肯和约翰首先质问他们的客人为什么哲学家已经退出公共领域。汉斯断言，哲学已经变得太像一门学科了。在18世纪，“哲学家”指的是我们现在所说的公共知识分子。今天，这个头衔仅仅是指一个人在大学院系的职业隶属关系。肯对这个领域过于技术化的观点提出了挑战。汉斯继续说，这个领域仍然太过理性，另一个问题是缺乏公众意识，即哲学不仅仅是学生的。在他看来，哲学需要变得“更奇怪”才能更具煽动性。

在下一节中，肯和约翰将哲学与其他人文科学进行比较。虽然哲学没有经历像比较文学那样的身份危机，但它不像科学那样具有同等的社会重要性。Ken说，想象一下如果科学界消失了，公众的反应会是什么样子。我们如何把哲学带回来?汉斯相信哲学可以回答当前重塑社会的需求。哲学家不仅应该被任命为专家供政府参考，还应该提出他们自己的奇怪建议。他提到了彼得·斯劳特戴克(Peter Sloterdijk)，他在报纸上发表的一篇挑战纳税观念的文章在德国引起了广泛关注。约翰以同样具有影响力的美国哲学家艾茵•兰德(Ayn Rand)为例来支持这一观点。然而，汉斯明确指出，哲学的目的不是提供一个最终的导向，而是开始讨论。肯同意这一观点，他说哲学的力量在想象的领域:它不像科学那样告诉我们事物是怎样的，而是告诉我们事物可能是怎样的。

Ken, John, and Hans then explore how to change the current attitude. Hans believes the problem is in how philosophy is taught—or rather, the fact that it is taught. He thinks there needs to less instructing and more doing through contemplation, by getting students to focus on a text in depth. Ken agrees but is skeptical that such a method will have retention in an American society obsessed with payoff and measurable results. He asks Hans how he addresses this with his students. Hans jokes that he gives them all A’s. He closes the show on this idea of philosophical contemplation as the secular form of what is attempted in spiritual exercise.

• Roving Philosopher Report(Seek to 6:01): Caitlin Esch talks to Mike Lee about his volunteering efforts to introduce philosophy to children in LA public schools. They examine whether making philosophical discussion a habit from a young age can address the lacking ability of adults to articulate coherent moral positions.
  
• 60-second Philosopher(Seek to 49:00): Ian Shoales discusses the ‘Great Books’ phenomenon, and how widespread American enthusiasm to engage with influential texts of Western society suffered under the real practical and ethical implications of such a collection.