Philosophy For Our Times

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is the purpose of life personal development or changing society for the better? And what is the future of political engagement? On this week’s episode we’re discussing the relationship between our personal beliefs and civic engagement. We’re joined remotely by anarcho-primitist John Zerzan, author and Buddhis...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Are humans incapable of weighing up risk rationally? And are governments any better? Should we seek to reduce all risks and outlaw activity we deem dangerous? Nobel Prize winning economist Daniel Kahneman, Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker and Labour MP, barrister and human rights activist Shami Chakrabarti...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Do we choose to follow the rules? Are we really free to decide, or is choice just an illusion? On this week’s episode we’re trying to understand why many neuroscientists and philosophers argue that there is no such thing as free will. Groundbreaking philosopher and cognitive scientist Daniel Dennett, Cognitiv...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In the modern world we seem to benefit from an abundance of choices in our day-to-day life. But are we really free to decide, or is choice just an illusion? On today’s episode we’re joined remotely by cultural critic and philosopher Raymond Tallis who unpicks the arguments against the existence of free w...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Has physical materialism been undermined in favour of fields and energy, mathematics and information? This week we’re asking whether the world is only material, only made of physical stuff. Metaphysical idealist Bernardo Kastrup, chemist and Fellow of Lincoln College at Oxford University Peter Atkins and Phil...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes How can mathematical models inform our understanding of the world? And how can we explain overwhelming experiences? This week, philosopher Silvia Jonas investigates how mathematics shapes the way in which philosophers conceptualise reality and considers how we can use mathematical models to answer big philoso...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes For much of human history people have held firm - if mistaken - beliefs about the nature of the world and the right course of action. But now a steep decline in religious belief, compounded by doubts about the very possibility of objective truth, has left many in the West profoundly lost. Should we welco...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Can the radical elements of religion help us today? And how should we view martyrdom and sacrifice? To help us discus the role of religion today we’re joined this week by Marxist literary critic and public intellectual Terry Eagleton who explores the intersection between faith, martyrdom and sacrifice in a po...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Should it be a philosopher’s duty to discuss politics? And how can philosophy be used to improve public life? This week we’re discussing the roles and responsibilities of philosophers and the everyday applications of philosophy. Julian Baggini is a philosopher, journalist and the author of philosophy boo...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Should we conclude that consciousness cannot be explained in terms of the physical? But if so what is the alternative? Or is it just a matter of time, and one day an AI machine will miraculously find itself experiencing the world, and its mere components will have soul? Philosopher of mind Tim Crane, metaphys...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes The radical idea that everything is conscious has a small but growing following in Anglo-American philosophy. How deep are the philosophical roots of panpsychism? And how do older Indian systems of thought inform modern philosophical ideas?  To explore these questions we’re joined on this week’s epi...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Should we trust our senses? And how can we know that the waking world is real but the dreaming world is not? On this week’s episode we are interviewing Professor of Buddhist Philosophy at Oxford University, Jan Westerhoff. Westerhoff discusses the philosophy of illusions, dreams and outlines his theory of an...

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...