Episode

How do we know life is not a dream?

Podcast
But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids
Published
Mar 6, 2026
Duration seconds
1926
Processing state
not_requested
Canonical source
https://www.vermontpublic.org/podcast/but-why-a-podcast-for-curious-kids/2026-03-06/how-do-we-know-life-is-not-a-dream
Audio
https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/tracking.swap.fm/track/sblTq32fyWAjsHzze2LG/dovetail.prxu.org/_/326/a38fa0cb-10bf-4c0b-bae9-17c15092953d/ButWhy_Philosophy_Ep285.mp3
JSON
/v1/public/podcasts/but-why-a-podcast-for-curious-kids-1011548/episodes/how-do-we-know-life-is-not-a-dream
Markdown
/podcast/but-why-a-podcast-for-curious-kids-1011548/how-do-we-know-life-is-not-a-dream.md

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Summary

Some questions are so big they’re existential, meaning that they get right to the heart of human existence. These are also sometimes called philosophical questions, so for this episode we called up a professor of philosophy, Scott Hershovitz, who teaches at the University of Michigan. He’s also written a book about how adults and kids can have philosophical discussions together. It’s called Nasty, Brutish and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids . Download our learning guides: PDF | Google Slide | Transcript