Philosophy For Our Times

Rethinking economics - what is the meaning of productivity in the 21st century? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes "Productivity isn't everything, but in the long run, it is almost everything" claimed Paul Krugman. Throughout the twentieth century productivity, the average level of output for each hour worked, improved dramatically across t...

How do we save freedom? And, please, would you like coffee without cream or coffee without milk? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join renowned philosopher and cultural critic Slavoj Zizek as he divulges his ideas regarding the apocalypse, ideology, freedom in the present moment, and more through a classic Zizekian mix of personal anecdotes, pop c...

An interview with Isabel Millar. Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Questions over artificial intelligence seem to dominate our contemporary. But underpinning the technology are an array of presuppositions - about thinking, knowledge and consciousness - that are in dire need of philosophical scrutiny. In this fascinating interview, Dr Isabe...

Who are we? Why are we here? Does life have a meaning beyond itself? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and ground-breaking psychiatrist, literary scholar and author of 'The Matter with Things', Iain McGilchrist, to explore the nature of meaning, and why we should move beyond the assumption...

What is the difference between narcissism and self-love, vanity and pride, in today's self-obsessed world? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From books to podcasts, we are now told to embrace the idea of ‘self-love’. But are we creating a generation of narcissists? Join renowned philosopher Simon Blackburn to unpack the uses and abuses of...

Can humans ever be inherently good or evil? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Whether we see humans as essentially good or essentially selfish and violent has been central to our politics, our account of society, and our vision for social progress. But is this very distinction itself a mistake? Recently, Harvard scientists have shown human...

Have we entered a post-knowledge era? Or was the idea that we can attain knowledge misleading in the first place? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes The acquisition of knowledge has been a central factor driving advance. And since Descartes, Western thought has placed the question of what we know, and how we know what we know, at the centre...

Getting to Truth... Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join groundbreaking psychiatrist, writer, philosopher, and literary scholar Iain McGilchrist in this exclusive studio interview with post-postmodern philosopher Hilary Lawson. The two thinkers explore McGilchrist's early introduction to philosophy, the nature of truth and the cosmos, an...

Does our rhetoric shape reality? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Hugely powerful, we assume language enables us to represent reality. But some argue language, from the greatest narratives to the finest theories, not only fails to describe reality it actually distorts and misleads us. Language, the critics argue, formulates a world in its...

How do we assess claims to scientific knowledge? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes What is it possible to know? Is the physical universe all there is, or is the immaterial part of reality too? Join radical scientist, Rupert Sheldrake, and world-leading sceptic, Michael Shermer, as they go head-to-head on where the edges of knowledge lie. G...

Is it ever right to lie? Is honesty ever wrong? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Honesty is upheld as an age-old virtue of civilisation. Yet there are many instances where we deem lying desirable. Few would think it right for parents to be honest with their offspring about their favourite child, or to be honest about talents or abilities...

Is rationality as vital as we think? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Philosophers from Spinoza and Hegel to Bertrand Russell argued that logic and reason are the key to understanding the world. But is this a fundamental error? After all, recent studies show that reason does not lead to more successful outcomes in business or pe...

What does modern-day slavery look like? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes The past centuries have seen rapid improvements in health, poverty, literacy and violence. Yet despite this progress, few are aware that 50 million globally still live in modern slavery, the largest group ever in human history. Join fearless professor Katarina Schwar...

Is our neurobiology at odds with the modern world? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We see the remarkable evolution of the human brain as one of the driving factors behind our success as a species. Our neurobiology evolved though to solve challenges in a drastically different world than we find ourselves in today. Might our evolved traits...

Biology against determinism! Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We all feel like we have free will. That our decisions are our own and that we could have chosen otherwise. But today, many prominent figures argue free will is an illusion. Join groundbreaking biologist Denis Noble as he argues that, in fact, our bodies hold the key to our fre...

Is collective experience a myth? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We see experience as quintessentially subjective. But while we take this for granted might it be an error? From parliament and politics, festivals and football stadiums, to weddings and funerals, some of our most significant experiences occur in moments shared in collective...

What is the architecture of a sustainable world? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We are living in environmental crisis. But the solution might be closer to home than we think. Join Nottingham University Professor Lucelia Rodriguez as she sets out her vision for the cities of the future. In association with University of Nottingham. Lucel...

Is internet anonymity causing social breakdown? Should we do anything about it? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Anonymity was the gift that was going to give everyone a voice, free from the oversight of institutions and government control. Yet critics claim the dream has turned into a nightmare. For the anonymous world turns out to be on...

Is the academy and our culture as a whole in need of newer, bigger ideas? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In the first half of the twentieth century radical thinkers, from Einstein to Schrödinger, Russell to Wittgenstein, Woolf to de Beauvoir, were transforming ideas. But many wonder where the equivalents are today and point to a deep seate...

Can we rely on science for the answers? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts' argued Richard Feynman. He held that the best science respects no authority and is not a learnt set of facts, but a rigorous method of questioning in search of a better account. Yet in the pandemic governments and co...

Are we overlooking the profound mystery of life and death in a secular age? Looking for a link we mentioned? Find it here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In a scientific, secular age, narratives of the afterlife often appear to many as empty and anachronistic wish fulfillment. However, this podcast episode invites listeners to delve deeper into this topic, pondering the unexplained phenom...

Can we have objective morality without metaphysics? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Join Simon Blackburn, renowned philosopher at Cambridge University, as he discusses navigating heated moral discussions, the play of perspective on moral dilemmas, and his notable disagreements with Richard Rorty. From understanding contentious topics to gaining i...

Is human agency a fantasy? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We may not always agree on questions of morality, but whatever standards we adopt we apply them to human action. We are less inclined to take a moral stance on human inaction and failure to act. Many would argue that Putin's attack on the Ukrainian people is morally evil, but there is les...

Is our future reality a digital utopia or impending nightmare? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes As tech giants promise a lavish digital existence and unparalleled virtual experiences, there's a rising concern. Will we be trading real-life relationships for virtual ones? Substituting nature for mere simulation? And at the forefront, will control re...