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PODCAST

Reading Our Times

Reading Our Times is the podcast that explores the books and the ideas that are shaping us today. It is hosted by Nick Spencer, Senior Fellow at the think tank, Theos. We’re going to be talking to some of the world’s leading authors about issues like meritocracy, justice, populism, human rights, the brain, liberalism, and religion. Above all, we"ll be exploring what these books have to say about the times we live in and about the people we are. So listen with us, and we’ll introduce you to

society & culture philosophy

All Episodes

32:51

What do we owe each other? In conversation with...

Reading Our Times ·

2021/06/29

Given how much richer we are today than, say, 50 years ago, it is remarkable how many people think ‘the system’ is not working for them. Particularly in high income countries, there is a pervasive sense that neither the market nor the state are providing citizens with the security and welfare that they could and should. In this episode of Reading our Times, Nick Spencer talks to Minouche Shafik, former Deputy Governor of the Bank of England and current Director of the London School of Economics,

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29:57

Where does language come from (and where is it...

Reading Our Times ·

2021/06/22

Languages come and languages go – but mostly nowadays they go. According to the Cambridge Handbook of Endangered Languages, nearly 90% may have died out by the end of the century. What do we lose when we lose a language? Indeed, what is a language? What does it do? How does it work? And what does it say about human beings and our shared culture? In this episode of Reading our Times, Nick Spencer talks to Alexandra Aikhenvald, Foundation Director of the Language and Culture Research Centre and

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30:11

What can cats tell us about the meaning of life? In...

Reading Our Times ·

2021/06/15

Lockdown does strange things to people. After 20 years of marriage, Nick and his wife bought two cats for the family. They love them but they are mystifying. What is going on in there? Luckily for Nick and his family, John Gray, formerly Professor of European Thought at the London School of Economics, recently published his new book ‘Feline Philosophy: Cats and the Meaning of Life.’ In this episode Nick talks to John about sin, the fall, self–awareness, morality, philosophy, Montaigne, Blaise

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33:17

What does science tell us about race? In conversation...

Reading Our Times ·

2021/06/08

“Follow the science” we have been told – many times – over the last year. It makes good sense…and yet, there are times in history when societies have followed the science – or at least the science of the times – and it has led them into some very troubling places. And there are signs we may be doing so again. In this episode of Reading our Times, Nick Spencer talks to the science writer and broadcaster Angela Saini about her book Superior: The Return of Race Science:

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36:37

What is the future for humanity? In conversation with...

Reading Our Times ·

2021/06/01

“It seems, just now,/ To be happening so very fast.” So wrote Philip Larkin in 1972 of the loss of the English countryside. Fifty years later, we might say the same thing of the whole world – not only in terms of environmental crisis but of technological progress, with artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, and cybernetics promising to change our world – and ourselves – beyond recognition. It just seems to be happening so very fast. Some are excited about the prospect, some see only doom,

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37:21

How has war shaped us? In conversation with Margaret...

Reading Our Times ·

2021/05/25

War seems to be omnipresent in human history and despite the number of people who have argued that the world is getting ever more peaceful, it remains a reality for millions of people today. Margaret MacMillan is Emeritus Professor of International History at the University of Oxford and a world–renowned expert on history and international relations. Nick Spencer speaks to her about her book 'War: How conflict shaped us' which looks at how humans have fought and made peace with one another for

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1:47

Series two trailer

Reading Our Times ·

2021/05/17

In the first series of Reading Our Times we looked at meritocracy, secularism, dementia, liberalism and much else besides. In this series, we’ll be talking to Margaret MacMillan about war, to Angela Saini about race, to Alexandra Aikhenvald about the origins and the end of language, to Rowan Williams about spirituality, Martin Rees about the future of humanity, and John Gray about cats and the meaning of life. So tune in and join us for the second series of Reading Our Times starting on 25th

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36:10

Can liberalism ever ‘get’ religion? In conversation...

Reading Our Times ·

2020/12/15

Liberalism and religion have had an intimate and sometimes tempestuous relationship over the years. In recent decades, a number of people have claimed that liberal political theory doesn’t really understand religion, and that religion in liberal societies suffers as a consequence. 'Liberalism’s Religion', an award winning book by Cécile Laborde, Nuffield Chair of Political Theory at the University of Oxford, explores the way in which liberalism conceives of and deals with religion, and argues that

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34:29

Is the law damaging our politics? In conversation...

Reading Our Times ·

2020/12/01

We live in an age of ever expanding law and of rampant political cynicism. Perhaps the two are connected? Nick Spencer talks to former BBC Reith lecturer and the Supreme Court Justice Jonathan Sumption about his book 'Trials of the State: Law and the Decline of Politics' which argues that our growing inclination to turn to the law to resolve our problems may, in fact, be making our public life worse. Unfortunately we were hampered by the tech in this episode, and despite the sterling work of our

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32:51

How has the divided brain shaped the modern world? In...

Reading Our Times ·

2020/11/24

Humans see and understand the world in different ways, ways that appear to map onto the brain’s function and in particular its hemispheric nature. But how has that ‘attention’ shaped the world we live in today? Nick Spencer talks to the former Consultant Psychiatrist and author of 'The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World' about brains, minds, cultures, and God.

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33:26

What's wrong with rights? In conversation with Nigel...

Reading Our Times ·

2020/11/17

The concept of ‘rights’ tends to provoke a strong response from people today: some hold them in quasi–religious esteem, while others consider them responsible for selfish individualism and social fragmentation. Nick Spencer talks to Nigel Biggar, Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford, about his new book 'What’s wrong with rights?', which takes a critical look at the language, logic and implementation of rights today.

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38:54

Why is the West becoming so unequal and what can we...

Reading Our Times ·

2020/11/10

Levels of inequality, particularly in the West, have been growing steadily over the last 50 years, and they seem likely to accelerate in the wake of Covid–19. Why is this? Why was the 20th century so good as equalising wealth and income, why is the 21st century different, and what should we do about it? Nick Spencer talks to the economist, Thomas Piketty – whose books Capital in the 21st century and Capital and Ideology have changed the debate on the subject – about inequality, solidarity, and the

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36:23

What can dementia teach us about being human? In...

Reading Our Times ·

2020/11/03

Approximately 850,000 people in the UK today are living with dementia – and that number is just set to grow. But what actually is dementia? What does it do to us? And what does it say about us, and in particular about our humanity? In the third episode of Reading Our Times, Nick Spencer talks to novelist and journalist Nicci Gerrard about her experience of her father’s dementia and the moving and poignant book she wrote about it, 'What Dementia Teaches Us About Love'.

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34:04

What does it mean to live in a secular age? In...

Reading Our Times ·

2020/10/27

We live in “a secular age”, but what does that actually mean? How does secularism relate to religion? And how should it? Nick Spencer talks to the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor, about his famous book 'A Secular Age', which has done more to bring sophistication and nuance to the debates about secularism than any other published in a generation.

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43:05

What’s wrong with meritocracy? In conversation with...

Reading Our Times ·

2020/09/15

In the first episode of Reading Our Times, Nick Spencer talks to leading political philosopher Michael Sandel about the pitfalls of meritocracy.

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2:13

Introducing Reading Our Times

Reading Our Times ·

2020/09/08

Nick Spencer introduces new podcast from Theos Think Tank 'Reading Our Times'

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96 results

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