The Narratologist

Small boats keep arriving from across the English Channel. But what are the facts? And what do they mean?

An entire community was wiped out in 1921. The cause was someone stumbling. It's unbelievable, but humans, spurred by the force of narrative, are capable of doing unbelievable things.

Can Israel commit genocide? Is that something we can allow in your imaginations? How do we live in a world where we remember the Holocaust yet understand the present?

How can we lose if we win? What does winning even mean? A journey back 83 years can help us to understand..

Luck doesn't exist. Not the way we think it does. Most luck is an illusion. So, what is really happening?

If there's one thing that keeps catching me off guard in life, it's how little I know. There is ALWAYS more to learn. Even about things I've been doing for years. Like teaching, which I've been doing for 18. And composing, which I've been doing for over 30. So much more...

There are mugs you can get in the UK that all say some variation of "Keep Calm and Carry On". But what if - maybe - we shouldn't keep on? What if we should freak out? If there are times worth freaking out over, how do we decide as a society that the time is now? And is the time, you know... now?

What makes groups of people do bad things? It's not as complicated as you might think. And it's not about being bad, or immoral. It's actually about having a strong sense of justice. And it's how doing bad things affects our brains and our bodies. Listen to find out more.

This is the end of Season 1. This is the TLDR episode. If you've missed everything, this is what I think is the main idea from Season 1. Does it cover everything? Of course not. But it does encapsualte the main idea, which is basically the idea behind the whole podcast. If you like this, there are 39 other episodes to listen to before it. And possibly by the time you listen, more episodes from the...

Are our emotions what we think they are? Or are they simpler? Are they just, as some suggest, a social construct? And if they are, what function do they serve?   Most importantly, does reframing our emotions help us to navigate this thing called life?

This is a story of my dad. Not THE story of my dad, as that would take decades to tell. When I wrote the companion episode about my mom, I realised that this is a story that you can't get right. Which makes it easier, and infinitely more difficult, all at once. If you knew my dad, I hope this rings true, and teaches you some new things. If not, meet him now.

Is America exceptional? The answer to that question is one of the most important questions in recent world history. And perhaps one of the most difficult aspects is how that question is seen inside and outside of America.

It's counterintuitive, but ignorance is our superpower. Without ignorance, there is no way we would have all this knowledge. Why? Listen and find out!

Straight Lines are not natural. Nature evolves and meanders and follows the path of least resistance. Straight lines are an unnatural imposition. Straight lines have consequences.

We often compare life to sports. Why? What are the useful analogies and metaphors? And which sport is the best analogue for life? The answer might surprise you.

Stories about Christianity are important for everyone for the simple reason that Christian thought, narratives and morality dominate the globe. So, what happens when Biblical narratives and the modern state of masculinity collide?

I'm not going to lie. This was difficult. AI is such an important, complicated topic. This episode is around twice as long as my average episode because I wanted to cover all the big points. If you're knee-deep in AI yourself, you will find things I have missed. If you're new to AI, this will hopefully act as some kind of intro to the topic as it stands today.

Are there 2 genders? Are there 77? Do we know? How can we talk about this highly emotive subject in a better way? As ever, we just need to do 2 things: Accept that the other side isn't crazy Be prepared to say. "We don't know"

Is left-wing violence a problem? Is political violence a problem? What does history tell us? What do our narratives tell us about the present? The answers might surprise you.

We're noty good at arguing, are we? The people we hold up as great debaters are -- I think -- often pretty bad at it. This is the first in a series addressing that. The episodes aren't strictly about supporting one point of view. They're about showing what a good debate might look like.

Are we living in times that are similar to the 1930s? Is catastrophe around the corner? Is history inevitable? Let's have a think about that. Because the answers aren't just useful. They actually help us understand ourselves and each other better. And that is really the whole point.

There are 2 things to know about money: It is the most confusing part of every day life. It is based on a fiction, a fiction we all believe.

Did Liz Truss REALLY break the economy? When we were told, "the markets are nervous", what did that REALLY mean? The mini-budget crisis of 2022 has a lot to teach us about how economies really work, if we would only look.

Have you noticed all the St George crosses littering our towns? They don't, as many would have you believe, come from China. They come from Anicent Rome. Via Genoa. With some other stops along the way. Enjoy!

When we tell stories, they often become shorthand for ideas that are central to us and our cultures. We use little phrases that quickly communicate and affirm our tribal identity. Like many human creations, this is a tool that has been used for good as well as evil.