Philosophy For Our Times

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Our obsession with the apocalypse is everywhere from fiction stories to news headlines. Is the belief that the end is nigh rooted in the changing reality around us, or is it just a story that sells? On our panel to discuss this question is philosopher and author of Breakfast with Socrates Robert Rowland Smith...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In a post-truth world, the evidence of experts is constantly being called into question. But is abandoning the expertise of learned folk a little extreme? Green Party politician and philosopher Rupert Read takes us through the tyranny of evidence. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – video...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes China may be on the way to replacing the US as the world's dominant economic power, but with Russia also growing its reach, could the future be more dangerous still? Do we face an uncontainable multipolar world with many nations vying for power? Or should we applaud a break from US global dominance and look f...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is science more sinister than an honest pursuit of the truth? Is there enough evidence to support man-made climate change? Usually, we associate climate change critics with the right but this time the counter-narrative comes from outspoken astrophysicist Piers Corbyn, who situates himself even further on the...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is it better for us to resist temptations or avoid them altogether? Philosopher of perception and action Bence Nanay argues that our ability to say no is connected with the fragmentation of our minds. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to exp...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From quitting a job or relationship in the heat of an argument to taking on a new project in a flush of excitement, we think emotional decisions are often bad decisions. But might it be that emotion is the best guide to action and, as Hume thought, reason is and should be the slave of the passions? Or is this...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Can philosophy help us make real life decisions? Can actions speak louder than words? Our producer interviews philosophers Bence Nanay, Angie Hobbs, Christopher Hamilton, Barry Smith, Shahidha Bari, and performance artist Emma Sulkowicz about the power of ideas in their lives. There are thousands of big ideas...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes It's Philosophy Fest! A week of bonus content to celebrate our hundredth episode of Philosophy For Our Times. Today's bonus content is an audience Q&A with psychiatrist David Nutt, which followed on from his talk, The Science of Psychedelics. David fields questions on synthetic cannabis in prisons, whethe...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is our attitude to drugs harming mental health patients? Imperial College psychiatrist and former UK government drugs adviser David Nutt argues for an evidence based revolution in drugs policy. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. F...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes To celebrate our 100th episode of Philosophy for Our Times, we're treating you to a week of bonus content. To kick off, here's an interview with Elif Sarican, a Kurdish rights activist, about the experiment in direct democracy currently taking place in Northern Syria. There are thousands of big ideas to disco...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Does our abuse of 'elites' ignore their necessity, or should all elites be challenged and dissolved? Author of The Leaderless Revolution Carne Ross, Political Theorist at Cambridge Hugh Drochon, and activist Yassmin Abdel Magied put elites on trial. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – vid...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Many of us intuitively believe that art, philosophy and culture, from the evolution of cinema to the rise of performance poetry, is trying to constantly progress towards something better. But is this a myth? In art and philosophy, is the best yet to come? Or, as Eliot said, 'is there only the fight to recover...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes What happens to our bodies when we die? Forensic scientist and Belle de Jour blogger Brooke Magnanti anticipates life's strangest certainty. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more:  https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In 1859, Charles Darwin changed the course of history for ever by publishing On the Origin of Species. In 1872 he published ‘The expression of the emotions in man and animals.’ Which didn’t rock the boat quite so much, but it continues to be a source of controversy in our ongoing scientific debates on evoluti...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Outspoken critic of Richard Dawkins, and renowned Professor of English Literature Terry Eagleton launches himself heroically at the twin hornet’s nests of modern religious apathy & radicalism. Where should the unreligious look for answers? What has caused the recent growth in radicalism? Supported by Rout...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In Europe, belief in organised religion continues to decline as science advances. Yet strangely interest in everything from ley lines to solstice rituals is on the rise. Should we dismiss this as empty fantasy? Or is there in nature something essential to ourselves, beyond science and beyond monotheistic reli...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Is consciousness stranger than we thought? The Science Delusion author Rupert Sheldrake strikes out against orthodoxy and asks: is the sun conscious? There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more:  https://iai.tv/podcast-o...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From Galileo to Mandela, history is made by those with strong convictions. Yet as Nietzsche argued and Islamic State attest, those most convinced of their righteousness are often the most dangerous. Should politicians and the rest of us avoid convictions and see them as dangerous fantasies, or is conviction e...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Time appears to be the ultimate form of progress: an unavoidable direction imposed on the universe. Some physicists claim this is an illusion. How should we make sense of time? As a dimension, a flow, a place, a process, a social construct, or something altogether more mysterious? Physician, poet and thinker...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In today’s debate Sophie Walker, leader of the Women’s Equality Party faces Helena Cronin, Darwinian philosopher and a strong believer in natural sex differences. Joined by Psychiatrist Theodore Dalrymple, they debate the pros, cons and possibilities of equality. There are thousands of big ideas to discover a...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Over a century after Freud wrote the interpretation of dreams, how much of our unconscious minds have we uncovered? Writer, academic and critic Shahida Bari, Philosopher and Director of the Institute of Philosophy at the Institute of Advanced Studies in London Barry C Smith and Professor of Clinical Psycholog...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Darwinian philosopher Helena Cronin breaks a 21st century taboo: Did men and women evolve differently? There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more:  https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownot...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes A world where men and women shared power equally is thought desirable. Yet from Angela Merkel and Mrs Thatcher, to Marissa Mayer and Sheryl Sandberg, leading women often appear to behave similarly to men. Would a world run by women actually be fundamentally different? Orwell Award-winning journalist Yasmin Al...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Assistant Producer at the IAI, Bridey Addison-Child, speaks to some of our female speakers from our HowTheLightGetsIn Festival to find out what being a woman means in today's society, and explore some of the philosophical issues raised when we talk about womanhood. There are thousands of big ideas to discover...

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In this week’s episode, we’re looking at the science behind monogamous relationships and asking the question: have we, as a species, evolved beyond them? Screw the Fairytale author Helen Croydon, UCL anthropologist Kit Opie, and psychologist Susan Quilliam imagine new models for relationships. There are thous...