Wandering Thoughts

wandering thoughts

🎙️ Podcasts with experts in Science, Philosophy & more
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24 episodes
Avg 1 hr 13 min
English

Episodes 24

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Wednesday · 51 min
Stoicism, the Ethics of War & Moral Injury | Prof. Nancy Sherman
In this episode, Professor Nancy Sherman and I explore Stoicism, emotions, virtue, military ethics, moral injury, and what it means to live well. We discuss common misconceptions about Stoicism, especially the idea that being Stoic means suppressing emotion, and explore how Stoicism instead aims to train our emotions, judgments, and responses. We also discuss anger, proto-emotions, joy, distress, practical wisdom, courage, generosity, friendship, and how ancient philosophy can guide everyday life. Finally, we turn to war, PTSD, and moral injury, exploring why dehumanising the enemy is dangerous, how moral injury involves guilt, shame, and conscience, and how veterans can be supported after returning home.
August 19 · 1 hr 40 min
Stoicism: Virtue, Emotions & Human Excellence | Gregory Lopez
In this episode, Gregory Lopez and I explore Stoicism as a practical philosophy of life. We discuss what Stoicism is, what the Stoics meant by virtue, excellence, and living according to nature, and why human beings are understood as rational and pro-social animals. Gregory explains Stoic psychology, including reason, emotion, impressions, assent, passions, value judgments, and why Stoicism is not about suppressing emotions or becoming unfeeling. We also discuss why “control” can be a misleading word, what Epictetus really meant by what is “up to us,” and how beliefs, goals, and urges shape our actions. Finally, we explore Stoic practices such as journaling, reflection, the three disciplines of training, anxiety, grief, death, Buddhism, mindfulness, right speech, and where beginners should start when learning Stoicism.
August 15 · 58 min
Life Lessons from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu | Yousuf Nabi
In this episode, my grappling coach Yousuf Nabi and I discuss Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, coaching, competition, mental health, and building community. Yousuf shares how he started training BJJ after first discovering the Gracie family through early MMA footage, and how that eventually led him to open Elements in Brighton as a way to create more training opportunities locally. We talk about how the gym evolved from a passion project into a proper business and community, why Jiu-Jitsu can build confidence, resilience, humility, and comfort under pressure, and why losing can often teach you more than winning. Yousuf also explains what makes a good coach, why listening to students matters, and how creating a welcoming culture starts with leading by example. Finally, we discuss the Elements Grapplethon, a 12-hour non-stop sparring event raising money for Grassroots Suicide Prevention, and why Jiu-Jitsu can act as a kind of physical therapy for people struggling with mental health. You can support the podcast on Patreon here: 🔗 https://tr.ee/y8wVLs 🙏It does not unlock extra episodes or exclusive content, because I want everything I make to remain free and available to everyone. Your support helps me keep improving the podcast and bringing on interesting guests. I appreciate it!
August 13 · 2 hr 7 min
Paradoxes, Logic & Buddhist Philosophy | Prof. Graham Priest
In this episode, Professor Graham Priest and I explore logic, paradoxes, metaphysics, and Buddhist philosophy. We discuss what logic is, what makes an argument valid, and how philosophers think about premises, conclusions, reasoning, and theories of logic. Professor Priest explains classical logic, non-classical logic, paraconsistent logic, contradictions, explosion, and why some philosophers think certain contradictions may be true. We also explore the liar paradox, Russell’s paradox, realism, idealism, materialism, anti-realism, Wittgenstein, and the relationship between truth and reality. Finally, we discuss Eastern philosophy, Buddhist ideas of emptiness and interdependence, the ethics that follow from them, four-cornered logic, and how Indian and Buddhist traditions can expand the way we think about logic, metaphysics, and human flourishing.You can support the podcast on Patreon here: 🔗 https://tr.ee/y8wVLs 🙏It does not unlock extra episodes or exclusive content, because I want everything I make to remain free and available to everyone. Your support helps me keep improving the podcast and bringing on interesting guests. I appreciate it!
August 4 · 1 hr 3 min
Çatalhöyük: Living Without Hierarchy | Prof. Ian Hodder
In this episode, Professor Ian Hodder and I explore Çatalhöyük, one of the world’s most important archaeological sites. We discuss what archaeology is, how excavation works, and why Çatalhöyük gives us such a rare insight into the beliefs, myths, art, and daily life of people living around 9,000 years ago. Professor Hodder explains the role of ancestors, vultures, wild animals, domesticating plants and animals, and the transition from hunter-gatherer life to settled farming communities. We also discuss his theory of entanglement, how humans become trapped by the things they create, and how this applies both to agriculture and modern technologies like AI. Finally, we explore hierarchy, egalitarianism, gender, matrilineal society, reflexive archaeology, community participation, and what Çatalhöyük can teach us today about living with less hierarchy, less consumption, and more collective care.
August 3 · 57 min
What is Anarchism? | Prof. Ruth Kinna
In this episode, Professor Ruth Kinna and I explore anarchism, mutual aid, self-government, and anti-authoritarian political thought. We discuss what anarchism means, its history and major thinkers, including Proudhon, Bakunin and Kropotkin. We also examine property, violence, revolutionary change, community organisation, co-operatives, mutual defence and how anarchist ideas can be practised through everyday grassroots action. Finally, Professor Kinna explains mutual aid, anarchist approaches to decision-making, and how communities can organise without creating fixed or permanent systems of authority.
August 1 · 58 min
Sex Differences, the Evolution of Mind & Mathematical Cognition | Prof. David Geary
In this episode, Professor David Geary and I discuss sex differences, mathematical cognition, and the evolution of the human mind. We explore why maths, reading, and writing are evolutionarily recent skills, how they build on older systems like language and number sense, and why children may struggle with maths or reading. We also discuss male and female cognitive similarities and differences, including language, visual-spatial reasoning, mechanical reasoning, and how these may affect education. Finally, we talk about backlash to sex differences research, pregnancy and brain changes, human brain evolution, self-awareness, and why nature and nurture should be understood as working together rather than against each other.
July 26 · 1 hr 31 min
Complexity, Scaling Laws & the Future of Humanity | Prof. Geoffrey West
In this episode, Professor Geoffrey West and I explore complexity, scaling laws, cities, biology, and the future of humanity. We discuss what makes a system “complex” rather than simple and why physics can describe so much of the universe through elegant equations, yet still struggles to capture the messy world of organisms, cities, companies, politics, poetry, conflict, and human society. We also examine scaling laws in biology and cities: why larger animals use energy differently, why heart rate and metabolism change with size, and how similar mathematical patterns appear in urban systems. Professor West explains why bigger cities need less infrastructure per person but produce more socioeconomic activity — including more innovation, wealth, crime, and disease. Finally, we discuss sustainability, innovation, collapse, technology, AI, social change, and whether humanity can keep reinventing itself fast enough to avoid crisis. Professor West argues that technological innovation alone may only postpone collapse, and that genuine sustainability will also require deep social and political innovation.
July 24 · 1 hr 33 min
Anarchism, Democracy & Power | Dr. Sophie Scott-Brown
In this episode, Dr. Sophie Scott-Brown and I explore anarchism, democracy, political power, and the history of radical political thought. We discuss what anarchism is, why it is difficult to define, and why anarchist thought is often more pluralistic than people assume. Dr. Scott-Brown explains how anarchism challenges permanent structures of authority and how people already organise parts of everyday life through informal cooperation. We also examine representative democracy, direct democracy, citizens’ assemblies, radical democracy, and libertarian socialism. Dr. Scott-Brown reflects on the limits of representation, the possibilities and problems of referenda and people’s assemblies, and why democracy may need to be understood as something more fluid, participatory, and self-critical. Finally, we discuss the history of radical politics in post-war Britain, the New Left, anti-nuclear activism, education, universities, neoliberalism, political violence, nonviolent protest, social movements, and what present-day movements can learn from the past.
July 16 · 1 hr
Animal Minds, Sentience & Our Relationship with Nature | Dr. Carl Safina
In this episode, Dr. Carl Safina and I explore animal minds, sentience, consciousness, and humanity’s relationship with the natural world. We discuss how other animals experience the world, what makes humans similar to and different from other species, and whether animals such as insects, worms, birds, mammals, dolphins, and octopuses may be conscious or sentient. Dr. Safina explains animal culture, learning, awareness, emotion, and the difficulty of knowing where consciousness begins in the living world. We also discuss why humans often feel disconnected from nature, how Western ideas and consumer culture have shaped our relationship with the living world, and why environmental destruction requires both personal responsibility and large-scale public policy. Finally, we explore food ethics, animal farming, fishing, ethical consumption, and how we might live with more respect for animals and nature.
July 12 · 1 hr 33 min
God: Arguments For and Against | Prof. Graham Oppy
In this episode, Professor Graham Oppy and I explore arguments for and against the existence of God. We discuss cosmological, design, moral, ontological, and other arguments, as well as naturalism, atheism, agnosticism, and how worldviews are formed. Professor Oppy explains what makes a philosophical argument strong, why disagreements about God are so difficult to resolve, and why he thinks there are no successful arguments on either side that force everyone to agree. We also explore the problem of evil, animal suffering, divine attributes, Pascal’s wager, miracles, the resurrection, religious experience, and whether someone can be a Christian without believing in supernatural claims. Finally, we discuss faith, hope, free will, and what it means to trust in things outside of our control.
July 4 · 31 min
Punished by Rewards | Alfie Kohn
In this episode, Mr Alfie Kohn and I explore why rewards can backfire just as punishment can. We discuss intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, why grades, praise, bonuses, and incentive systems can undermine genuine interest, and why rewards and punishments are ultimately two forms of control. Mr Alfie explains how parents can move away from conditional acceptance and towards working with children to solve problems, while helping them feel loved regardless of their achievements. We also explore how schools could change by moving beyond grades, tests, homework, competition, and rigid curricula. Finally, we discuss authentic assessment, portfolios, conversations with students, student choice, and why education should focus less on memorisation and more on deep thinking, curiosity, collaboration, and real-world understanding.
July 3 · 48 min
Learning Without A Teacher | Prof. Sugata Mitra
In this episode, Professor Sugata Mitra and I explore how education could change in a world shaped by the internet and artificial intelligence. We discuss his famous Hole in the Wall experiment, self-organised learning environments, and why groups of children can often teach themselves when they have access to technology, questions, and one another. Professor Mitra explains why the teacher’s role should shift from delivering answers to guiding students through questions and discovery. We also explore whether using AI and the internet should really be considered cheating, why memorisation-based exams may no longer make sense, and how assessment could focus more on real-world outcomes and the ability to learn, apply, and communicate knowledge. Finally, we discuss curiosity, emergence, the importance of learning in groups, the energy demands of AI, and why philosophy and psychology may be essential for preparing children for an increasingly unpredictable future.
July 1 · 1 hr 4 min
Dementia: Risk Reduction & Management | Prof. Gill Livingston
In this episode, Professor Gill Livingston and I explore dementia: what it is, why it develops, and what can be done to reduce risk and support people living with it. We discuss Alzheimer’s disease, vascular dementia, amyloid plaques, tau tangles, cognitive reserve, and why diagnosis can be complex. Professor Livingston explains the major modifiable risk factors for dementia, including smoking, alcohol, hearing loss, vision loss, physical inactivity, social isolation, depression, air pollution, and poor cardiovascular health. We also explore the emotional impact of dementia on patients and caregivers, practical strategies for families, and how healthcare systems could better support people living with dementia. Finally, we discuss public health policy, assisted dying, screen time, and why social connection may be crucial for brain health.
June 28 · 1 hr 28 min
Empire, Colonialism, the EU & Russia | Prof. Anthony Pagden
In this episode, Professor Anthony Pagden and I explore empire, colonialism, nationalism, and the political history of Europe. We discuss what an empire is, why empires expand, and how colonialism and imperialism differ from one another. Professor Pagden explains how nationalism emerged from the decline of larger imperial structures, why political identities remain fragile, and how these questions continue to shape Cyprus today. We also examine whether the United States should be considered an empire, the case for European unity and federalism, and why a common European defence remains so difficult to create. Finally, we discuss Russia’s ambiguous relationship with Europe, Peter the Great’s legacy, and the role that empire continues to play in contemporary politics.
June 25 · 1 hr 22 min
The Free Energy Principle: Consciousness, AI & Why We Predict | Karl Friston
In this episode, Professor Karl Friston and I explore the free energy principle: what it is, why it matters, and how it connects to neuroscience, consciousness, evolution, and artificial intelligence. We discuss Markov blankets, self-organisation, prediction error, active inference, and why living systems can be understood as trying to minimise surprise. Professor Friston explains how action, perception, and prediction work together, using examples from cells, eye movements, reflexes, and robotics. We also explore consciousness in humans and animals, whether AI could ever be conscious, why large language models lack intentions, and the importance of embodiment, scale, and mortal computation. Finally, we discuss why consciousness may depend on complexity, selfhood, and our relationships with others.
June 22 · 53 min
Spinoza: God, Nature, Free Will & The Good Life | Prof. Steven Nadler
In this episode, Professor Steven Nadler and I explore the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza: his views on God, nature, free will, religion, and the good life. We discuss why Spinoza identified God with Nature, why this made him such a controversial figure, and whether he should be considered an atheist. Professor Nadler explains why Spinoza denied free will, yet still believed that human beings can become freer through reason and understanding. We also explore Spinoza’s account of happiness, virtue, death, immortality, and what it means to live well. Finally, we discuss his critique of organised religion, miracles, and the political importance of freedom of thought.
June 19 · 1 hr 18 min
How the Brain Predicts the Future | Prof. Reza Shadmehr
In this episode, Prof. Reza Shadmehr and I discuss how the brain predicts the future and why prediction may be one of its most fundamental functions. We explore the cerebellum, its evolutionary origins, and its role in movement, learning, error correction, and social behaviour. Prof. Shadmehr explains how ideas from engineering, robotics, and optimal control theory have shaped modern neuroscience, and how concepts such as internal models, reinforcement learning, and dopamine help us understand the brain. We also discuss mossy fibers, climbing fibers, ataxia, neural recording techniques, and why damage to the cerebellum affects both movement and thought. Finally, we explore the relationship between neuroscience and artificial intelligence, current research on how the brain learns, and the implications of AI for our understanding of human intelligence. Music: Without A Trace Music licensed through Soundstripe. License code: XFXCHV8GG8DTGRXY
June 18 · 2 hr 4 min
How Does The Brain Process Language? | Prof. David Poeppel
In this episode, Prof. David Poeppel and I discuss the Dual Stream Model of Language and how the brain processes speech. We explore the roles of the dorsal and ventral language pathways, the concept of efference copy, neural oscillations, and brain-stimulation techniques such as TMS. We also discuss neural sampling rates and neuroimaging methods such as EEG and MEG. Prof. Poeppel explains spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution, asymmetric oscillatory sampling, and how language processing may differ in neurodivergent individuals. Finally, we explore how the brain processes music, what it means to store words in our heads, and how babies learn language.
May 26 · 1 hr 3 min
How Do You Transcend Nihilism? | Dr Nolen Gertz
In this episode, Dr. Nolen Gertz and I discuss nihilism, technology, meaning, and the modern human condition. We explore the difference between passive and active nihilism, and how technology can make distraction and escapism easier, pushing us away from confronting reality and deeper questions of meaning. We also discuss Heidegger’s philosophy of technology, existentialism, AI, religion, and the search for meaning in an increasingly technological world.

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