Philosophy For Our Times

Contemporary life is defined by excess. There must always be more, but there is never enough...

Is the pursuit of happiness a terrible mistake?

Join firebrand philosopher, Slavoj Žižek, as he argues the joys of excess are flimsy and futile and asks whether we can ever find a way out. Slavoj Žižek is a world-renowned philosopher, cultural critic and public intellectual. He is international director of the Birkbeck Institute for the Humanities and a senior researcher at the University of Ljubljana's Department of Philosophy.

Minor content warning: mentions of violence

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What should guide our actions?

We all have epiphanies. Yet most of us choose to ignore them, and trust in reason to determine our path in life. Join philosopher Sophie-Grace Chappell, who argues that we should allow our epiphanies to guide our actions.

Sophie-Grace Chappell is a Professor of Philosophy at the Open University who writes about ethics, politics, feminism and epistemology. She argues that we should allow our epiphanies to guide us.

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There are thousands of big ideas t...

What should guide our actions?

We all have epiphanies. Yet most of us choose to ignore them, and trust in reason to determine our path in life. Join philosopher Sophie-Grace Chappell, who argues that we should allow our epiphanies to guide our actions.

Sophie-Grace Chappell is a Professor of Philosophy at the Open University who writes about ethics, politics, feminism and epistemology. She argues that we should allow our epiphanies to guide us.

Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes

There are thousands of big ideas...

Should we follow our philosophical conclusions wherever they take us? Or is there a hard wall of common sense that we are beholden to?

Listen to some of today's leading philosophers in science and metaphysics as they talk it out!

Tim Maudlin is Professor of Philosophy at New York University as well as the Founder/Director of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. Michael Della Rocca is Professor of Philosophy at Yale University and a famous disciple of the pre-Socratic philosopher Parmenides. Kathleen Higgins is Professor of Philosophy at the University of...

Have you heard of Descartes' 'demon'? How can a mythical creature inform scientific progress? What is real?

Listen in to find out!

Join award-winning science historian Jimena Canales in this studio interview as she discusses the process of discovery and the nature of the unknown in science.

Jimena Canales is a pioneering historian of science and an expert in 19th and 20th century history of the physical sciences. She is currently Vice-President of the Board of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS).

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Is the real world unreachable due to the mediation of language? Or has the linguistic turn in philosophy and academia gone too far?

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Join post-realist philosopher Hilary Lawson, professor of logic Michael Potter and philosopher of language John Searle as they discuss what debates over language add or takeaway from the discipline of philosophy. The three philosophers do not shy away from metaphysics and the potential of removing meaning from our understanding of the world.

Listen to learn...

How much should we really value altruism?

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From charity-givers, to those who sacrifice themselves in war for others, we see altrusim and selflessness as virtues to be applauded. Those who take no heed of their own interests are highly praised in Western culture. But many point to a danger. Studies show that altruism gone awry leads to tolerating abusive partners, eating disorders and depression. And critics argue that some of history's most horrific episodes rose from appeals to altruistic tendencies. Forced sterlizations in...

Why has the concept of consciousness stumped scientists forever? Is there a way of overcoming this impasse?

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Join physicist and philosopher Avshalom Elitzur as he fearlessly accompanies physics to its logical limitations - the understanding of our lived experiences and, most importantly, our consciousness. Elitzur takes Leibniz' challenge to scientists as his starting point and ends by defending what some may term a more mystical interpretation of material reality.

There are thousands of big ideas...

What does it mean to perceive, and can we ever truly know the world around us?

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Join the diverse trio of cognitive scientist Daniel Kahneman, psychologist Ellen Langer, and philosopher Hilary Lawson as they knock heads on what it means to ever know the world, if we can trust ourselves in the pursuit, and if such knowledge even matters. Our understanding of truth also enters the conversation. It is a lively discussion on an age-old topic.

Why do people believe in conspiracy theories?

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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 Skeptic magazine, a publication focused on investigating p...