Philosophy For Our Times

Is "truth" a redundant concept? Listen as Simon Blackburn grapples with the topic. Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesTruth has had a difficult century. More than ever we are lost as to both 'what truth is' and 'what is true'. Should we instead turn to pragmatism? Join Simon Blackburn to explore why truth and pragmatism may be more aligned than at first it may seem.Author of Think and Truth: A guide for the perplexed, Simon Blackburn has worked to bring philosophy to a wider audience. He was a Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge University and Vice President of the British Humanist Association.There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=a-tale-of-truth-with-simon-blackburnSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is our focus on happiness making us unhappy?Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes"Oh happiness! Our being’s end and aim!” claimed Alexander Pope. Now, a few centuries later, it's not just smiling faces on billboards, some governments have made happiness measures a central goal. 89% of young people in their twenties think life has no purpose other than happiness. But might this be a fundamental error? Income in the West has gone up three fold since the 1950's, but those who say they are unhappy has not fallen, instead it is up 50%. Countries, like New Zealand, that target a happiness index have some of the highest rates of depression and suicide.Should we see happiness not as the goal, but as the outcome of other actions and focus instead on purpose and achievement, both individual and collective? Or is the notion of an end or purpose to life, be it happiness or anything else, the fundamental mistake?Cofounder of Novara Media Aaron Bastani, behavioural scientist Paul Dolan and multi-award-winning author Joanna Kavenna debate the the role of happiness in life. Rana Mitter hosts.There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=the-happiness-delusionSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is materialism a fundamental mistake?Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesThe relationship between the individual human subject and the world was once the central focus of Western philosophy. Modern neuroscience has instead tended to assume that the world is purely material and physical, and the problem of consciousness a question of how to generate thought from matter. Yet, we are no closer to solving the deep puzzle of consciousness and many argue that the American philosopher Thomas Nagel is right when he maintains that the question of consciousness 'cannot be detached from subject and object'.Is the notion that the world is purely material a fundamental mistake? Would we be more likely to unlock the mysteries of consciousness by once again adopting the framework of the subject and object? Or will slow, piecemeal advances in neuroscience and analytic philosophy eventually yield the answers that we have been searching for?Revolutionary cognitive psychologist Donald Hoffman (joining us live from across the pond), neuroscientist Hannah Critchlow and philosopher Sam Coleman battle to unlock consciousness. Hosted by award-winning novelist Joanna Kavenna.There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=the-key-to-consciousnessSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Does science have anything to say about our freedom of choice?Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesA famed experiment, by Libet in the 1980s, led many scientists and philosophers to argue that free will was an illusion. Despite the experiment being challenged at the time and in recent studies, its legacy persists. Many materialists still contend that free will has been shown to be illusory, supporting their belief that humans are merely biological machines. We often imagine that experiment settles the matter, but should we instead conclude that our interpretation of experiment is a function of our desire to believe its outcome? Or can empiricism really determine the existence or non-existence of free will?Prolific British writer, philosopher and co-founder of The Philosophers’ Magazine, Julian Baggini, renowned Australian philosopher of science, Peter Godfrey-Smith, and leading British neuroscientist and UCL professor, Sarah Garfinkel, argue about empiricism and its role in determining the existence of free will. Alex O'Connor hosts.There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=the-future-of-freedomSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Can synthetic drugs induce true feelings of love?Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesFrom the Christian tenet 'God is love' to the plots of countless novels and films, love is seen as central to our lives. Yet from scientific studies along with anecdotal accounts we know that psychoactive substances and MDMA in particular can enhance and even induce feelings of love. If love can be hacked by a change in brain chemistry, might our romanticised idea of love itself be the distortion? Should we use drugs to encourage, initiate and repair relationships as some therapists advocate? Or are such experiences false, damaging, and potentially socially dangerous? Is love a product of brain chemistry, or, is it something deeper that a drug could never replicate? There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=love-and-other-drugsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Can we make ultimate moral judgements?Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesFor a couple of millenia in the West we have judged people and their actions by the standards of good and evil. But, from Mother Theresa to Winston Churchill the notion that an individual is simply good is hard to sustain. Almost all claim to be good. Even the Nazis believed they were on a moral crusade against the evils of corruption and deceit, managing to enlist the Catholic church in support. And, from the Crusades to 9/11, seeing oneself and one's cause as good has a habit of intensifying dispute and conflict.Should we conclude that dividing the world into good and bad is not just misguided but actually dangerous? Should we adopt a Roman approach to human qualities and actions where kindness and brutality could both be valued in the same one individual. Or is the distinction between good and bad essential to social well being, public order, and individual growth?Fearless thinker, Tommy Curry, esteemed philosopher, Massimo Pigliucci, and author of Zed, Joanna Kavenna, explore whether 'good' and 'evil' are just categories used for coercion. Hosted by Myriam Francois.There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=the-good-and-the-evilSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Do we believe things because they are true or because they are convenient?Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesMassimo Pigliucci argues that adopting the principles of scientific and ethical scepticism can lead us to think and live better. We all like to think of ourselves as discerning people. But research shows that many of our firmly-held beliefs are in fact false. It's not enough to simply decry others' beliefs as nonsense, we must be just as sceptical about our own. Join renowned philosopher Massimo Pigliucci to explore how to truly live the life of a sceptic.Massimo Pigliucci is a philosophy professor at City College New York and one of the world's leading thinkers in the study of Ancient Stoicism. His most recent books include The Quest for Character and Think like a Stoic.There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=how-to-be-a-sceptic-massimo-pigliucciSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Is fully conscious AI just around the corner?Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesEarlier this year, Google fired Blake Lemoine, for claiming that the company's chatbot was a self aware person. While the claim was derided, the belief that one day AI will become conscious is widespread and, according to a recent survey, held by 79% of experts. But many claim this is a fundamental error. While machines are becoming ever more capable and intelligent we still have no idea how a machine could create consciousness nor are neuroscientists able to provide an explanation for how the human brain does so.Should we accept that consciousness arises in biological beings and that AI just isn't made of the 'right stuff'? Or, is it possible that a computer that observes, interacts, and represents its own internal state to itself might also give rise to consciousness? Then again, is the puzzle deeper still on the grounds that we have no means of determining whether an intelligent machine, an organism or even a person other than ourselves is conscious or not?Legendary anti-reality theorist Donald Hoffman, fearless computer scientist and philosopher Bernardo Kastrup and distinguished AI ethicist and philosopher Susan Schneider lock horns over the possibility of AI consciousness. Theories of Everything's Curt Jaimungal hosts. There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=consciousness-in-the-machineSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Rupert Sheldrake, a renowned biologist and author famous for his morphic resonance hypothesis, dives into the quest for transcendence in our secular age. He explores the significance of rebuilding our connections with holy places and discusses how practices like meditation and fasting enhance our well-being. The conversation highlights the communal power of singing and the revival of pilgrimage as profound ways to foster spirituality. Sheldrake even touches on the transformative experiences found in cathedrals and through psychedelics, challenging modern materialism.

Philosopher and acclaimed author, Julian Baggini, leading molecular biologist, Güneş Taylor, and critical race theorist, Tommy Curry, debate the relationship between reason and emotion. Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesFor centuries we have assumed reason to be ruthlessly independent of passion or emotion. Yet Nietzsche argued that reason is an emotional experience, and now neuroscientists have shown sad moods can trigger systematic and logical thinking. Furthermore, studies have shown that emotion plays a crucial part in grounding reason in reality, essential to our being able to make decisions.Is it a mistake to think reason and emotion are quite separate, and instead conclude they are deeply connected? Does this threaten the calm and considered assessment of events required for social wellbeing and decision making? Or does it liberate us to think afresh knowing that there isn't only one rational way to think?There are thousands of big ideas to discover at IAI.tv – videos, articles, and courses waiting for you to explore. Find out more: https://iai.tv/podcast-offers?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=shownotes&utm_campaign=the-passion-of-reasonSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.