The Prospect Podcast

Critic and novelist Susan Sontag commanded postwar American intellectual life, capturing many minds with her sharp insights on photography, cinema, philosophy, literature, and more. A new biography by Benjamin Moser maps the life of the leading public intellectual. But does it focus on the right things? Prize-winning writer Lisa Appignanesi OBE joins the Prospect podcast’s 100th episode to talk ab...

Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller joins this week’s Prospect podcast to discuss what he calls “narrative economics”: the process of stories driving economic events. We often think our narratives – recessions, difficult jobs, bringing back jobs – come as a result of our economic realities. What if they also drove them? Robert Shiller’s Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral and D...

What's happening with Brexit, and what should we make of Scotland's Court of Session ruling the prorogation of parliament unlawful? Jolyon Maugham QC joins for a special edition of the  Prospect  podcast to explain everything going on in the courts in relation to Brexit, what he expects will happen in a no-deal Brexit and whether Boris Johnson's prorogation was unlawful. Hosted on Acast....

Citizen journalist Waad al-Kateab was twenty-six years old when she picked up a camera to document the everyday violence of the Syrian war. She was also, at the time, juggling motherhood. Her work comes together in For Sama , an award-winning documentary that looks at the intimacy of familial love and the ravages of war. She joins the Prospect Podcast to talk about life in Aleppo, what the We...

In the new issue of Prospect , Europe editor for the Daily Telegraph Peter Foster writes a sprawling longread on the inside story behind what went wrong with Brexit, from Theresa May’s initial leadership speech to failed attempts to tackle the backstop head-on. Foster joins the Prospect podcast this week to talk about the short, failed history of Brexit thus far, and what might be expected under B...

Known as the philosopher who wrote The Second Sex , Simone de Beauvoir’s life has been the subject of much attention and intrigue. But her storied relationship with fellow existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre only scratches the surface of her vibrant and influential mind. King’s College philosopher Kate Kirkpatrick joins the Prospect Podcast to discuss Beauvoir’s philosophy and ethics, and her little-k...

David Cameron and Theresa May both came into power with ambitious visions for reforming Britain. Both, it is widely argued, failed to achieve their aims. Will Boris under Britain see the same fate? Conservative blogger and commentator Tim Montgomerie joins the Prospect Podcast this week to discuss the unfashionable, but important question of what the Conservative Party stands for beyond Brexit.&nb...

What, if anything, could parliament do to stop a no-deal Brexit? Two legal experts join the Prospect Podcast this week to play out the options as they stand. EU law expert David Anderson and senior fellow at UCL’s UK in a Changing Europe programme Meg Russell join us to discuss where parliament stands today, and whether we should expect a vote of no confidence the grace Westminster soon. Plus: Ale...

#93: The battle over bread, with Dan Hancox “Bread is something that everyone has an opinion on, often quite a strident opinion.” It is an everyday staple—and the site of a curious political battle. Do you know your sourdough from your sourfaux? Writer Dan Hancox joins us on the Prospect podcast this week and takes us behind the “bread wars.” Who are the bakers and campaigners taking on the big ch...

What does Tony Blair himself make of the Blair doctrine? When the former prime minister outlined his case for intervening in Kosovo in 1999 at the Chicago Economic Club, he unveiled a bold new internationalist doctrine—one that sought to meld liberal values with a strong interventionist arm. Twenty years on, deputy editor Steve Bloomfield met Tony Blair to discuss the contested legacy of the Blair...

Has inequality gotten worse? And where have all the good jobs gone? In this special bumper edition of the Prospect podcast, we talk to economist David Blanchflower at our inequality crisis, and why tackling the unemployment rate may not be the best way to improve things. Plus, we present clips from Nobel prize winner Angus Deaton’s event with Prospect and the British Academy, where the ‘deaths of...

#90: Demystifying the food industry, with Marion Nestle From miracle foods to fad diets, and nutritional studies backed by murky science and shadowy sponsors, it seems like we might never quite know the truth behind what we eat. We talk to Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition and public health at New York University, on demystifying our diets and the tricky politics of food studies. Nestle’s new...

What do we mean when we talk about schizophrenia—and how do we diagnose mental illness, anyway? Former nurse and now author Nathan Filer joins Prospect to talk about his new book, The Heartland: Finding and Losing Schizophrenia. Plus: Tom and Steph talk about the—sorry, "our"—NHS; and make their predictions for a Johnson cabinet. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our headlines are full of stories about benighted millennials and over-pensioned baby boomers, but what’s behind this new generational divide? Sociologist Jennie Bristow joins us to talk about why the “generation war” obscures more than it clarifies. Plus: Tom Clark and Stephanie Boland on the fate of generation X Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From London’s many skyscrapers to the wars over brutalism, many of us know what it’s like to either complain about an unsightly building. But these conversations hardly ever go beyond an initial judgment to consider what such ‘ugliness’ can tell us about ourselves.  We talk to MIT architectural historian Timothy Hyde about his new book, Ugliness and Judgment On Architecture in the Public Eye...

Though we often talk about the impending climate crisis, the truth is that the effects of climate change are already here. Ed Miliband joins us to talk about his radical green programme, his past work as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, and why he thinks our climate crisis is tied to our economic crisis. You can read Ed Miliband’s cover story, "How to Save the Planet" here: https:...

The Ten Commandments is one of the most well-known pieces of scripture. It may also embody everything wrong with how we read these texts today. Karen Armstrong joins us to talk about her new book , The Art of Scripture , and why there should be more to read more creatively beyond literalism. You can read Reverend Lucy Winkett's review of The Art of Scripture here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.u...

Prospect’s editors went up to Hay-on-Wye last week for the annual Hay Festival of Literature & Arts. We joined Steven Pinker, Elif Shafak and poets from London’s Roundhouse Poetry Collective to talk about what they’re reading right now, and the biggest problems facing the world today. Plus: Sameer Rahim and Stephanie Boland on the literary festival circuit and how a writer’s job today often ex...

Tom Shakespeare joins the Prospect team to discuss a new BFI film collection about disability. We might like to think things are always getting better—but these films show a more nuanced, complex history. Plus: Sameer Rahim and Tom Clark discuss representation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the past 100 years, a total of 491 women have been elected to Parliament. We talk to Rachel Reeves, Labour MP for Leeds West about her new book, “Women of Westminster: The MPs Who Changed Politics”. How have women MPs changed the UK over the past century? Where do we go next? Plus: Tom Clark and Stephanie Boland on the challenges of being an MP Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...

It is said that we are living in an age of multiple crises—climate change, political upheaval, and mass disenfranchisement. Radical economist Paul Mason offers his diagnosis on our current situation, and why the 2008 financial crisis may not be the watershed moment we think it is. Paul’s new book, Clear Bright Future , comes out May 2. Plus: Alex Dean on the Huawei leak, and Sameer Rahim on photog...

“Once upon a time, contracts dissolved once you were dead… but big tech companies are holding the same terms of the contract in tact with the deceased person.” How has Facebook revolutionised grief? Psychologist Elaine Kasket has been researching how online lives have reshaped the way we mourn, and all the uncharted questions it raises. Do you really want to remember your partner through a ‘likene...

UK Labour Party deputy leader Tom Watson has made headlines for his contested allegiances within the party. Journalist Kevin Maguire joins Prospect to discuss the burning question often heard around Westminster: what's Tommy up to? Will he form, as teased, a National Government — or has his reputation as a blustery schemer softened over the years? You can read Kevin's profile of Tom Watson in the...

What happens when a child conceived using a donor sperm wants to meet their biological father? Wendy Kramer, the “donor detective”, runs the Donor Sibling Registry (DSR) which has 63,461 members and has so far connected 16,779 individuals around the world with their donor parents or half siblings. In our May issue, journalist Stefanie Marsh follows Kramer’s work, uncovering the tricky questions on...

What does it mean to translate a work of fiction—and can we really call one translation "better" than others? Writer Miranda France joins Prospect to discuss the strange art of literary translation. Plus: Alex Dean on whether we're heading for a general election and Sameer Rahim on why we need more mean reviews. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.