The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast - TopPodcast.com

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast — Education
The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast

An ‘informal and informative’ philosophy podcast inspiring and supporting students, teachers, academics and free-thinkers worldwide. All episodes are available at www.thepanpsycast.com.

Copyright: Copyright (©, ®) 2022 - Jack Symes. All Rights Reserved.

Latest Episodes:

Episode 112, 'The Philosophy of Buddhism' with Jay Garfield (Part I - The Nature of Reality) Oct 23, 2022

Show notes

A prick of the skin; the sorrow of grief; the inevitability of change; our dependence on the whim of the cosmos. Suffering bleeds into every aspect of our existence and, according to Siddhārtha Gautama (the Buddha), the anguish of our misfortune stems from our ignorance and confusion. If we were to see the world for how it really is – a place of impermanence, interdependence, and emptiness – then, according to Buddhism, we might free ourselves from illusion and discover the path to liberation and enlightenment. Today, this insight is shared by over half a billion people. Yet, most philosophy departments in Europe and America offer no courses in Buddhist philosophy and (within the leading journals) academic papers focusing on the central tenets of Buddhist philosophy of religion are vastly outweighed by their Abrahamic (and predominantly Christian) counterparts.

Professor Jay Garfield, our guest for this episode, is the exception to this rule. Championing the globalisation of philosophy and reshaping perceptions of Buddhist scholarship, Professor Garfield is Chair of Philosophy at Smith College in Massachusetts, Visiting Professor at Harvard Divinity School, Professor at Melbourne University, and adjunct Professor at the Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies. Named amongst the 50 most influential philosophers of the past decade – with over 30 books and over 200 publications – it is safe to say that Professor Garfield is one of the leading exponents of Buddhist philosophy in contemporary academia.

For Garfield, if philosophy won't diversify, then let's call it out for what it is: a colonial discipline that ignores the rich and relevant insights of non-Western thought. As philosophers, we cannot afford to ignore the metaphysical, ethical, epistemological, and existential insights of Buddhist scholarship. It's time to engage with Buddhism, and rid ourselves of our prejudices, ignorance, and confusion. Buddhism is a philosophy of the present, not a philosophy of the past, and it's time we treated it that way.

This episode is produced in partnership with The Global Philosophy of Religion Project at University of Birmingham, led by Yujin Nagasawa and funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

Contents

Part I. The Nature of Reality

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

Jay Garfield, Personal Website. (Website)

Jay Garfield, Engaging Buddhism. (Book)

Jay Garfield, Practicing without a License. (Essay)

Books by Jay Garfield. (Website)

Episode 111, The Banality of Evil (Part IV - Further Analysis and Discussion) Oct 09, 2022

Show notes

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 the indictment.'

As the trial proceeded, the Monster portrayed himself as a cog in a machine. He was a cog who was helpless to stop the inevitable – a cog that was merely performing its duty. To some who observed the trial, the 'Monster' who sat before them appeared all too human. Behind the glass, there was no demonic essence of evil. The Monster was, in fact, an average person: a normal person who was capable of committing terrifyingly evil acts.

One observer went as far as to say that the manner in which the accused spoke, and the way he framed his story, was evidence that he simply lacked the ability to think. To this observer, it was no radical evildoer who sat in the glass box. In fact, his professed motives, and his inability to avoid cliches, were evidence of his banality.

Music produced by Ovidiu Balaban – all rights reserved.

Contents

Part I. The Life of Hannah Arendt

Part II. Eichmann in Jerusalem

Part III. The Essence of Evil

Part IV. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem (Book)

Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (Book)

Richard J. Bernstein, Why Read Hannah Arendt Now? (Book)

Peter Hayes, Why? Explaining the Holocaust (Book)

Anne Heller, Hannah Arendt: A Life in Dark Times (Book)

Samantha Rose Hill, Hannah Arendt (Book)

Deborah E. Lipstadt, The Eichmann Trial (Book)

Dana Vila, Arendt (Book)

Eichmann Trial (YouTube)

Episode 111, The Banality of Evil (Part III - The Essence of Evil) Sep 25, 2022

Show notes

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 the indictment.'

As the trial proceeded, the Monster portrayed himself as a cog in a machine. He was a cog who was helpless to stop the inevitable – a cog that was merely performing its duty. To some who observed the trial, the 'Monster' who sat before them appeared all too human. Behind the glass, there was no demonic essence of evil. The Monster was, in fact, an average person: a normal person who was capable of committing terrifyingly evil acts.

One observer went as far as to say that the manner in which the accused spoke, and the way he framed his story, was evidence that he simply lacked the ability to think. To this observer, it was no radical evildoer who sat in the glass box. In fact, his professed motives, and his inability to avoid cliches, were evidence of his banality.

Music produced by Ovidiu Balaban – all rights reserved.

Contents

Part I. The Life of Hannah Arendt

Part II. Eichmann in Jerusalem

Part III. The Essence of Evil

Part IV. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem (Book)

Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (Book)

Richard J. Bernstein, Why Read Hannah Arendt Now? (Book)

Peter Hayes, Why? Explaining the Holocaust (Book)

Anne Heller, Hannah Arendt: A Life in Dark Times (Book)

Samantha Rose Hill, Hannah Arendt (Book)

Deborah E. Lipstadt, The Eichmann Trial (Book)

Dana Vila, Arendt (Book)

Eichmann Trial (YouTube)

Episode 111, The Banality of Evil (Part II - Eichmann in Jerusalem) Sep 11, 2022

Show notes

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 the indictment.'

As the trial proceeded, the Monster portrayed himself as a cog in a machine. He was a cog who was helpless to stop the inevitable – a cog that was merely performing its duty. To some who observed the trial, the 'Monster' who sat before them appeared all too human. Behind the glass, there was no demonic essence of evil. The Monster was, in fact, an average person: a normal person who was capable of committing terrifyingly evil acts.

One observer went as far as to say that the manner in which the accused spoke, and the way he framed his story, was evidence that he simply lacked the ability to think. To this observer, it was no radical evildoer who sat in the glass box. In fact, his professed motives, and his inability to avoid cliches, were evidence of his banality.

Music produced by Ovidiu Balaban – all rights reserved.

Contents

Part I. The Life of Hannah Arendt

Part II. Eichmann in Jerusalem

Part III. The Essence of Evil

Part IV. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem (Book)

Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (Book)

Richard J. Bernstein, Why Read Hannah Arendt Now? (Book)

Peter Hayes, Why? Explaining the Holocaust (Book)

Anne Heller, Hannah Arendt: A Life in Dark Times (Book)

Samantha Rose Hill, Hannah Arendt (Book)

Deborah E. Lipstadt, The Eichmann Trial (Book)

Dana Vila, Arendt (Book)

Eichmann Trial (YouTube)

Episode 111, The Banality of Evil (Part I - The Life of Hannah Arendt) Aug 28, 2022

Show notes

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 the indictment.'

As the trial proceeded, the Monster portrayed himself as a cog in a machine. He was a cog who was helpless to stop the inevitable – a cog that was merely performing its duty. To some who observed the trial, the 'Monster' who sat before them appeared all too human. Behind the glass, there was no demonic essence of evil. The Monster was, in fact, an average person: a normal person who was capable of committing terrifyingly evil acts.

One observer went as far as to say that the manner in which the accused spoke, and the way he framed his story, was evidence that he simply lacked the ability to think. To this observer, it was no radical evildoer who sat in the glass box. In fact, his professed motives, and his inability to avoid cliches, were evidence of his banality.

Music produced by Ovidiu Balaban – all rights reserved.

Contents

Part I. The Life of Hannah Arendt

Part II. Eichmann in Jerusalem

Part III. The Essence of Evil

Part IV. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem (Book)

Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism (Book)

Richard J. Bernstein, Why Read Hannah Arendt Now? (Book)

Peter Hayes, Why? Explaining the Holocaust (Book)

Anne Heller, Hannah Arendt: A Life in Dark Times (Book)

Samantha Rose Hill, Hannah Arendt (Book)

Deborah E. Lipstadt, The Eichmann Trial (Book)

Dana Vila, Arendt (Book)

Eichmann Trial (YouTube)

Episode 110, 'The Philosophy of Islam' with Mohammad Saleh Zarepour (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion) Aug 14, 2022

Show notes

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 medieval Islamic philosopher Ibn Sina (known in the West as 'Avicenna') – claims that we can prove the existence of this necessary being with absolute certainty. If something canexist there must be an uncaused being, and from this concept alone, Avicenna says that we can deduce every other property that Muslims attribute to Allāh.

In this interview, we'll be discussing Avicenna and the philosophy of Islam with Dr Mohammad Saleh Zarepour. Currently Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Manchester, Dr Zarepour completed his first PhD at the Tarbiat Modares University in Iran and his second PhD at the University of Cambridge. Publishing extensively in philosophy of religion – and having worked on major initiatives such as the Global Philosophy of Religion Project – it is safe to say that Saleh is one of the world's leading experts in Islamic philosophy.

Islam claims to solve the problem of existence, but its implications extend far beyond the origin of the cosmos. Allāh is a being invested in his creation – a being that will judge, reward, or punish us for our good and bad deeds, who permits us to live and to suffer – and differs from the God of Judaism and Christianity in his nature and actions. Thus, we should ask not only whether belief in Allāh's necessity is reasonable, but whether the beliefs of Muslims are more (or less) reasonable than those of their Abrahamic cousins.

This episode is produced in partnership with The Global Philosophy of Religion Project at University of Birmingham, led by Yujin Nagasawa and funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

Contents

Part I. Allāh

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

Mohammad Saleh Zarepour (website).

Mohammad Saleh Zarepour, Necessary Existence and Monotheism (book).

Zain Ali, 'Some Reflections on William Lane Craig's Critique of Islam' (paper).

Episode 110, 'The Philosophy of Islam' with Mohammad Saleh Zarepour (Part I - Allāh) Jul 31, 2022

Show notes

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 medieval Islamic philosopher Ibn Sina (known in the West as 'Avicenna') – claims that we can prove the existence of this necessary being with absolute certainty. If something canexist there must be an uncaused being, and from this concept alone, Avicenna says that we can deduce every other property that Muslims attribute to Allāh.

In this interview, we'll be discussing Avicenna and the philosophy of Islam with Dr Mohammad Saleh Zarepour. Currently Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Manchester, Dr Zarepour completed his first PhD at the Tarbiat Modares University in Iran and his second PhD at the University of Cambridge. Publishing extensively in philosophy of religion – and having worked on major initiatives such as the Global Philosophy of Religion Project – it is safe to say that Saleh is one of the world's leading experts in Islamic philosophy.

Islam claims to solve the problem of existence, but its implications extend far beyond the origin of the cosmos. Allāh is a being invested in his creation – a being that will judge, reward, or punish us for our good and bad deeds, who permits us to live and to suffer – and differs from the God of Judaism and Christianity in his nature and actions. Thus, we should ask not only whether belief in Allāh's necessity is reasonable, but whether the beliefs of Muslims are more (or less) reasonable than those of their Abrahamic cousins.

This episode is produced in partnership with The Global Philosophy of Religion Project at University of Birmingham, led by Yujin Nagasawa and funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

Contents

Part I. Allāh

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

Mohammad Saleh Zarepour (website).

Mohammad Saleh Zarepour, Necessary Existence and Monotheism (book).

Zain Ali, 'Some Reflections on William Lane Craig's Critique of Islam' (paper).

Episode 109, The Mystery of Consciousness (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion) Jul 17, 2022

Show notes

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, as well as all of our wonderful panellists – Rowan Williams, Anil Seth, Laura Gow, and Philip Goff – for participating in the debate.

A special thank you to Q Quartet, The Department of Philosophy at Liverpool University, and Premier Christian Radio for making this episode possible – as well as all of our incredible patrons. Thank you again for your support; we hope you enjoy the show.

Contents

Part I. The Debate

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool

Unbelievable? Premier Radio

Episode 109, The Mystery of Consciousness (Part I - The Debate) Jul 03, 2022

Show notes

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, as well as all of our wonderful panellists – Rowan Williams, Anil Seth, Laura Gow, and Philip Goff – for participating in the debate.

A special thank you to Q Quartet, The Department of Philosophy at Liverpool University, and Premier Christian Radio for making this episode possible – as well as all of our incredible patrons. Thank you again for your support; we hope you enjoy the show.

Contents

Part I. The Debate

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

Department of Philosophy, University of Liverpool

Unbelievable? Premier Radio

Episode 108, The Richard Dawkins Interview (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion) Jun 19, 2022

Show notes

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 defended by religious fundamentalists – the scientific consensus is that the world's organisms evolved through the long and arduous process of natural selection. 'With a complete physical explanation,' say the new atheists, 'there's no need to appeal to the supernatural.'

In this interview, we'll be discussing atheism with Professor Richard Dawkins. It's no exaggeration to say that Richard Dawkins is one of the most influential scientists, and the most famous atheist, of all time. Alongside his invaluable contributions to evolutionary biology, his books – including The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, and The God Delusion – have a readership in the tens of millions, resulting in numerous prestigious awards and recognition as 'the world's top thinker'.

'Although atheism might have been logically tenable before Darwin', says Dawkins, 'Darwin made it possible to be an intellectually fulfilled atheist.' It is time we seized that possibility: that we embrace the godless universe, craft our own meaning, and stop suffering fools gladly.

Contents

Part I. Why I'm an Atheist

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion

Links

Richard Dawkins, The Selfish Gene.

Richard Dawkins, The Blind Watchmaker.

Richard Dawkins, The God Delusion.

Richard Dawkins, Outgrowing God.

Richard Dawkins, Flights of Fancy.

www.richarddawkins.com

www.richarddawkins.net

Related Podcasts