I first encountered Lawrence Krauss sometime in the early 2000s at a conference. I had just given my lecture and was answering questions when a rather small man with a loud voice and a highly articulate manner stood up and began berating me in what I initially thought was an aggressive manner. It turned out he wasn’t being aggressive; rather, his clear and d ... Show More
Oct 2025
If God designed it, why is it so badly built?
In this episode, Richard Dawkins revisits a 2012 conversation from the Great Minds program, produced by the Educational Broadcasting System in South Korea. He examines why life looks designed yet is full of flaws, showing how imperfections in nature reveal the true workings of ev ... Show More
13m 46s
Sep 2025
Why Ants Tear Off Their Own Wings
In this episode, Richard Dawkins revisits a 2012 conversation from the Great Minds program, produced by the Educational Broadcasting System in South Korea. Drawing on themes from his book Flights of Fancy, Dawkins explores humanity’s ancient dream of flight, the physics that gove ... Show More
15m 47s
Sep 2025
Why Ideas Spread Like Viruses
In this episode of The Poetry of Reality, Richard joins a live audience in Edinburgh to discuss his latest book, The Genetic Book of the Dead. In this wide-ranging conversation, he reflects on how DNA preserves the story of evolution, describing organisms as “living books” that r ... Show More
1h 15m
Dec 2024
Episode 137, Between God and Atheism: Live in London (Part I - The Debate)
<p>This is a live recording from our recent show at The Royal Institution Theatre in London.</p> <p>The panel includes returning guests Philip Goff (professor of philosophy at Durham) and Rowan Williams (former Archbishop of Canterbury), as well as two new panellists, Elizabeth O ... Show More
48m 1s
Feb 2025
Episode 139, Unanswered Questions
<p class="">A couple of weeks ago, Jack took part in a debate at Oriel College, University of Oxford, with Stephen Law on the evil-god challenge. It was a fantastic discussion, full of thought-provoking arguments and brilliant questions from the audience. It was also set to be ou ... Show More
53m 44s
Sep 2025
A landscape of consciousness | Robert Lawrence Kuhn and Hilary Lawson
<p>Will we ever reach a conclusive, agreed-upon theory of consciousness?</p><p>Over the millennia of recorded history, countless stories, theories, and arguments have emerged to explain the origins of consciousness. And yet, here we are in 2025 - post-Plato, post-Descartes, post- ... Show More
41m 19s
Mar 2025
What to do when your beliefs are challenged (w/ Tenelle Porter)
Tenelle Porter’s job is to study humility. Specifically, intellectual humility, the idea that we might be wrong or mistaken about some of our beliefs. Tenelle talks with Chris about why she thinks intellectual humility is so important, how to cultivate it, and why it’s the missin ... Show More
34m 9s