Philosophy For Our Times

Overcoming evolution | Subrina Smith, Keith Frankish, Simon Baron-Cohen

28 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Is evolutionary psychology merely a way of excusing outdated behaviours? Is it instead culture which really defines how we behave?As with the animal k...

Slavoj Žižek on quantum history and the end of the past

21 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Does the past even exist anymore?Quantum mechanics has long unsettled our understanding of matter and measurement. But what if its implications reach ...

How they ruined philosophy | Babette Babich, Genia Schönbaumsfeld, and Christoph Schuringa

14 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Did analytic philosophy ruin the entire discipline?For more than a century there has been a divide in Western philosophy between two distinct approach...

A new theory of ethics | Martha Nussbaum

06 Apr 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Do we need a moral reawakening? Is animal suffering simply a fact of life or can it be avoided? How did the US Navy break whale protection laws? Is th...

Crisis in the academy | Yaron Brook, Eric Kaufmann, Catherine Liui

31 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Universities, long celebrated as sanctuaries of free thought and intellectual rigour, have for centuries been regarded as the best way to educate and ...

Why the neoclassical philosophy of economics is fundamentally flawed | Abby Innes

24 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

What do the Soviet Union and the current British economy have in common? What can studying the philosophy of science reveal about our economic systems...

On the nature of reality | Rowan Williams and Iain McGilchrist

17 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Who are we? Why are we here? Does life have a meaning beyond itself? Join former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, and groundbreaking psychiat...

Neighbours before strangers | Alain de Botton, Seyla Benhabib and Tommy Curry

10 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Should everyone be treated equally?Many see populism with its focus on immigration and nationalism as not only politically dangerous but morally wrong...

The strange search for knowledge in the age of post-truth

03 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How do we acquire knowledge?We tend to think that knowledge is produced by experts through established institutions, progressing over time towards a s...

The philosophy of performance | Michelle Terry

24 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

How can taking on the role of someone else help us to understand ourselves? Does the hermit know himself better than the socialite? And where is the l...

The end of materialism | Àlex Gómez-Marín

17 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Alex Gómez-Marín is a controversial figure in contemporary neuroscience, known for challenging the materialist framework that dominates scientific a...

The relationship between mind and matter | Slavoj Žižek, Alenka Zupančič and Carlo Rovelli

10 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The self and the world We tend to think of ourselves as observers of the world and experience as something different from the material stuff that make...

Freedom and Fate

27 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

An individual "is responsible for everything he does," claimed Sartre. And from criminal justice to creative expression, free will and responsibility ...

The search for higher states of consciousness | Philosopher Jessica Frazier

13 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Are we living in the moment? Are we really free? How can we transcend the constant anxieties of our mind? Throughout history, certain people in the We...

Should we be transgressive? The limits and potential of transgressiveness | Catherine Liu, Rowan Williams, Josh Cohen

06 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The good, the bad, and the transgressiveIs the transgression of norms and rules what brings history forward and allows for creativity and change? OR i...

Perversity and the limits of rational | Psychologist Paul Bloom

30 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is rationality? Why is it or is it not important? And where does perversity fit in?Join psychologist Paul Bloom in this interview where he discus...

Why liberalism has failed | John Gray on civilisation, morality, and the illusion of progress

16 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why is the world moving away from liberalism and towards conservatism?One of Britain’s most provocative thinkers, John Gray is a political philosoph...

Analytic or Continental philosophy | Christoph Schuringa, Genia Schönbaumsfeld, Babette Babich

09 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The future of European thoughtWhat is analytic philosophy and what is continental philosophy? And, perhaps most importantly, does this distinction mak...

How Words Warp Reality | Nick Enfield

04 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Language shapes how we think, remember, and reason. But does it help us to uncover the fundamental nature of reality? Join the author of Language vs. ...

Consciousness and psychedelics: In conversation with Rupert Sheldrake

28 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Philosophers cannot stop talking about consciousness - what are its limits? What is it made of? What does it allow us? This podcast is part of that co...

The philosophy of religion and love with Alain de Botton and Alex O'Conner

25 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why we worship without knowing itWhat should be included within the remit of philosophy? Religion? Love? Hair? Join well-known public speakers and wri...

Mazes of the mind: The philosophy of neuroscience | Iain McGilchrist, Colin Blakemore, Bryan Appleyard

12 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Over the past decades, neuroscience has blossomed, positioning itself as a kind of master discipline over everything else. For who understands the bra...

In search of nothing | David Deutsch, Amanda Gefter, Lee Smolin

06 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What is nothing? Can it be defined, either philosophically or scientifically? Or will the exploration of nothing bring, ultimately, to nothing?The phi...

Halloween SPECIAL | The philosophy of the apocalypse

31 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why are we fascinated by apocalyptic stories?Join the team at the IAI for a reading of four Halloween-themed articles, written by historian and philos...

The importance of giving up | Adam Phillips

28 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Einstein was called “slow” at school, J. K. Rowling collected a dozen rejections, and Walt Disney was once fired for “lacking imagination.” We...

Slavoj Žižek on philosophy today | The madness of reality

20 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Slavoj Žižek is back in a new interview where he takes us through his thoughts on the role of philosophy, the future of sex, his fear and love of AI...

How to fathom timelessness | Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes

14 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What should time mean to us?Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes is a philosopher of mind who specialises in the thought of Alfred North Whitehead, Friedrich Nietzs...

After postmodernism | Hilary Lawson, Robin van den Akker, Abby Innes, Sophie Scott-Brown

10 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Hugely influential in the latter decades of the 20th century, postmodernism transformed many academic disciplines and culture at large. Associated wit...

The language of the unconscious: Pyschoanalysis and AI | Alenka Zupančič

06 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As ChatGPT and AI increase their presence in our lives, have we interrogated enough what this means for, and about, our collective psyche?In one of th...

The Enlightenment is racist (and why) | Kehinde Andrews

29 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Enlightenment has faced a lot of criticism in recent years - its defenders and detractors often come head to head, scrambling to articulate its ul...

The struggle for the good life | Massimo Pigliucci on ancient philosophy for the modern era

16 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We all want to live the good life. But how many of us can claim to be truly content? Join philosopher and evolutionary biologist Massimo Pigliucci as ...

Psychedelics and the structure of reality | Julian Baggini, Eileen Hall, and James Rucker

12 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Truth, delusion and psychedelic realityDo psychedelics reveal hidden layers of reality, or are we simply tripping?Psychedelics are back in the cultura...

The unconscious mind: Is the unconscious real?

09 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The unconscious has become a well-known feature of our human lived experience since Freud. We often refer to unwanted impulses, suppressed thoughts, u...

A landscape of consciousness | Robert Lawrence Kuhn and Hilary Lawson

02 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Will we ever reach a conclusive, agreed-upon theory of consciousness?Over the millennia of recorded history, countless stories, theories, and argument...

Will psychedelics revolutionize mental health treatment? | Matthew Johnson, Shayla Love, and Kevin Sabet

29 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The psychedelic revolutionWill LSD, Psilocybin, MDMA, and Ketamine treatments live up to the hype?For decades, psychedelics were derided as dangerous ...

The illusion of separation | Jessica Frazier on the Monism of Hindu philosophy

26 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Indian philosophy and the search for unityIn our everyday lives we act as though we are all separate individuals, but is this really the case? Jessica...

The limits of nothingness | Peter van Inwagen

20 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

From philosophy to science, metaphysics to psychology, the idea of 'nothing' is central to the universe, existence and experience as a whole. But...

Is free will an illusion? The chemistry of freedom | Patrick Haggard, George Ellis, Jennifer Hornsby

12 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The question of free will - and whether we have it or not - is age-old across philosophy, religion, and human thought in general. Having free will all...

Has the world gone to Hell? | Slavoj Žižek on fascism, shame, and dirty jokes

05 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Žižek: "Trump did what The Left couldn't"As we look around at the state of the modern world, it's very easy to get disheartened - and that's putting...

Video games and the meaning of life | James Tartaglia

29 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Video games are changing how we think. Many are so realistic that some argue they are becoming reality. In this talk by philosopher James Tartaglia, h...

The philosophy of literature SPECIAL | George Orwell, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Aldous Huxley, and more

25 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How literature helps us to understand morality, totalitarian politics, and the life of Jesus Christ.Join the team at the IAI for four articles about g...

How other species challenge our idea of consciousness | Peter Godfrey-Smith

22 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

In this IAI Studio interview, philosopher and science writer Peter Godfrey-Smith explores the evolution of consciousness and the enduring mystery of t...

Utopia and human nature | Paul Bloom

15 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Human nature and the possibility of utopiaThe idea of utopia - of a perfect society devoid of suffering and inequality - is planted firmly in the huma...

More choice means less freedom | Psychologist Barry Schwartz

11 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why more is lessWe're surrounded by choice - an endless sea of possible paths we might take. However, does the overwhelming range of choices leave us ...

The limits of logic: Should we embrace the irrational? |Iain McGilchrist, Beatrix Campbell, Simon Blackburn

08 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our culture prizes logic and rationality, if not above all else, as two of the most fundamental social traits. But are we missing out by overlooking t...

Consciousness begins in the body | Antonio Damasio

02 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We tend to believe consciousness is purely mental. And since Descartes' "I think therefore I am", we've privileged the mind as the centrepiece of thou...

The Selfish and The Selfless SPECIAL | JD Vance, Pope Francis, and the 10 Commandments

27 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What can JD Vance's arguments with Pope Francis teach us about selfishness, altruism, and the morality of the modern world?Join the team at the IAI fo...

Being mindful in a mindless world | Ellen Langer

24 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The mindful body with Ellen LangerCan mindfulness be contagious?Ellen Langer's research certainly seems to suggest that's the case. As Professor of Ps...

The beautiful in philosophy | Babette Babich, Paul Ernest, Ankhi Mukherjee, Sarah Wilson

20 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The good, the bad, and the beautifulWhat is beauty? Why are we so drawn to it? And should we be - or is it a distraction?The philosophy of aesthetics ...

A world without values | Janne Teller, Dale Turner, Robin van den Akker, Isabel Hilton

17 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Once values such as justice and equality were agreed upon by all. Now they are identified by some as vehicles to entrench or overturn power. On the le...

The challenge to optimism | Angus Deaton

10 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The economy is a vital part of the way we understand our lives and our politics more generally. But after years of growth, development, and progress, ...

Searching for the purpose of life |Babette Babich, Frank Tallis, Jonathan Webber, Sandra Laugier

03 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The journey in search of the destinationDoes life have a purpose? Is that what gives life meaning? Or is it the journey that matters the most?Join our...

Nietzsche, the birth of tragedy, and the technology trap | Babette Babich

29 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nietzsche, the birth of tragedy, and the technology trap with Babette BabichBabette Babich discusses Nietzsche, the importance of tragedy, and the dan...

The philosophy of fun | Myriam François, Freya India, James Tartaglia

20 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The essential philosophy of funDo we need to have fun or is it an unnecessary excess? Are we living in an age of fun's decline, what with the moralism...

Neoliberalism: A Soviet nightmare | Abby Innes

16 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There is an old Soviet joke, ‘Capitalism is the exploitation of man by man. Communism is its exact opposite.’ On the surface, neoliberalism, with ...

The dark side of chasing rewards | Paul Bloom, Nancy Sherman, and Dan Ariely

13 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Something for nothingDo rewards and incentives damage our humanity?In much of our personal and professional lives, we receive rewards for good behavio...

Rethinking the Enlightenment | Historian Aviva Chomsky

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The spectre of the EnlightenmentWhat the Enlightenment a net positive or a net negative? Or is that the wrong question, and should we look at it simpl...

Was Karl Marx misunderstood? | Terry Eagleton on the forgotten ideals of Marxism

02 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why Marx was rightHaving fallen out of favour around the turn of the century, Marxism is now back in fashion, often playing the role of an alternative...

The power and the pitfalls of narrative | Matthew Beaumont, Ruth Padel, and Theodore Dalrymple

29 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Lost in storiesIs life a story or a sequence of events?Our narratives enable us to make sense of the complex, often confusing, world that we live in. ...

Reflections on mental health today | Interview | Susie Orbach

22 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The dark side of 'mental health' with Susie OrbachWhy are psychotherapy, psychology, psychoanalysis, therapy so popular today? Do these respond to a n...

The life and philosophy of Peter Singer | In conversation with Myriam François

16 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Peter Singer is one of the world's leading philosophers, renowned for his challenging and often controversial views. From animal ethics to effective a...

The price of everything, value of nothing | Politics series | Daniel Susskind, Abby Innes, Will Hutton, Richard Kibble

11 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Under capitalism, it can be hard to disentangle an idea of 'value' from that which the market sets as 'valuable' - that is to say, expensive items. Is...

The crisis of the new | Stanley Fish, Claire Hynes, and Martin Puchner

08 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Is genuine originality a realistic goal for artists?From fashion to fantasy, entertainment to enterprise, we seek the 'new' as the means to originalit...

Sartre vs Baldwin | Joanna Kavenna, Jonathan Webber, and Marie-Elsa Bragg

01 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We take it for granted that through language and communication we can learn about the experience of others. But it remains unknown whether we can full...

The philosophy of geopolitics SPECIAL | Donald Trump, Homer's Odyssey, and Korean Web Novels

28 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What do Friedrich Nietzsche, the Korean War, and Homer's Odyssey have in common?Join the team at the IAI for four articles about the history and philo...

The philosophy of dehumanisation | David Livingstone Smith

25 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The philosophy of dehumanisation with David Livingstone SmithIn this exclusive interview, philosopher David Livingstone Smith explores the history, na...

Consciousness is quantum mechanical | Stuart Hameroff

18 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Consciousness is one of the most fundamental aspects of our existence, but it remains barely understood, even defined. Across the world scholars of ma...

Defending panpsychism | Philosophers Philip Goff and Hilary Lawson

14 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Metaphysics vs consciousnessPanpsychism has recently become something of a household term in philosophical and scientific conversations alike. Deceivi...

Consciousness beyond the brain | Rupert Sheldrake

11 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Re-thinking the limits of the mindMost scientists think that consciousness is created by the brain. After all, most assume consciousness vanishes if t...

The consciousness test | Yoshua Bengio, Sabine Hossenfelder, Nick Lane, and Hilary Lawson

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The consciousness testCould an artificial intelligence be capable of genuine conscious experience?Coming from a range of different scientific and phil...

Longtermism SPECIAL: The next stage of effective altruism

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Should we sacrifice the present for a better future?Join the team at the IAI for three articles about effective altruism, longtermism, and the complex...

The lure of Lucifer | Terry Eagleton, Susan Neiman, and Stephen de Wijze

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why do we love evil?We may condemn tyrants and abhor serial killers, but we are obsessed with evil and violence. Our news and our entertainment focus ...

The relationship between morality and power | Philosophers Tommy Curry, Michael Huemer, Melis Erdur

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Morality and prejudiceIs there such a thing as morality? And, if so, can we know what it is and act on it? Or is morality rather a shield for the powe...

Humans are not morally superior | Alex O'Connor

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Humans are not morally superiorIs the meat industry a monstrous tyrant?Join YouTuber Alex O'Connor for a thought-provoking talk on the ethics, or lack...

Is morality human? | Peter Singer, Slavoj Žižek, Nancy Sherman

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Humanity and the gods of natureDo animals and nature have an ethical life of their own? Must, or should, we extend our morality to non-human entities,...

Nietzsche on overcoming nihilism | Philosopher Babette Babich

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Nietzsche, the birth of tragedy, and the technology trap with Babette BabichDo life's struggles make the search for meaning a hopeless endeavour?Join ...

Ancient Philosophy SPECIAL | Plato's Gymnasium, Celebrity Messiahs, and Bronze Age Economics

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What can ancient philosophers teach you about exercise, economics, and the myth of celebrity?Join the team at the IAI for three articles about life, i...

Passion in ancient philosophy and religion | Former Archbishop Rowan Williams

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What both religion and stoicism misunderstoodPhilosophy and religion appear alternatively dry and ascetic. But is that our misunderstanding? What role...

The inner life of a stoic | Stoicism Series PART 5 | Massimo Pigliucci

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Massimo Pigliucci | In-depth InterviewHow can philosophy play an active role in daily life? How can ancient philosophical traditions like stoicism hel...

The forgotten values of a stoic life | Stoicism Series PART 4 | Nancy Sherman

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Stoicism reimaginedWith the modern revival of stoic philosophy, plenty of ancient wisdom has returned to the modern world - but what ideas have we con...

Stoicism for contemporary society | Stoicism Series PART 3 | Nancy Sherman

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why is stoicism one of the most well-known and read philosophical strains in the contemporary age? After 2000+ years, what is its continued appeal?Joi...

Ancient solutions for modern problems | Stoicism Series PART 2 | Massimo Pigliucci

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How to be a StoicWhat can Zeno of Citium teach you about going to the movie theatre?Join philosopher and author Massimo Pigliucci for part two of a se...

Ancient solutions for modern problems | Stoicism Series PART 1 | Massimo Pigliucci

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

How to be a StoicWhat can Marcus Aurelius teach you about the iPhone?Join philosopher and author Massimo Pigliucci for part one of a series on the anc...

Ecstasy and philosophy: PHILOSOPHY AND MYSTICISM |Philosopher Simon Critchley

31 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Has contemporary philosophy colonised all philosophy with its preference for rationality over feeling, intensity, experience, and love? What can an op...

The lost art of pilgrimage: PHILOSOPHY AND MYSTICISM | Rupert Sheldrake

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ways to go beyond: Why spiritual journeys draw non-religious people Did pilgrimage go out of fashion or did it simply take on a new form? Join biologi...

Nietzsche, Epicurus, and the Santa Claus lie | The philosophy of Christmas

24 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Are you ready to discover the true meaning of Christmas?Join the team at the IAI for three Christmas-themed articles, written by James Mahon, Tim O'Ke...

The danger of self reflection | John Vervaeke, Isabel Millar, Frank Furedi and Joanna Kavenna

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In search of oneselfShould we see self-knowledge as an aim not only misguided, but actively dangerous? Is self-knowledge in fact impossible for as Nie...

How important is rationality to humans? PART 2 | Stuart Hameroff, Subrena Smith, Paul Bloom

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thinking set freeLook for part 1 of this episode from earlier this week! Join our panel of speakers (consciousness researcher Stuart Hameroff, evoluti...

How important is rationality to humans? PART 1 | Stuart Hameroff, Subrena Smith, Paul Bloom

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Thinking set freeIs the emphasis our modern society places on rationality well-placed? Does rationality help us think or should we be in tune with oth...

Challenging Peter Singer's Ethics

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Can morality be objective?Whether or not moral ideas can be objectively true has divided philosophers for centuries. But can we ever find moral truths...

African Philosophy SPECIAL | Contemporary philosophers

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

What can African philosophers teach us about history, the modern world, and the good life? And can their ideas and teachings cross cultural boundaries...

The philosophy behind Thanksgiving | Property, Power, and Indigenous Land Rights

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Land, ownership and hypocrisy with Peter Singer, Dale Turner, Tommy J. Curry and Janne TellerSince Magna Carta, the right to property is seen as unive...

The philosophy of extinction (or of the end of the world)| Philosopher Ben Ware

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Philosophy at the end of the worldIs humanity looking at its demise in the face? Has it always been? And how can philosophy help us?Join philosopher B...

God, science, and the natural world PART 2 | Philosopher Fiona Ellis

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The metaphysics of naturalism - PART TWOHave we completely abandoned the idea of the supernatural? Could there still be important truths that lie outs...

God, science, and the natural world PART 1 | Philosopher Fiona Ellis

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The metaphysics of naturalism - PART ONEHave we completely abandoned the idea of the supernatural? Could there still be important truths that lie outs...

Consciousness predates life | Stuart Hameroff

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Consciousness predates lifeDid consciousness exist before life? Could such a counter-intuitive idea, in fact, be the answer to the hard problem of con...

Halloween SPECIAL | The philosophy of monsters, magic, and mausoleums

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

The devil in all of us | Paul Bloom

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our human shadowMany 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...

In search of the 'Self' | David Chalmers, Ed Stafford, Joanna Kavenna

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In search of ourselvesIs the 'self' a useful category, philosophically, psychologically, in our everyday lives? What might it help us do? And where do...

Consciousness and the limits of science PART 2 | Sean Carroll, Ellen Langer, and Tamar Gendler

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mind, matter, and everything - PART TWOCan science ever solve the problem of consciousness? Do our methods look for answers in all the wrong places? J...