The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast

By Jack Symes | Andrew Horton, Oliver Marley, Rose de Castellane, Gregory Mill

An 'informal and informative' philosophy podcast inspiring and supporting students, teachers, academics and free-thinkers worldwide. All episodes are available at www.thepanpsycast.com.... more

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The podcast currently has 382 episodes available.

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Number 1: Episode 160, Jack Symes vs Philip Goff
Welcome to a special Episode 160 – a conversation / debate between Jack Symes and Philip Goff. Philip Goff and Jack Symes have known each other since 2011, when Philip taught Jack's very first philosophy lecture. In the years since, they've both arrived at views that sit awkwardly between God and atheism – but in very different ways. Philip defends a God of limited powers and a form of Christianity rooted in Eastern Orthodox theology. Jack argues that God is just the world. In this conversation, they put their views head to head. They discuss the ontological argument (which Philip loves and Jack accepts begrudgingly), the problem of evil, and Philip's recent mystical experience. They also explore negative religious experiences, panpsychism, whether the self is an illusion, and why neither of them are traditional theists. This is a conversation between two friends who disagree about almost everything – and enjoy every minute of it. Links Philip Goff: YouTube Twitter Website SubStack Why? The Purpose of the Universe (book) Galileo's Error: A New Science of Consciousness (book)
June 28, 20261h 22min
Number 2: Episode 152, 'God, Consciousness, and Fundamental Reality' with Philip Goff, David Godman, and Miri Albahari (Part I - The Debate)
The supreme being of classical theism is unlimited in power, knowledge, and goodness – a being distinct from the world, who creates it out of nothing and governs it from beyond. On this picture, we are not identical with God. God's consciousness is not our consciousness – and our identity is not theirs. That picture has long been challenged by schools of Hindu philosophy and, more recently, by Western philosophies of religion that reject traditional conceptions of God. In response to the problem of evil, some philosophers now argue that if there is a creator, then that creator must be limited in power. Advaita's challenge is more radical. It doesn't just revise the traditional conception of God – it dissolves it. Where classical theism draws a sharp distinction between God and the world, Advaita says that reality is non-dual. The divine is not something separate from us or from the universe, but the underlying reality that appears as both. To explore these competing visions of the supreme being, reality, and our place within it, I'm joined by three guests. Returning to The Panpsycast for the fifth time is Philip Goff, Professor of Philosophy at Durham University. As listeners will remember, Philip is the author of several brilliant books – including Galileo's Error and, more recently, Why? The Purpose of the Universe. David Godman is a leading author, best known for his work on the Hindu sage, Sri Ramana Maharshi. And last but not least, Miri Albahari is Senior Lecturer at The University of Western Australia – where her work explores the metaphysics and epistemology of Buddhism and Advaita Vedanta. What is gained – and what is lost – when God is no longer unlimited, or is no longer separate from the world? Can these alternatives still ground mind, meaning, and morality? And by what means could we come to know such a reality – and decide between these rival conceptions of God? This episode is generously supported by The John Templeton Foundation, through The Panpsychism and Pan(en)theism Project (62683). Links Philip Goff, Website David Godman, Website Miri Albahari, Website
February 08, 202642min
Number 3: Episode 146, The Philosophy of Comedy (Part I - The Nature of Humour)
In 2021, Netflix released His Dark Material, a Christmas stand-up special by Irish–British comedian Jimmy Carr. The show sparked international outrage. Toward the end of the set, Carr delivered what he called a 'career ender' – a joke about the Holocaust, in which he described the Nazis' murder of thousands of 'Gypsies' as a 'positive'. The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, the Auschwitz Memorial, and the UK government condemned the joke as 'appalling', 'abhorrent', and 'racist'; Carr, critics said, was trading on the 'last acceptable form of racism'. Comedy touches every part of our lives. We tell jokes at the pub, around the dinner table, and by the office coffee machine. We all know someone who makes us laugh – and someone who seems to take things too far. But is there a line when it comes to humour? And if there is, who gets to draw it? Should we suspend our moral judgements when the lights go down and the curtain goes up? Or do jokes, like most speech acts, carry moral weight? To answer these questions, we need to understand the nature of comedy itself – what exactly it is we're responding to when we laugh. Humour might be a release of nervous tension, a playful disruption of expectations, or – more troublingly, if it applies to Carr's joke – a means of asserting social superiority. No doubt, comedy has the power to shape our culture and perceptions. But, as we'll find out, it also tells us something about who we are, who we ought to be, and the things we value most. Links Abrahams, Daniel – Winning Over the Audience: Trust and Humor in Stand‐Up Comedy (paper) Anderson, Luvell – Roasting Ethics (paper) Bergson, Henri – Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic (book) Carroll, Noël – Ethics and Comic Amusement (paper) Carroll, Noël – Humour: A Very Short Introduction (book) Carroll, Noël – I'm Only Kidding: On Racist and Ethnic Jokes (paper) Carroll, Noël – Cruelty and Humour (paper) Critchley, Simon – On Humour (book) Deen, Phillip – What Could It Mean to Say That Today's Stand‐Up Audiences Are Too Sensitive? (paper) Gimbel, Steven (ed.) – The Philosophy of Comedy (book) Hick, Darren Hudson – Why Can't You Take a Joke? The Several Moral Dimensions of Pilfering a Ha‐Ha (paper) Morreall, John – Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor (book) Morreall, John – Philosophy of Laughter and Humor (book) Morreall, John – Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Philosophy of Humor (article) Smuts, Aaron – Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Comedy (article)
August 10, 202555min
Number 4: Episode 144, Steven Pinker x Richard Dawkins: Live in London (Part II - Audience Questions)
This is a live recording from our recent show – The Future of Humanity – held on 3 June 2025 at London's Royal Institution Theatre. The event was a conversation between psychologist Steven Pinker and biologist Richard Dawkins – both previous guests on The Panpsycast – exploring the evolution of human beings and the challenges we face in the future. Richard leads the discussion, questioning Steve about his extensive catalogue of books and his contributions to psychology, sociology, and evolutionary theory. They focus a lot on the past but, eventually, get on to the future. It's a brilliant exchange, covering a wide range of topics and packed with some of Pinker's most important insights. The first part of this podcast special is their free-flowing conversation; the second is a Q&A with the audience, hosted by Jack. Thank you to everyone who came along and made the show possible. Without further ado, here's the audio from our live show – we hope you enjoy the conversation. Links Steven Pinker, Website Richard Dawkins, Website
June 29, 202533min
Number 5: Episode 144, Steven Pinker x Richard Dawkins: Live in London (Part I - The Future of Humanity)
Welcome to Episode 144 (Part I of II), where Richard Dawkins interviews Steven Pinker on the past and future of humanity. This is a live recording from our recent show – The Future of Humanity – held on 3 June 2025 at London's Royal Institution Theatre. The event was a conversation between psychologist Steven Pinker and biologist Richard Dawkins – both previous guests on The Panpsycast – exploring the evolution of human beings and the challenges we face in the future. Richard leads the discussion, questioning Steve about his extensive catalogue of books and his contributions to psychology, sociology, and evolutionary theory. They focus a lot on the past but, eventually, get on to the future. It's a brilliant exchange, covering a wide range of topics and packed with some of Pinker's most important insights. The first part of this podcast special is their free-flowing conversation; the second is a Q&A with the audience, hosted by Jack. Thank you to everyone who came along and made the show possible. Without further ado, here's the audio from our live show – we hope you enjoy the conversation. Links Steven Pinker, Website Richard Dawkins, Website
June 15, 20251h 5min