Philosophy For Our Times

When did we become MORE THAN...? And why? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Many think fur coats immoral yet are happy to wear leather shoes. We fiercely protect tigers and pandas from extinction, while thousands of vital insect species get notably less attention and concern. Many claim to be concerned about the welfare of animals. But it is...

Who are we really? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes NYU Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah details his journey and life's work, from why identity is such an important issue to how his experiences have differed across countries, and to the impact he wants his writing to have. Kwame Anthony Appiah is Professor of Philosophy and Law at New York U...

We keep looking for something more... for a reason. Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Pilgrimage is undergoing a revival across Europe. But why are so many non-religious people drawn to spiritual journeys? Author of Ways To Go Beyond Rupert Sheldrake asks why we are attracted to holy places. Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist, author and parapsy...

Can we crack to key to happiness once and for all? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Most of us think of suffering as a necessary feature of life. But what if that's just a lie we tell ourselves because we can't imagine the alternative? In this interview, David Pearce explores the practical possibilities of biomedically engineering a world of...

Is your experience of this episode even real? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We are working toward a true account of the universe, and the world we see around us is an accurate picture of reality. Or so most of us believe. At the same time we think we, along with our experience, are a product of evolution. Yet evolution is driven by surviv...

What even is "expertise"? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We turn to experts for guidance in uncertain times, but what happens when the experts disagree? Should we just wait until they figure it out, or disregard evidence and go with our gut? Professor of Philosophy at Stockholm University Anandi Hattiangadi investigates the logical labyrin...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes If we put barriers up to silence 'unpleasant' ideas, what's to stop the silencing of any discussion? Professional sceptic and bestselling author of 'Giving the Devil his Due' Michael Shermer explores the dangerous possibility of a world without free speech. Michael Shermer is the founder of The Skeptics Socie...

Is it possible to tell the truth? Or is it time to accept that lying has a central role in all social discourse?  Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes On today’s episode The Times journalist David Aaronovitch, author of Freedom In the Age of Alternative Facts Santiago Zabala, and philosophy of the mind specialist Åsa Wikforss lock horn...

Could they possibly be connected? Listen to find out! Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Many have argued that Western civilisation was born in Ancient Greece by combing art, democracy, religion and science. Fewer have explored the role that psychedelic experiences played in building these traditions as we know them.  On today’s episode w...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes A decade ago scientists enabled a monkey to control a robot on the other side of the world with its mind. Now the technique has been extended to enable paraplegics to move robotic arms with their thoughts, and Elon Musk claims to be launching mind control technology this year.  Today we’re asking whether...

There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and course waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers Today we release the fifth and final episode of Beyond Us, a mini-series made in association with Essentia Foundation , which explores four concepts that define the modern world: knowledge, competition, language and growth. In each of the pr...

Are humans any good at making decisions? Listen to find out! Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Are we motivated by reason? Or are humans evolved to make social and emotional decisions, relying on the value and importance of crowd responses? On today’s episode we’re asking whether the best strategy for survival is emotion or reason. Joini...

Listen to hear about Daniel Dennett's journey to becoming a philosopher! Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Award winning author Daniel Dennett is one of the best known living philosophers of today. Shooting to notoriety as one of the 'four horsemen' in the New Atheist movement, he has written with acclaim on topics ranging from free will, con...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes The notion that there is no self has won over philosophers and scientists since Hume argued that the self is nothing but a 'bundle of perceptions'. So is our experience of a unified, continuous self merely illusory? And if the self does exist, how should it be understood? Joining us remotely to ask wheth...

Today we bring you the fourth episode of Beyond Us, an IAI mini-series made in association with Essentia Foundation.  Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes The ancient concept of growth referred to a function of nature, the development of natural phenomena and their qualities. While in many modern contexts growth simply means 'bigger' on som...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes It is the question that has rocked humanity for millennia, the conundrum that has confounded scientists, philosophers, politicians, artists and everyone in between: which came first, the chicken or the egg? And here we find ourselves, in need of help from the world’s greatest thinkers to settle this issue onc...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Why do people trust some experts but not others? And how can we improve trust between the public and experts. On today’s episode we’re exploring the philosophical relationship between trust and relativism. To help us we’re joined by one of the world’s leading experts on moral and epistemological relativism, P...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes When we look back our century will undoubtably be defined by the rise of intelligent machines. But in the future will humans and artificial coexist symbiotically? And is it possible that we'll ever be able to merge with AI?  On today’s episode we’re joined remotely by American philosopher and cognitive s...

Today we bring you the third episode of Beyond Us, an IAI mini-series made in association with Essentia Foundation.  Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Language is at once one of the most fulfilling and frustrating of human faculties. It allows us to communicate vital information and to organise communities. But language also has limited...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes For centuries we have distinguished between our experience and the world, between the subjective and the objective, between consciousness and material reality. Might the very distinction between subject and object, conscious experience and the world, be the mistake? Or could we formulate a new conceptual fram...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is empathy a prerequisite for a successful society? Or is empathy an irrational emotion which appeals to our narrow prejudices? This week we’re asking whether empathy is our best base for morality and we explore the implications of empathy in the modern world. On Today’s episode we’re joined remotely by Oxfor...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes How should we treat time in our lives? What should time mean to us? And can psychedelic experiences allow us to reconfigure our sense of time? On today’s episode we’re joined by philosopher of the mind, metaphysician and associate lecturer at The University of Exeter Dr Peter Sjöstedt-H, who breaks down ...

Today we bring you the second episode of Beyond Us, an all-new series made in association with Essentia Foundation.  Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Evolution favours cooperation as well as competition. But to what extent is human competitiveness culture-bound? Is the competitive dynamic environmentally, politically and psychologically...

How much can we possibly know about the universe? And where do the boundaries of scientific knowledge lie? Listen to find out! Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes The more we discover, the more we realise we have yet to learn. On today’s episode we’re discussing the philosophy of science and the limits of what we can know. We’re joined remotely...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes On today’s episode we’re discussing the role of idealism in the world of politics. Whether it's tribal nationalism, radical socialism, or environmental activism, the goals and ideals of politics are once again taking centre stage. Is a return to idealism dangerous or a necessary antidote to a bland politics t...