Philosophy For Our Times

Abby Innes, Associate Professor of Political Economy at LSE, challenges neoclassical economics as a closed-system, machine-like science. She links Soviet planning and contemporary Britain, explores Kantian ideas about open-ended societies, critiques the depoliticisation of economic policy, and warns about technocratic blind spots while calling for plural, context-sensitive analysis.

Rowan Williams, theologian and poet who led the Church of England, offers a literary and spiritual lens on meaning. Iain McGilchrist, psychiatrist and thinker on brain lateralization, brings neuroscience and culture to bear. They debate reality beyond materialism. They explore imagination, relationship-based knowing, intuition versus analytic certainty, and why embodied, time‑bound experience matters.

Tommy Curry, Africana philosopher who critiques Enlightenment exclusions. Seyla Benhabib, political philosopher focused on democratic theory and migration. Alain de Botton, public philosopher exploring emotional intelligence and civic life. They debate universalism versus partiality, whether moral ideals ignore real loyalties, tensions in Kantian thought, and how national identity, migration, and in-group preference shape justice.

Steve Fuller, a sociology professor and founder of social epistemology, challenges conventional views of how knowledge is made. He explores social foundations of knowledge, the rise of post-truth as recognition of plural perspectives, the role of media and technology in shaping what counts as knowledge, and how education and AI change who gets to validate information.

Michelle Terry, artistic director of Shakespeare's Globe and seasoned actor, reflects on acting, storytelling, and the nature of the self. She traces her path to the Globe and explains why live theatre invites unpredictability. Conversations cover the craft-versus-performance distinction, how audiences shape meaning, and why Shakespeare’s texts provoke fresh actor-audience alchemy.

Àlex Gómez-Marín, theoretical physicist and neuroscientist who studies consciousness and critiques materialist accounts of mind. He debates materialism’s limits, discusses near-death experiences and evidence for continued mind activity, explores identity and survival, and calls for pluralism between science, spirituality, and ethics.

Carlo Rovelli, theoretical physicist who frames observation as relational information. Alenka Zupančič, Lacanian philosopher who stresses subjectivity emerging from gaps and negativity. Slavoj Žižek, provocative philosopher mixing sharp argument and humor. They debate how mind and matter relate, the role of perspectives in physics, language’s limits, and whether subjectivity can arise within a physical world.

Lucy Allais, philosopher of agency and Kantian themes; Robert Sapolsky, neuroscientist and determinism advocate; Paul Bloom, psychologist studying morality and cognition. They debate whether freedom can fit with scientific materialism. They contrast hard determinism, higher-level agency, and psychological compatibilism. They also discuss blame, punishment, and how agency looks in edge cases like addiction.

In this engaging discussion, Jessica Frazier, a theology and religion lecturer at Oxford specializing in Indian philosophy, dives into the quest for higher states of consciousness. She opens up about childhood curiosities that sparked her philosophical journey. Key topics include contrasting views of the self—from Buddhist to Cartesian—and the ways imagination and meditation can help transcend modern alienation. With insights on various 'higher selves,' Frazier invites listeners to explore deeper layers of existence, emphasizing creativity and presence as pathways to fulfillment.

In this thought-provoking discussion, guests include Rowan Williams, a former Archbishop of Canterbury and theologian; Josh Cohen, a literary theory professor and psychoanalyst; and Catherine Liu, a cultural theorist and film studies professor. They explore transgression's dual nature—its potential for creativity versus its risks of totalizing chaos. Liu critiques the fetishization of norm-breaking, while Williams emphasizes context and moral development. Cohen warns against oversimplifying transgression, linking it to guilt and political backlash, urging a thoughtful approach to societal change.