How do we know life is not a dream?

How do we know life is not a dream?

From But Why: A Podcast for Curious Kids by Vermont Public

March 6, 2026 · 32 min

About this episode

The episode explores existential and philosophical questions with guest Scott Hershovitz.

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

People in this episode

Guest: Scott Hershovitz

Topics covered

  • existential questions
  • philosophy
  • human existence
  • children's discussions
  • education

Keywords

  • existential
  • philosophy
  • Scott Hershovitz
  • University of Michigan
  • Nasty Brutish and Short

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Michigan

Books & works: Nasty, Brutish and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids

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