Is the academy and our culture as a whole in need of newer, bigger ideas? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In the first half of the twentieth century radical thinkers, from Einstein to Schrödinger, Russell to Wittgenstein, Woolf to de Beauvoir, were transforming ideas. But many wonder where the equivalents are today and point to a deep seated flaw. Universities and research labs have become increasingly specialised and focus on small 'piec...
Oct 10, 2023•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Can we rely on science for the answers? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts' argued Richard Feynman. He held that the best science respects no authority and is not a learnt set of facts, but a rigorous method of questioning in search of a better account. Yet in the pandemic governments and commentators propounded the opposite, that experts should be followed without question. Feynman propos...
Oct 03, 2023•46 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are we overlooking the profound mystery of life and death in a secular age? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In a scientific, secular age, narratives of the afterlife often appear to many as empty and anachronistic wish fulfillment. However, this podcast episode invites listeners to delve deeper into this topic, pondering the unexplained phenomenon of consciousness and the potential limitations of a physical machinery to harbor thought, consc...
Sep 25, 2023•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast Can we have objective morality without metaphysics? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join Simon Blackburn, renowned philosopher at Cambridge University, as he discusses navigating heated moral discussions, the play of perspective on moral dilemmas, and his notable disagreements with Richard Rorty. From understanding contentious topics to gaining insights into meta-ethics, Blackburn takes us on an enlightening journey into the depths of truth and...
Sep 19, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is human agency a fantasy? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We may not always agree on questions of morality, but whatever standards we adopt we apply them to human action. We are less inclined to take a moral stance on human inaction and failure to act. Many would argue that Putin's attack on the Ukrainian people is morally evil, but there is less outrage that we fail to save any of the estimated 5.4 million children under five who died last ye...
Sep 18, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is our future reality a digital utopia or impending nightmare? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes As tech giants promise a lavish digital existence and unparalleled virtual experiences, there's a rising concern. Will we be trading real-life relationships for virtual ones? Substituting nature for mere simulation? And at the forefront, will control rest solely with corporations like Meta? Dive into this pressing debate and navigate the line between ...
Sep 05, 2023•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast Should we seek to fulfill our needs with multiple partners? Does dissecting a rat brain count as philosophy? Are we entering the age of corporate authoritarianism? Listen as Zizek guides us through these and other major questions of our time. Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Slavoj Žižek provides a Hegelian insight into historical and current political crises. The dialectical repetition of history is not inevitable, and the recent trend aw...
Aug 29, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Want lasting happiness? Paul Dolan reveals the secret: it's all about where you direct your attention to on a daily basis. Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Happiness isn't about what you think, it's about what you do. And you're more in control than you'd imagine. Join happiness expert and LSE Professor of Behavioural Science, Paul Dolan, as he explains how to create a happy life by your own design. Paul Dolan is Professor of Behavioural S...
Aug 22, 2023•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are psychedelics the lens to reality or the key to delusion? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes With a resurgence in the cultural zeitgeist, psychedelics are now at the forefront of debates about mental health treatments. Critics challenge the efficacy of these substances, but are they missing a broader truth? Join Anne Katrin Schlag, Julian Baggini, and James Rucker as they grapple with the nature of psychedelic experiences and the fabric o...
Aug 15, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is thought a distraction from reality? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From the birth of reason to Descartes' "I think, therefore I am"; Western culture has placed thought at the centre of what it is to be human. We spend much of our time planning the future, reflecting on the past, puzzling about what to do, and talking about it with others. But might this be a mistake? Should culture, as Nietzsche proposes, 'free itself from the seduction of ...
Aug 08, 2023•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is language a flawed prism standing in the way of our understanding of the world? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes For much of the 20th century language was seen as central to our understanding of the world. 'The limits of my language mean the limits of my world', argued Wittgenstein. 'There is nothing outside of the text' claimed Derrida. But now it seems language is being jettisoned by philosophers as either containing puzzles that are insolub...
Aug 01, 2023•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast What is behind the polarising debate on gender? How can we navigate the new politics of gender identity... if at all? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Gender identity is the hot topic, but many argue that we must remain grounded in biological sex. Join philosopher Kathleen Stock as she seeks collaboration between trans rights activists and feminists to move towards less polarised future. Kathleen Mary Linn Stock OBE is a British philosopher and ...
Jul 25, 2023•24 min•Transcript available on Metacast In a world that places a premium on independence, are we undervaluing the power of community? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In this engrossing debate, we examine the societal shift towards solo living and ask critical questions about its impacts. Has our pursuit of independence led to a higher incidence of depression? Have we sidelined the significance of community, and in turn, our inherent need for interconnectedness? We navigate the merits...
Jul 18, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast In a fascinating conversation, renowned theoretical physicist Marika Taylor and acclaimed philosopher Julian Baggini explore the history and evolving relationship between these two disciplines. Listen in as they delve into the intricacies of how science and philosophy have been intertwined, only to diverge since the Enlightenment. Can they be reconciled? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Joining the debate are Professor Marika Taylor, the Head of...
Jul 11, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Are we bound by traditional rules for life or is it time for a new playbook? Tune in to find out! Seeking the link mentioned in this episode? It's right here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In this thought-provoking discussion, our distinguished panelists delve into the foundations of moral codes and rules for living. Sophie-Grace Chappell, Professor of Philosophy at the Open University, Massimo Pigliucci, Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York, and Simon Baron-Cohen, P...
Jul 04, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Could it be that the world's true essence is beyond our comprehension? And what if this isn't a drawback, but an advantage? Explore this paradox in this interview with Hilary Lawson. Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We tend to think the world is divided into bits, and we spend time trying to define those bits. But what if this metaphysical approach is false? In this interview, we sit down with the post-postmodern philosopher Hilary Lawson ...
Jun 27, 2023•19 min•Transcript available on Metacast Can you understand a novel - or a life - before you know how it ends? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From Beethoven's 5th to Batman, Harry Potter to Hamlet, we want and expect satisfying endings that tie up loose ends and provide resolution. But real life doesn't often come tied up so neatly. Relationships and careers often evolve in tangled confusion with transitions that can leave messy legacies. And, as TS Eliot said, often things end...
Jun 20, 2023•50 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is "truth" a redundant concept? Listen as Simon Blackburn grapples with the topic. Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Truth has had a difficult century. More than ever we are lost as to both 'what truth is' and 'what is true'. Should we instead turn to pragmatism? Join Simon Blackburn to explore why truth and pragmatism may be more aligned than at first it may seem. Author of Think and Truth: A guide for the perplexed, Simon Blackburn has worked t...
Jun 13, 2023•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is our focus on happiness making us unhappy? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes "Oh happiness! Our being’s end and aim!” claimed Alexander Pope. Now, a few centuries later, it's not just smiling faces on billboards, some governments have made happiness measures a central goal. 89% of young people in their twenties think life has no purpose other than happiness. But might this be a fundamental error? Income in the West has gone up three fold ...
Jun 06, 2023•44 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is materialism a fundamental mistake? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes The relationship between the individual human subject and the world was once the central focus of Western philosophy. Modern neuroscience has instead tended to assume that the world is purely material and physical, and the problem of consciousness a question of how to generate thought from matter. Yet, we are no closer to solving the deep puzzle of consciousness and man...
May 30, 2023•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast Does science have anything to say about our freedom of choice? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes A famed experiment, by Libet in the 1980s, led many scientists and philosophers to argue that free will was an illusion. Despite the experiment being challenged at the time and in recent studies, its legacy persists. Many materialists still contend that free will has been shown to be illusory, supporting their belief that humans are merely biolo...
May 23, 2023•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Can synthetic drugs induce true feelings of love? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From the Christian tenet 'God is love' to the plots of countless novels and films, love is seen as central to our lives. Yet from scientific studies along with anecdotal accounts we know that psychoactive substances and MDMA in particular can enhance and even induce feelings of love. If love can be hacked by a change in brain chemistry, might our romanticised idea...
May 16, 2023•49 min•Transcript available on Metacast Can we make ultimate moral judgements? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes For a couple of millenia in the West we have judged people and their actions by the standards of good and evil. But, from Mother Theresa to Winston Churchill the notion that an individual is simply good is hard to sustain. Almost all claim to be good. Even the Nazis believed they were on a moral crusade against the evils of corruption and deceit, managing to enlist the...
May 09, 2023•55 min•Transcript available on Metacast Do we believe things because they are true or because they are convenient? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Massimo Pigliucci argues that adopting the principles of scientific and ethical scepticism can lead us to think and live better. We all like to think of ourselves as discerning people. But research shows that many of our firmly-held beliefs are in fact false. It's not enough to simply decry others' beliefs as nonsense, we must be just as s...
May 02, 2023•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is fully conscious AI just around the corner? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Earlier this year, Google fired Blake Lemoine, for claiming that the company's chatbot was a self aware person. While the claim was derided, the belief that one day AI will become conscious is widespread and, according to a recent survey, held by 79% of experts. But many claim this is a fundamental error. While machines are becoming ever more capable and intelligent w...
Apr 24, 2023•51 min•Transcript available on Metacast Why should we rebuild our relationship with holy places? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We live in a secular age, but we seem to be looking for the transcendent more than ever, whether it's through yoga, meditation or psychedelics. Join radical scientist Rupert Sheldrake as he explores our holy places in a secular age. Rupert Sheldrake is a preeminent biologist and author, best known for his hypothesis of morphic resonance. His books inc...
Apr 18, 2023•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Philosopher and acclaimed author, Julian Baggini, leading molecular biologist, Güneş Taylor, and critical race theorist, Tommy Curry, debate the relationship between reason and emotion. Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes For centuries we have assumed reason to be ruthlessly independent of passion or emotion. Yet Nietzsche argued that reason is an emotional experience, and now neuroscientists have shown sad moods can trigger systematic and lo...
Apr 11, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is technology holding us back? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From work to entertainment, communication to travel, technology has shaped every aspect of our lives. We think technological progress is relentless and inevitable. But Aldous Huxley argued "technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards". Should we give up the idea that technology is the way to make our lives better altogether? Or i...
Apr 04, 2023•48 min•Transcript available on Metacast Is philosophy an unbiased quest for the true account of the world? From Plato to Aristotle, Russell to Wittgenstein, we traditionally see philosophers as engaged in the disinterested pursuit of truth: a view philosophers themselves are inclined to encourage. But in a postmodern world, shaped by Richard Rorty's claim that philosophy is merely a form of 'cultural politics', few now imagine that truth with a capital 'T' can be uncovered. Must we abandon the ideal of a philosophy free from motives a...
Mar 28, 2023•37 min•Transcript available on Metacast Can we free ourselves from stale ideas about consciousness? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Some argue that the reality we perceive is a controlled hallucination. Others claim that science is about to crack the ancient problem of the self once and for all. Distinguished philosopher and panpsychist Philip Goff argues that neither of these are true, and explains why we need a new theory altogether. Philip Goff is a renowned philosopher of c...
Mar 21, 2023•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
