Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps

Clementine Ford is Australia's most controversial, firebrand feminist. Her latest book is "How We Love".  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Why are you here? Are we alone in the universe? Will we extinguish ourselves? Why do you procrastinate? And what does social media reveal about your chimpanzee mind? Tens of millions of viewers watch philosopher-blogger king Tim Urban wrestle with these questions in TED Talks and on his comic blog, 'Wait But Why'. Spark up a reefer and join Josh on a cosmic journey into a genius mind. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When a Muslim girl wears a burqini to the beach, is that religious freedom, or sexist oppression? Dr. Elham Manea is a Yemeni professor who lives in Switzerland. In this second instalment of 'Permission to Think', our collaboration with the University of Technology, Sydney, she makes a passionate case for the universality of human rights. This is one helluva chat.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is one of the world's most prominent activists for the rights of women in Islam. She and Josh discuss coronavirus, immigration, fatherless families, Justin Trudeau... and Dave Chappelle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You mightn't expect the founder of a billion-dollar asset management company to be a crypto nerd. But Mark Carnegie is one of the few big-time venture capitalists who actually understands Bitcoin. Most of what you hear about cryptocurrencies comes from evangelists who've drunk the kool-aid, or traditionalists who Just Don't Get It. Mark is neither. Enjoy this deep discussion of how -- and whether -- cryptocurrencies will revolutionise the world.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before Ali G and Borat, John Safran blew up Australian TV as a troublemaker extraordinaire. His new book "Puff Piece: How Philip Morris set vaping alight (and burned down the English language)" is a gonzo glimpse into the bizarre future that tobacco companies are trying to build. He and Josh reflect on performative social justice, the gullibility of the modern left in falling for corporate moralising, and why the Mississippi lynchings were originally pitched as "woke". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of Australia's greatest novelists opens up about the pandemic, Twitter, and finding your voice amid the cacophony. Her new book is The Luminous Solution: Creativity, Resilience and the Inner Life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Peter recently quit his job as an assistant professor of philosophy, saying that universities have sacrificed ideas for ideology. The more he spoke out against illiberalism on campus, the more retaliation he faced. This is the first episode of the "Permission to Think" series, a collaboration between Uncomfortable Conversations and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology, Sydney. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney, where Josh is a Professional Fellow, is launching a series of conversations with world-class intellects. The mastermind behind the series, the Faculty’s Dean, explains why. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedy legend Norm Macdonald died today. Revisit his deranged 2015 interview with Josh on HuffPost Live. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.