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Philosophy For Our Times

The Institute of Art and Ideas

society & culture philosophy

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00:53:14

Freedom and Fate

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2026/01/27

Do we have free will or is everything we do predetermined? Explore these questions with leading thinkers, Paul Bloom, Robert Sapolsky and Lucy Allais.

00:38:06

The search for higher states of consciousness |...

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2026/01/13

Are we living in the moment? Are we really free? How can we transcend the constant anxieties of our mind? Throughout history, certain people in the West and the East have claimed that the human mind could reach states of so-called higher consciousness. In the twentieth century, several thinkers like Heidegger and Nietzsche returned to this possibility, trying to find the higher regions of the mind. Join Oxford philosopher Jessica Frazier as she explores tales of higher states of mind, and debates

00:48:16

Should we be transgressive? The limits and potential...

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2026/01/06

Tune into a debate on the role transgression should or should not play in society with provocative cultural theorist Catherine Liu, former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, and psychoanalyst Josh Cohen.

00:36:18

Why liberalism has failed | John Gray on...

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/12/16

John Gray forces us to confront uncomfortable truths about civilisation, morality, and the illusion of progress.

00:32:53

How Words Warp Reality | Nick Enfield

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/12/04

This episode explores how language shapes perception and reasoning, revealing that while it powerfully persuades and reframes reality, it often distorts truth—highlighting the importance of understanding language’s limits in an era of misinformation.

00:31:33

Consciousness and psychedelics: In conversation with...

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/11/28

Join biologist and researcher Rupert Sheldrake as he discusses consciousness with philosopher Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes from the lens of psychedelics.

00:26:11

The philosophy of religion and love with Alain de...

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/11/25

Join well-known public speakers and writers Alain de Botton and Alex O'Connor as they talk through what philosophy can offer us, why we should study love, and what the role of religion is in philosophy and in our lives.

00:44:25

Halloween SPECIAL | The philosophy of the apocalypse

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/10/31

What makes stories like 'The Last of Us' and '28 Days Later' so enticing?

00:27:14

The importance of giving up | Adam Phillips

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/10/28

A searching conversation with Adam Phillips about how “giving up” can be a liberating practice of self-revision rather than a mark of failure.

00:38:03

Slavoj Žižek on philosophy today | The madness of...

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/10/20

Slavoj Žižek is back in a new interview where he takes us through his thoughts on the role of philosophy, the future of sex, his fear and love of AI and, as always, so much more.

00:29:29

The struggle for the good life | Massimo Pigliucci on...

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/09/16

Massimo Pigliucci argues that pleasure, character, and a healthy dose of doubt, form the basis of the good life

00:24:39

Seeing through the illusion of separation | Jessica...

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/08/26

Drawing on ancient Hindu philosophy, Jessiza Frazier argues that reality is ultimately unified.

00:27:44

The limits of nothingness | Peter van Inwagen

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/08/20

In this episode, renowned philosopher Peter van Inwagen delves into the perplexing concept of 'nothing,' exploring its profound implications in metaphysics, existence, and human thought.

00:27:49

Video games and the meaning of life | James Tartaglia

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/07/29

Philosopher James Tartaglia examines how video games are transforming our perception of reality and what that means for human thought.

00:44:01

The philosophy of literature SPECIAL | George Orwell,...

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/07/25

How literature helps us to understand morality, totalitarian politics, and the life of Jesus Christ.

00:21:13

How other species challenge our idea of consciousness...

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/07/22

Philosopher Peter Godfrey-Smith discusses the gradual evolution of consciousness through animal life, using octopuses to illuminate the mysteries of the mind and the limits of physicalist explanations.

00:27:15

Utopia and human nature | Paul Bloom

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/07/15

Join unconventional psychologist Paul Bloom as he makes the case for the impossibility of utopia given certain key features of human nature.

00:43:28

The limits of logic: Should we embrace the...

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/07/08

Philosophers and writers Iain McGilchrist, Beatrix Campbell, and Simon Blackburn explore the limits of logic and why we need to open the doors to irrationality as a society.

00:21:34

The challenge to optimism | Angus Deaton

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/06/10

Join Sir Angus Deaton and Gillian Tett as they discuss the blind spots of economics, and what it has to learn from politics.

00:45:53

Searching for the purpose of life |Babette Babich,...

Philosophy For Our Times ·

2025/06/03

A discussion on whether life should have purpose with Nietzschean philosopher Babette Babich, clinical psychologist Frank Tallis, existentialist philosopher Jonathan Webber, and linguist philosopher Sandra Laugier.

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