Welcome to season four of The Critic and Her Publics: The Art of the Interview. In this run, host Merve Emre engages a diverse roster of interviewers from various fields to probe how they elicit the answers they seek, what qualifies as a strong question, how to notice what isn’t spoken aloud, and how much pressure is necessary before someone offers something novel.
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From this episode: “The philosopher Agnes Callard stands out as one of the most genuinely inquisitive minds I have encountered. Whether she writes about unrequited love, parenting, classroom politics, or the ethical missteps of travelers, I’m energized by the way she reframes everyday life from unexpected angles. And I frequently disagree with her, which happens often. Callard teaches at the University of Chicago and has authored several books, including the latest Open Socrates: The Case for a Philosophical Life, published last year. She joined me to discuss what may be the oldest form of interviewing—the Socratic dialogue—and what we might learn about asking questions and pursuing truth from Socrates and other gadflies.”
For the full transcript, head over to the New York Review of Books.
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The Critic and Her Publics Hosted by Merve Emre • Edited by Michele Moses • Music by Dani Lencioni • Art by Leanne Shapton • Sponsored by Alfred A. Knopf
The Critic and Her Publics is a co-production between the Shapiro Center for Creative Writing and Criticism at Wesleyan University, New York Review of Books, and Lit Hub.
