Philosophy For Our Times
441 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★ - 260 ratingsPhilosophy for our Times is a free philosophy podcast bringing you the latest talks and debates from the world’s leading thinkers. We host weekly episodes on today’s biggest ideas in news, society, culture, politics, science and arts. Subscribe today to never miss an episode.
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Episodes
Do we Need Romance to be Happy? | Bella DePaulo, Anders Sandberg, Heidi Rice
February 12, 2019 11:33 - 33 minutes - 31.1 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From medieval legends to Hollywood endings to the horoscope, we are led to believe that lifelong love means happiness. But a recent survey of 814 separate studies showed single people to be happier, more fulfilled and less stressed. Is it time to stop seeing romantic love as all-important? In this episode of Philosophy for our Times, psychologist and author of Singled Out Bella DePaulo, Oxford trans...
Truth, Science and the Universe | Peter Atkins, Sophia Roosth, Tim Lewens
February 05, 2019 10:17 - 37 minutes - 33.9 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Where once we made sense of the world using the idea of God, most of us now believe in a more scientific story, of an unfolding universe and evolution. Yet scientists increasingly see their theories as useful models rather than ultimate accounts. Is science then just another human description limited by language, culture and circumstance? In this episode of Philosophy for our Times, author of Conjur...
The Morality of the Tribe | David Miller, Natalie Cargill, Peter Tatchell
January 29, 2019 11:53 - 40 minutes - 36.7 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We think everyone should be treated equally. Yet we also think we are right to care most about our family, our friends and our lovers, and 82% of charitable donations in the UK are given to the causes closest to home. Should we just accept that our ethics are in practice tribal? In this episode of Philosophy for our Times, barrister and founder of Effective Giving UK Natalie Cargill, Oxford politica...
Fires of Progress | Steven Pinker, Tariq Ali, Elif Sarican
January 22, 2019 10:15 - 35 minutes - 32.6 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Most think that social progress should be driven by ideas and persuasion not force. Yet from the French and Russian Revolutions to the Suffragettes, violent action has been instrumental to generating change. Is violence ever justified as a political strategy? In this episode of Philosophy for our Times, Enlightenment Now author Steven Pinker, filmmaker and author of The Clash of Fundamentalisms Tari...
Bonus Episode: The Struggle for Social Justice | Angela Eagle
January 17, 2019 10:12 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Britain is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, so why do so many feel short-changed? In this episode of Philosophy for our Times, Labour MP and former minister Angela Eagle sees an urgent need to protect social cohesion and makes a case for radical economic reform. In association with the New College of the Humanities: www.nchlondon.ac.uk There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IA...
Big Bang Creation Myths | Sean Carroll, Roger Penrose, Laura Mersini-Houghton
January 15, 2019 10:50 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes The big bang theory won out over the Steady State alternative 50 years ago because we discovered the universe was expanding. But now we know that the universe is in fact accelerating away from us. Might the whole big bang theory be mistaken? In this episode of Philosophy for our Times, eminent mathematician Roger Penrose, CalTech physicist and author of From Eternity to Here Sean Carroll and multive...
Innocence and Punishment | Ritula Shah, Emma Sulkowicz, David Aaronovitch, Sarah Langford
January 08, 2019 12:42 - 41 minutes - 37.7 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes 'Innocent until proven guilty' is a core principle of democracy. Yet from the BBC's coverage of the Cliff Richard raid to the social media storms around MeToo, it seems we are increasingly happy to destroy reputations and careers before the proof is in. Can trial by media be more effective than the legal system? In this episode of Philosophy for our Times, Times columnist David Aaronovitch, performa...
Reality in the Digital World | Laurence Scott
January 02, 2019 15:33 - 28 minutes - 25.7 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Our worlds were once human and solid, but now our lives are increasingly virtual. What place has reality in this fantasy world? In this episode of Philosophy for our Times, ‘Picnic Comma Lightning’ author Laurence Scott explores the challenges of finding meaning amidst the digital noise. In association with the New College of the Humanities: bit.ly/2FdPgLD There are thousands of big ideas to disc...
The Promise of Psychedelics | David Nutt, Amanda Feilding, Stephen Reid
December 18, 2018 10:28 - 36 minutes - 33.8 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Besides being illegal, LSD has not had good press, associated with bad trips and psychological breakdown. But with a new craze for microdosing acid amongst Silicon Valley whizz kids and management gurus, and respected scientists claiming antidepressant benefits, might we have been too quick to ban psychedelics? In this episode of Philosophy for our Times, Pharmacologist and former Home Office drugs ...
Does Universal Morality Exist? | Stanley Fish, Myriam Francois, Phillip Collins
December 11, 2018 11:08 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is there a universal morality, and if not, are moral beliefs actually the cause of some of the greatest human suffering? To debate this issue, we have on our panel literary theorist Stanley Fish, writer, broadcaster and SOAS researcher Myriam Francois, and journalist and former speech-writer to Tony Blair Phillip Collins. In association with the New College of the Humanities: bit.ly/2FdPgLD There...
How We Came To MeToo | Linda Woodhead
December 04, 2018 10:34Sexual abuse accusations have reached an unprecedented high. How have we come here, and why is this happening now? Leading British sociologist Linda Woodhead investigates. Philosophy for our Times features debates and talks with the world’s leading thinkers on today’s biggest ideas. This live recording podcast is brought to you by the Institute of Art and Ideas – described by Total Politics as “Europe’s answer to TED” and host to the annual philosophy and music festival HowTheLightGetsIn.Vis...
Minds, Madness And Medicine | Lucy Johnstone, David Nutt, David Healy
November 27, 2018 10:38 - 32 minutes - 29.5 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Deaths from heart disease have fallen by almost two thirds since the 1960s, yet outcomes for those with mental illness have not improved for decades. Is this because we have the wrong categories and the wrong diagnoses? Might neuroscience enable more precise descriptions and more effective treatment? Or is it a mistake to think that biological accounts of mental illness will ever provide the answers...
Who We Are | Diane Abbott, Kimberlé Crenshaw, Kemi Badenoch, Richard Reeves
November 20, 2018 11:30 - 33 minutes - 30.7 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Ten years ago, the US elected its first black president. Yet race-related hate crime has increased 216% in the last year. Are we wrong to suppose that racial prejudice will be overcome by equal opportunity? Should we dream of a world where race is not a basis for social identity? Or are social groupings inevitable and equality the only possible solution? There are thousands of big ideas to discover...
The Evolution of Suicide | Nicholas Humphreys
November 13, 2018 12:41 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Suicide is a terrible but commonplace event amongst all societies within the human race. But at what point in our evolution did suicide come into being, and for what purpose? Can suicide be explained, and if so, can we provide an answer to those who become so desperate? Neuropsychologist and author of A History of the Mind Nicholas Humphrey answers these questions. There are thousands of big ideas ...
Tale of Love and Hate | Rowan Williams, Renata Salecl, Robert Rowland Smith
November 06, 2018 11:29 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We think love an indisputable force for good. Yet from Jihadi John to Anders Breivik, extremists often cite love of creed or country to justify atrocities. Might love of a person or group also be the origin of prejudice and hatred towards others? Are love and hatred forever entwined, as Freud suggested? Or can we imagine a society built on love but free from tribalism? Former Archbishop of Cantebu...
The Good, the Bad and the Artist | Stanley Fish, Emma Sulkowicz, Nell Stevens, John Harvey
October 30, 2018 11:21 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In the wake of the Weinstein scandal, many called for a boycott of the films of Roman Polanski and Woody Allen. Yet 20th century literary critics encouraged us to look at the text alone, citing "the death of the author." Can and should we separate the artist from the art? Are the misdeeds of writers, thinkers and artists irrelevant to their work? Or should we excise the morally indefensible? Literar...
Could the Universal Basic Income work? | Guy Standing vs Deirdre McCloskey
October 23, 2018 09:04 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Once dismissed as a utopian fantasy, universal income has now hit the mainstream. With new technologies, support from across the political spectrum, and advocates from Stephen Hawking to Mark Zuckerberg, it’s no surprise people have begun to take the idea seriously. In a combative head-to-head debate, author of Basic Income: And How We Can Make It Happen Guy Standing goes head to head with leading l...
Bonus Episode: Tribute to Mary Midgley
October 18, 2018 15:57 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We are paying tribute to philosopher Mary Midgley who passed away last week at the age of 99 by revisiting our episode 'Are you an illusion?' in which Midgley investigates the self with fellow philosopher Simon Blackburn and neuroscientist Colin Blakemore. (With special thanks to the In Parenthesis project for interview excerpts - http://www.womeninparenthesis.co.uk/) There are thousands of big i...
Mysteries of the multiverse | Catherine Heymans
October 17, 2018 16:26 - 24 minutes - 22.8 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Can we ever observe universes beyond our own? Astrophysicist Catherine Heymans reveals the latest innovations that might help map out the multiverse. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=mysteries-of-the-multiverse See Priva...
The AI Revolution | Nigel Shadbolt
October 15, 2018 09:13 - 9 minutes - 8.4 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In a world with artificial intelligence, how will we maintain control? Sir Nigel Shadbolt, Open Data Institute co-founder and researcher at Oxford University, examines how AI looks set to reshape our lives and society. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm...
Reason And The Gods | Myriam Francois, Anthony Gottlieb, Linda Woodhead
October 03, 2018 08:54 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Belief in the Gods once filled lives with purpose and a vision of truth. Now many in the secular West dismiss the divine yet also rue the loss of meaning and belief. Is this because evidence and reason are not sufficient to make sense of the world? Is there something about the world that is deeply strange and justifies spirituality? Or is the worldwide flourishing of religion a temporary blip in hum...
The Secrets Of Consciousness | Philip Goff, Nicholas Humphrey, Susan Blackmore
October 01, 2018 12:06 - 37 minutes - 33.9 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Consciousness is one of the unresolved philosophical questions. There was hope that neuroscience might find some answers. But we still have no explanation for where brain activity ends and experience begins. Is it a mistake to think we can explain consciousness by examining the brain? Should we look elsewhere to our evolutionary roots perhaps? Or might neuroscience pull the cat from the bag after al...
Against Meritocracy | Kwame Anthony Appiah
September 19, 2018 09:24 - 23 minutes - 22 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Would a meritocratic society provide a fair equality of opportunity? Can discrimination based on merit ever be justified, or should we aim to solve social inequality through equality of outcome? Kwame Anthony Appiah is a British Ghanaian philosopher at Columbia University and author of Cosmopolitanism and The Honor Code. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, an...
A Life Worth Living | Julian Baggini, Helen Lederer, Steve Taylor
September 12, 2018 14:50In an age without belief or certainites, we all risk finding ourselves lost. But Camus claimed you will never live, if you are looking for the meaning of life. Should we focus on experience and being... Philosophy for our Times features debates and talks with the world’s leading thinkers on today’s biggest ideas. This live recording podcast is brought to you by the Institute of Art and Ideas – described by Total Politics as “Europe’s answer to TED” and host to the annual philosophy and music...
The End of the Theory of Everything | John Ellis, Huw Price, Joanna Kavenna
September 05, 2018 10:31 - 31 minutes - 29.2 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Stephen Hawking once predicted a theory of everything by 2000. However, after decades without one he began to doubt its existence. Have we failed because no one theory can make sense of reality? Must we "employ different theories in different situations" as Hawking suggested, or is there a final theory just waiting to be discovered? There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, a...
Beyond Men and Women | Finn Mackay, Angela Eagle, Patricia MacCormack
August 28, 2018 17:23 - 33 minutes - 30.5 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes What does is mean to socially construct a gendered identity, and why do some feminists insist on separating this from the sex we are assigned at birth? On the panel: activist Finn Mackay, Labour politician Angela Eagle and post-human philosopher, Patricia MacCormack. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: h...
Generation Wars II | Diane Abbott, Anatole Kaletsky, Victor Adebowale, Joe Todd
August 21, 2018 11:11 - 34 minutes - 31.9 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Some refer to millennials as entitled avocado-eating lay-about’s who care more about their social media presence than engaging with and caring about the world. Millennials, on the other hand, soothe their sorrow at never being able to afford a mortgage (even if they didn’t eat avocados) by eating avocados. Who deserves sympathy and crucially, whom does the state support? The older generation or the ...
Technology, Relationships and Freedom | Chi Onwurah, Kate Russell, James Ladyman
August 14, 2018 12:16 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes What’s the price we pay for the buzz we get from likes online? Are tech companies forcing us to follow their every whim? Mining us for data they can profit from? Or do we have the power to harness technology for good? Making our lives easier and giving us more free time? Connecting us with people and enriching our lives? To debate this issue, we have on our panel Chi Onwurah, shadow Minister for I...
Back from the end of time | Erik Verlinde, Huw Price, Alison Fernandez
August 08, 2018 10:26 - 35 minutes - 32.4 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Isn’t it funny that a day at the office seems to drag by so slowly, and yet a day in the park is over in a flash? Is time, and the way it passes something that actually exists in the physical world? Or is it something that only humans perceive? In this debate Back from the End of Time, we’ve brought you a world leading Physicist Erik Verlinde, a world leading philosophers Huw Price, and Alison Ferna...
Green Growth | Natalie Bennett
July 31, 2018 15:55 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes The dogma of development has left a society divided and a planet endangered. Former UK Green Party Leader Natalie Bennett envisions a radical new future. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=green-growth See Privacy Policy a...
Out of the apocalypse | Sophie Fiennes, Patricia MacCormack, Robert Rowland Smith
July 24, 2018 14:09 - 36 minutes - 33.5 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Our obsession with the apocalypse is everywhere from fiction stories to news headlines. Is the belief that the end is nigh rooted in the changing reality around us, or is it just a story that sells? On our panel to discuss this question is philosopher and author of Breakfast with Socrates Robert Rowland Smith, Professor of Continental Philosophy at Anglia Ruskin University Patricia MacCormack and ...
The Tyranny of Evidence | Rupert Read
July 17, 2018 09:35 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In a post-truth world, the evidence of experts is constantly being called into question. But is abandoning the expertise of learned folk a little extreme? Green Party politician and philosopher Rupert Read takes us through the tyranny of evidence. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-...
Russia, China and the New World Order | Rana Mitter, Stephen King, George Galloway
July 10, 2018 16:11 - 38 minutes - 35.3 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes China may be on the way to replacing the US as the world's dominant economic power, but with Russia also growing its reach, could the future be more dangerous still? Do we face an uncontainable multipolar world with many nations vying for power? Or should we applaud a break from US global dominance and look forward to a more equal future? Mary Ann Sieghart asks Oxford historian Rana Mitter, HSBC chi...
Corruption and Climate Change | Piers Corbyn
July 06, 2018 00:00 - 25 minutes - 23 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is science more sinister than an honest pursuit of the truth? Is there enough evidence to support man-made climate change? Usually, we associate climate change critics with the right but this time the counter-narrative comes from outspoken astrophysicist Piers Corbyn, who situates himself even further on the left than his brother, UK's Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. There are thousands of big ideas t...
The Fractured Mind | Bence Nanay
June 26, 2018 17:32 - 23 minutes - 21.1 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is it better for us to resist temptations or avoid them altogether? Philosopher of perception and action Bence Nanay argues that our ability to say no is connected with the fragmentation of our minds. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&...
How to make the right decision | Bence Nanay, Naomi Goulder, Barry C. Smith
June 19, 2018 11:09 - 30 minutes - 28 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From quitting a job or relationship in the heat of an argument to taking on a new project in a flush of excitement, we think emotional decisions are often bad decisions. But might it be that emotion is the best guide to action and, as Hume thought, reason is and should be the slave of the passions? Or is this a quick route to chaos and conflict? Philosophers Bence Nanay, Naomi Goulder and Barry C. S...
Bonus Episode: The Philosophy of Action
June 15, 2018 17:46 - 25 minutes - 23.4 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Can philosophy help us make real life decisions? Can actions speak louder than words? Our producer interviews philosophers Bence Nanay, Angie Hobbs, Christopher Hamilton, Barry Smith, Shahidha Bari, and performance artist Emma Sulkowicz about the power of ideas in their lives. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out...
Bonus Episode: Q&A With David Nutt | LSD, Cannabis and Mental Health
June 12, 2018 17:34 - 10 minutes - 9.5 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes It's Philosophy Fest! A week of bonus content to celebrate our hundredth episode of Philosophy For Our Times. Today's bonus content is an audience Q&A with psychiatrist David Nutt, which followed on from his talk, The Science of Psychedelics. David fields questions on synthetic cannabis in prisons, whether LSD can make you a genius, and treating addiction with psychedelic drugs. We released the talk...
The Science of Psychedelics | David Nutt
June 12, 2018 17:23 - 29 minutes - 26.7 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is our attitude to drugs harming mental health patients? Imperial College psychiatrist and former UK government drugs adviser David Nutt argues for an evidence based revolution in drugs policy. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_cam...
Bonus Episode: The Rojava Revolution | Elif Sarican
June 11, 2018 17:35 - 9 minutes - 8.3 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes To celebrate our 100th episode of Philosophy for Our Times, we're treating you to a week of bonus content. To kick off, here's an interview with Elif Sarican, a Kurdish rights activist, about the experiment in direct democracy currently taking place in Northern Syria. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: ht...
Elite Rule | Carne Ross, Yassmin Abdel Magied, Hugo Drochon
June 07, 2018 10:37 - 39 minutes - 35.9 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Does our abuse of 'elites' ignore their necessity, or should all elites be challenged and dissolved? Author of The Leaderless Revolution Carne Ross, Political Theorist at Cambridge Hugh Drochon, and activist Yassmin Abdel Magied put elites on trial. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcas...
What is the Future of Art? | Don Paterson, Dylan Evans, Julian Stallabrass
May 15, 2018 11:23 - 33 minutes - 31 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Many of us intuitively believe that art, philosophy and culture, from the evolution of cinema to the rise of performance poetry, is trying to constantly progress towards something better. But is this a myth? In art and philosophy, is the best yet to come? Or, as Eliot said, 'is there only the fight to recover what has been lost and found and lost again'? Critic and author of Con Art Julian Spalding,...
What happens to our bodies after we die? | Brooke Magnati
May 08, 2018 14:46 - 28 minutes - 25.8 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes What happens to our bodies when we die? Forensic scientist and Belle de Jour blogger Brooke Magnanti anticipates life's strangest certainty. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=what-happens-to-our-bodies-after-we-die? See P...
After Evolution | Oliver Scott Curry, Daniel Everett, Janet Radcliffe Richards
May 01, 2018 13:14 - 30 minutes - 27.9 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In 1859, Charles Darwin changed the course of history for ever by publishing On the Origin of Species. In 1872 he published ‘The expression of the emotions in man and animals.’ Which didn’t rock the boat quite so much, but it continues to be a source of controversy in our ongoing scientific debates on evolution, and specifically, how it relates to human psychology. Can evolution explain cultural and...
Bonus Episode | The Death Of God And The War On Terror | Terry Eagleton
April 26, 2018 10:17 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Outspoken critic of Richard Dawkins, and renowned Professor of English Literature Terry Eagleton launches himself heroically at the twin hornet’s nests of modern religious apathy & radicalism. Where should the unreligious look for answers? What has caused the recent growth in radicalism? Supported by Routledge - Associate Academic Partner of the IAI. There are thousands of big ideas to discover ...
The Weird and the Wonderful: Eileen Barker, Ariane Sherine, Phil Rickman
April 24, 2018 09:48 - 34 minutes - 31.2 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In Europe, belief in organised religion continues to decline as science advances. Yet strangely interest in everything from ley lines to solstice rituals is on the rise. Should we dismiss this as empty fantasy? Or is there in nature something essential to ourselves, beyond science and beyond monotheistic religion? Sociologist Eileen Barker, comedian and Dawkins collaborator Ariane Sherine, and fanta...
Is the sun conscious? | Rupert Sheldrake
April 17, 2018 19:35 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is consciousness stranger than we thought? The Science Delusion author Rupert Sheldrake strikes out against orthodoxy and asks: is the sun conscious? There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=is-the-sun-conscious? See Privacy Pol...
Being Certain: Are convictions dangerous? | Julian Baggini, Andrew Bowie, Edwina Currie
April 10, 2018 10:56 - 37 minutes - 34.7 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From Galileo to Mandela, history is made by those with strong convictions. Yet as Nietzsche argued and Islamic State attest, those most convinced of their righteousness are often the most dangerous. Should politicians and the rest of us avoid convictions and see them as dangerous fantasies, or is conviction essential to leadership and action? Philosophers Julian Baggini and Andrew Bowie, and former ...
Time's Arrow | Jim Al - Khalili, Raymond Tallis, Craig Bourne, Angie Hobbs
April 03, 2018 11:28 - 33 minutes - 31 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Time appears to be the ultimate form of progress: an unavoidable direction imposed on the universe. Some physicists claim this is an illusion. How should we make sense of time? As a dimension, a flow, a place, a process, a social construct, or something altogether more mysterious? Physician, poet and thinker Raymond Tallis, philosopher and broadcaster Angie Hobbs, theoretical physicist Jim Al-Khalil...
Greater than Equal | Theodore Dalrymple, Sophie Walker, Helena Cronin
March 27, 2018 12:23 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MBLooking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In today’s debate Sophie Walker, leader of the Women’s Equality Party faces Helena Cronin, Darwinian philosopher and a strong believer in natural sex differences. Joined by Psychiatrist Theodore Dalrymple, they debate the pros, cons and possibilities of equality. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https:/...