Have feelings taken over the world? Have we lost our collective grip on rationality? And what can a panic about nothing at Oxford Circus last year tell us about our relationship with the truth?

With author of 'Nervous States', William Davies.

Plus a recommendation for another podcast (because we're generous like that) about social network theory.

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Produced by James Shield.

Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).

www.thersa.org

Anger is all the rage, but is anger itself the problem? Some people say we need to push back against anger in our politics, and respond with tranquil civility. But what if anger is the only rational response to a crisis in our democracy, and crumbling political norms?

Claire Fox, director of the Academy of Ideas and author of 'I Find That Offensive!', joins Matthew Taylor and Ian Leslie to discuss anger, snowflakes, and inevitably, Brexit.

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Produced by James Shield.

Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).

www.thersa.org

Is it really true that we all live in our own echo chambers? Fake news and the filter bubble, post-truth and alternative facts… Are we all, as President Obama put it, ‘absorbing an entirely different reality’?

In this episode we’re asking: Is our sense of a shared reality becoming even more fragile? And is fragmentation of the media the cause – or just the symptom – of our polarised politics? With guest Sílvia Majó-Vázquez, Research Fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford.

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Twitter:

Produced by James Shield.

Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).

www.thersa.org

Are economic divides to blame for everything else that’s broken in our politics? Does 'economic anxiety' explain the Trump and Brexit votes? And what deeper cultural undercurrents are at play in unequal societies?

Ian and Matthew speak to Faiza Shaheen, director of the Centre for Labour and Social Studies (CLASS) about inequalities in the UK and the US. And Matthew interviews the Emmy-winning director and photographer Lauren Greenfield, whose new documentary 'Generation Wealth' (out in the UK on 20th July) looks back at her career, and tells the story of how the American Dream came to be corrupted.

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Full Disclosure:

Faiza Shaheen interview:

Lauren Greenfield interview:

The Provocation:

Twitter:

Produced by James Shield, with production help from Jade Vowles.

Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).

www.theRSA.org

Is it inevitable that the internet and social media drive us to the extremes? Or do they just hold up a mirror to an already divided culture? And we explore the dark side of the internet – trolls, racist memes, hate-filled comment sections and increasingly virulent culture wars – and ask whether it hijacked the White House.

Guest

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Produced by James Shield.

Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).

www.theRSA.org

By now, lots of us have heard at least part of the story of the Facebook election scandal. Cambridge Analytica, the company in the eye of the storm, has closed its doors and is under investigation. But how effective were its methods? Can ‘psychographic microtargeting’ really swing elections and referendums? And is it already driving a wedge in our politics?

Guests

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Produced by James Shield. Artwork design by Emily Power.

Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).

www.theRSA.org

Commentators have written at great length about left vs right, the young vs the old, ‘somewheres’ vs ‘anywheres’. But what if there’s one big divide they’re missing? Are we now a nation of liberals vs authoritarians?

Divides in politics are nothing new – but are they deepening? And does the old left/right split still apply, or are there newer, different splits in British politics?

The political sociologist Paula Surridge from the University of Bristol joins the RSA’s Matthew Taylor and the author of 'Born Liars' and 'Curious', Ian Leslie, to discuss.

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Produced by James Shield, with production help from Alex Atack in Bristol. Artwork design by Emily Power.

Brought to you by the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce).

www.theRSA.org