Philosophy For Our Times

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is it possible for all matter in the universe to hold consciousness? And can the theory of panpsychism be the solution to the problems of materialism and dualism? To help us explore realms of panpsychism we’re joined by author and professor of philosophy at the university of Durham, Phillip Goff. There are th...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is the sun setting on Western ideas as well as Western economies? Or is Western thought, essential to growth and progress, already embedded in China's success? On this week’s episode we’re discussing the influence of the Eastern and Western worlds of philosophy on the modern global stage. Author of How the Wo...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes How important is trust and authority to the healthy production of modern science? At a time of uncertainty and doubt, many of us look to science to provide the answers. But does science deserve the authority we give it? And does our trust help, or are challenge and criticism better drivers of progress? A form...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Should we upgrade our bodies and minds? Will developing technologies create utopian or dystopian futures? On today’s episode we’re discussing transhumanism, artificial intelligence and ageing. Anders Sandberg is a researcher, science debater, futurist, transhumanist and author. He holds a Ph. D. in computatio...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is it possible for certain experiences to reveal specific truths to the experiencer? On this week’s episode we’re discussing epiphanies, experience and ethics. Sophie-Grace Chappell explores the moments of discovery which shape our moral identities. Sophie-Grace Chappell is the author of numerous books a...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes How closely do science and spirituality inform our daily practices? How closely does science underpin the spiritual practices which so many embrace in the modern world? To explore these issues we are joined this week by author, scientist and researcher in the field of parapsychology Rupert Sheldrake. Sheldrak...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Many take pride in their family, ancestors and social origins, and we think it wrong to forget our roots, and where we came from. But can we justify these tribal allegiances, or are they a source of conflict and division? Should we all see ourselves as members of the human family and have done with tribal ide...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes On this week's episode we interviewed cognitive psychologist Donald Hoffman. He talks through his work on evolutionary game theory and puts forward the radical view that we have evolved to experience something different to reality. Donald Hoffman is an American cognitive psychologist and popular science autho...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is it possible to do a morally wrong action in order to do what is morally required? To help us answer this question we're joined by political philosopher and author Stephen de Wijze who explores the 'dirty hands' idea. Stephen de Wijze is senior lecturer in political theory at the University of Manchest...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is being good an innate component of the human condition? Or is morality just a story we tell ourselves rather than a set of rules we must follow? Psychologist Simone Schnall, Cambridge philosopher Rae Langton and anthropologist and author of Becoming Sinners Joel Robbins rethink meaning, morality and what it...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes When it comes to making risk-reducing decisions how does one strive for ethical and responsible outcomes? And how do we make any choice, if saving one group of vulnerable people has a disastrous impact on another? To help us explore the ethics of the pandemic we are joined by moral philosopher Susan Neiman, a...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We use language every day to communicate with others and understand the world. Yet, from metaphors to the mystical, there are many things we seem unable to directly express. To help us explore the limits of language we are joined by eminent literary critic Stanley Fish, Wittgenstein expert Genia Schönbau...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Cognitive science has shown that all of us suffer from biases that distort our reality, impair our judgement and lead us to bad decisions. Here author J. McKenzie Alexander guides a workshop session that talks through the findings of contemporary decision theory and what's really involved when we make a choic...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes With the rise of 'fake news' and the publicising of blatant lies, how important is it to reassert the importance of accuracy and truth? Åsa Wikforss is a professor of theoretical philosophy at Stockholm University. Wikforss is a member of Swedish Academy whose research focuses on the intersection of philosoph...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is the brain a conscious control centre? Where is my mind? Many believe the mystery of consciousness will be solved once we understand the physical brain. Philosopher and author of  I Am Not A Brain  Markus Gabriel challenges scientific complacency and argues for a different view of the self, the mi...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is there space left for individual autonomy when we are constrained by our genes, manipulated by technology and shaped by the cultural zeitgeist? Should we conclude that the very idea of freedom was a mistake, which once abandoned will enable us to reframe human behaviour and success and create a more equal s...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes How can we protect ourselves from the dangers we wilfully don't see? Businesswoman and author of  Wilful Blindness  Margaret Heffernan puts forward her theory and outlines how and why institutions and individuals need to open their eyes to information they do not want to know. An entrepreneur, CEO a...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We know authority is dangerous yet we assume it is necessary for society to work. Should we dream of a free and flourishing world without leadership and rules? Or do we want and need leaders and authority to feed our hopes and dreams? Philosopher Noam Chomsky, political scientist Mark Lilla and professor of e...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Can an action that is 'right' become 'wrong' without any other change taking place in the world? And do we need to apply ethics to real-world issues to feel that these theories matter? Bart Streumer unpacks these questions and more in this in-depth interview, before making the case that we should understand p...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes It seemed that we had all got used to the idea that rather than a single definitive truth there are a multiplicity of competing and alternative perspectives. Now with the rise of 'fake news' and the publicising of blatant lies, we want to reassert the importance of accuracy and truth. Author of Post Truth Ste...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes As our churches have emptied our belief in progress, science and reason has also begun to falter, and we find ourselves in a new space in which all beliefs are challenged, and perspectives jostle in a relative world. Might religion, in the form of shared rituals and values, once again have a role to play? To...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes No-one who has ever stepped on a Lego brick could doubt the reality of physical objects. Yet from Heraclitus to George Berkeley, many philosophers claimed to have disproven the existence of things. Could the world truly be made up of fields and processes, rather than physical stuff? Are the everyday objects t...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is the mind just a part of the world? Or is the world all in the mind? Neither, argues physician, philosopher and poet Raymond Tallis as he puts forward his take on how we make sense of experience. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explor...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes It is said that Mother Theresa allowed many to die unnecessarily and glorified suffering. While Stalin was a loving son to his parents, and Hitler - a vegetarian who adored his dog. Are we wrong to assume that there is a single self behind our actions? Are people not good or bad but only individual actions? S...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Has science killed philosophy as Hawking famously claimed? What would Plato make of the debates between psychoanalysts and tiger mums, atheists and the religious, or search engines like Google? In this episode of Philosophy for Our Times, philosopher Rebecca Goldstein returns to philosophy's roots and makes h...