Philosophy For Our Times

PART 1 of Does life have meaning Series: How do we find meaning (and happiness) in the contemporary age? Humans have a special need for meaning in their life. A life without meaning, many would agree, has no value. But what does meaning actually mean? And how can we ensure our life is full of it? Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science John Vervaeke has dedicated much of his research precise...

Can art vanquish evil? In a largely secular culture what are we to make of evil? In a rational and relativistic climate without superstitutions, have we lost a cultural space in which to engage with evil? Should we abandon the notion altogether as anachronistic or is it essential in the fight for a better world? Filmmaker Mike Figgis, Artistic Director of the Lyric Hammersmith, Sean Holmes, and ph...

Can art vanquish evil? In a largely secular culture what are we to make of evil? In a rational and relativistic climate without superstitutions, have we lost a cultural space in which to engage with evil? Should we abandon the notion altogether as anachronistic or is it essential in the fight for a better world? Filmmaker Mike Figgis, Artistic Director of the Lyric Hammersmith, Sean Holmes, and ph...

Contemporary life is defined by excess. There must always be more, but there is never enough... Is the pursuit of happiness a terrible mistake? Join firebrand philosopher, Slavoj Žižek, as he argues the joys of excess are flimsy and futile and asks whether we can ever find a way out. Slavoj Žižek is a world-renowned philosopher, cultural critic and public intellectual. He is international director...

What should guide our actions? We all have epiphanies. Yet most of us choose to ignore them, and trust in reason to determine our path in life. Join philosopher Sophie-Grace Chappell, who argues that we should allow our epiphanies to guide our actions. Sophie-Grace Chappell is a Professor of Philosophy at the Open University who writes about ethics, politics, feminism and epistemology. She argues...

What should guide our actions? We all have epiphanies. Yet most of us choose to ignore them, and trust in reason to determine our path in life. Join philosopher Sophie-Grace Chappell, who argues that we should allow our epiphanies to guide our actions. Sophie-Grace Chappell is a Professor of Philosophy at the Open University who writes about ethics, politics, feminism and epistemology. She argues...

Should we follow our philosophical conclusions wherever they take us? Or is there a hard wall of common sense that we are beholden to? Listen to some of today's leading philosophers in science and metaphysics as they talk it out! Tim Maudlin is Professor of Philosophy at New York University as well as the Founder/Director of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. Michael Della Roc...

Have you heard of Descartes' 'demon'? How can a mythical creature inform scientific progress? What is real? Listen in to find out! Join award-winning science historian Jimena Canales in this studio interview as she discusses the process of discovery and the nature of the unknown in science. Jimena Canales is a pioneering historian of science and an expert in 19th and 20th century history of the ph...

Is the real world unreachable due to the mediation of language? Or has the linguistic turn in philosophy and academia gone too far? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join post-realist philosopher Hilary Lawson, professor of logic Michael Potter and philosopher of language John Searle as they discuss what debates over language add or takeaway from t...

How much should we really value altruism? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From charity-givers, to those who sacrifice themselves in war for others, we see altrusim and selflessness as virtues to be applauded. Those who take no heed of their own interests are highly praised in Western culture. But many point to a danger. Studies show that altruism...

Why has the concept of consciousness stumped scientists forever? Is there a way of overcoming this impasse? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join physicist and philosopher Avshalom Elitzur as he fearlessly accompanies physics to its logical limitations - the understanding of our lived experiences and, most importantly, our consciousness. Elitzur t...

What does it mean to perceive, and can we ever truly know the world around us? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join the diverse trio of cognitive scientist Daniel Kahneman, psychologist Ellen Langer, and philosopher Hilary Lawson as they knock heads on what it means to ever know the world, if we can trust ourselves in the pursuit, and if such kno...

Why do people believe in conspiracy theories? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In this intimate interview, Michael Shermer explores how conspiracy theories undermine objective truth or the generally accepted scientific, materialist paradigm. He covers everything from his most recent work to why conspiracy theories are so good at creating...

Is complexity a cop-out? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From consciousness to free will, and even life itself, it has become commonplace for philosophers and neuroscientists to explain some of the most puzzling phenomena in the universe as 'emergent'. Some even make the claim that nothing in science makes sense without emergence, the id...

Is it time to abandon the Golden Rule? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join us as world-leading cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman discusses his cutting-edge research about consciousness and perception, as well as its astonishing implications for the ultimate nature of reality. Donald Hoffman is an American cognitive psychologist working...

Why do so many of us in the present day belief in conspiracy theories? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join professor and psychologist Dan Ariely as he discusses the main tenets of his 2023 book 'Misbelief: What Makes Rational People Believe Irrational Things.' With great sympathy for those, including some of us, who tend to believe various unsub...

Can we look for consciousness outside the realm of space-time? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join us as world-leading cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman discusses his cutting-edge research about consciousness and perception, as well as its astonishing implications for the ultimate nature of reality. Donald Hoffman is an American cognit...

What role can religion play in our contemporary secularised lives? Why do many (of us) still feel the need for it today? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join former Archbishop of Canterbury, theologian, and poet Rowan Williams in a deep-dive interview into his professional and theological trajectory. He reflects on what he's learned, including th...

Should we treat animals and humans equal? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Almost forty years after these two philosophers helped create the idea of animal rights, what do they believe would constitute further progress in our attitudes to other forms of life? Live from Melbourne, Australian philosopher, Princeton professor and author of&n...

Is 'energy' as a concept suited to the 21st century? Or is it a simplification of processes we do not understand, whose nature may be more mystical rather than purely rational? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join leading minds in the world of physics - Priyamvada Natarajan, Avshalom Elitzur, and Bernard Carr - as they face head on the necessity,...

Is standard philosophy too conservative, overly relying on common sense? Can rationality and reason actually lead us to mysticism? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join philosopher Michael Della Rocca as he defends his radical interpretation of what philosophy tells us of the world. He encourages us to interpret reality without any distinctions of...

Can we attribute societal progress to enlightenment ideals? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes The Enlightenment advocated reason, science, democracy, and universal human rights as a grounding for human morality and social organization. In the quarter millennium since, to what extent have these ideals been realized? Has the Enlightenment in...

How do the seemingly modern discussions around transgender and transsexuality relate to age-old philosophical queries? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join philosopher Sophie Grace Chappell in this honest interview in which she reflects both on her personal experience as transgender and also on its connections with well-known philosophers such as...

Doestoevsky vs Nietzsche - where do we find meaning in life? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Dostoevsky and Nietzsche both regarded the creeping nihilism and meaninglessness of their time as a fundamental threat to humanity. While both were critical of modernity and rationalism, their solutions were radically opposed. Dostoevsky looked t...

Does our very need for God point to the fact that he (or perhaps she, they) does not exist? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join well-known comedian and author David Baddiel in this honest (and funny!) conversation about humanity's deepest fears and desires with Chine McDonald, Director of Theos. Baddiel reads and cites from his 2023 book - 'The...