Philosophy For Our Times

Who are we really?

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NYU Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah details his journey and life's work, from why identity is such an important issue to how his experiences have differed across countries, and to the impact he wants his writing to have.

Kwame Anthony Appiah is Professor of Philosophy and Law at New York University and author of 'The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity and Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers.'

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We keep looking for something more... for a reason.

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Pilgrimage is undergoing a revival across Europe. But why are so many non-religious people drawn to spiritual journeys? Author of Ways To Go Beyond Rupert Sheldrake asks why we are attracted to holy places.

Rupert Sheldrake is a biologist, author and parapsychology researcher, best known for his hypothesis of morphic resonance. He is a critic of New Atheism, and has also challenged the idea that the laws of nature are fixed and unchanging.

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Can we crack to key to happiness once and for all?

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Most of us think of suffering as a necessary feature of life. But what if that's just a lie we tell ourselves because we can't imagine the alternative? In this interview, David Pearce explores the practical possibilities of biomedically engineering a world of intelligent bliss.

David Pearce is an eminent figure within the transhumanist movement, and co-founder of Humanity+, an international organisation which advocates for the technological enhancement of the human species. He envisions a future completely free of suffering for both humans and non-human animals, a pain-free paradise in which all thought, feeling, and experience is sublimated into what he calls "gradients of bliss". The abolition of suffering is for David an ethical necessity, elaborated in his manifesto, The Hedonistic Imperative.

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Is your experience of this episode even real?

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We are working toward a true account of the universe, and the world we see around us is an accurate picture of reality. Or so most of us believe. At the same time we think we, along with our experience, are a product of evolution. Yet evolution is driven by survival not by truth. Some scientists go further and argue that evolution rules out even the possibility that we experience an accurate and true account of reality.

Should we conclude that while our biology enables us to successfully function in the world, our experiences and theories are illusions rather than truths? Is the theory of evolution itself flawed, unable to account for the truth of the theory itself? Or can we fashion a new account of ourselves that would give us a better way to understand both who we are, the process of evolution, and our relationship to reality?

Distinguished Professor of Philosophy Graham Harman, Associate Professor of History and Philosophy of Science Mazviita Chirimuuta, and cognitive psychologist Donald Hoffman debate the survival paradox. Hosted by documentary film-maker David Malone.

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What even is "expertise"?

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We turn to experts for guidance in uncertain times, but what happens when the experts disagree? Should we just wait until they figure it out, or disregard evidence and go with our gut? Professor of Philosophy at Stockholm University Anandi Hattiangadi investigates the logical labyrinth of expertise.

Anandi Hattiangadi is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Stockholm, with interests in the philosophy of mind and language, epistemology, and meta-ethics. She is a core part of the interdisciplinary program 'Knowledge Resistance: Causes, Consequences, and Cures'.

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If we put barriers up to silence 'unpleasant' ideas, what's to stop the silencing of any discussion? Professional sceptic and bestselling author of 'Giving the Devil his Due' Michael Shermer explores the dangerous possibility of a world without free speech.

Michael Shermer is the founder of The Skeptics Society, the editor-in-chief of its magazine 'Skeptic', and a Presidential Fellow at Chapman University, where he teaches Skepticism 101.

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Is it possible to tell the truth? Or is it time to accept that lying has a central role in all social discourse? 

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On today’s episode The Times journalist David Aaronovitch, author of Freedom In the Age of Alternative Facts Santiago Zabala, and philosophy of the mind specialist Åsa Wikforss lock horns over whether telling the truth still matters at all.

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Could they possibly be connected? Listen to find out!

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Many have argued that Western civilisation was born in Ancient Greece by combing art, democracy, religion and science. Fewer have explored the role that psychedelic experiences played in building these traditions as we know them. 

On today’s episode we’re joined remotely by New York Times bestseller Brian Muraresku who takes us on a trip back in time to uncover the importance of psychedelic experiences to Ancient Greek and early Christian culture.

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A decade ago scientists enabled a monkey to control a robot on the other side of the world with its mind. Now the technique has been extended to enable paraplegics to move robotic arms with their thoughts, and Elon Musk claims to be launching mind control technology this year.

 Today we’re asking whether this marks the beginning of a new age in which humans control things around them with their mind alone?

Joining us remotely to discuss mind control is panpsychism researcher Rupert Sheldrake, artificial intelligence expert professor Susan Schneider and chairman of Humanity+ Natasha Vita-More.

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Today we release the fifth and final episode of Beyond Us, a mini-series made in association with Essentia Foundation, which explores four concepts that define the modern world: knowledge, competition, language and growth.

In each of the previous four episodes, series hosts Fred Matser and Bernardo Kastrup were joined by a leading thinker with a unique take on one of these fascinating topics. But in this bonus episode our hosts reflect on the series as a whole, discuss the views of their guests, and see if they have come to any new conclusions of their own.

In association with Essentia Foundation

Read Beyond Us.

Watch Beyond Me.

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