Philosophy For Our Times

Philosophy at the end of the world

Is humanity looking at its demise in the face? Has it always been? And how can philosophy help us?

Join philosopher Ben Ware, Co-Director of the Centre for Philosophy and Art at King’s College London, as he interrogates how to philosophically, and humanly, confront the end of the world. Ware traces the idea of extinction across many authors - philosophers, writers and the scientists who influenced them - to chart a path to his own ideas of how we can cope with the possibility of the End, of extinction. Without defeatism or denial or excitement, but with strength and possibility.

Read more about Ben's 2024 book On Extinction: Beginning Again at the End here: https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/2604-on-extinction.

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Have we completely abandoned the idea of the supernatural? Could there still be important truths that lie outside of the natural world?

Join philosopher Fiona Ellis as she explains her version of naturalism, arguing that there is still some middle ground to be found between the world of the natural and the realm of the supernatural.

Fiona is professor of Philosophy and Religion at University of Roehampton, and also the former president of the British Society for Philosophy of Religion. Her work focuses on the relationship between experience and physical things, as we;; as the nature of value. She rejects the narrow limits of experience that have been brought about by the monopoly of science on reality.

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Have we completely abandoned the idea of the supernatural? Could there still be important truths that lie outside of the natural world?

Join philosopher Fiona Ellis as she explains her version of naturalism, arguing that there is still some middle ground to be found between the world of the natural and the realm of the supernatural.

Fiona is professor of Philosophy and Religion at University of Roehampton, and also the former president of the British Society for Philosophy of Religion. Her work focuses on the relationship between experience and physical things, as we;; as the nature of value. She rejects the narrow limits of experience that have been brought about by the monopoly of science on reality.

To witness such debates live buy tickets for our upcoming festival: https://howthelightgetsin.org/festivals/

And visit our website for many more articles, videos, and podcasts like this one: https://iai.tv/

You can find everything we referenced here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Did consciousness exist before life? Could such a counter-intuitive idea, in fact, be the answer to the hard problem of consciousness?

Join anaesthesiologist Stuart Hameroff as he puts forward his theory that consciousness came before the origin of life on Earth, using quantum mechanics and his research with Sir Roger Penrose to support his claim.

Stuart is a professor at the University of Arizona, and he is known for his studies of consciousness and his controversial contention that consciousness originates from quantum states in neural microtubules. He is also the lead organizer of the Science of Consciousness conference.

To witness such debates live buy tickets for our upcoming festival: https://howthelightgetsin.org/festivals/

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Why do audiences across the world love to be scared at the cinema? Why do we have such strong attachments to those who have left this Earth? What can horror tell us about ourselves?

Join the team at the IAI for a reading of three Halloween-themed articles, written by historian Thomas Laqueur, and philosophers Noël Carroll and David Livingstone Smith. From the importance of funeral practices to the true meaning of vampires and werewolves, this episode is a spooky journey through all things macabre.

David Livingstone Smith is professor of philosophy at the University of New England. His research interests include self-deception, dehumanization, human nature, ideology, race and moral psychology. Noël Carroll is an American philosopher considered to be one of the leading figures in contemporary philosophy of art. Although Carroll is best known for his work in the philosophy of film, he has also published journalism, works on philosophy of art generally, theory of media, and also philosophy of history. Thomas Laqueur is an American historian, sexologist and writer. He is the author of 'Solitary Sex: A Cultural History of Masturbation' and 'Making Sex: Body and Gender from the Greeks to Freud' as well as many articles and reviews.

To witness such debates live buy tickets for our upcoming festival: https://howthelightgetsin.org/festivals/

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Our human shadow

Many have had the experience of an urge to do something wrong just for the hell of it. From walking on grass we're told to keep off to fantasies of violence towards someone we find a minor annoyance. Join Yale psychologist Paul Bloom as he invites us to see the clever, creative and beautiful side of our impulses toward evil.

Paul Bloom is a trailblazing Canadian American psychologist, bestselling author and celebrated speaker. He is the Brooks and Suzanne Ragen Professor Emeritus of psychology and cognitive science at Yale University and Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto.

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/

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In search of ourselves

Is the 'self' a useful category, philosophically, psychologically, in our everyday lives? What might it help us do? And where do we find ourselves?

Join our mixed panel of speakers as they approach this question from their different points of view - Australian philosopher and cognitive scientist David Chalmers, English explorer and survivalist Ed Stafford and novelist Joanna Kavenna. Recording of this conversation in 2017 was partly corrupted and the audio has been restored as best as possible. The discussion does not resolve this age-old question but rather plays with it.

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/

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Mind, matter, and everything - PART TWO

Can science ever solve the problem of consciousness? Do our methods look for answers in all the wrong places? Join Sean Carroll, Ellen Langer, and Tamar Gendler as they debate the possibility of science providing answers to the hardest problem of all - the problem of subjective experience. Jack Symes hosts.

Sean Carroll is Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at John Hopkins University, and he also hosts the weekly podcast ‘Mindscape’, which explores interesting ideas in science, philosophy, culture, and the arts. Ellen Langer is an award-winning scientist, Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, and the author of ‘The Mindful Body’. Tamar Gendler is Yale University's Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy, and also a Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science.

To witness such debates live buy tickets for our upcoming festival: https://howthelightgetsin.org/festivals/

And visit our website for many more articles, videos, and podcasts like this one: https://iai.tv/

You can find everything we referenced here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes

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Are we sliding towards our own extinction? How can we find hope amidst the despair of the modern world?

Join philosopher Ben Ware as he analyzes the various apocalyptic narratives that have existed throughout history, dissecting everything from antinatalism to the romantic poets. Ben is Co-Director of the Centre for Philosophy and Art at King’s College London where he is also a Senior Research Fellow in Philosophy. He has also written extensively on a range of philosophical subjects, including Ludwig Wittgenstein, aesthetics, morality, and extinction theory.

To witness such debates live buy tickets for our upcoming festival: https://howthelightgetsin.org/festivals/

And visit our website for many more articles, videos, and podcasts like this one: https://iai.tv/

You can find everything we referenced here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes

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Mind, matter, and everything - PART ONE

Can science ever solve the problem of consciousness? Do our methods look for answers in all the wrong places? Join Sean Carroll, Ellen Langer, and Tamar Gendler as they debate the possibility of science providing answers to the hardest problem of all - the problem of subjective experience. Jack Symes hosts.

Sean Carroll is Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at John Hopkins University, and he also hosts the weekly podcast ‘Mindscape’, which explores interesting ideas in science, philosophy, culture, and the arts. Ellen Langer is an award-winning scientist, Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, and the author of ‘The Mindful Body’. Tamar Gendler is Yale University's Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the Vincent J. Scully Professor of Philosophy, and also a Professor of Psychology and Cognitive Science.

To witness such debates live buy tickets for our upcoming festival: https://howthelightgetsin.org/festivals/

And visit our website for many more articles, videos, and podcasts like this one: https://iai.tv/

You can find everything we referenced here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.