Podcast Episodes

The unconscious mind: Is the unsconcious real?

The unconscious has become a well-known feature of our human lived experience since Freud. We often refer to unwanted impulses, suppressed thoughts, unconscious desires, and the like.

But what IS the …

Published on 13 hours ago

A landscape of consciousness | Robert Lawrence Kuhn and Hilary Lawson

Will we ever reach a conclusive, agreed-upon theory of consciousness?

Over the millennia of recorded history, countless stories, theories, and arguments have emerged to explain the origins of consciou…

Published on 1 week ago

Will psychedelics revolutionize mental health treatment? | Matthew Johnson, Shayla Love, and Kevin Sabet

The psychedelic revolution

Will LSD, Psilocybin, MDMA, and Ketamine treatments live up to the hype?

For decades, psychedelics were derided as dangerous recreational drugs; now many claim they have the …

Published on 1 week, 4 days ago

The illusion of separation | Jessica Frazier on the Monism of Hindu philosophy

Indian philosophy and the search for unity

In our everyday lives we act as though we are all separate individuals, but is this really the case?

Jessica Frazer argues that reality is ultimately unified…

Published on 2 weeks ago

The limits of nothingness | Peter van Inwagen

From philosophy to science, metaphysics to psychology, the idea of 'nothing' is central to the universe, existence and experience as a whole. But the nature of 'nothing' is even more bewildering than…

Published on 2 weeks, 6 days ago

Is free will an illusion? The chemistry of freedom | Patrick Haggard, George Ellis, Jennifer Hornsby

The question of free will - and whether we have it or not - is age-old across philosophy, religion, and human thought in general. Having free will allows us to have meaning, responsibility, reward an…

Published on 4 weeks ago

Has the world gone to Hell? | Slavoj Žižek on fascism, shame, and dirty jokes

Žižek: "Trump did what The Left couldn't"

As we look around at the state of the modern world, it's very easy to get disheartened - and that's putting it lightly! From pointless wars and endless suffer…

Published on 1 month ago

Video games and the meaning of life | James Tartaglia

Video games are changing how we think. Many are so realistic that some argue they are becoming reality. In this talk by philosopher James Tartaglia, he uncovers the relationship between games and rea…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

The philosophy of literature SPECIAL | George Orwell, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Aldous Huxley, and more

How literature helps us to understand morality, totalitarian politics, and the life of Jesus Christ.

Join the team at the IAI for four articles about great, classic literature, covering world-renowned…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

How other species challenge our idea of consciousness | Peter Godfrey-Smith

In this IAI Studio interview, philosopher and science writer Peter Godfrey-Smith explores the evolution of consciousness and the enduring mystery of the mind–body problem. Drawing on his work with oc…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago