Philosophy For Our Times

Should we seek to fulfill our needs with multiple partners? Does dissecting a rat brain count as philosophy? Are we entering the age of corporate authoritarianism? Listen as Zizek guides us through these and other major questions of our time.  Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Slavoj Žižek provides a Hegelian insight into historical and curren...

Want lasting happiness? Paul Dolan reveals the secret: it's all about where you direct your attention to on a daily basis.  Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Happiness isn't about what you think, it's about what you do. And you're more in control than you'd imagine. Join happiness expert and LSE Professor of Behavioural Science, Paul Dolan, as...

Are psychedelics the lens to reality or the key to delusion? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes With a resurgence in the cultural zeitgeist, psychedelics are now at the forefront of debates about mental health treatments. Critics challenge the efficacy of these substances, but are they missing a broader truth? Join Anne Katrin Schlag, Julian B...

Is thought a distraction from reality? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From the birth of reason to Descartes' "I think, therefore I am"; Western culture has placed thought at the centre of what it is to be human. We spend much of our time planning the future, reflecting on the past, puzzling about what to do, and talking about it with others. But...

Is language a flawed prism standing in the way of our understanding of the world? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes For much of the 20th century language was seen as central to our understanding of the world. 'The limits of my language mean the limits of my world', argued Wittgenstein. 'There is nothing outside of the text' claimed Derrida. But now...

What is behind the polarising debate on gender? How can we navigate the new politics of gender identity... if at all? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Gender identity is the hot topic, but many argue that we must remain grounded in biological sex. Join philosopher Kathleen Stock as she seeks collaboration between trans rights activists and feminis...

In a world that places a premium on independence, are we undervaluing the power of community? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In this engrossing debate, we examine the societal shift towards solo living and ask critical questions about its impacts. Has our pursuit of independence led to a higher incidence of depression? Have we sidelined the sign...

In a fascinating conversation, renowned theoretical physicist Marika Taylor and acclaimed philosopher Julian Baggini explore the history and evolving relationship between these two disciplines. Listen in as they delve into the intricacies of how science and philosophy have been intertwined, only to diverge since the Enlightenment. Can they be reconciled? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:...

Are we bound by traditional rules for life or is it time for a new playbook? Tune in to find out! Seeking the link mentioned in this episode? It's right here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes In this thought-provoking discussion, our distinguished panelists delve into the foundations of moral codes and rules for living. Sophie-Grace Chappell, Professor of Philosophy at the Open University,...

Could it be that the world's true essence is beyond our comprehension? And what if this isn't a drawback, but an advantage? Explore this paradox in this interview with Hilary Lawson. Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We tend to think the world is divided into bits, and we spend time trying to define those bits. But what if this metaphysical a...

Can you understand a novel - or a life - before you know how it ends? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From Beethoven's 5th to Batman, Harry Potter to Hamlet, we want and expect satisfying endings that tie up loose ends and provide resolution. But real life doesn't often come tied up so neatly. Relationships and careers often evolve in tangl...

Is "truth" a redundant concept? Listen as Simon Blackburn grapples with the topic. Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Truth has had a difficult century. More than ever we are lost as to both 'what truth is' and 'what is true'. Should we instead turn to pragmatism? Join Simon Blackburn to explore why truth and pragmatism may be more aligned than at f...

Is our focus on happiness making us unhappy? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes "Oh happiness! Our being’s end and aim!” claimed Alexander Pope. Now, a few centuries later, it's not just smiling faces on billboards, some governments have made happiness measures a central goal. 89% of young people in their twenties think life has no purpose oth...

Is materialism a fundamental mistake? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes The relationship between the individual human subject and the world was once the central focus of Western philosophy. Modern neuroscience has instead tended to assume that the world is purely material and physical, and the problem of consciousness a question of how to gen...

Does science have anything to say about our freedom of choice? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes A famed experiment, by Libet in the 1980s, led many scientists and philosophers to argue that free will was an illusion. Despite the experiment being challenged at the time and in recent studies, its legacy persists. Many materialists still conten...

Can synthetic drugs induce true feelings of love? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From the Christian tenet 'God is love' to the plots of countless novels and films, love is seen as central to our lives. Yet from scientific studies along with anecdotal accounts we know that psychoactive substances and MDMA in particular can enhance and even induce...

Can we make ultimate moral judgements? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes For a couple of millenia in the West we have judged people and their actions by the standards of good and evil. But, from Mother Theresa to Winston Churchill the notion that an individual is simply good is hard to sustain. Almost all claim to be good. Even the Nazis beli...

Do we believe things because they are true or because they are convenient? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Massimo Pigliucci argues that adopting the principles of scientific and ethical scepticism can lead us to think and live better. We all like to think of ourselves as discerning people. But research shows that many of our firmly-held beliefs...

Is fully conscious AI just around the corner? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Earlier this year, Google fired Blake Lemoine, for claiming that the company's chatbot was a self aware person. While the claim was derided, the belief that one day AI will become conscious is widespread and, according to a recent survey, held by 79% of experts. But man...

Why should we rebuild our relationship with holy places? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes We live in a secular age, but we seem to be looking for the transcendent more than ever, whether it's through yoga, meditation or psychedelics. Join radical scientist Rupert Sheldrake as he explores our holy places in a secular age. Rupert Sheldrake is...

Philosopher and acclaimed author, Julian Baggini, leading molecular biologist, Güneş Taylor, and critical race theorist, Tommy Curry, debate the relationship between reason and emotion. Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes For centuries we have assumed reason to be ruthlessly independent of passion or emotion. Yet Nietzsche argued that reason is...

Is technology holding us back? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes From work to entertainment, communication to travel, technology has shaped every aspect of our lives. We think technological progress is relentless and inevitable. But Aldous Huxley argued "technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwar...

Is philosophy an unbiased quest for the true account of the world? From Plato to Aristotle, Russell to Wittgenstein, we traditionally see philosophers as engaged in the disinterested pursuit of truth: a view philosophers themselves are inclined to encourage. But in a postmodern world, shaped by Richard Rorty's claim that philosophy is merely a form of 'cultural politics', few now imagine that trut...

Can we free ourselves from stale ideas about consciousness? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Some argue that the reality we perceive is a controlled hallucination. Others claim that science is about to crack the ancient problem of the self once and for all. Distinguished philosopher and panpsychist Philip Goff argues that neither of these ar...

Should we think of morality in terms of objective truth or social consensus? Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes Once the fashion of a postmodern age, moral relativism has always had its detractors, many of them religious. But now a new breed of atheist celebrity thinkers, from Sam Harris to Peter Singer, are making claims for the existence of...