The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast

Introduction On April 11, 1961, a Monster was put on trial in the state of Israel and broadcasted to the world. The Monster, who was housed in a glass box, was accused of crimes against humanity and the Jewish people – of knowingly sending hundreds of thousands of people to their deaths. When the trial commenced, and the Monster was asked how he pleaded, he answered, 'Not guilty, in the sense of t...

Introduction "How did the universe come into existence?" It's a question that most of the world's religions seek to answer. According to the Abrahamic faiths, the world can only exist with the existence of a being who was not caused by something other than itself – and this they call 'Yahweh', 'Allāh', or 'God'. Philosophical arguments to this end come in many forms, one of which – from the mediev...

Introduction "How did the universe come into existence?" It's a question that most of the world's religions seek to answer. According to the Abrahamic faiths, the world can only exist with the existence of a being who was not caused by something other than itself – and this they call 'Yahweh', 'Allāh', or 'God'. Philosophical arguments to this end come in many forms, one of which – from the mediev...

In this episode, you'll be treated to a live performance of The Panpsycast. The event took place at Liverpool's beautiful Tung Auditorium on 20th May 2022. Over three hundred of you purchased tickets to the event, with some of our most loyal patrons travelling thousands of miles to be with us in person. Before you listen to the audio, we just wanted to say a huge thank you to those who came along,...

In this episode, you'll be treated to a live performance of The Panpsycast. The event took place at Liverpool's beautiful Tung Auditorium on 20th May 2022. Over three hundred of you purchased tickets to the event, with some of our most loyal patrons travelling thousands of miles to be with us in person. Before you listen to the audio, we just wanted to say a huge thank you to those who came along,...

Introduction The flight of a hummingbird, the sprint of a cheetah, the breath of a whale, a daisy turning towards the sunlight. Given the complexity of the natural world, we can understand why – before the publication of Charles Darwin's  On the Origin of Species – people believed that the universe was the work of an intelligent designer. These days, however – although creationism continues to be...

Introduction The flight of a hummingbird, the sprint of a cheetah, the breath of a whale, a daisy turning towards the sunlight. Given the complexity of the natural world, we can understand why – before the publication of Charles Darwin's  On the Origin of Species – people believed that the universe was the work of an intelligent designer. These days, however – although creationism continues to be...

Introduction Art is created by people, but people are fallible. When the art we love is tainted by the brush of an artist's biography, we must ask whether the shift in our aesthetic experience is reasonable. One might also wonder whether artworks can do wrong in and of themselves. If artworks can be intended as conveyers of truth, can they convey falsehoods or – more awkwardly – lies? These aren't...

Introduction Art is created by people, but people are fallible. When the art we love is tainted by the brush of an artist's biography, we must ask whether the shift in our aesthetic experience is reasonable. One might also wonder whether artworks can do wrong in and of themselves. If artworks can be intended as conveyers of truth, can they convey falsehoods or – more awkwardly – lies? These aren't...

Introduction Enjoying a holiday in a small coastal village, a New York banker finds herself walking along a tranquil pier when she comes across a fisherman in a small, wooden boat. Inside the boat she spotted several rainbow-coloured fish. 'Congratulations on a fine score. How long did it take you to catch them?' 'Only a little while,' the fisherman replied. 'That's great,' said the banker, 'so, w...

Introduction Enjoying a holiday in a small coastal village, a New York banker finds herself walking along a tranquil pier when she comes across a fisherman in a small, wooden boat. Inside the boat she spotted several rainbow-coloured fish. 'Congratulations on a fine score. How long did it take you to catch them?' 'Only a little while,' the fisherman replied. 'That's great,' said the banker, 'so, w...

Introduction Enjoying a holiday in a small coastal village, a New York banker finds herself walking along a tranquil pier when she comes across a fisherman in a small, wooden boat. Inside the boat she spotted several rainbow-coloured fish. 'Congratulations on a fine score. How long did it take you to catch them?' 'Only a little while,' the fisherman replied. 'That's great,' said the banker, 'so, w...

Welcome to 'Episode 105 (Part II of II)', in which we'll be analysing Hauskeller's argument against transhumanist approaches to animals. We are all prisoners of our biology. Whether humans (and our non-human cousins) have the capacity to think, feel, or fly is dictated by their DNA, long before they have a say in the matter. It's a living lottery that has lifted human beings to lofty heights; that...

Welcome to 'Episode 105 (Part I of II)', in which we'll be discussing animals in transhumanism with Michael Hauskeller. We are all prisoners of our biology. Whether humans (and our non-human cousins) have the capacity to think, feel, or fly is dictated by their DNA, long before they have a say in the matter. It's a living lottery that has lifted human beings to lofty heights; that is, above the wo...

Introduction If we want to improve our public discourse, we must aim to be as objective as possible. When we raise our consciousness and work towards clearing our minds of personal interests, political affiliations, and the sophistry of art, we grow closer to rationality and knowledge. Art, on the other hand, is nothing more than the overly excited offspring of objectivity: films, paintings, music...

Introduction If we want to improve our public discourse, we must aim to be as objective as possible. When we raise our consciousness and work towards clearing our minds of personal interests, political affiliations, and the sophistry of art, we grow closer to rationality and knowledge. Art, on the other hand, is nothing more than the overly excited offspring of objectivity: films, paintings, music...

Introduction Given the choice, who wouldn't increase the balance in their bank account, switch into a fit and healthy body, find themselves in a meaningful career, and cultivate happiness and love in their relationships? These are preferences we all share, but few of us achieve them. Perhaps we could, if only we made better choices. We all want to make better decisions – the salad over the burger,...

Introduction Given the choice, who wouldn't increase the balance in their bank account, switch into a fit and healthy body, find themselves in a meaningful career, and cultivate happiness and love in their relationships? These are preferences we all share, but few of us achieve them. Perhaps we could, if only we made better choices. We all want to make better decisions – the salad over the burger,...

The existence of God is the most discussed, and perhaps the most important, question in philosophy. For the majority of the world's population, God provides meaning, morality, metaphysics, and hopefully, salvation. A rich history of scholarship defending God's existence has meant theism has long been considered to be a reasonable worldview; however, with the rise of secularism and the new atheist...

The existence of God is the most discussed, and perhaps the most important, question in philosophy. For the majority of the world's population, God provides meaning, morality, metaphysics, and hopefully, salvation. A rich history of scholarship defending God's existence has meant theism has long been considered to be a reasonable worldview; however, with the rise of secularism and the new atheist...

Imagine the smile on your parent's face as you rush to meet them at the school gates, the soft heat of the sand between your toes on a first holiday, waking up in the haze of a late afternoon after dancing all night, the drop in your stomach when you realize you'll never hear their voice again. These are conscious experiences. Without them, what is there to life? In this sense, we all know what co...

Introduction Imagine the smile on your parent's face as you rush to meet them at the school gates, the soft heat of the sand between your toes on a first holiday, waking up in the haze of a late afternoon after dancing all night, the drop in your stomach when you realize you'll never hear their voice again. These are conscious experiences. Without them, what is there to life? In this sense, we all...

The Panpsycast is now five years old. In which time, we have never failed to release a weekly instalment of the show. We're exceptionally proud of what we've accomplished with your support. From our audiobook and upcoming book series to our big interviews and collaborations with leading organisations – it's incredible that so many of you tune in week in, week out and support us on Patreon . Produc...

A philosophical education can feel like a long and arduous path. Sometimes you think you have seen the light; you think that you have knowledge, only to discover you knew nothing. It is times like this where the learner must examine their blind spots and begin their path to understanding once again while accepting that the next attempt might too end where it began. The philosopher Plato likened th...

A philosophical education can feel like a long and arduous path. Sometimes you think you have seen the light; you think that you have knowledge, only to discover you knew nothing. It is times like this where the learner must examine their blind spots and begin their path to understanding once again while accepting that the next attempt might too end where it began. The philosopher Plato likened th...