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 cult followings and what objective truth might look like. Michael Shermer is an American science writer, historian of science, executive director of The Skeptics Society, and founding publisher of Skep ..read more

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 idea that the characteristics and behaviour of the whole is different from, and in addition to, its parts. But critics argue there is a danger emergence gives the impression of understanding when in real ..read more

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 at the University of California, Irvine. Hoffman's Interface Theory of Perception suggests that, instead of presenting reality as it "really is", our perception is like a desktop interface that has ev ..read more

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 unsubstantiated claims, Ariely assesses their personality traits, the effects on society, and what, if anything, can be done about an increasing tendency for misbelief. There are thousands of big ideas t ..read more

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 cognitive psychologist working at the University of California, Irvine. Hoffman's Interface Theory of Perception suggests that, instead of presenting reality as it "really is", our perception is like a deskt ..read more

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 the challenges of being in the spotlight, why he engaged in climate activism, and how to work in communities across faiths. Perhaps religion, and Christianity specifically, can help us more easily embr ..read more

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 Animal Liberation, Peter Singer joins the "UK's foremost scourge of scientific pretention" (Guardian) Mary Midgley to consider the future of bioethics. Roger Bolton makes sure the tough questions g ..read more

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, or lack thereof, of one of the most essential building blocks of contemporary physics: energy. It underlies our universe, and yet its versatile nature is still not entirely understood, for example i ..read more

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 any kind (and thus, without any relationships either): as a total unity. On this metaphysical adventure, we end up questioning why we had not questioned everything before. There are thousands of big ..read more

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 fact been successful in bringing about moral progress? Are there viable alternatives to the Enlightenment vision? Sophie Scott-Brown, Director at Gresham College, hosts a debate between two of the mos ..read more