbound
- The Chronicle of Higher Education
- Daily Nous
- The Free Press (The FP)
- Harper’s Magazine
- Liberties Journal of Culture and Politics
- The New York Times
- The New Yorker
- The Point Magazine
- The Toronto Star
- UnHerd
- The Wall Street Journal
- Academic papers by Agnes Callard
- Books by Agnes Callard
- Reviews of Open Socrates, by Agnes Callard
Drama
Agnes Callard has been involved in three main drama events, which I have named “Arnoldgate”, “Picketgate” and “Candygate”, after the -gate suffix pattern.
Arnoldgate
Arnoldgate refers to the fact that Agnes Callard (maiden name Gellen) left her husband, Benjamin Callard, and married a graduate student named Arnold Brooks, who she had met while still married to Ben.
She and Ben hosted a talk about it as part of her “Night Owls” debate series; the talk may be watched here. Ben seems to still be on good terms with Agnes and her children.
This created some drama at the time and since, and was brought up again by some people when Candygate happened. Arnoldgate was the chief topic of the now-famous profile of Agnes for the New Yorker.
Picketgate
Picketgate refers to the fact that Agnes Callard did not stop teaching her classes around the beginning of June 2019. This was during a ‘strike’ of graduate students – or whatever the proper name is, since apparently the union wasn’t ‘recognized’ yet. Anyway, she was crossing picket lines to teach class, and on June 5th she published a column about why she did it, which apparently caused a lot of Twitter drama that was also brought up again a lot during later events. (This wasn’t on the first version of this page because I had personally missed it, but I was just informed.)
She hosted a public “Night Owls” event with a union representative to address this, but this one apparently wasn’t recorded.
Candygate
Candygate refers to the fact that Agnes Callard, who often tweets stories about her children, once (on 2022-11-01) posted this tweet:
9yo: mama you DIDN’T throw out the halloween candy?!—
[background: we have a halloween tradition where after the kids go to bed, I throw all their candy in the garbage. The next morning, they are filled with rage.]
—thank you SO much!!! [hugs & kisses]
Reader, I forgot.
Agnes’s supposed Hallowe’en tradition created a lot of Twitter drama, which was famous enough to end up on BuzzFeed. At the time, she was proud to end up on BuzzFeed, and thought that her 2020 essay “Acceptance Parenting” was relevant to the topic. Later, she was interviewed by the Daily Nous about it.
Links
Social media profiles by Agnes Callard
- Mastodon
- Facebook (inactive)
- Instagram (inactive)
- Substack Notes
Videos with Agnes Callard
She has a YouTube channel, and in that channel she has a playlist of videos from outside her channel. So that covers most of the videos.
But at least one video is missing from that playlist, as of now:
- 2021-04-04: Interintellect, Interintellect Salon with Agnes Callard: Fernando Pessoa on the Fractured Self
- 2023-02-10: UChicago Admissions, Fit check with Professor Agnes Callard!
- 2023-09-24, Justin Smith-Ruiu’s Hinternet, In Conversation with Agnes Callard: On Émile Zola
- 2023-12-04: Justin Smith-Ruiu’s Hinternet, Agnes Callard and I Discuss Zola’s Au Bonheur des Dames
- 2025-04-15: Anna Gát, Agnes: ¶ 1) why imagined interlocutors are worse, you need to talk to a REAL person ¶ 2) the limits of AI as a philosopher (but not as a therapist) ¶ Excellent notes on why self-examination threw Tolstoy into a depression, but not Socrates who did this socially. ¶ **Talk to others**
- 2025-04-19: UC Berkeley, The case for a philosophical life, with Agnes Callard and Judith Butler
- 2025-05-27: The Free Press (The FP), How to Examine Your Marriage and Your Life
- 2025-06-12: CCCB, Agnes Callard i Jordi Graupera – Preguntes que (ens) importen
- 2025-06-20, Tú Mismo, “Sócrates al descubierto” | Entrevista a Agnes Callard
- 2025-06-23, John Templeton Foundation, The Problem with Being Right | Agnes Callard
- 2025-07-13: Philosophy Overdose, The Most Interesting Take On Socrates? (described by Agnes as the origin story of her most recent book)
One of her speeches was transcribed at a post on the Effective Altruism Forum.
Podcasts with Agnes Callard
As a host
- 2021-04-04: Elucidations, Episode 133: Aristotle discusses his philosophy
- Minds Almost Meeting (regular host, along with Robin Hanson)
As a guest
- 2009-07-06: Elucidations, Episode 1: Agnes Callard discusses desire and satisfaction
- 2017-09-21: Elucidations, Episode 100: Agnes Callard discusses aspiration
- 2018-03-22: Conversations with Tyler, Agnes Callard on the Theory of Everything
- 2019-12-11: Ipse Dixit, Agnes Callard on Aspiration
- 2020-02-24: The Portal, 23: Agnes Callard - Courage, Meta-cognitive detachment and their limits
- 2020-03-19: It’s All Over (formerly BadChristian), #499 Philosopher Agnes Callard
- 2020-05-10: Subject to Change, Agnes Callard, Adjective
- 2020-07-20: Elucidations, Episode 126: Listener Q&A with Agnes Callard and Ben Callard
- 2020-07-22: Subject to Change, Agnes and Abe Callard are philosophical about films
- 2020-10-13: Eureka, Agnes Callard on Philosophy of Aspiration, Family and Jewishness
- 2020-11-10: Subject to Change, Tyler Cowen rates A Separation
- 2020-12-22: Very Bad Wizards, Episode 203: Gorgias, Tell Me Something I Don’t Know (With Agnes Callard)
- 2021-02-10: Subject to Change, Tom Holland scores 300
- 2021-03-27: Daily Stoic, Agnes Callard on Socrates and Wisdom
- 2021-05-14: The Ezra Klein Show, Status Games, Polyamory and the Merits of Meritocracy
- 2021-07-31: What Is X?, S1E1, What Is Philosophy? | Agnes Callard
- 2021-08-17: 18Forty, Agnes Callard: A Philosophy of Change
- 2021-10-09: Philosophy Bites, Agnes Callard on Complaint
- 2022-03-07: Harper’s Magazine, The Eros Monster
- 2022-06-30: The Mine Field, Persuasion – is it possible, or even desirable?
- 2022-11-14: EconTalk, Agnes Callard on Meaning, the Human Quest, and the Aims of Education
- 2023-01-20: LibertiesTalk, Episode 29 - Agnes Callard
- 2023-06-13: ReThinking with Adam Grant, Ambition vs. aspiration with philosopher Agnes Callard
- 2023-07-14: Upstream with Erik Torenberg, Agnes Callard on Dark Empathy, Being Straussian vs Being Sincere, and Philosophical Progress
- 2023-07-29: Aporia, Animalistic & Divine
- 2024-02-13: The Ezra Klein Show, Best Of: Status Games, Polyamory and the Merits of Meritocracy
- 2024-11-02: Upstream with Erik Torenberg, Why We Do Philosophy w/ Agnes Callard
- 2025-01-19: Past Present Future, The History of Revolutionary Ideas: Socrates w/Agnes Callard
- 2025-01-20: Voices of VR, #1518: The Socratic Immersive Experience with Agnes Callard and her book “Open Socrates”
- 2025-01-22: Connecticut Public Radio, Socrates' lessons on life, death, and conversation with Agnes Callard
- 2025-01-24: Keen On America, Episode 2316: Agnes Callard on how to learn from Socrates about questioning everything
- 2025-02-04: The Spectator, ‘The worst echo chamber is your own mind’: the unconventional life of philosopher Agnes Callard
- 2025-02-09: Headliners with Nihal Arthanayake, Agnes Callard
- 2025-02-28: Modern Relationships with Erik Torenberg, This philosopher lives with her husband and ex-husband | Agnes Callard & Arnold Brooks
- 2025-03-02: Converging Dialogues, #404 - Socrates and Living A Philosophical Life: A Dialogue with Agnes Callard
- 2025-03-09: Upstream with Erik Torenberg, How to Have A Philosophical Marriage w/ Agnes Callard and Arnold Brooks
- 2025-03-18: How To Academy, Agnes Callard – Socratic Wisdom for Our Modern Times
- 2025-04-11: unSILOed, 526. Beyond Problem Solving: Philosophy and the Quest for Understanding feat. Agnes Callard
- 2025-04-15: Philosophy Bites, Agnes Callard on Lessons from Socrates
- 2025-04-18: Thales' Well, On Socrates with Agnes Callard
- 2025-06-19: The Middle with Jeremy Hobson, The Philosophical Middle
- 2025-05-20: Chicago Humanities, Philosopher Agnes Callard Has Some Questions About Questions
- 2025-06-22: Brain in a Vat, Living The Philosophical Life | Agnes Callard
- 2025-06-30: Connecticut Public Radio, Socrates' lessons on life, death, and conversation with Agnes Callard
Articles about Agnes Callard, and written interviews with her
In English
- 2018-04-27: 3:16, Aspiration
- 2019-07-25: What Is It Like to Be a Philosopher?, Interview with Agnes Callard
- 2022-11-03: Daily Nous, Interview With “Candy Mom” Philosopher
- 2023-01-01: The New York Times, How Should You Be? Try Taking Suggestions.
- 2023-01-05: Moda Magazine (Fall 2022), Whimsical Dress (this link will probably go outdated, because the magazine puts its latest issue directly on the front page, with no permalink; someone please comment when it does)
- 2023-01-18: Harper’s Magazine, Show Don’t Tell
- 2023-03-06: The New Yorker, Agnes Callard’s Marriage of the Minds
- 2023-03-25: OathCare, Philosopher Agnes Callard on Anxiety & Decisions
- 2023-09-13: jp bonner, Parasociality! At the Vibe Camp
- 2023-09-19: The Chicago Maroon, The Masque of Youth
- 2023-09-21: The Phoenix, Agnes Callard Critiques Liberal Political Fictions at Lecture and Boasts Large Audience at Swarthmore’s Inaugural “Night Owls” Event
- 2025-01-17: Nautilus, Argue Your Way to a Fuller Life
In other languages
- 2020-08-17: Die Zeit, Mutter werden: Kann das vernünftig sein? (German)
- 2021-07-23: És, „Célom, hogy a filozófiai jártasság egyetemessé váljon” (Hungarian)
- 2022-12-28: Haaretz, הפילוסופיה של אגנס קאלרד יורדת לרחוב, נכנסת לאמבטיה, לחדר המיטות ואולי גם ללב (Hebrew)
- 2025-06-12: De Volkskrant, Is egoïsme slecht? Niet als je een waardevol leven wilt leiden, zegt deze filosoof
- 2025-06-17: Núvol, Agnes Callard: «La vida va d’una cosa més elevada del que sembla»
- 2025-06-25: El País, Agnes Callard, la filósofa socrática que vive en ‘trieja’ con su ex y su marido: “A la gente le extraña mi forma de vida, pero cuando la explico siempre me entienden”
- 2025-07-07:Diari, Agnes Callard: “Sócrates conversó con gente muy parecida a Trump o Putin”
Articles by Agnes Callard
Asterisk Magazine
- 2025-01-27: Where the Wild Things Aren’t
Boston Review
- 2019-01-21: Don’t Overthink It
- 2020-04-16: The Philosophy of Anger
- 2020-04-17: The Wound is Real
- 2020-12-21: A More Perfect Meritocracy
- 2021-07-26: Against Persuasion
Cato Unbound
- 2019-01-14: A Strange Argument for the Commonplace
- 2019-01-18: When Economics Fails
- 2019-01-18: A Question for Eli Dourado
- 2019-01-23: Radicalism, Replaceability, and Bounded Obligations
- 2019-01-23: Utilitarianism as an Esoteric Doctrine
- 2019-01-30: Human Lives Have Intrinsic Worth
The Chronicle of Higher Education
- 2017-09-13: What We Talk About When We Talk About Meritocracy
- 2019-12-10: In Defense of Plagiarism, Sort Of
- 2020-02-20: The Problem With Letters of Recommendation
- 2020-04-10: The End of Esotericism
- 2024-11-04: Neutrality Is Meant to Be Broken
Daily Nous
- 2018-03-27: How Philosophy Makes Progress
- 2023-08-02: Desperate Honesty
The Free Press (The FP)
- 2024-08-17: A Terrorist Plot Canceled the Show. But We Swifties Found Each Other on Cornelia Street.
- 2025-02-02: What Socrates Teaches Us About Love, Politics, and Death
Harper’s Magazine
- 2021-09-01: Breaking Points
- 2022-02-16: The Eros Monster
Liberties Journal of Culture and Politics
- Spring 2021, Volume 1, Number 3: Romance Without Love, Love Without Romance
- Spring 2025, Volume 5, Number 3: The Missing Shade of White
The New York Times
- 2018-01-08: Can We Learn to Believe in God?
- 2018-12-03: What Does It Mean to ‘Speak as a Woman’?
- 2019-08-13: Why Philosophers Shouldn’t Sign Petitions
- 2019-11-22: The Real Cost of Tweeting About My Kids
- 2020-03-31: Why Am I Reading Apocalyptic Novels Now?
- 2020-07-21: Should We Cancel Aristotle?
- 2020-11-30: I Don’t Want You to ‘Believe Me’. I Want You to Listen.
- 2021-05-17: What We Believe About Skepticism
- 2022-06-21: If I Get Canceled, Let Them Eat Me Alive
- 2023-12-02: I Teach the Humanities, and I Still Don’t Know What Their Value Is
The New Yorker
The following are the articles by Agnes for The New Yorker, but of course, this profile written by Rachel Aviv about her is famous.
- 2020-04-11: What Do the Humanities Do in a Crisis?
- 2021-09-25: The Problems of Marital Loneliness
- 2023-06-24: The Case Against Travel
The Point Magazine
- 2019-02-13: Is Public Philosophy Good? (discussed at the Daily Nous)
- 2019-03-14: The Emotion Police
- 2019-05-09: Against Advice
- 2019-06-05: Persuade or Be Persuaded
- 2019-07-09: Spoiled Rich Kids
- 2019-08-07: Do You Want My Garbage?
- 2019-09-02: The Devil’s Advocate’s Advocate
- 2019-09-05: Half a Person
- 2019-10-21: Parenting and Panic
- 2019-11-20: Is Plagiarism Wrong?
- 2019-12-26: The Problem With Letters of Recommendation
- 2020-01-16: Who Wants to Play the Status Game?
- 2020-02-24: Thoughts and Prayers
- 2020-03-11: The End is Coming
- 2020-04-30: Family Feuds
- 2020-06-11: How to Politicize the Classroom
- 2020-07-29: Publish and Perish
- 2020-10-02: Acceptance Parenting
- 2020-11-24: Torturing Geniuses
- 2021-01-27: Anger Management
- 2021-02-13: The Other Woman
- 2021-06-28: Why Am I Being Hurt?
- 2021-08-15: The Real College Scandal
- 2022-07-15: Art Is for Seeing Evil
- 2024-01-04: Is Plagiarism Wrong?
- 2024-01-09: The Paradox of Apology
- 2024-09-29: Beyond Neutrality
The Toronto Star
UnHerd
- 2023-12-19: Zola understood our lust for shopping
- 2024-12-26: The torture of an unphilosophical life
- 2025-02-27: The paradox of Millennial perfection
The Wall Street Journal
- 2020-12-09: ‘Breaking Bread With the Dead’ Review: Old Books in a New Class (archive link)
- 2023-07-28: The Flatness of Consent
- 2025-01-30: I Told My Son to Always Be Himself. Was I Wrong?
Academic papers by Agnes Callard
Books by Agnes Callard
- Aspiration (2018)
- On Anger (2020)
- Open Socrates (2025)
Reviews of Open Socrates, by Agnes Callard
Collected here mostly thanks to how, and because, Agnes was collecting these herself. Some of these are also interviews.
- 2025-01-04: The Telegraph, Why Socrates was right about free speech
- 2025-01-08: Psychology Today, Is the Socratic Method Still Relevant?
- 2025-01-13: Toronto Star, ‘Open Socrates’ shows why philosophy isn’t a spectator sport
- 2025-01-15: The New York Times, The Secret to a Good Life? Thinking Like Socrates.
- 2025-01-16: The Guardian, [Open Socrates by Agnes Callard review – a design for life](Open Socrates by Agnes Callard review – a design for life)
- 2025-01-16: Overcoming Bias, What Would Socrates Do?
- 2025-01-21: The New Yorker, Should You Question Everything?
- 2025-01-21: The Spectator, Agnes Callard on why we must revive Socratic virtue
- 2025-01-24: The Common Reader, A place where knowledge is ours for the taking.
- 2025-01-24: Open Letters Review, Open Socrates by Agnes Callard
- 2025-01-25: The New Statesman, Agnes Callard: “Socrates wants us to reflect on the oddity of our sexual practices”
- 2025-01-30: The New Republic, Is Agnes Callard Making You Uncomfortable?
- 2025-02-01: The Washington Post, What if the philosophical life really is the only one worth living?
- 2025-02-03: Branches of Philosophy Podcast, [164] Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life By Agnes Callard
- 2025-02-09: The Guardian, ‘We’re not doing the thing we’re built to do’: Agnes Callard, the philosopher living life according to Socrates
- 2025-02-01: On Therapy, Socrates and Psychoanalysis
- 2025-02-14: TLS, How should we live?
- 2025-04-01: The Critic, Talk is deep
- 2025-04-13: Spiked, The spirit of Socrates? Question everything
Hi Thiago. Happy to see another fan page for Agnes Callard. My article never went down, but the URL changed: https://navras.substack.com/p/public-philosopher-agnes-callard
ReplyDeleteThanks for telling me! I have changed my wording to reflect this. Your page is very useful.
DeleteA couple of additional podcasts as guest:
ReplyDeletehttps://podcasts.apple.com/ie/podcast/gorgias-tell-me-something-i-dont-know-with-agnes-callard/id557975157?i=1000503304329
https://podcasts.apple.com/my/podcast/what-is-philosophy-agnes-callard/id1579175782?i=1000530597276&l=ms
Added both to the list, thanks!
DeleteThanks for creating this!
ReplyDeleteSeems like an ep. you've missed (and I've enjoyed): https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/agnes-callard-on-philosophy-of-aspiration-family/id1530751167?i=1000494683168
Added, thank you!
DeleteAnother one for you - appearance on a podcast/radio show as guest:
ReplyDelete2022-06-30: The Mine Field, Persuasion - is it possible, or even desirable?
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/theminefield/persuasion-is-it-possible-or-even-desirable/13953476
Added, thank you! Sorry for the delay
Delete