This is NOT a philosophy podcast! We aren’t dressed in tweed and talking at you. We ask some of the same questions you’ve been too embarrassed to voice out loud. The name is the first move in a very deliberate game: before you’ve pressed play, your guard is already down. No posturing. No gatekeeping. Just two people genuinely wrestling with the big stuff — and inviting you to join the match.
That radical humility has a 2,500-year pedigree. When Socrates built the most enduring philosophical method in history, he did it on a single, audacious premise: “I know nothing.” The Idiot Philosophers didn’t stumble onto that tradition — they walked straight into it with their eyes wide open. In an era where audiences can smell performance from a mile away, leading with “we’re idiots” isn’t a liability. It’s the most credible thing you can do. It’s confidence disguised as humility, and it works. We’ve lived in different places, chased different careers, and raised our families along the way-but the conversations never went away. This podcast is just us continuing them out loud. Pull up a chair; you’re part of it now.
Two lifelong friends. Over fifty years of friendship. Zero interest in pretending they have all (or ANY of) the answers.
Traveling Lecturer in Reckless Wisdom & Aviation Metaphors
Slats transitioned from adolescent troublemaker to airline pilot without ever fully abandoning either identity. After years of breaking rules on the ground, he went on to break the sound barrier flying in the military. He now sits in the Captain’s seat flying Boeing 787 Dreamliners to exotic destinations (and at least one country he is no longer welcomed in.)
Research Slats focuses on:
• Learning life lessons exclusively the hard way
• Explaining complex emotions using pilot jargon
• Surviving long enough to call it “experience”
Despite being trusted with hundreds of lives at 35,000 feet, Slats should not be trusted with conclusions, advice, or historical accuracy. Despite this, he remains employed, happily married (statistically the podcast’s strongest credential), and still best friends with Charlie after 50 years—an outcome no peer-reviewed study can explain.
Adjunct Professor of Regret, Emeritus (Self-Appointed)
Charlie began his academic journey at approximately age 12, when he mistakenly confused access to a microphone with expertise. After a long and occasionally impressive career in radio, (including a national show that briefly convinced corporate media execs he knew what he was doing) Charlie now applies his extensive background in talking confidently (while being wrong) to philosophy-adjacent conversations.
Charlie’s scholarly interests include:
He holds no degrees in philosophy, psychology, or restraint, but brings decades of lived experience, unresolved opinions, and one marriage that ended over a decade ago and still somehow finds its way into unrelated discussions. Charlie currently teaches no classes, advises no students, and should not be cited anywhere, nor under any circumstances.
Executive Producer (Under Protest)
Stu Pidasso is the longtime radio producer for Charlie Wilde and the reluctant adult supervision behind The Idiot Philosophers. A veteran of the industry, Stu has spent years preventing Charlie from saying things that would immediately end careers, friendships, or result in lawsuits.
Stu’s involvement in this podcast is widely believed to be the result of a lost bet, misunderstood favor, or a moment of weakness during contract negotiations
Known for his short temper, heavy accent, and low tolerance for nonsense, Stu approaches each recording session with the enthusiasm of a man waiting in line at the DMV behind a large man with uncontrollable flatulence.
Stu’s responsibilities include sighing loudly off mic, muting microphones at critical moments, constantly wondering (usually aloud) how this became his problem.
NOTE: Stu does not endorse the views of the hosts, the guests, or the very concept of podcasts.