When Descartes famously concluded “I think, therefore I am”, he took for granted his ability to use the first person pronoun to refer to himself. But how do we come to have this capacity for self-conscious thought? We aren’t born with it, and while we may not be the only creatures that can think thoughts about ourselves, this ability does not seem to be very ... Show More
Nov 10
Amie Thomasson, "Rethinking Metaphysics" (Oxford UP, 2025)
The word “metaphysics” conjures up thoughts of very hard questions about reality and deep, perhaps unresolvable, metaphysical mysteries. But is that the right way to think about the subject matter of metaphysics? According to Amie Thomasson, very clearly no. In her new book, Reth ... Show More
1h 3m
Oct 20
Ladelle McWhorter, "Unbecoming Persons: The Rise and Demise of the Modern Moral Self" (U Chicago Press, 2025)
How should one live? What should one do? And what do these questions have to do with being a good person? In Unbecoming Persons: The Rise and Demine of the Modern Moral Self (University of Chicago Press, 2025), Ladelle McWhorter reorients these questions through a genealogy of th ... Show More
1h 10m
Oct 10
S. Orestis Palermos, "Cyborg Rights: Extending Cognition, Ethics, and the Law" (Routledge, 2025)
Until recently, no one could access the detailed contents of your mind directly the way only you can. This level of protection of our mental data was guaranteed by the way we are built biologically – and it can no longer be taken for granted. In Cyborg Rights: Extending Cognition ... Show More
1 h
Mar 2022
Super Soul Special: Deepak Chopra Session: Belief Creates Reality
<p>Original Air Date: June 26, 2019</p><p>In a live appearance at UCLA’s Royce Hall, Deepak Chopra explains why a belief is simply a "thought that is true for you." He says the world that we create for ourselves is based on these thoughts, and thus beliefs shape our reality. Deep ... Show More
26m 13s
Jun 2019
Deepak Chopra Session: Belief Creates Reality
<p>In a live appearance at UCLA’s Royce Hall, Deepak Chopra explains why a belief is simply a "thought that is true for you." He says the world that we create for ourselves is based on these thoughts, and thus beliefs shape our reality. Deepak goes on to discuss how, as babies, w ... Show More
26m 13s
Dec 2023
Ego: The Stoic Perspective (Part 1)
Today begins a three-part series exploring ego. I question whether ego is the 'big bad boogey monster' of Vice, setting the stage for a week-long thematic exploration.
Initially, I discuss a meditation from Marcus Aurelius, which, although not explicitly about ego (since the con ... Show More
13m 9s
Sep 2021
Becoming Who You Truly Are (Self-Realisation)
<p>Life is a journey of self-realisation, of understanding and discovering who we truly are, and of maximising our potential. While this might be a life long journey, one can be closer or further from one's true self. This video analyses self-realisation from a philosophical ... Show More
17m 45s
Jan 2020
Why Self-Esteem is a Fairweather Friend
“The reason we don’t change,” says Shauna Shapiro, PhD, “is because most of us are missing this essential ingredient of self-compassion.” The psychology professor and author of Good Morning, I Love You joins Elise Loehnen to explain why we can forget about self-esteem and why “he ... Show More
43m 12s
Aug 2023
The seduction of thought | Miranda Keeling, Steve Taylor, Andy West
Is thought a distraction from reality?Looking for a link we mentioned? It's here: https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimesFrom the birth of reason to Descartes' "I think, therefore I am"; Western culture has placed thought at the centre of what it is to be human. We spend much of ... Show More
48m 32s