Humans have wrestled with questions about identity and purpose for millennia. So it’s no surprise that the insights of people who lived hundreds or even thousands of years ago have stood the test of time. This week, philosopher Tamar Gendler explores how three great thinkers from ancient Greece understood the human psyche, and what we can still learn from th ... Show More
Aug 24
What Art Does For Your Brain
Think about the last time a piece of music stopped you in your tracks, or a novel kept you up late at night. Why do these experiences feel so powerful? Psychobiologist Daisy Fancourt says engagement with the arts can help to regulate our emotions, build resilience, and support lo ... Show More
49m 18s
Aug 17
How to Be A Better Partner
When we look at the people we love, how clearly do we really see them? This week, we talk with psychologist Edward Lemay about how our fears, desires, and insecurities can shape our perceptions of our partners — sometimes creating the very reality we expect. He explains how we ca ... Show More
1h 26m
Jan 2015
The Secret History of Thoughts
In "The Secret History of Thoughts," co-hosts Alix Spiegel and Lulu Miller ask the question, "Are my thoughts related to my inner wishes, do they reveal who I really am?" The answer can have profound consequences for your life. Hear the story of a man gripped by violent thoughts, ... Show More
56m 26s
Nov 2023
The Lesser-Known Philosophy of the Iron Age Greeks
When we think of Western philosophers who pondered questions about the good life, we typically think of the classical era of Greece and the likes of Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle. But my guest would say that the poets and philosophers who came out of the preceding period, Greece ... Show More
45m 12s
Feb 2025
Socrates' "Mirror For The Mind" Will Transform Your Thinking
Socrates had a strange idea: that another person can act as a mirror for your own mind, showing you the thoughts you cannot see on your own. In this conversation with philosopher Donald Robertson, we follow that thread through Socrates on wisdom, self-awareness, and the art of as ... Show More
10m 32s
Nov 1999
Consciousness
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the problems of consciousness, one of the greatest mysteries facing science and philosophy today. The frustrations, the stubborn facts and the curiosities of today’s thinkers, philosophers, physicists and psychologists, demonstrate the elusiveness, ... Show More
27m 58s