Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps
Episodes
"Artificial Intelligence in a Human World" with Prof. Toby Walsh
03 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is it legit for tech companies to vacuum up everything humans create, to spin off A.I. content, and not to compensate humans? Will this world of creat...
"Should We Ban Extreme Wealth?” with Prof. Carl Rhodes
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Is there something broken about a world where some people are absurdly, insanely rich? Or is inequality the price we pay for innovation? What do Bezos...
PREMIUM: “The Palestinian Delusion: the 'Right of Return' & the Mirage of Peace” with fmr Labor Knesset parliamentarian Einat Wilf
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What if the problem for the Palestinian people was not Israel, but the encouragement by the international community of a fantasy that, one day, Palest...
"A.I., Artificial Souls, and the Crazy Conundrum of Consciousness" with Philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Let's take a break from the news cycle for a moment, shall we? There's a lot of cool shit to ponder that's more important and more fascinating. Like, ...
"Being Courageous in a Conformist World" with Sarah Wilson
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are we too spoilt to be creative? Are we succumbing to decadent decline? How do you dissent when the incentives are to conform? How do the French reta...
JUST JOSH: "Staying Sane on Israel"
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Anti-Zionism, antisemitism, Palestinians, Hamas, Israeli Arabs, diaspora Jews, Gaza, and now an all-out war with Iran. It's head-spinning, trying to m...
PREMIUM: “Old Media, New Media & the Truth” with legendary journalist Chris Uhlmann
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Chris Uhlmann is one of the most experienced and well-known journalists Down Under. He worked for decades as either the host or the chief political re...
BONUS: The Playwright Who Just Won the Tony Awards
11 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Over the weekend, the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play went to Eureka Day, a brave, hilarious satire of wokeness, vaccine denial, identity politi...
“An Incredible Clean-Energy Future: Smart Homes, Smart Grids & Smart Thinkers” like energy entrepreneur Saul Griffith
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you want to feel optimistic about the mind-boggling potential of the renewable energy revolution, listen to Saul Griffith, one of the world's leadi...
PREMIUM: "Trump, the Left, and the Future of Liberalism" with Yascha Mounk
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
While the showdown continues over Trump's military deployment against Los Angeles protestors, can we take heart from the resurgence of anti-Trump libe...
"Influencers, In-Fights & New Media" with Hannah Ferguson
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
At 26, Hannah Ferguson is one of the most influential young women in Australia. Her media company, Cheek Media, boasts an army of politically-engaged,...
PREVIEW: Andrew Sullivan
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Andrew Sullivan is one of the most influential political writers of his generation. He became the face of the gay marriage fight, after writing the fi...
"Why Gaza is Genocide" with Israeli Holocaust Historian Prof. Amos Goldberg
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Terms like "genocide" and "apartheid" are thrown around a lot by anti-Israel activists. But when a leading Israeli Holocaust historian declares his ow...
PREVIEW: “Tariffs, Greenbacks, Qatar’s Air Force One, and American Empire” with Assoc. Prof. David Smith
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How do you reconcile Trump's passion for American Greatness with his disengagement from international systems which America set up? What are the conse...
Josh on... Can You Change People's Minds?
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We've got a special treat for you today. Josh sat down with the hosts of the "Changed My Mind" podcast, who interrogated him about whether it's really...
"The Game-ification of Everything" with Gurwinder Bhogal
15 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Gurwinder rose to fame writing elaborately insightful Twitter threads about how to be human in the twenty-first century. He now publishes The Prism, o...
“Free Thought vs Free Speech” with Jenara Nerenberg
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are people too disagreeable these days? Or, in fact, are we losing the knack for disagreement? Are we self-silencing? Or getting more rude? Jenara Ner...
"Does Alien Life Exist?" with astrophysicist Dr Sara Webb
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Are we alone? If alien life exists, why can't we find it? What's "the great filter"? Why is the universe set up the way it is? What are the chances th...
“Conspiracies, Echo Chambers & Culture Wars” with Sacha Judd
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The internet is a dumpster fire. Are you a firefighter? Or an arsonist? This episode is a cracker. Sacha Judd is an expert on internet subcultures. A ...
PREVIEW: Nobel Peace Prize Winner Dave Sweeney
02 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do nuclear weapons protect Western civilisation? Or are they an insane error that humanity should undo? Is nuclear power worth the cost and risk? Dave...
BONUS: "Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Furore" with Tyson Yunkaporta
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Have indigenous Welcomes-to-Country gone too far? On Friday, far-right hecklers disrupted the Welcome to Country (i.e. the land acknowledgment, in Nor...
"Facebook Whistleblower" Frances Haugen
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What’s social media doing to us, and how would you fix it? Mark Zuckerberg has been a busy boy on the witness stand in Washington DC lately. In ...
"American Authoritarianism" with Matt Welch
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What do you make of a U.S. government that snatches people off the street and disappears them into Central American prisons, forever, with no trial, a...
“Reimagining Schooling” with Finnish education icon Prof. Pasi Sahlberg
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What's the purpose of school? Why do we run schools the way we do? How might we reinvent education in an era of artificial intelligence and ADHD? Prof...
PREVIEW: "What Can Democrats Do?" with David Pakman
17 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
The Democratic Party is paralysed. It can't merely offer resistance to Trump. It also needs to offer an alternative to him. But how? Should they oppos...
“Decoding the Gurus” with Chris Kavanagh and Matt Browne
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When are independent shows like Uncomfortable Conversations serving a useful purpose... and when are they just preaching to the choir? "Decoding the G...
Anthony Bourdain’s “Lieutenant”, Laurie Woolever
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Anthony Bourdain was Josh's hero. Laurie Woolever was, as Bourdain called her, his "lieutenant". A writer and culinary graduate, Laurie had worked for...
PREVIEW: "What Is the 'Patriarchy'?" with Prof. Cordelia Fine
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do males and females differ in what we want out of life? In what jobs we want to do? In how much we want to look after babies, or run a tech start-up,...
JUST JOSH: The Woke Catastrophe of “Snow White”
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
If you want to see what's wrong with not being offensive, watch Snow White. The new Disney re-make is so committed to not offending anyone that it&rsq...
BOB CARR on Diplomacy, Statesmanship and Grief
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Even if you're not Australian, you want to listen to this conversation with one of the nation's most iconic statesmen. Bob Carr is a former foreign mi...
PREVIEW: “Does Ukraine Still Matter?" with correspondent Misha Zelinsky
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What are Trump and Putin cooking up for Ukraine? Can the Europeans sideline it? What options does Ukraine still have on the table? And does any of thi...
Australia’s Shadow Treasurer, Angus Taylor
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Angus Taylor is the Shadow Treasurer of Australia and a key figure of the Opposition, the centre-right Liberal Party. A former cabinet minister, busin...
PREVIEW: "Two Jews Debate Israel" with Antony Loewenstein
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How should moderate, secular Jews feel about Israel? How brutalising must Israel’s Gaza policy be before more Jews denounce it? Is Israel a well...
JOHN McWHORTER: Language, Race & Trump
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
John McWhorter is arguably the world’s most famous linguist. A professor at Columbia University and a columnist for the New York Times, he alter...
"Why Greenland Matters" with Sherri Goodman
13 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
When Trump floated the idea of the U.S. acquiring Greenland, some called it a random brain fart. But there is a real conversation among security exper...
BONUS: Josh on Israel-Palestine Coverage
12 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, Arab leaders gathered in Egypt for a Palestine Summit. The 22-nation Arab League emerged with a re-energised Arab Peace Initiative to ...
"Trump, Gaza & Liberalism" with Senator Dave Sharma
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Australians go to the polls in a few months. It looks surprisingly grim for the first-term, centre-left Labor government of Prime Minister Anthony Alb...
"The Next Canadian PM” with Jen Gerson
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Justin Trudeau's political career will end this weekend when his replacement is elected as the Canadian Liberal leader. This happens at a moment of ex...
"Hate Speech or Free Speech?" with Prof. Alan Davison
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Perhaps the most dangerous idea is what to do about dangerous ideas. A spate of anti-semitic attacks has led to new laws that will punish Australians ...
“Chinese War Games” with Sam Roggeveen
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How should medium-sized countries respond when they're bullied by a superpower? The question applies as much to Canada dealing with President Trump as...
PREVIEW: "Rogue Fentanyl Chemists" with Ben Westhoff
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine posing as a drug dealer and going undercover into a Chinese drug lab. That's what Ben Westhoff did to report on how fentanyl -- which kills ab...
"The Great Aussie Rort" with Punter's Politics
20 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Varied are the ways in which political parties, media moguls and corporations screw you. One man who stands up to them all -- or who at least makes fu...
PREMIUM: "The Fallacy of Productivity" with Oliver Burkeman
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Productivity tips. Life hacks. Calendar apps. Magic mornings. Brain supplements. None of it will free you from the sense that there's more to d...
PREVIEW: Oct. 7th Survivor Natalie Sanandaji
13 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Natalie is a Jewish Iranian-American who grew up in New York. She was partying at the Nova Music Festival in Israel when Hamas attacked. Today, she us...
“Gay Sex on Stage” with Tony nominee Samuel Barnett & Marcelo Dos Santos
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What's it like being a promiscuous young gay guy in the 2020s? How much freedom is there in random sex from hookup apps, versus how much shame? Do soc...
Josh on Trump on Gaza
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump says the United States should take over the Gaza Strip and relocate its two million residents to neighbouring countries while we redev...
"American Oddities" with David Farrier
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Why do Americans use shower curtains instead of glass shower stalls? How do you explain the success of The Olive Garden? And is Los Angeles really as ...
Josh on Trump on Gender
31 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How well is the legacy media covering President Trump's flurry of executive actions? Among the first deluge of White House orders is a decree defining...
"How the Church can Defeat Trumpism" with Jonathan Rauch
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
White, conservative, evangelical American Christians helped to bring Donald Trump to power. Their political activism is turbo-charged by populist righ...
PREMIUM: Triumph of the Karens with Meghan Daum
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Do women police each other's behaviour more than men do? Are they likelier to be busybodies, calling each other out online? Pouncing, denouncing, houn...
Inauguration Episode Two: Josh & the Anti-Trumper, David Frum
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Well, it's Trump's Inauguration. Again. On our previous episode, "Inauguration Episode One", Josh interviewed a pro-Trumper. Today, expand your thinki...
Inauguration Episode One: Josh & the Pro-Trumper
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, Donald J Trump will be sworn in as president. Again. To help us understand the best-case scenarios and worst-case scenarios for his second ...
PREMIUM: "Multiculturalism & Identity" with Stan Grant
12 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
How can we flourish in 2025 in a world gripped by tribalism on the right and left? Friend-of-the-show Stan Grant returns to reflect on community, canc...
JUST JOSH: L.A. On Fire
10 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
As Los Angeles burns, our thoughts are with everyone in L.A. In this special episode, Josh reflects on natural disasters, leadership, and the annivers...
PREMIUM: "A.I. for Humans" with Prof. Joel Pearson
06 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial systems are about to revolutionise your workplace, your school, your home, your phone… and, most of all, your head. How shoul...
An Interview With Josh
02 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
For the first show of the year, an unexpected treat. A few months ago, Josh had an amazing conversation as a guest on a colleague's podcast. We bring ...
"Beyond 2025" with Futurist Dr Ben Hamer
30 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Happy new year, human. Remember the Year 2000, the turn of the millennium? Well, you're about to enter the century's second quarter. This Wednesday, w...
"Best & Worst Films of 2024" with Alexei Toliopoulos
25 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's one of the biggest weeks of the year at the box office. What's your most overrated and underrated movie of the year? Today, comedian and film buf...
Josh's Christmas Feast with Gary Kennedy
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of the greatest characters Josh regularly interviews is Gary Kennedy, the iconoclastic food scientist who oversees international food safety proto...
“The Elite 'Social Justice’ Scam” with Musa al-Gharbi
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The full conversation is almost two hours long and sbolitely fascinating. Enjoy this free preview or, to hear the whole shebang, subscribe at Uncomfor...
“The Case for Assassinating CEOs” with Ethicist Tim Dean
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
After the slaying of one of America’s highest-flying health-insurance CEOs, the tenor of many reactions from the Online Left was: “Murder ...
ANDREW DOYLE on Satirising the Left
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
How did the best satirists notice the comedic potential of “wokeness” in its earliest moments? And where does the evolution of the Left le...
“Liberalism in 2025”: STAN GRANT
10 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Syria transforms, as Trump returns, as Putin prepares for victory, as China lies in wait, and as we all look towards a new year, Josh sits down wit...
PREMIUM: Noam Chomsky's Co-Writer Nathan Robinson on America in the World
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What should the role of America be? In their new book, "The Myth of American idealism: How U.S. Foreign Policy Endangers the World", Noam Chomsky and ...
How QANTAS Corrupted Everything with Joe Aston
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What happens to politicians when they're openly bribed -- *ahem*, sorry, "assisted" -- by a hugely powerful corporation? The saga of how Qantas peddle...
PREMIUM: "A Radical Vision for Palestine" with Palestinian Professor Omar Dajani
28 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As Israel and Hezbollah cautiously observe a ceasefire, the prospect of a Palestinian state feels as remote as ever. But there are people working tire...
DAVID WALLIAMS & JOSH: Little Britain, Gender & Satire
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
David Walliams is one of the most successful comedians in the world. On "Little Britain", his smash hit BBC sketch comedy show, he created characters ...
JUST JOSH: "Me and Mr Jones"
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
This is the most uncomfortable conversation Josh has ever recorded. He used to work for Alan Jones, the most powerful broadcaster in Australia. Now, h...
NIALL FERGUSON: How Civilisations Flourish (or Fail)
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why do some civilisations enlighten while others languish? Why do some conquer, and others collapse? Was the British Empire a bloody stain... or, on b...
URGENT "AUSTRALIA: Banning Misinformation... or Suppressing Speech?" with Professor Daniel Angus
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's crunch time for the Australian government's Orwellian-sounding "Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation" legislation. The bill was pas...
STEPHEN FRY Visits Josh
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Few Britons are as iconic as Stephen Fry. On TV, he's an Emmy-winning comedy legend immortalised in shows like A Bit of Fry & Laurie, Jeeves &a...
JOSH'S TAKE On Trump's Win
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Well, it's Trump. The morning after the election, Josh live-streamed his post-election analysis and his predictions for a second Trump term from Cambr...
"ELECTION DAY: SNL, MSG, OMG! An Autopsy of Two Campaigns" with Chas Licciardello
05 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You have a limited offer you can use now, that gets you up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one time purchases with code UNCOMFORTABLE20 ...
2016 ELECTION TIME CAPSULE: Hear Josh's Reaction to Trump's First Election Win, with David Plotz
01 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The full premium version of this episode is available as a free gift to you. This version here is just a teaser, but ALL ELECTION-RELATED CONTENT WILL...
"Escape the Echo Chamber" with Stephanie Lepp
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
You have a limited offer you can use now, that gets you up to 48% off your first subscription or 20% off one time purchases with code UNCOMFORTABLE20 ...
America in the World: A Live-Streamed Dialog with Michael Moynihan
30 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The full premium version of this episode is available as a free gift to you. This version here is just a teaser, but ALL ELECTION-RELATED CONTENT WILL...
UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS ELECTION SURVIVAL GUIDE: "How Trump Will Dispute the Result" with Journalist Matt Bevan
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Arm yourself with facts now, to stay sane on election night. This episode is your toolkit against the schemes to sow confusion, foment chaos and chall...
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Do Not Miss This Message!
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Get ready, humans. Josh is about to start pumping out extra shows all week long to keep you informed, inspired and resilient during the U.S. election....
JOHN SAFRAN: Kanye, Jews & Satire
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
John Safran is a legendary provocateur and comedy documentarian. He is iconic Down Under for his outrageous explorations of taboo subjects (think: Sac...
COLEMAN HUGHES: Live At The Festival of Dangerous Ideas
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Are we too focused on race? Have recent anti-racist movements like Black Lives Matter abandoned the ‘colourblind’ spirit of the original civil rig...
JUST JOSH SPECIAL: Sinwar's Dead. Now Bibi, End the War!
18 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Ding, dong, the psychopathic tyrant of Gaza is dead. Who was Yahya Sinwar? What does his death mean? Should Netanyahu declare victory and end the war?...
PREMIUM: “American Political Violence” with BBC Foreign Correspondent Nick Bryant
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Is political violence “unAmerican”? Or is it as American as Thomas Jefferson, who wrote that "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to t...
"Australia's Covid Response" with Economist Steven Hamilton
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Australia's response to the pandemic was among the most aggressive -- and controversial -- in the world. What went right? What went wrong? At las...
"What's Israel Doing?" with WSJ Reporter Marcus Walker
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One year on from the Hamas attack, Josh is sick of biased bickering about why Israel is in the right or in the wrong. Here, he brings you an informed,...
Damien Cave: New York Times, America and Australia
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Damien Cave is the Vietnam bureau chief and global affairs correspondent for The New York Times, covering shifts in power across Asia and the wider wo...
CANDACE OWENS VS JOSH
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Candace Owens is one of the most popular commentators in the world. Initially critical of President Trump, she was a famous critic of Black Lives M...
"The Alcoholism Myth" with Katie Herzog
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Do you drink too much? If there was a magic pill that made you not want a second drink, would you take it? You’d at least expect to have heard of it...
PREMIUM: "Russia's Useful Idiots: Dave Rubin, Tim Pool, Uh-Oh" with Ross Anderson
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine being an innocent YouTuber, tricked into receiving millions of dollars from Russia just because you're a Putin hack. That's what the U.S. Depa...
KEITH URBAN VISITS JOSH
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Keith Urban is one of the world’s most popular musicians. He started out in Australia, moved to Nashville, worked his arse off, won a stack of Gramm...
PREMIUM: "Free Speech" On Twitter with Andrew Lowenthal
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can governments regulate “misinformation”? Or is that just a pretext for controlling what you can say? Were “the Twitter Files” a bombshell re...
Pop Superstar Missy Higgins on Sexuality, Fame and Failure
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Missy Higgins is one of Australia's most successful musicians. She exploded onto the scene in 2004. Her debut single launched at No. 1, her first albu...
Kamala vs Trump with Chas Licciardello
11 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In the lead-up to every U.S. election of the past 12 years, Chas Licciardello has hosted a national primetime television comedy show called Planet Ame...
“Multiculturalism in the UK” with Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Outside Australia, Alexander Downer is best known as the diplomat who kicked off the Mueller Investigation by alerting the FBI that one of Trump’s a...
“Why We’re Divided” with Jon Yates
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our societies are more diverse than ever, yet we spend more of our time with people just like us. Are we losing a sense of common life? Maybe the far ...
PREMIUM: Coleman Hughes Live in Melbourne
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Are we too focused on race? Have recent anti-racist movements like The Voice to Parliament and Black Lives Matter abandoned the colour-blind spirit of...
JUST JOSH: Free Speech, Incitement & Elon Musk
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
"The debate over free speech, hate speech, online harms, algorithms and social media is tangling us up in knots. Let’s get back to first principles,...
“Cancel Culture at the NY Times” with Andy Mills
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Andy is the producer The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling and previously of the New York Times' groundbreaking podcast The Daily. During the riots and ...
“Oscar-Winning Creativity” with Emile Sherman
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Can great TV & movies help us overcome political polarisation? Is being creative the same as being open-minded? Why are artists sometimes blinkere...
"Trump = Hitler?" with Dennis Glover
19 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What should you make of comparisons between the present day and the 1930s? Is the greatest risk that we're sliding towards Nazi-style fascism? Or that...
Jesse Singal and Coleman Hughes
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Two of the internet’s most intellectual contrarians sit down in a park with Josh. Magic ensues. Jesse is among the world's most astute analysts o...