The Prospect Podcast

His teachings have been transmitted, interpreted, and some may say misappropriated, for centuries. But what did Jesus Christ really believe? Now, as organised religion declines in popularity, does he have anything to teach our secular age? Author Nick Spencer, who recently wrote an essay on the secularisation of Jesus, joins the Prospect Interview to discuss the many lives of Jesus Christ. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the young Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ascended to power in 2017, he was hailed among the west as a liberal reformer, and was welcomed by Hollywood celebrities and world leaders alike. But what’s happened to Saudi Arabia’s supposedly radical programme of reform? Saudi expert Madawi al-Rasheed joins the Prospect Interview and takes us behind the power struggles and social debates gripping the country.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the nation headed to the polls for the EU referendum in 2016, the result was almost split down the middle. So how come the Brexit deal that's coming will not be the moderate one of a 48-52 nation, but a hard exit? Leading think tankers Anand Menon and Jill Rutter join the Prospect Interview to talk about the long four years since June 2016, and who is to really to blame for killing soft Brexit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Booker Prize-winning author Douglas Stuart joins the Prospect Interview to discuss writing his powerful novel, Shuggie Bain, which tells the story of a young boy growing up in working-class Glasgow during the 80s. Douglas talks to Arts and Books editor Sameer Rahim—who sat on this year’s Booker judging panel and was captivated by Shuggie Bain—about the importance of diversity in literature, his non-chronological way of writing, and what he made of the other shortlisted novels.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What has the attention economy done to our attention spans—and our minds? Writer and academic Julia Bell joins the Prospect Interview to discuss her latest book, Radical Attention, an essay on the many hidden, and not-so-hidden, costs of today’s technological systems. In an age of infinite distraction, Julia makes a case for the importance of radical attention: a sharp, focused, and generous way of being in the world, which valorises nuanced, difficult thought. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are we seeing a return to normality? CNN journalist and political commentator Fareed Zakaria joins the Prospect Interview to talk about Joe Biden’s victory, what will happen to populism, and how Covid-19 has changed both America and the world. He walks us through what America feels like after the election, and also lessons from his new book, Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who will win? Author and commentator Diane Roberts joins the Prospect Interview and gives a quick summary of the race so far, including which states to look out for. Plus: what have four years of Trump done to public trust in institutions? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How did America become the world’s predominant power? Historian Stephen Wertheim joins the Prospect podcast this week to discuss the short history of America as the world’s policeman, which he outlines in his new book, Tomorrow the World. He also talks about what might happen next—and what a foreign policy under Joe Biden might look like. Stephen is Deputy Director of Research and Policy at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, and is one of Prospect’s Top 50 Thinkers for 2020. Tomorrow the World is published by Harvard University Press. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Think Jacques Derrida was an inscrutable fraud? Peter Salmon, biographer and recent author of An Event, Perhaps, implores you to think again. Peter joins the Prospect Interview to talk about the life and work of the controversial, and unavoidable, philosopher, and unpicks some of the myths surrounding his philosophy.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist and author Owen Jones joins the Prospect Interview to talk about his new book, This Land. Editor Tom Clark talks to Owen about the highs and lows of Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour, what he really thinks of the line between campaigning and journalism, and whether it’s just doom and gloom for Britain’s left going forward.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.