Journalism is bit like politics. As a rule, we say we don’t really trust either profession, and neither seems to be in particularly good health at the moment. But we definitely can’t live without them.

Nick Spencer talks to former editor of the Guardian, Alan Rusbridger, about his book Breaking News: the remaking of journalism and why it matters now

The ability to manipulate genetic material has never been greater, and is increasing all the time. With it comes the claim that genetics can makes sense of life - controlling, directing, shaping who we are? Can it?

Nick Spencer talks to Prof. Sheila Jasanoff about her book Can science make sense of life?

Money is changing – and its changing fast and in a way that many of us find bewildering. Is cash on its way out? What is fintech? What actually is a cryptocurrency, or stablecoin, or a CBDC? Are they the future?

Nick Spencer talks to Prof. Eswar Prasad about his book The Future of Money: How the Digital Revolution is Transforming Currencies and Finance

The death of the self, of the soul, of the mind: time and again, science (or parascience) has declared the demise of a core dimension to human nature. But can we live without such concepts? And can they be rescued by religion, philosophy and literature?

Nick Spencer talks to Marilynne Robinson about her book Absence of Mind: The Dispelling of Inwardness from the Modern Myth of the Self

Science and religion have a long history. According to some, it's a history of warfare; to others they are (or at least should be) non-overlapping.

Nick Spencer argues that neither view is right, and that the two have long been entangled, especially over the questions of what do we think of the human, and who gets to say.

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The late great American novelist David Foster Wallace, who had worked in a tax office, once remarked, “The whole subject of tax policy and administration is dull. Massively and spectacularly dull.” But he was wrong, massively and spectacularly wrong. Tax is ultimately about the different ways we live together, and express our values - and there is nothing more interesting than that.

In this episode, Nick Spencer talks to Michael Keen and his book Rebellion, Rascals, and Revenue.

The UK has a religoius Prime Minister - yet again! Rishi Sunak is the first Hindu to occupy the role, but there have been plenty more of the faithful before him - even in the more secular atmosphere of the 20th century. Who did God most? Who least? Who was most sincere? And for whom did the divine actually make a difference?

In this episode, Nick Spencer talks to Mark Vickers about his book God In Number 10

Are we are losing our civility and, with it, the space to disagree productively? Why? Where did the idea of 'civility' come from, where is it going, and why does it matter?

In this episode, Nick Spencer talks to Ann Hartle about her book What happened to civility?

We spend a lot of money on aid - although not as much as we used to. Does it work or is it, as some claim, a waste? And behind that, why do some countries develop and others not?

In this episode Nick Spencer talks to Stefan Dercon about this book Gambling on Development

For all the fears over growing levels of creationism, evolution is widely accepted in the UK. But 'accepted' does not necessarily mean understood, particularly when the theory itself is subject to so many myths and fanciful interpretation.

In this episode, Nick Spencer talks to Simon Conway Morris about his book From Extra-terrestrials to Animal Minds: Six Myths of Evolution