Philosophy For Our Times

We tend to believe consciousness is purely mental. And since Descartes' "I think therefore I am", we've privileged the mind as the centrepiece of thought and consciousness. But such a view is mistaken argues award-winning neuroscientist Antonio Damasio.

Feelings, long dismissed as secondary to thinking, are where consciousness begins, and are deeply rooted in the body and its physical processes. Join Damasio as he presents a new theory of consciousness and undoes the philosophical separation between mind and body posed by Descartes.

Antonio Damasio is an award-winning neuroscientist known for his pioneering work on emotions, intuitions and the biological origins of consciousness.

He is the author of several books including Descartes' Error and The Strange Order of Things. His most recent book Feeling & Knowing: Making Minds Conscious explores the origin and evolution of consciousness.

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What can JD Vance's arguments with Pope Francis teach us about selfishness, altruism, and the morality of the modern world?

Join the team at the IAI for four articles about egoism, self-sacrifice, and everything in between, analysing a range of subjects, including: Friedrich Nietzsche and his rivalry with former maestro Arthur Schopenhauer; the 10 Commandments and their relationship to jealousy; why God might be "stupid, indifferent, and evil"; and of course the aforementioned showdown between JD and the Pope.

These articles were written by Slavoj Žižek, Steven D. Hales, Kristján Kristjánsson, and Guy Elgat.

Slavoj Žižek is a Hegelian philosopher, a Lacanian psychoanalyst, and a Communist. He is the author of 'Christian Atheism: How to Be a Real Materialist'. Steven D. Hales is Professor of Philosophy at Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, and author of 'The Myth of Luck: Philosophy, Fate and Fortune'. Kristján Kristjánsson is Professor of Character Education and Virtue Ethics at the University of Birmingham. His work spans topics in moral philosophy, moral psychology, and moral education. He is also the editor of the Journal of Moral Education. Guy Elgat is a lecturer at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is the author of 'Nietzsche's Psychology of Ressentiment' and 'Being Guilty: Freedom, Responsibility, and Conscience in German Philosophy from Kant to Heidegger'.

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The mindful body with Ellen Langer

Can mindfulness be contagious?

Ellen Langer's research certainly seems to suggest that's the case. As Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and the author of 'The Mindful Body', Ellen has racked up decades of experience and numerous awards during her investigations into the impact of mindful living.

In this interview, Ellen discusses the transformative power of mindfulness in our daily lives, exploring how most of us operate mindlessly and therefore miss out on the incredible benefits that mindful practices can bring to our physical and mental health.

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The good, the bad, and the beautiful

What is beauty? Why are we so drawn to it? And should we be - or is it a distraction?

The philosophy of aesthetics and beauty has a long and fascinating history. Over the millennia, while we mostly agree on the essential nature of this ephemeral thing, "beauty", we disagree on the reasons why it is important, on its very definition, and sometimes if we should value it at all. Join our four diverse speakers - Nietzschean philosopher Babette Babich, mathematician Paul Ernest, Professor of English and World Literatures Ankhi Mukherjee, and journalist and best-selling author Sarah Wilson - as they dive into the notion of beauty and, mostly, defend it from their different perspectives.

What do you think - how important is beauty? Email us at podcast@iai.tv with your thoughts or questions on the episode!

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Once values such as justice and equality were agreed upon by all. Now they are identified by some as vehicles to entrench or overturn power. On the left, 'justice' as a means to sustain and impose privilege, 'truth' as an attempt to claim enduring authority. On the right, 'diversity' and 'equality' as means to undermine the status quo in favour of a new elite. The danger is apparent to many. Without agreed values, society is increasingly divided. Debate is limited by tribal associations that make discussion hard if not impossible.  

Do we need to re-engage with those whose values and beliefs we reject, while accepting that our own values are not universal? Should we seek to construct a new enlightenment to provide an agreed basis for progress that could apply to all? Or do we just need to reinforce the liberal democratic values of our past?

Dale Turner, Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science and Centre for Indigenous Studies at the University of Toronto, Janne Teller, critically-acclaimed writer of novels, essays and short stories, and Robin van den Akker, Senior Lecturer in the Philosophy of Culture at Erasmus University College Rotterdam, debate the values that govern our lives, and whether they are universal.

Do you think values are universal? Email us at podcast@iai.tv with your thoughts or questions on the episode!

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