logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2022
1h 56m

Interview with Neil Levy on Intellectual...

CHRISTOPHER KAVANAGH AND MATTHEW BROWNE
About this episode

Fellow decoders: a few weeks ago Chris and Matt were invited to virtually attend a lecture at Macquarie University that promised to be of interest for the podcast. And that lecture was presented by the philosophy professor Neil Levy on the intriguing topic of 'Intellectual Virtue Signalling'. That is the status-seeking advertising of what is commonly perceived as intellectual virtues. We found Neil's thesis extremely compelling, with clear applications to a lot of the stuff we observe week on and week out on DTG. So, naturally, we swallowed our pride and our eternal disdain for philosophy and begged Neil to grace our humble show with his presence. Neil kindly agreed and we proceeded to have an enjoyable conversation with our patented meandering waffle juxtaposed against Neil's careful philosophizing.

Before the interview, we also spend a little bit of time spelling out our policy on being abusive to the gurus. Here it is in summary: Don't do it! Robust criticism, ok. Personal abuse/doxing, is not ok. Got it? Good!

Prof. Levy holds a dual position at the Faculty of Philosophy at Oxford University. He publishes not only in practical ethics and moral philosophy but also across diverse topics in cognition, addiction, and pathology. Neil has also written a number of books, most recently:


'Bad Beliefs' is directly related to the podcast, and is available freely online!

We heartily recommend this interview, and might even go so far as to say Neil has helpfully provided us with a bit of conceptual framework that undergirds some high-level stuff that's happening within and across the quantum circuits of the Gurometer. Thanks for that Neil!

Up next
Sep 25
A Sense-Making Odyssey, Part 2: Jordan Peterson, John Vervaeke & Jordan Hall
Matt and Chris once again take up their oars and plunge deeper into the recursive whirlpools of contemporary sensemaking. Picking up where Part 1 left off, having grappled with conscience, touchstones, hierarchies, and normativity, we return to the sensemaking labyrinth to see ju ... Show More
2h 36m
Sep 20
Supplementary Material 37: Public Murder Discourse, Heterodox Psychodramas, and Generous Tit for Tat-ers
Why are we never invited to these dinners? We wonder if it was something we said or if our invitation just got lost in the mail, as we endure the inevitable discourse wave that followed in the wake of Charlie Kirk's murder.The full episode is available to Patreon subscribers (2 h ... Show More
41m 48s
Sep 11
A Sense-Making Odyssey, Part 1: Jordan Peterson, John Vervaeke & Jordan Hall
Join Matt and Chris as they enter an intellectual labyrinth of recursive sensemaking featuring the combined insights of Jordan Peterson, John Vervaeke, and Jordan Hall. You will learn about many, many deep and complex concepts and puzzle over definitions of conscience, the vertic ... Show More
2h 15m
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2016
Episode 0, Introduction
What started off as just myself, Olly and Andrew (my co-hosts) talking philosophy at the University of Birmingham in the early episodes, has blossomed into something extraordinary. Bear in mind, that when this project started, we had never podcasted before. So, expect some poor a ... Show More
2m 20s
Apr 2018
Episode 36, The Daniel Dennett Interview (Part I - Philosophy of Religion)
Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/panpsycast. Everything you could need, including links to all of Daniel C. Dennett’s work, can be found at www.thepanpsycast.com! Please tweet us your thoughts at www.twitter.com/thepanpsycast. In the words of A. C. Grayling, Professor "Dani ... Show More
1h 11m
Apr 2018
Episode 36, The Daniel Dennett Interview (Part II - Philosophy of Mind)
Our Patreon page: www.patreon.com/panpsycast. Everything you could need, including links to all of Daniel C. Dennett’s work, can be found at www.thepanpsycast.com! Please tweet us your thoughts at www.twitter.com/thepanpsycast. In the words of A. C. Grayling, Professor "Daniel C. ... Show More
45m 41s
Sep 2024
Slavoj Žižek on God, reality and quantum physics
How will our scientists know if they are looking at complex phenomena from the wrong perspective? Have we taken the wrong approach to understanding the quantum world? Join Slavoj Žižek for an exclusive interview as he discusses the current state of quantum physics and questions t ... Show More
23m 52s
Oct 2024
Consciousness and the limits of science PART 2 | Sean Carroll, Ellen Langer, and Tamar Gendler
Mind, matter, and everything - PART TWOCan science ever solve the problem of consciousness? Do our methods look for answers in all the wrong places? Join Sean Carroll, Ellen Langer, and Tamar Gendler as they debate the possibility of science providing answers to the hardest probl ... Show More
27m 34s
Jul 2024
Is our metaphysics beholden to common sense? | Fragments and reality with Michael Della Rocca, Timothy Maudlin, Kathleen Higgins
Should we follow our philosophical conclusions wherever they take us? Or is there a hard wall of common sense that we are beholden to?Listen to some of today's leading philosophers in science and metaphysics as they talk it out!Tim Maudlin is Professor of Philosophy at New York U ... Show More
42m 6s
Sep 16
The struggle for the good life | Massimo Pigliucci on ancient philosophy for the modern era
We all want to live the good life. But how many of us can claim to be truly content? Join philosopher and evolutionary biologist Massimo Pigliucci as he argues that pleasure, character, and a healthy dose of doubt, form the basis of the good life, and that purpose in life is cruc ... Show More
29m 29s
Feb 2025
Nietzsche on overcoming nihilism | Philosopher Babette Babich
Nietzsche, the birth of tragedy, and the technology trap with Babette BabichDo life's struggles make the search for meaning a hopeless endeavour?Join renowned, continental philosopher Babette Babich as she explains the Nietzschean path to finding purpose, arguing that we must emb ... Show More
18m 3s
Feb 2024
E85 - Alex O’Connor: Philosopher Reflects On Death, Atheism, Morality & Meaning
Today we are joined by the Cosmic Skeptic, Alex O'Connor, for a fascinating look into philosophy, atheism, and the pursuit of an ethical life. Alex has gained recognition for his unique perspective on reality, which he interprets through the lenses of materialism and agnostic ... Show More
1h 30m
Nov 2024
Ep. 354: Guest Tim Williamson on Philosophic Method (Part One)
Oxford philosophy professor Timothy Williamson talks to us about his new book, Overfitting and Heuristics in Philosophy. How can we best apply the insights of philosophy of science to philosophy itself? Maybe some alleged philosophical counter-examples are just the result of psyc ... Show More
42m 33s