Philosophy For Our Times

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Kafka vs Camus | Emma Sulkowicz, Andrea Elliott, Paul Muldoon Jan 11, 2023

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Can we change the world?

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Camus and Kafka have both been central to 20th century writing and thought. Both wrote about the relationship of the individual to society. But they had very different visions. Camus saw the individual as having the power to change and influence society. While Kafka honed in on the limitations of the individual to change anything and the power of the state and social organisation.

Who got it right? Should we follow Camus and see freedom and the ability to change the world as essential to the human condition? Or is this an illusion, and instead recognise that we are limited by culture, upbringing, and organisation, so that there is no room left for the lone individual to alter and change the character of society or the course of their lives?

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How to use philosophy for a better life | Rebecca Roache Jan 03, 2023

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Opening a path towards more enlightened societies with Rebecca Roache.

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Philosophy is not just about armchair thinking. It can help us live better lives and find meaning. In this talk philosopher of mind Rebecca Roache shows us that philosophy can be the key to creating better lives, and more enlightened societies.

Rebecca Roache is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her research interests range from ethics and metaphysics to philosophy of mind and philosophy of language. She is a pioneer in field of philosophy of swearing, and her work has been featured in The Times, The Guardian and the BBC.

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Where sceptics fail | with Alex O'Connor Dec 27, 2022

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An interview with CosmisSkeptic

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What is scepticism? How do we deal with our own coginitive dissonance? Can veganism ever be justified purely by reason? These are just some of the questions that Alex O'Connor, AKA CosmicSkeptic, has been grappling with on his youtube channel, viewed by over 40 million people, for the past few years. In this interview, Alex O'Connor sits down with the Institute of Art and Ideas to discuss his positions on scepticism, David Hume, veganism, Peter Singer and religion.

Alex O’Connor, also known by his YouTube alias ‘CosmicSkeptic’, is a prolific philosopher, youtuber, public speaker and animal welfare activist. His youtube channel has amassed over 450 000 subscribers and discusses issues relating to free speech, free will, animal rights and the philosophical arguments against religion.

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Did hunter-gatherers have a better life? | Mark Williams, Peter Lilley, Natalie Bennett Dec 20, 2022

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Should we go back to a world before civilisation?

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With high rates of infanticide, senicide and disease, not many of us pine for the era before human civilization, farms and nations. Yet anthropologists Yuval Harari and Jared Diamond have called the agricultural revolution a"trap"and humanity’s "worst mistake”, arguing hunter gatherer life was more leisurely and free, as humans were not tied down to private property or oppressed by hierarchy.

Is there a way to keep the benefits of industry and technology while also living as freely as our untamed ancestors? Should we go further and rewild to escape the status, hierarchy and oppression of civilisation? Or is this an impossible fantasy born out of a misunderstanding of anthropology and the idealistic myth of the ‘noble savage’?

Paleobiologist Mark Williams, Conservative former cabinet minister Peter Lilley and former leader of the Green Party Natalie Bennett weigh in on civilisation as we know it. Hosted by Güneş Taylor.

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Will science crack the mystery of consciousness? | Bernardo Kastrup, Patricia Churchland, Carlo Rovelli Dec 13, 2022

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Neuroscience?! Quantum Physics?! Is new data on the horizon?

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We are uncovering a new science of consciousness. A theory that is getting closer to solving the problem of the self once and for all. Or at least so claim leading neuroscientists. Some argue the reality we perceive is a controlled hallucination as a best guess to how the world really is. Others that quantum mechanics or multiple levels of brain organisation are responsible for consciousness. But critics maintain these don't get to the heart of the problem: how the material stuff of the brain is responsible for the immaterial stuff of experience.

Should we see the 'new science of consciousness' as marketing hype? Might we alternatively need to give up our very notion of reality? Or could science be about to crack the ancient problem of the self once and for all?

Legendary theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli, ground breaking metaphysical idealist Bernardo Kastrup, godmother of neurophilosophy Patricia Churchland lock horns over the New Science of Consciousness.

Robert Lawrence Kuhn Hosts.

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Writing the self | Meg Rosoff Dec 06, 2022

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How do we know if a story is worth telling?

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In this interview, award-winning writer and author of 'How I Live Now', Meg Rosoff, provides an insight into her writing philosophy. She discusses her origins in advertising, why the theme of adolescence fascinates her, and how a passion for horse-riding inspired the idea of 'throughness' which encapsualtes the relationship between the conscious and unconscious mind.

Meg Rosoff is an award-winning writer. She is perhaps best known for the novels 'How I Live Now' which won the Guardian Prize, and 'Just In Case, for which she was awarded the Carnegie medal. Her most recent novel, 'The Great Godden' is a coming-of-age novel which was nominated for the Costa Book Award in 2020.

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The search for certainty | Simon Blackburn, Hilary Lawson, Ruth Chang Nov 29, 2022

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Should we give up the dream of certainty?

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We look for certainty to know where we are, to feel safe. Descartes founded modern Western philosophy on the search for certainty. And in our daily lives we have institutions to create the illusion of certainty, marriage in the precarious world of relationships, schools and universities in the world of knowledge. For psychologists tell us that uncertainty is one of the strongest predictors of distress. Yet certainty is also the enemy of progress and change, and as Eric Fromm argued 'The quest for certainty blocks the search for meaning'. To be certain is to have ended enquiry, to have called a halt to the new and the original, to have in a sense already died.

Should we recognise the pursuit of certainty in our personal lives, in our pursuit of knowledge, and in religion and philosophy is destined to fail? Should we instead welcome, even encourage, the uncertain and the unknown as a vehicle for growth and potential? Or without the safety of the known are we all lost?

Distinguished philosophy professor Simon Blackburn, maverick post post-modern philosopher Hilary Lawson and ground-breaking philosopher of value Ruth Chang question whether we can be certain about anything. Maria Balaska hosts.

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The quest for reason | Alister McGrath Nov 22, 2022

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Can science and religion coexist? Listen to find out!

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In this interview, Alister McGrath, the Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at the University of Oxford, explores the relationship between science and certainty. He charts his path from atheism to Christianity, and discusses how his faith is consistent with his scientific beliefs. McGrath asserts that reason is not a universal concept, but rather only a culturally contingent framework. He argues that a cross-cultural framework of reason is an essential tool that must be developed to ensure greater harmony between nations and cultures.

Alister McGrath is a theologian, intellectual historian, scientist, and public intellectual. He currently holds the Andreas Idreos Professorship in Science and Religion in the Faculty of Theology and Religion, at the University of Oxford, McGrath is noted for his work in historical theology, systematic theology and the relationship between science and religion.

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The trauma of the everyday | Joanna Kavenna, Ian Parker, Sarah Garfinkel, Mark Salter Nov 15, 2022

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Have mundane setbacks become catastrophic? Our experts discuss.

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Trauma was traditionally associated with events such as war, assault and natural disasters. Now it is increasingly used to describe everyday experiences like personal criticism or romantic rejection, and of becoming an empty therapeutic buzzword. Some psychologists argue that we risk undermining diagnoses of serious disorders by treating the mundane as the catastrophic, at the same time as making us less resilient.

Should we stop describing everyday setbacks as trauma? Or is a looser understanding of trauma to be encouraged so that individuals can come to terms with their suffering? Or is this all a symptom of a broader cultural focus on our emotional lives which once promised better mental health, but which has now turned out to have undermined an entire generation?

Neuroscientist Sarah Garfinkel, bestselling author of Zed Joanna Kavenna and fearless psychoanalyst Ian Parker explore modern trauma and what we can do about it.

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The knowledge delusion | Santiago Zabala, Corine Besson, Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad Nov 08, 2022

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Beyond right and wrong?

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Politicians, scientists, experts, specialists and even philosophers frequently claim to be right and to have understood how things ultimately are. Yet at the same time they know this can't plausibly be the case. In the history of humankind there is no theory that has been shown to be definitive, no claim that cannot be disputed. Nor can we imagine a time when such dispute will come to an end.

Should we give up the very idea that it is possible to be definitively right? Would this usher in a new era of compromise? Or is the possibility of being right essential to progress and culture, without which we risk violence and conflict?

Author of Freedom in Age of Alternative Facts Santiago Zabala, pragmatic epistemologist Corine Besson and expert of Indian thought Chakravarthi Ram-Prasad clash over whether it is ever possible to be definitely right about anything.

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