The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast

Experience the warmth and happiness of Christmas, its traditions and spirit of giving. Background of the Nativity story, sources, and differences between the accounts. Exploration of angels in the Old Testament and their significance in the nativity story. Questioning the historical or symbolic interpretation of the virgin birth. Interpretation of Isaiah, the meaning of Emmanuel, and a fun 'Mystery Philosopher' segment.

In a captivating discussion, Dr. Rachel Fraser, an Associate Professor at the University of Oxford specializing in philosophy, delves into the art of personal storytelling. She emphasizes how narratives can confront ideological views on issues like sexual violence and injustice, highlighting movements like #MeToo. Fraser argues that these personal accounts not only challenge societal scripts but also reveal moral truths essential for bringing about change. The conversation explores the complexities of memory and trauma in activism, showcasing storytelling as a powerful tool for social critique.

Rachel Fraser, an Associate Professor at the University of Oxford, explores the power of personal narratives in challenging societal ideologies. She discusses how storytelling, as seen in movements like #MeToo, fosters empathy and critiques harmful ideologies surrounding issues like sexual violence and reproductive rights. Fraser emphasizes that narratives reveal moral truths often missed by data and statistics, urging that to confront inequality, we must share our stories and revise outdated narrative scripts that shape our perceptions of trauma and grief.

What is the underlying nature of reality? For Thales, the essence of the world was water; for the Stoics, it was Logos; for Heraclitus, the universe consisted, fundamentally, of fire, life-energy, or the 'thinking faculty'. The search for the building blocks of our world has a rich philosophical history and, today is intertwined with cutting-edge research in the physical sciences. In this episode, we'll be focusing on those who defend the idea of substances. According to this view, at the heart of our cosmos exist simple, independent, ungrounded entities (called 'substances') from which everything else in the world is made and sustained. Perhaps these are particles, strings, or space–time; maybe they're consciousness, selves, or gods. Our guide to substances and the nature of reality is Dr Donnchadh O'Conaill, post-doctoral researcher at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. Dr O'Conaill – currently working on the Swiss National Science Foundation project, The Subject of Experiences – has made several important contributions to the literature, including through his recent book, Substance, published by Cambridge University Press. As we shall see, Dr O'Conaill is a leading scholar on the role and nature of substances, as well as the contentious question of their existence. Ultimately, that's our focus: whether the world depends on independent, ungrounded entities and what these hidden entities might look like. Contents Part I. Substance Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion Links Donnchadh O'Conaill, Website Donnchadh O'Conaill, Substance (2022)

Dr. Donnchadh O'Conaill, a leading philosopher specializing in the nature of reality, joins the podcast to discuss substances. They explore the historical significance of substances and the philosophical implications of substance ontology, while also delving into different perspectives on the nature of reality, including particles, space-time, mathematical structures, and entities like God. The importance of considering all possibilities and keeping an open mind is emphasized.

In this episode, Martha Nussbaum, author of 'Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility', discusses topics such as adopting animals from shelters, transitioning to plant-based and lab-grown meat, the influence of education on progress, human dependency on other species, and exploring quotes from her book on the good life and caring for animals.

Martha Nussbaum, author of 'Justice for Animals: Our Collective Responsibility,' explores the wrongs in how we treat animals. She discusses the Capabilities Approach vs. Utilitarianism in animal justice, adaptive preferences, different views on animal rights, and proposes an approach that considers animals as active citizens.

The podcast explores the tension between security and privacy in government surveillance. They discuss the flaws in the 'nothing to hide' argument and the implications of information release. The impact of data brokers and the importance of privacy are also debated.

The podcast discusses the importance of privacy, the impact of surveillance on individuals and society, the FBI's covert operations and government surveillance, the importance of protecting consumer privacy, the rise of Google and data privacy violations, and potential privacy concerns from data collection and sale by companies.

Introduction 'I was sold a story about the modern world. I was told that I could connect with friends for free and that I could have everything conveniently tailored to my tastes. I was also promised I'd be kept safe from those who wished to attack me and my values. All in all, I was told I would be empowered to live my life as I saw fit. In time, I began to hear another story. I started to hear that what I had shared with friends was actually a product that social media sold to others. I was told that some of my wants and desires were, in reality, the wants and desires of people whom I had never met. I was made aware that the promise of safety came at a cost which appears never to have been proven worthwhile. The power, as it turns out, was not really with me – it was with those who sold me the original story. The choices I made when I knew no better helped them understand me and others like me better. They could do this because they were watching. When I wanted them to stop watching, they told me that if I had nothing to hide, then I had nothing to fear.' Contents Part I. Privacy is Power Part II. Privacy in Peril Part III. Further Analysis and Discussion Links Kirstie Ball, Kevin Haggerty, and David Lyon, Routledge Handbook of Surveillance Studies (book). Danielle Keats Citron, The Fight for Privacy: Protecting Dignity, Identity and Love in the Digital Age (book). Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones, We Know All About You: The Story of Surveillance in Britain and America (book). Neil Richards, Why Privacy Matters (book). Edward Snowden, Permanent Record: A Memoir of a Reluctant Whistleblower (book). Carissa Véliz, Privacy is Power: Why and How You Should Take Back Control of Your Data (book). Raymond Wacks, Privacy: A Very Short Introduction (book).