Bradford, Aminah and Jonathan Blake. "The Spiritual Life of the Microbiome." Futurology (September 23, 2025) ["In 2014, the breakthrough Human Microbiome Project confirmed that – within our own bodies – we are outnumbered. For every human cell, there are three bacterial microbes residing in our gut and throughout what we long considered solid and singular self. This discovery severed the final remaining links in the Great Chain of Being, a persistent mythology from antiquity that cast humans as higher than and apart from the rest of creation. In this episode of Futurology, Aminah Bradford talks with Jonathan Blake about what she calls microbial theology. It’s a way of thinking about God, spirit, and community in light of the teeming life within us. This discovery forces Western religion to contend with the fact that we are never alone, that we are porous and dependent upon multitudes that we cannot see."]
Dabhoiwala, Fara. "The History of Revolutionary Ideas: Free Speech." Past Present Future (April 6, 2025) ["Today’s revolutionary idea is one with a long history, not all of it revolutionary: David talks to the historian Fara Dabhoiwala about the idea of free speech. When did free speech first get articulated as a fundamental right? How has that right been used and abused, from the eighteenth century to the present? And what changed in the history of the idea of free speech with the publication of J. S. Mill’s On Liberty in 1859?" Fara Dabhoiwala's book What is Free Speech: The History of a Dangerous Idea.]
Dorian, M.J. "Hilma af Klint • Painting the Unseen • Part 1: Life & Death & Art." Creative Codex #52 (July 2, 2025) ["What makes Hilma af Klint's artwork so groundbreaking? Did she really create her art with the aid of higher beings? And why did it take a century for the art world to catchup with her vision and finally recognize her genius? Join me as we discover the answers to all of that and so much more."]
Douglas, Alexander. "The History of Bad Ideas: Identity." Past Present Future (July 17, 2025) ["For the final episode in our current series on the history of bad ideas, David talks to philosopher Alexander Douglas about the damage that can be done by the idea of identity. Why is the search for a distinctive personal identity such a futile quest? How does it lead to an identity politics of exclusion and violence? What can we learn from the philosopher Spinoza about having an identity without identity? And what can we glean from the experience of dementia about losing ourselves?" Alexander Douglas' latest book is Against Identity: The Wisdom of Escaping the Self]
Finlayson, Alan. "The History of Bad Ideas: Behaviorism." Past Present Future (July 13, 2025) ["In today’s episode of the history of bad ideas, David talks to political philosopher Alan Finlayson about behaviourism, a theory of psychology that has penetrated to the heart of politics. How did we get from Pavlov’s Dog to a prescription for a better society? What is the relationship between behavioural utopianism and contemporary economics? How did behaviourism get turned into something called ‘Nudge’? And if we are being nudged into better behaviour, what is left for politics?"]
Giordano, Sara. "Scientific objectivity is a myth – cultural values and beliefs always influence science and the people who do it." The Conversation (September 4, 2025) ["If removing all bias is impossible, then, how do people create knowledge that can be trusted? The understanding that all knowledge is created through cultural processes does allow for two or more differing truths to coexist. You see this reality in action around many of today’s most controversial subjects. However, this does not mean you must believe all truths equally – that’s called total cultural relativism. This perspective ignores the need for people to come to decisions together about truth and reality. Instead, critical scholars offer democratic processes for people to determine which values are important and for what purposes knowledge should be developed."]
Goodall, Jane. "Recognizing the Animal as an Individual." Lives Well Lived (October 2, 2025) ["Jane Goodall died this week at the age of 91. To mark her exceptional life we are re-releasing our truly fantastic episode that was recorded at her family home in England over a year ago.. Jane recounts her journey from a curious child to activist, and her lifelong dedication to understanding and reshaping scientific views on animal behaviours. Jane's legacy will continue to inspire future generations to make a positive impact on the world."]
Hart-Brinson, Peter. "The Gay Marriage Generation: How the LGBTQ Movement Transformed American Culture (NYU Press, 2018)." New Books Network (August 15, 2025) ["How and why did public opinions about gay marriage shift? In his new book, The Gay Marriage Generation: How the LGBTQ Movement Transformed American Culture (New York University Press, 2018), Peter Hart-Brinson explores this question and more through public opinion data and interviews with two generations of Americans. By using these mixed methods of analysis, Hart-Brinson dissects generational change of attitudes toward gay marriage through interpretive, historical, and demographic analyses. This book contributes to the literature by building upon previous work and moving the discussion of generational change and attitudes forward. Concepts that are important for the book include differences between orientation and attraction, a difference in how the two generations Hart-Brinson interviewed speak about gay marriage. This book is accessible to a wide audience and will be of interest to family and public opinion scholars, as well as anyone interested in public attitudes or gay marriage specifically. This book would be a great addition to any graduate level course on families, as it gives a solid background of the history of the LGBTQ movement as well as attitudes shifts toward gay marriage."]
Hill, Samantha Rose. "Where Loneliness Can Lead." Aeon (October 16, 2020) [MB Comments: In thinking about the dangers of our current "loneliness" epidemic in America, we must consider that loneliness is not actually a state of being alone (hiking in a forest, reading a book, working on a project), it is instead a continuous state/sense of detachment or isolation in the midst of others or a community. This is important to consider when reflecting on violent terror enacted by the latest mass shooters (and countless others from various ideological perspectives), but also in regards to the blind allegiance to our party lines or identity allegiances in which all that matters is that "our" team wins, even if it destroys our lives/community/country/world. Arendt uses the word "totalitarianism," but I find, for this moment, that "authoritarianism" is a more useful word. In the desperation of their loneliness people cede the ability to think (and act) to a authoritative force and silence the important ongoing dialogue within themselves, driving out any considerations of contradictions or recognition of the plurality of the world. This is a high price to pay for the false promise of peace of mind.]
Koopman, Colin. "The Power Thinker." Aeon (March 15, 2017) ["One need not be locked away in a prison cell to be subject to its designs of disciplinary dressage. The most chilling line in Discipline and Punish is the final sentence of the section entitled ‘Panopticism’, where Foucault wryly asks: ‘Is it surprising that prisons resemble factories, schools, barracks, hospitals, which all resemble prisons?’ If Foucault is right, we are subject to the power of correct training whenever we are tied to our school desks, our positions on the assembly line or, perhaps most of all in our time, our meticulously curated cubicles and open-plan offices so popular as working spaces today. To be sure, disciplinary training is not sovereign violence. But it is power. Classically, power took the form of force or coercion and was considered to be at its purest in acts of physical violence. Discipline acts otherwise. It gets a hold of us differently. It does not seize our bodies to destroy them, as Leviathan always threatened to do. Discipline rather trains them, drills them and (to use Foucault’s favoured word) ‘normalises’ them. All of this amounts to, Foucault saw, a distinctly subtle and relentless form of power. To refuse to recognise such disciplining as a form of power is a denial of how human life has come to be shaped and lived. If the only form of power we are willing to recognise is sovereign violence, we are in a poor position to understand the stakes of power today. If we are unable to see power in its other forms, we become impotent to resist all the other ways in which power brings itself to bear in forming us."]
Koskinen, Aurora. Existentialism for Everyday Life: Finding Meaning in a Chaotic World. Athena Publishing, 2024. ["In Existentialism for Everyday Life: Finding Meaning in a Chaotic World, Finnish author Aurora Koskinen delivers a thoughtful and accessible guide to existentialist philosophy, designed to help readers navigate the uncertainties of modern life. Blending the core tenets of existentialism with practical, real-world applications, Koskinen crafts a book that is not only intellectually stimulating but also deeply relevant to the everyday challenges we face. At its heart, this book is an exploration of how existentialist thought—developed by philosophers like Søren Kierkegaard, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir—can empower individuals to live more authentically and meaningfully. Koskinen tackles the core themes of existentialism such as freedom, personal responsibility, and authenticity, while highlighting the role of subjective experience and the individual’s search for purpose. Each chapter focuses on a key existentialist figure or concept, distilling complex ideas into clear, relatable prose."]
Lancaster-Thomas, Asha and Tim Mawson. "Creator or Cosmos (Part 1. The Debate)." The Panpsychist Philosophy Podcast #147 (September 21, 2025) ["Across the world, belief in God continues to be widespread and, among philosophers, has long been considered one solution to the problems of the world’s origin, fine-tuned nature, and purpose. However, in the West, very few people have considered alternative concepts of God credible. That, though, may be beginning to change. One such alternative – pantheism – tells us that the universe and God are one and the same thing. It challenges conventional ideas about divine agency and the coherence of traditional theism, and invites us to reconsider what we mean when we speak of ‘God’. To explore God’s nature, in this special episode, I’ll be joined by two guests: Tim Mawson and Asha Lancaster-Thomas. Dr Mawson is Edgar Jones Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at St Peter’s College, University of Oxford. He has published five books and over fifty papers in the philosophy of religion. Dr Lancaster-Thomas is Teacher of Philosophy at Atlanta Classical Academy, USA, and has published widely on the philosophy of religion – most recently exploring alternative concepts of God, including the one we’ll be debating today. Tim Mawson will be arguing in favour of traditional theism – the view that God and the world are not identical. Asha Lancaster-Thomas will be defending pantheism – the view that they are. What are the implications of identifying God with the universe? Can such a view still provide the kind of moral and metaphysical grounding traditionally associated with belief in a transcendent creator? Or – by dragging God down from the heaven’s – do we diminish the divine and its explanatory power?"]
Lennard, Natasha. "On Non-Fascist Life." Politics Theory Other (August 14, 2019) ["Natasha Lennard joins me to discuss her book, 'Being Numerous: Essays on Non-Fascist Life'. We spoke about whether or not Donald Trump and the movement that has coalesced around him ought to be characterised as fascist, we also talked about the contributions of Wilhelm Reich, Michel Foucault, and other figures in the anti-psychiatry movement to theorising fascism. We discussed the legitimacy and history of anti-fascist violence and its treatment by the media, and finally we spoke about Natasha's writing on suicide and how the act of suicide brings into question capitalism's positing of the idea of the sovereign individual."]
Rediker, Marcus. "Freedom Ship: The Uncharted History of Escaping Slavery by Sea (Penguin Group, 2025)." New Books in Critical Theory (September 20, 2025) ["Conspiracy, mutiny and liberation on America’s waterfront by the award-winning author of The Slave Ship. Freedom Ship: The Uncharted History of Escaping Slavery by Sea (Penguin Group, 2025) is a gripping history of stowaway slaves and the vessels that carried them to liberty. Up to 100,000 fugitives successfully fled the horrors of bondage in the American South. Many were ushered clandestinely northwards from safe house to safe house: know as the Underground Railway. Thousands of others escaped not by land, but by sea. Their dramatic tales of whispered conspiracy and billowing sails make Freedom Ship essential and enthralling reading. Through the intricate riverways of the Carolinas to the banks of the Chesapeake Bay, Freedom Ship traces the freedom seekers who turned their sights to the sea. Sailaways regularly arrived in Britain on cotton ships from New York or Southern ports. For example, Moses Roper, one of the most determined runaways in American history, traveled 350 miles through slave country before eventually taking a ship named the Napoleon to Liverpool. Both legendary abolitionists Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman used the waterfront as a path to freedom. Marcus Rediker is Distinguished Professor of Atlantic History at the University of Pittsburgh. His “histories from below,” including The Slave Ship: A Human History, have won numerous awards, including the George Washington Book Prize, and have been translated into seventeen languages worldwide. He has produced a film, Ghosts of Amistad, with director Tony Buba, and written a play, “The Return of Benjamin Lay,” with playwright Naomi Wallace. He is currently writing a book about escaping slavery by sea in antebellum America."]
Robinson, Ellie. "Marry Midgley on Animals." Philosophy Bites (August 17, 2025) ["Mary Midgley didn't begin publishing until she was 59 years old, but nevertheless made a significant impact and had a distinctive approach. In this episode of Philosophy Bites Ellie Robson discusses some of her key ideas about our relationship with other animals. "]
West, Stephen. "Nietzsche Pt. 1: God is Dead and so is Captain Morgan." Philosophize This! #90 (September 25, 2016) ["... we take a look at Friedrich Nietzsche and his views on the role of religion and alcohol as calming influences." Further Reading: Nietzsche For Beginners – Marc Sautet (2007); Nietzsche: A Very Short Introduction – Michael Tanner (2000); Nietzsche: Philosopher, Psychologist, Antichrist – Walter Kaufmann (1974)."]
---. "Resistance, Love, and the importance of Failure. (Zizek, Byung Chul Han)." Philosophize This! #201 (May 6, 2024) ["This episode explores Slavoj Žižek’s idea that in a world where grand narratives have lost their power, most people fall into one of three paths: burnout and escapism, obsessive careerism, or trying to revive old traditions to find meaning. But Žižek hints at a fourth option—one where people deeply engage with something they truly care about, not to achieve it perfectly, but to fail at it meaningfully and continuously. Through examples like falling in love or pursuing a passion, he shows how real freedom comes from resisting surface-level, commodified experiences and instead embracing deeper, more transformative efforts. Žižek connects this to surplus enjoyment—how people often find meaning not in achieving goals but in the struggle itself, which can be exploited by society. Ultimately, he encourages listeners to take control of their desires, engage deeply with what matters to them, and live in ways that challenge the shallow structures of consumer life." Further reading: Surplus-Enjoyment: A Guide for the Non-Perplexed, Slavoj Žižek (2022); The Burnout Society, Byung-Chul Han (2015); Man’s Search for Meaning, Viktor E. Frankl (2006)]
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