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Critical Edge

Critical Edge

Lukas Seifert and Oliver Walsh 75 Episodes Jun 23, 2026

Critical Edge is a debate platform that pushes ideas to the limit by interviewing brilliant individuals and asking questions that are often left unexplored. It aims to be a disruptive media channel discussing perspectives that are too often ignored. The podcast is hosted by Lukas Seifert and Oliver Walsh.

Episodes

Cenk Uygur: The Real Reason I Was Banned From the UK Jun 23, 2026 00:34:33 Ollie and Lukas sat down again with Cenk Uygur to discuss being banned from the UK for anti-semitism, Israel’s influence in the UK, and Palestine.Critical Edge is a multi-media community started by two friends seeking to learn how to think, not what to think. Subscribe or check out our other platforms to join the team :)
Philip Pullman: Life Imitates Art | #67 Jun 5, 2026 01:02:18 Critical Edge hosts and best mates Ollie and Lukas sit down with Philip Pullman, renowned author of His Dark Materials.We drew on everything from Milton's Paradise Lost to Superman to William Blake. This episode was about the power of literature to change the way we see ourselves and the way we live our lives, as well as the way storytelling can light up our imaginations. Lukas told Philip abo
What Happens When a Philosopher Takes DMT? | #66 May 26, 2026 01:15:56 Critical Edge hosts and best mates Ollie and Lukas sit down with rockstar panpyschist Philip Goff.Ollie, Lukas and Philip talked about it all. We started with a discussion about the fundamental nature of consciousness, and why it can't be understood using the language of science: David Chalmer's 'hard problem of consciousness'. This led us to panpsychism and its connection to mysti
Is War Built Into Our Psychology? | #65 May 13, 2026 00:45:47 Critical Edge hosts and best mates Ollie and Lukas sit down with veteran of the philosophy game Jeff McMahan, an ethicist who lives and breathes his work. We really got into it this episode. We discussed whether war can ever be justified, the ethics of autonomous weapons, and the difficult questions concerning Gaza and Iran. Jeff isn’t one to weasel his words: you’ll want to hear what he has to sa
The Science of Tripping | #64 May 4, 2026 01:07:27 Critical Edge hosts and best mates sit down with Robin Carhart-Harris, leading psychedelic researcher and all round good bloke.We discussed the ethical and philosophical questions attached to psychedelics: such as how a drug can change how we see ourselves and the people around us, or what psychedelics might reveal about consciousness and the universe. Robin takes a pragmatic approach, and advocat
This Is Why Art Matters | #63 Apr 3, 2026 00:43:18 Critical Edge hosts and best mates Ollie and Lukas sit down with rockstar philosopher Nigel Warburton, co-host of Philosophy Bites.Ollie, Lukas and Nigel had a great chat about whether art is subjective, how cultural beauty standards shape us, Nigel's favourite books and paintings, and what it is about art that is so essentially human. Critical Edge is a multi-media community started by two fr
Do You Understand the Universe? | #62 Mar 24, 2026 00:42:25 Critical Edge hosts and best mates Ollie and Lukas sit down with Canadian-American astronomer Wendy Freedman, one of Times 2025 Top 100 most influential people in the world.Hardly experts on the topic, Ollie and Lukas had an open discussion with Wendy about the universe and its expansion, whether it really began with the big bang, and if we can ever know anything about dark matter. Lukas and Ollie
4 Thought Experiments to Change How You Think | #61 Mar 3, 2026 01:04:25 Critical Edge hosts Ollie and Lukas sit down with philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah to explore what classic thought experiments reveal about identity, morality, power, and the future of human connection.Across these puzzles—and the real-world examples they illuminate, from political power to dating apps and artificial intimacy—the conversation asks what truly anchors a good life: honor, authenticit
David Edmonds: the Danger of Tribalism | #60 Feb 5, 2026 00:52:39 Critical Edge hosts Ollie and Lukas sit down with philosopher David Edmonds to explore how discrimination, identity, and group psychology shape the way we see ourselves - and each other.Hosted by two passionate Oxford graduates, Critical Edge brings rigorous, accessible conversations with influential thinkers on the ideas shaping our world. Subscribe for
John Curtice: The Hidden Psychology of Class | #59 Jan 20, 2026 00:56:47 Critical Edge hosts Ollie and Lukas sit down with Professor John Curtice, the UK's leading authority on public opinion and electoral behaviour, to examine how Britain's political landscape has been transformed over the past decade.We explore how class has evolved as a marker of political identity, why age and education now structure voting behaviour more than any other factors, and how the
Mark Blyth: The Psychological Impact of Capitalism | #58 Dec 20, 2025 00:48:45 Critical Edge hosts Ollie and Lukas sit down with Professor Mark Blyth, an expert in political economy, to unpack how economic ideas shape the world we live in. We explore why being wrong is essential to learning, drawing on Nassim Taleb’s ideas of uncertainty, fragility, and “skin in the game.” From there, the conversation ranges across bubbles (AI, housing, finance), the commodification of time
Frank Turek Debates Evil, Homosexuality, and Scripture | #57 Dec 7, 2025 00:57:47 Critical Edge hosts Ollie and Lukas sit down with Frank Turek, an American Christian apologist. We had some interesting and nuanced discussion about the interrelation of faith and doubt, the problem of evil, and the reliability of scripture. We got into some more tough territory when discussing contradictions in scripture, the New and Old Testament, and homosexuality. There's a lot to stick your t

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