Philosophy For Our Times

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Does language make us uniquely human? | Ray Tallis, Joanna Kavenna and Jennifer Ackerman Nov 09, 2021

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Have you ever wondered if birds talk to each other like we do? Listen in to find out whether we are really all that different.

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Many think language makes us uniquely human. Are humans no different in principle from other animals and plants? Or is language profoundly different from all other forms of communication and the enabler of consciousness itself?

Joining us to debate the uniqueness of human language are bestselling author of The Genius of Birds Jennifer Ackerman, philosopher and cultural critic Ray Tallis, and author of A Field Guide to Reality and Zed Joanna Kavenna.

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Are we moral hypocrites? | Julian Baggini, David Chandler, Ece Temelkuran Nov 02, 2021

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Have you ever wondered if you are a "good" person? Are any of us actually morally good? Listen in to find out.

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From fervent socialists to devout Christians, many have sought to live by a strict moral code. Yet from the gulags to the Inquisition it has often been those with the strictest codes who have perpetrated the greatest crimes. Is this just accidental, or is there something about a strict morality than makes hypocrisy unavoidable?

Professor of International Relations David Chandler, award-winning journalist Ece Temelkuran, and esteemed philosopher Julian Baggini debate the hypocrisy of the good. Myriam Francois hosts.

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Playing with fire | Beverly Taylor, Ella Whelan and Lawrence Phillips Oct 26, 2021

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How much risk is too much? Listen to find out!

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In a Covid world we have been focused on safety. Yet almost all of us choose to engage in activities, from swimming in the sea to driving a car or having a bottle of wine, that carry risks. In fact, more died globally last year from alcohol than Covid. So how do we assess what risks to take and how much time and resource to protect ourselves from future risk?

While it looks as if vaccines will bring the Covid pandemic under control, the next pandemic is potentially just a virus away. Must we act urgently now to safeguard the world from a further catastrophe? Or should we assess against other global risks and the cost and resource involved? Is our ultimate goal to eradicate risk or must we accept risk is unavoidable?

In association with Seqirus.

Head of Influenza Scientific Affairs at Seqirus Beverly Taylor, political commentator Ella Whelan and Emeritus Professor of Decision Sciences at LSE Lawrence Phillips debate playing with fire. Mary Ann Sieghart hosts.

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Was Max Planck right about consciousness? | Patricia Churchland, Brian Greene, Amanda Gefter and Laura Mersini-Houghton Oct 19, 2021

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Was Planck wrong or was he into something? Our experts discuss.

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Most of us, scientists included, see physics as an attempt to provide an objective description of the world independent of human subjectivity and consciousness. Yet, Max Planck, one of major scientific figures of the twentieth century and the founder of quantum mechanics, stated as a result of his investigations and experiments: “I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness.”

Should we listen to Planck? Can we plausibly see matter as derivative of consciousness? Might doing so help solve the deep puzzles facing contemporary physics and overcome the ‘hard problem of consciousness’ itself? Or does this outlook, as Einstein argued, undermine the very success and objectivity of science and take us back to a world of superstition?

Cosmologist, theoretical physicist Laura Mersini-Houghton, groundbreaking physicist Brian Greene, esteemed physics and philosophy writer Amanda Gefter and eliminative materialism pioneer Patricia Churchland debate Planck and the Consciousness Puzzle. Catherine Heymans hosts.

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Islands and the Anthropocene | David Chandler Oct 12, 2021

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Could this be the end of modernity?

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Whether it's the discussion on rising sea levels or nuclear waste, islands have gravitated to the epicentre of the geopolitical zeitgeist. But why are we more interested in islands than ever before? Professor at the Centre for the Study of Democracy, David Chandler explores the importance of islands in the Anthropocene.

David Chandler is Professor of International Relations at the University of Westminster, and edits the journal Anthropocenes: Human, Inhuman, Posthuman and the book series Routledge Studies in Resilience. His most recent monograph is Ontopolitics in the Anthropocene: An Introduction to Mapping, Sensing and Hacking (2018).

Chandler’s long-term research focus is on new forms of subjectivity, shaped by both a retreat from the human as subject and the world as object.

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The story of reality | Sophie Fiennes, Betty Sue Flowers, Noel Carroll Oct 05, 2021

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Should narratives reflect or escape reality? Our panellists discuss.

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From fairy tales to Harry Potter, from Avatar to James Bond, we love fantasy and expect our books and films to take us there. Yet at the same time we want our poems and plays, novels and movies, to reflect life and reality.

Should our narratives be seeking to uncover reality or be seeking escape from it? Or are both goals impossible? Are we on the one hand unable to create a narrative that tells it how it is, and on the other incapable of making a fantasy that does not reflect our current circumstances? And if so, why?

Director and producer of The Pervert's Guide to Cinema Sophie Fiennes, leading figure in contemporary philosophy of art Noël Carroll and myths expert Betty Sue Flowers explore whether narratives should reflect reality, or escape it. Mark Salter hosts.

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What it means to be human | Raymond Tallis Sep 28, 2021

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Are humans beyond nature?

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Humans are unlike anything else in the universe. We're the only part of existence that can observe and reflect on being itself, that can choose to destroy or repair our own habitat. Or so Raymond Tallis argues in this deep dive interview into what it means to be human. Watch to find out how we came to be so unique, what it means for our relationship to nature, and what Parmenides has to do with all this.

Physician, philosopher, poet and novelist Raymond Tallis is ‘one of the world’s greatest living polymaths’ (Intelligent Life). He is the author of such wide-ranging books as The Enduring Significance of Parmenides, The Kingdom of Infinite Space and Aping Mankind.

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The case for virtuous virtue signalling | Kwame Anthony Appiah, Crystal Fleming, David Goodhart Sep 14, 2021

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Are we all hypocrites?

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Most of us want to be good and be seen to be good. But aren't these goals contradictory? Isn't the desire to be seen to good a means of placing ourselves higher than others and wishing to gain status and position as a result?

Should we conclude that the attempt to be seen to be good is immoral and call it out as hypocritical, including philanthropist donation, explicit piety on the part of the religious, and virtue signalling be it on campus or on social media? Or is being seen to be good vital to cement socially positive behaviour? And explicit public demonstration of morality the only morality worth having?

World-leading cultural theorist Kwame Anthony Appiah, Professor of sociology and African Studies and international authority on race, Crystal Fleming, and founder of Prospect Magazine David Goodhart probe the moral maze of public morality. Mark Linsenmayer hosts.

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Consciousness Beyond Time | Laura Mersini-Houghton, Paul Davies, Craig Callender, Hilary Lawson Sep 07, 2021

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Might consciousness operate in an entirely different sphere, outside of the world of space and time?

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We imagine ourselves as existing within time and space. Yet, we only ever experience the present moment. It is all we have. And within the present moment there is no direct experience of past or future. Nor is the present moment located anywhere, since it is everything for us. In short, there is no map reference for being or consciousness. No time zone or hour.

Renowned multiverse theorist Laura Mersini-Houghton, legendary physicist, writer and broadcaster Paul Davies, post postmodern philosopher and Closure theorist Hilary Lawson and philosopher of science Craig Callender lock horns over the arrows of time. Sara Walker hosts.

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Can wireheading cause real pleasure | Anders Sandberg Aug 31, 2021

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Sci-fi dream or reality? Listen to find out!

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The practice of putting electrodes in the pleasure centres of the brain - otherwise known as 'wireheading' - has been a sci-fi dream for decades. Oxford professor and transhumanist Anders Sandberg, explores the history and modern impact of the idea. Anders takes us on a journey from Rosseau’s critique of civilisation via Victorian parasitologists to weird 70s science and all the way to cutting edge AI research today.

Anders Sandberg is a research fellow at the Future of Humanity Institute at Oxford, where his research concerns the societal and ethical issues surrounding human enhancement and new technologies. He is also research associate to the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics and the Oxford Centre for Neuroethics.

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