Why should we rebuild our relationship with holy places?

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We live in a secular age, but we seem to be looking for the transcendent more than ever, whether it's through yoga, meditation or psychedelics. Join radical scientist Rupert Sheldrake as he explores our holy places in a secular age.

Rupert Sheldrake is a preeminent biologist and author, best known for his hypothesis of morphic resonance. His books include Science and Spiritual Practices, Ways to Go Beyond And Why They Work, and The Science Delusion. Furthermore, he was ranked in the top 100 thought leaders for 2013 by the Duttweiler Institute, Switzerland's leading think tank, and has been recognised as one of the 'most spiritually influential living people' by Watkins' Mind Body Spirit Magazine.

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Philosopher and acclaimed author, Julian Baggini, leading molecular biologist, Güneş Taylor, and critical race theorist, Tommy Curry, debate the relationship between reason and emotion.

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For centuries we have assumed reason to be ruthlessly independent of passion or emotion. Yet Nietzsche argued that reason is an emotional experience, and now neuroscientists have shown sad moods can trigger systematic and logical thinking. Furthermore, studies have shown that emotion plays a crucial part in grounding reason in reality, essential to our being able to make decisions.

Is it a mistake to think reason and emotion are quite separate, and instead conclude they are deeply connected? Does this threaten the calm and considered assessment of events required for social wellbeing and decision making? Or does it liberate us to think afresh knowing that there isn't only one rational way to think?

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Is technology holding us back?

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From work to entertainment, communication to travel, technology has shaped every aspect of our lives. We think technological progress is relentless and inevitable. But Aldous Huxley argued "technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going backwards".

Should we give up the idea that technology is the way to make our lives better altogether? Or is technological progress the only way forward? In this exciting debate, Economist deputy editor Kenneth Cukier, historian Caitjan Gainty and nihilist philosopher Nolan Gertz put their dreams to the test. Jess Wade hosts.

Kenneth Cukier is a renowned American journalist and coauthor of the NYT Bestselling book “Big Data”. Caitjan Gainty is an established historian of 20th century health and co-runs the Healthy Scepticism project, Nolan Gertz is a philosopher of applied ethics, and author of the cutting-edge book "Nihilism and Technology". Our host, Jess Wade, is a well-loved British physicist, researcher and advocate for women in STEM.

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Is philosophy an unbiased quest for the true account of the world?

From Plato to Aristotle, Russell to Wittgenstein, we traditionally see philosophers as engaged in the disinterested pursuit of truth: a view philosophers themselves are inclined to encourage. But in a postmodern world, shaped by Richard Rorty's claim that philosophy is merely a form of 'cultural politics', few now imagine that truth with a capital 'T' can be uncovered. Must we abandon the ideal of a philosophy free from motives and social goals? If so, how is such a philosophy to be distinguished from literature or politics? Should we hold on to philosophy as the pursuit of the one true story of the world, with logic and rationality central to the endeavour, or are these themselves rhetorical tools to convince the unwary? Janne Teller, Barry C. Smith and Silvia Jonas exchange their views.

Janne Teller is a critically-acclaimed writer, whose oeuvre consists mainly of novels, essays, and short stories, often focusing on grand-scale existential topics which spark controversial debate.

Barry C Smith is a philosophy professor, and the director of the Institute of Philosophy at the University of London’s School of Advanced Study. He also co-directs the Centre for the Study of the Senses, a research centre trying to understand how our senses contribute to our perception of the world.

Sophie Allen is a renowned philosopher, her work focuses on philosophical methodology, metaphilosophy and metaphysics. She is a lecturer at the University of Keele where she writes on the very understanding of philosophy itself.

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Can we free ourselves from stale ideas about consciousness?

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Some argue that the reality we perceive is a controlled hallucination. Others claim that science is about to crack the ancient problem of the self once and for all. Distinguished philosopher and panpsychist Philip Goff argues that neither of these are true, and explains why we need a new theory altogether.

Philip Goff is a renowned philosopher of consciousness at Durham University. His unique research focuses on integrating consciousness into our scientific worldview.

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Should we think of morality in terms of objective truth or social consensus?

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Once the fashion of a postmodern age, moral relativism has always had its detractors, many of them religious. But now a new breed of atheist celebrity thinkers, from Sam Harris to Peter Singer, are making claims for the existence of absolute moral truths. Critics argue that like authoritarian moralists of the past, they use so-called 'objective' morality to shore up to their own prejudices and silence dissent.

Firebrand philosopher Slavoj Žižek, bestselling author of Zed Joanna Kavenna, and philosopher and author of Truth Simon Blackburn debate objective morality in a postmodern age. Hosted by Professor and Chair of Jurisprudence at the University of Oxford, Ruth Chang.

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Is it time to abandon the search for reality?

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Nietzsche famously declared 'God is dead' in the late nineteenth century. Outspoken critic of philosophical realism Hilary Lawson observes that today we have replaced God with ‘reality’. He urges us to abandon this elusive and unattainable concept, offering an alternative view which embraces observation and reason while abandoning reality for good.

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Is human-like AI a pipe dream?

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A future with human-like AI is no longer limited to the pages of sci-fi, it’s now the dream of Big Tech too. But is this just a pipe dream? Join philosopher of perception Mazviita Chirimuuta as she argues that human-like AI is and will remain a fantasy. 

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Is it time for the English-speaking world to move on from analytic philosophy?

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Focusing on logic and the meaning of words, analytic philosophy sought to put philosophy on a scientific footing. Yet a century on and critics argue the core questions about the relationship between language and the world have been largely abandoned as insoluble, while the focus on logic and the aping of science is out of sync with the contemporary environment.

Should we see analytic philosophy as the high point of an enlightenment scientism that has been in retreat almost since its inception and which is no longer relevant? Or can it be revived by applying its focus on rationality and the logic of words to the divisive and emotional disputes that beset current culture?

Distinguished philosopher of language and the senses Barry Smith, Wittgensteinian expert Maria Balaska and maverick post-post modern philosopher Hilary Lawson lock horns over whether philosophy's fixation on language has held us back. Rufus Duits hosts. 

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Should we see art as a means of getting closer to the essence of what it is to be alive?

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Art is most often seen as an adornment to everyday life. An entertainment, a delightful distraction perhaps, but not an uncovering of the essential character of the world. To uncover reality, we instead focus on accurate description and the discovery of facts. Yet these descriptions frequently do not settle the matter and can often lead to conflict and dispute, and all the while we are no closer to agreement on the essential nature of reality. 

Could we successfully refocus culture so that art was the primary means of making sense of ourselves and our reality? Or is this an empty romantic illusion that would leave us poorer, less productive and less able to fend for ourselves in the world?

Critically acclaimed writer Janne Teller, musical comedian and writer Isy Suttie, British philosopher James Tartaglia and Pulitzer prize poet Paul Muldoon as they debate whether art can uncover the essence of the world. Hosted by acclaimed author, Joanna Kavenna.

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