Critical Edge

Ollie and Lukas sat down again with Cenk Uygur to discuss being banned from the UK for anti-semitism, Israel’s influence in the UK, and Palestine. Critical Edge is a multi-media community started by two friends seeking to learn how to think, not what to think. Subscribe or check out our other platforms to join the team :)

Critical Edge hosts and best mates Ollie and Lukas sit down with Philip Pullman, renowned author of His Dark Materials. We drew on everything from Milton's Paradise Lost to Superman to William Blake. This episode was about the power of literature to change the way we see ourselves and the way we live our lives, as well as the way storytelling can light up our imaginations. Lukas told Philip ab...

Critical Edge hosts and best mates Ollie and Lukas sit down with rockstar panpyschist Philip Goff. Ollie, Lukas and Philip talked about it all. We started with a discussion about the fundamental nature of consciousness, and why it can't be understood using the language of science: David Chalmer's 'hard problem of consciousness'. This led us to panpsychism and its connection to myst...

Critical Edge hosts and best mates Ollie and Lukas sit down with veteran of the philosophy game Jeff McMahan, an ethicist who lives and breathes his work. We really got into it this episode. We discussed whether war can ever be justified, the ethics of autonomous weapons, and the difficult questions concerning Gaza and Iran. Jeff isn’t one to weasel his words: you’ll want to hear what he has to sa...

Critical Edge hosts and best mates sit down with Robin Carhart-Harris, leading psychedelic researcher and all round good bloke. We discussed the ethical and philosophical questions attached to psychedelics: such as how a drug can change how we see ourselves and the people around us, or what psychedelics might reveal about consciousness and the universe. Robin takes a pragmatic approach, and advoca...

Critical Edge hosts and best mates Ollie and Lukas sit down with rockstar philosopher Nigel Warburton, co-host of Philosophy Bites. Ollie, Lukas and Nigel had a great chat about whether art is subjective, how cultural beauty standards shape us, Nigel's favourite books and paintings, and what it is about art that is so essentially human. Critical Edge is a multi-media community started by two f...

Critical Edge hosts and best mates Ollie and Lukas sit down with Canadian-American astronomer Wendy Freedman, one of Times 2025 Top 100 most influential people in the world. Hardly experts on the topic, Ollie and Lukas had an open discussion with Wendy about the universe and its expansion, whether it really began with the big bang, and if we can ever know anything about dark matter. Lukas and Olli...

Critical Edge hosts Ollie and Lukas sit down with philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah to explore what classic thought experiments reveal about identity, morality, power, and the future of human connection. Across these puzzles—and the real-world examples they illuminate, from political power to dating apps and artificial intimacy—the conversation asks what truly anchors a good life: honor, authentici...

Critical Edge hosts Ollie and Lukas sit down with philosopher David Edmonds to explore how discrimination, identity, and group psychology shape the way we see ourselves - and each other. Hosted by two passionate Oxford graduates, Critical Edge brings rigorous, accessible conversations with influential thinkers on the ideas shaping our world. Subscribe for

Critical Edge hosts Ollie and Lukas sit down with Professor John Curtice, the UK's leading authority on public opinion and electoral behaviour, to examine how Britain's political landscape has been transformed over the past decade. We explore how class has evolved as a marker of political identity, why age and education now structure voting behaviour more than any other factors, and how th...

Critical Edge hosts Ollie and Lukas sit down with Professor Mark Blyth, an expert in political economy, to unpack how economic ideas shape the world we live in. We explore why being wrong is essential to learning, drawing on Nassim Taleb’s ideas of uncertainty, fragility, and “skin in the game.” From there, the conversation ranges across bubbles (AI, housing, finance), the commodification of time...

Critical Edge hosts Ollie and Lukas sit down with Frank Turek, an American Christian apologist. We had some interesting and nuanced discussion about the interrelation of faith and doubt, the problem of evil, and the reliability of scripture. We got into some more tough territory when discussing contradictions in scripture, the New and Old Testament, and homosexuality. There's a lot to stick your t...

Ollie and Lukas sit down with Anthony Scaramucci for a fast, candid conversation about power, populism, and political renewal. Anthony is former White House Communications Director, and co-host of The Rest Is Politics US. Today, he discusses why he has changed his mind on Bitcoin, what finally pushed him to break with Trump, why MAGA is beginning to fracture, and how the Epstein files are reshapin...

Ollie and Lukas sit down with historian, author, and co-host of The Rest is History, Dominic Sandbrook — one of Britain’s most influential public historians. Can pride in one’s country ever be “healthy"? How should we teach the British Empire in schools? Listen in.

Critical Edge hosts Ollie and Lukas sit down with the youngest ever country council leader, George Finch. 19 year old George, from Warwickshire, defect from the Tories to Reform UK last year. George and our hosts found some things to agree on: the need for educational reform, the importance of tolerance, and the ever more threatening cost of living crisis. However, they fiercely debated about "Bri...

In this episode, we sat down with economist Julian Jessop to discuss the future of taxation, free markets, and the role of the state. From whether VAT should be extended to food and children’s clothing, to how corporate taxes impact real people, Jessop makes the case for a simpler, more neutral tax system. Additionally, we explore his continued support for Brexit despite short-term costs, his beli...

Oxford academic Danny Dorling discusses the state of inequality in the UK - from the rise of right-wing populism and the hollowing out of the middle class to the state of race relations across the island. How large are the barriers to equality of opportunity in the UK?

In this episode, we sat down with Anand Menon, the director of UK in a changing Europe, and Professor of Political Science and King's College London. We discuss the long-term impact of Brexit on trade and on the UK's soft power; the importance of the recognition of Palestine for Gaza; the development of US-EU relations; and whether the UK has a 'special relationship' with the US. Hosted by two pas...

Sir Ben Okri OBE is a Booker Prize-winning British-Nigerian writer and a powerful voice in post-colonial literature. In this exclusive interview, Okri reflects on how our ways of seeing — as readers, viewers, and thinkers — are shaped by the media we consume.

Parag Khanna is a strategy advisor and bestselling author. He is an expert in geopolitics and global strategy and how we can apply AI to better navigate economic disruptions in our volatile world. Listen in.

Dave Rubin is an American conservative political commentator and host of ‘The Rubin Report’, a political talk show which often debates political correctness, foreign policy, and freedom of speech.

Cenk Uygur is the founder of The Young Turks and one of the most prominent media critics of corporate governance, campaign financing, and political corruption in the United States. He's very passionate. Listen in.

Ryan Nicodemus is a New York Times best-selling author, and Emmy-nominated Netflix star. He is the co-founder of The Minimalists, an organisation dedicated to helping people eliminate clutter and maximise their lives by scaling back on material possessions and consumerist attitudes.

Joseph Nye is an American political scientist known for his work on US foreign policy and power dynamics. He is also a Harvard University professor who coined the term ‘soft power’ in reference to a country’s ability to influence others through gentle persuasion rather than coercion. In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Nye to discuss his thoughts on the future of American democracy, the...

Dr Philip Goff is an academic philosopher and panpsychist. In this episode, we discuss his unique takes on religion and his interpretation of consciousness as the foundation of reality. Can science fully explain the human consciousness? Do the smallest forms of matter possess some kind of experience? Listen now and find out.