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In November, 2016, we did a show about all the problems presented by, well, a-holes. And so it seems only logical to expand our scope a bit and do a show about all the problems presented by, well, a hole.

For instance: How many holes are there in a straw? Did you say one? Okay, cool. Then how many holes are there in a sock? (A relatively new sock, I mean.) You said one again, right? But how can both of those things be true at the same time?

Or, put another way: What happens to the hole in the donut as you eat the donut around it? This gets into mereology, the theory of parthood relations -- for our purposes, the parts and wholes of holes and the wholes the holes are parts of.

Your head hurts a little, right?

And then there's trypophobia, an irrational fear of clusters of holes and cracks.

And finally: We've just found a black hole right in our cosmic backyard.

GUESTS:
Chrissie Giles - A science writer and the global health editor at The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
Marina Koren - Staff writer at The Atlantic
Achille Varzi - Professor of philosophy at Columbia University and the coauthor of Holes and Other Superficialities

In November, 2016, we did a show about all the problems presented by, well,&nbsp;<a href="https://wnpr.org/post/philosophy-and-psychology-holery">a-holes</a>. And so it seems only logical to expand our scope a bit and do a show about all the problems presented by, well,&nbsp;<a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/holes/">a hole</a>.
For instance:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinknudson/2018/01/29/drinking-straws-how-many-holes/">How many holes are there in a straw?</a>&nbsp;Did you say one? Okay, cool. Then how many holes are there in a sock? (A relatively new sock, I mean.) You said one again, right? But how can both of those things be true at the same time?
Or, put another way: What happens to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbHaQYDo7Zs">the hole in the donut</a>&nbsp;as you eat the donut around it? This gets into&nbsp;<a href="https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mereology/">mereology</a>, the theory of parthood relations -- for our purposes, the parts and wholes of holes and the wholes the holes are parts of.
Your head hurts a little, right?
And then there's trypophobia,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/nov/19/whats-behind-a-phobia-of-holes">an irrational fear of clusters of holes and cracks</a>.
And finally: We've just found a black hole&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2020/05/closest-known-black-hole/611188/">right in our cosmic backyard</a>.
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li>Chrissie Giles&nbsp;- A science writer and the global health editor at&nbsp;The Bureau of Investigative Journalism</li>
<li>Marina Koren&nbsp;- Staff writer at&nbsp;The Atlantic</li>
<li>Achille Varzi&nbsp;- Professor of philosophy at Columbia University and the coauthor of&nbsp;Holes and Other Superficialities</li>
</ul>

The Colin McEnroe Show is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called The Nose for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

<a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/show/the-colin-mcenroe-show/about">The Colin McEnroe Show</a> is public radio’s most eclectic, eccentric weekday program. The best way to understand us is through the subjects we tackle: Neanderthals, tambourines, handshakes, the Iliad, snacks, ringtones, punk rock, Occam’s razor, Rasputin, houseflies, zippers. Are you sensing a pattern? If so, you should probably be in treatment. On Fridays, we try to stop thinking about what kind of ringtones Neanderthals would want to have and convene a panel called <a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/tags/the-nose">The Nose</a> for an informal roundtable about the week in culture.

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