Philosophy Everyday
Independent content on philosophy, science, and technology.
Episodes
Does God Exist? Wrong Question | Simon Critchley
Simon Critchley is a British philosopher, author, and the Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy at The New School for Social Research in New York. One of the most distinctive voices in contemporary philosophy and continental philosophy, his work spans ethics, political philosophy, psychoanalysis, literature, religion, tragedy, death, football (soccer), and the role of philosophy in everyday life. He
600 Years Before Descartes: Ibn Sina’s Flying Man | Peter Adamson
Peter Adamson is Professor of Philosophy at LMU Munich and the host of the widely respected podcast History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps. He is one of the leading scholars working on the history of philosophy across the Islamic world, late antiquity, medieval philosophy, Greek philosophy, Arabic philosophy, and the broader global history of ideas. In this episode, we discuss Ibn Sina’s Flying Ma
Mind May Be Older Than the Brain | Michael Levin on Life and Intelligence
Michael Levin is a developmental and synthetic biologist at Tufts University whose work sits at the intersection of biology, bioelectricity, artificial life, regenerative medicine, synthetic biology, computer science, cognitive science, and philosophy of mind. He is known for his research on how cells communicate, make decisions, build bodies, repair tissues, and form collective intelligence throu
Your Best Values Are Status Games in Disguise | David Pinsof on Human Nature
David Pinsof is an evolutionary psychologist, writer, and co-creator of Cards Against Humanity. He is the author of the substack "Everything Is Bullsh*t", where he examines self-deception, social status, morality, humor, and the hidden motives behind human behavior through the lens of evolutionary psychology. In this conversation, we discuss how self-deception stabilizes status games, why people p
Will AI Make You Smarter or Dumber? | William B. Irvine on Thinking in the Age of AI
William B. Irvine is an American philosopher and Professor Emeritus at Wright State University, best known for his work on Stoicism and practical philosophy. His books include A Guide to the Good Life, which helped popularize modern Stoicism, and his most recent work, How to Think More and Better: Being Reasonable in an Unreasonable World (2024), where he explores evidence-based reasoning, cogniti
Why Happiness Is Not Enough | Rebecca Goldstein on Mattering
Rebecca Goldstein is a philosopher/novelist who brings serious philosophical ideas to the world of popular discussion. A trained analytic philosopher, with an interest in philosophers such as Spinoza, Plato, and Aristotle; her writing takes up many of the most ancient of questions about human existence from a contemporary perspective. She recently developed the concept of "the mattering instinct"
The Big Bang May Not Be the Beginning | Dr. Niayesh Afshordi on Time and Nothingness
Dr. Niayesh Afshordi is a theoretical physicist and professor at the University of Waterloo, known for his work on cosmology, quantum gravity, and the fundamental nature of the universe. His research explores some of the deepest questions in physics, including the origin of the Big Bang, the nature of time, and the limits of our current theories. He is also the co-author of The Battle of the Big B
What Happens When Death Loses Meaning? | Robert P. Harrison on Modern Life & Mortality
Robert Pogue Harrison is a Professor of Italian and French Literature at Stanford University and a leading scholar in Philosophy, Literature, Intellectual History. He has written many important books on topics such as Death and Youth, which include: The Dominion of the Dead; Juvenescence. Additionally, he hosts the popular podcast "Entitled Opinions" in which he discusses big picture issues of Hum
Can You Prove God Using Only Reason? (Descartes' Meditations)
What do you believe to be true? Are you absolutely certain? Can you really know? Does reason exist for its own sake, or is every thought simply an illusion created by your brain? This week, I look at Descartes' revolutionary experiment of doubting everything - everything about the world, how we sense things, even our own reasoning - and attempting to build knowledge back up again. He bases his con
Can AI Cure Conspiracy Theories? Dr. Gordon Pennycook on Pseudo-Profound Bullsh*t
I recently talked with Dr. Gordon Pennycook who is a cognitive psychologist and has researched, among other things, why people accept false information, why some statements sound profound but have no real meaning and if using Artificial Intelligence (AI) could help decrease conspiracy thinking. Dr. Pennycook is one of the top researchers studying misinformation, cognitive reflection and what he te
Pain Is Inevitable. Suffering Is Optional | Steven C. Hayes
Steven C. Hayes is a prominent American clinical psychologist and researcher known for his foundational work in behavioral science and psychotherapy with a focus on human language, cognition, and alleviating suffering. He developed Relational Frame Theory (RFT), which explains human higher cognition, and originated Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an evidence-based psychotherapy. We explor
Platonic Love Explained (Why Modern Dating Feels So Empty)
The idea that love is a feeling rather than an appetite for something may be part of the marketing surrounding Valentine's Day; in other words, love is viewed as satisfaction, completion, or a secure sense of emotions. However, Plato has an entirely different view. In this episode, I take a look at Plato's "Symposium," which is arguably one of the most upsetting, and authentic de
Why We Are Losing Our Minds | John Vervaeke on the Meaning Crisis
John Vervaeke is a cognitive scientist and philosopher best known for his work on the modern meaning crisis, wisdom, and the nature of human understanding. He is a professor at the University of Toronto and the creator of Awakening from the Meaning Crisis, a widely influential lecture series exploring why modern life feels increasingly disconnected, fragmented, and nihilistic. In this episode, we
Why Descartes Still Haunts Us | John Cottingham
John Cottingham is one of the world’s leading scholars of René Descartes and early modern philosophy. He is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Reading and the author of several influential books on Descartes, ethics, and philosophy of religion. Cottingham is also widely known for his work on the Cambridge Edition of the Works of Descartes, where he served as editor and translato
“I Think, Therefore I Am” What Did Descartes Really Mean?
Nothing can be trusted to be real, or at least, that’s the starting point. In this episode, I break down René Descartes’ method of radical doubt by walking through the First and Second Meditations, step by step. What happens if you treat everything that can be doubted as false? That includes; your senses, your body, the external world, and even mathematics. Source of Discussion: Meditations on Fir
We Arrived Late to the Cosmic Party! Avi Loeb on Cosmic Modesty and Our Place in the Universe
Dr. Avi Loeb is a prominent theoretical physicist specializing in astrophysics and cosmology. He serves as the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University, where he previously chaired the Astronomy Department and founded the Black Hole Initiative. He has authored over 800 papers and popular books like Extraterrestrial on potential signs of alien technology. Follow the podcast for
Books to Read (Fiction, Philosophy, AI, Consciousness) | Book Review #1
As we enter 2026, I wanted to take a step back and reflect on some of the books I read this year, and what they made me rethink about life, meaning, power, consciousness, and society. Check out the chapter names to see books discussed in this video. Let me know in the comments what you’re planning to read in 2026, and whether you have read any of these before.
Education Was Never About Jobs | Aristotle on Leisure and the Good Life
Was education ever meant to make you employable or fix your career? In the final book of Politics, Aristotle argues that this assumption misunderstands education from the beginning. According to Aristotle, education primarily exists for the sake of leisure, here understood as freedom from necessity and the condition for contemplation. This understanding proposes that a life organized entirely arou
Did Aristotle Propose Universal Basic Income 2300 Years Ago? | Aristotle's Politics
Did Aristotle sketch the foundations of something like Universal Basic Income in ancient times? In Book VII of Politics, he argues that no citizen should live in a state of constant labor and necessity, because leisure is the precondition for virtue, philosophy, and judgment. In this episode, I walk through his surprising claims about basic sustenance, land distribution, civic roles, military powe
What Is the Point of a Human Life? | Aristotle on the Purpose of Life
Aristotle never treated philosophy as a luxury or something that you do when you are bored. In Book Seven of Politics, he forces a difficult question: can the philosophical life become a retreat from real action? And if so, what does that say about the lives we choose? What is worth pursuing at the end of the day? And what is ultimately meaning of life? In this episode, I break down Aristotle’s ar
Society Is Built from Habits | Aristotle's Politics
In this episode, I walk through Book 6 of Aristotle’s Politics, a section where he becomes unusually practical. Here he stops talking about ideal systems and starts asking a simpler question: what actually keeps a community functioning? Why do some forms of shared rule remain stable while others constantly shift? Aristotle looks at freedom, equality, participation, and the habits of everyday life.
Reality Is a Controlled Hallucination! Dr. Anil Seth on Consciousness
I talked to Dr. Anil Seth, neuroscientist, author of "Being You", and one of the world’s leading thinkers on consciousness, to explore one of the deepest questions in philosophy and science: What does it mean to be aware, and why does it feel like something to be you? Dr. Seth’s work is amazing as it bridges neuroscience, philosophy, and artificial intelligence. Just to be clear, the theory of con
What Aristotle Really Thought About Monarchy? | Aristotle's Politics
What did Aristotle really think about monarchy? In this episode, I finish Book V of Aristotle’s Politics, exploring how monarchies rise, fall, and sometimes turn into their opposite. Along the way, we look at Aristotle’s comparisons with democracy, and his practical reflections on power, virtue, and moderation. This discussion is entirely historical and philosophical in nature, focusing on Aristot
Your Intelligence Can Work Against You | Spencer Greenberg on Rationality
I sat down with Dr. Spencer Greenberg, mathematician, entrepreneur, and host of the Clearer Thinking podcast, to explore one of the most fascinating puzzles of human nature: why even the most intelligent minds can fall for irrational beliefs. In this conversation, we discuss: (1) Is intelligence alone to protect us from bias and self-deception? (2) How emotions, heuristics, and evolution shape our
When the Best Become the Rulers | Aristotle on Aristocracy
What makes a society lose its moral strength?Did Aristotle already warn us about how virtue slowly fades not through sudden corruption, but through small unnoticed habits that change who we become?In Book V of Aristotle’s Politics, he explores why even the best systems weaken over time, and why preserving balance depends less on power and more on character.
Did the Enlightenment Fail? A Philosophical Reflection with Dr. Stephen Hicks
I sat down with Dr. Stephen Hicks, philosopher and author of Explaining Postmodernism, to explore some of the biggest questions in modern thought: what the Enlightenment really changed, how confidence in reason began to crack over time, and why modern philosophy still struggles with truth, meaning, and progress.
What Aristotle Really Thought About Human Nature? | Aristotle's Politics
What is the source of all conflicts? Aristotle thought that the answer had something to do with human nature itself. In this episode, I talk about Book V of Aristotle's Politics, where Aristotle finally stops describing systems and now also starts dissecting their psychology. He explores how ambition, resentment, and pride drive people toward conflict, and why the rich and poor never agree on what
Why the Universe Doesn’t Care? Stoicism Explained by Dr. Massimo Pigliucci
I sat down with Dr. Massimo Pigliucci, philosopher, evolutionary biologist, and one of the most influential voices bringing Stoicism into the modern age. In this episode, we explore timeless ideas that matter more than ever today: Why Stoicism keeps returning in times of crisis? What you actually control, and what you don’t? The biggest misconceptions about Stoicism. How Stoicism compares with Nie
Did Aristotle Invent Checks and Balances? | Aristotle's Politics
Aristotle links his ethics to politics, arguing that just as virtue is found in the middle, so too is stability in the city.The middle class, the “middling element,” becomes the true stabilizer, citizens who know both how to rule and how to be ruled. From there, Aristotle maps how regimes endure or fall, how incentives like fines and pay shape participation, and how military power cavalry or infan
We Live in a Simulation! Dr. Roman Yampolskiy on AI & Reality
I sat down with Dr. Roman Yampolskiy, a leading voice in AI safety and author of AI: Unexplainable, Unpredictable, Uncontrollable. In this episode, we dive into questions that challenge reality itself: Are we living in a simulation? Can superintelligent AI ever be controlled? What makes humans truly special? Could we one day solve death itself?
Aristotle on Power, Compromise, and Mixed Government
Should the wealthy few rule, or the poor majority? Should politics belong to those with leisure, or can every citizen truly take part? In these chapters, Aristotle digs into the messy reality behind democracy, oligarchy, polity, and tyranny.He shows that oligarchies, like democracies, come in degrees. He insists that politics always returns to one fact: those with leisure have the time to rule, wh
Why the Perfect System Doesn’t Exist? | Aristotle's Politics
Is politics about ideals, or about what actually works? Aristotle shifts from dreaming about the perfect city to wrestling with the messy reality of real regimes.Instead of chasing one utopia, he asks sharper questions: what is the best regime most cities can actually attain? Should we measure politics by ideals of justice and virtue, or by what circumstances allow? And who shapes whom do laws mak
Is the Crowd Smarter Than the Expert? | Aristotle's Politics
Who should rule, the one or the many?Aristotle wrestled with this question in Politics, and his answer is anything but simple. On one side stands the idea of a single extraordinary ruler. A man of unmatched virtue, flexible enough to judge every situation like a wise doctor who can go beyond the handbook. On the other side is the law: impartial, passionless, reason stripped of jealousy and anger.
Aristotle on the One Perfect Ruler (and AI Kings)
In this episode, I dive into Aristotle’s controversial idea, the “natural king.” This is the one person whose virtue and wisdom are so far above everyone else’s that ruling them would be unjust. Aristotle says such a ruler should lead willingly accepted by all, a model of kingship that sounds strangely familiar in the age of artificial intelligence. Could a superintelligent AI fit this description
Why the Rich and Poor Always Fight | Aristotle's Politics
In this episode, I explore Aristotle’s brutal critique of both democracy and oligarchy and why he believed neither the rich nor the poor should rule simply because they can.For Aristotle, justice is about purpose rather than wealth or equality. Cities exist for living well, and not just for mere survival.This is where Aristotle draws the line between power and legitimacy. He doesn’t care how many
Aristotle’s Test for Who Counts as a Citizen | Aristotle's Politics
Does being a good person automatically make you a good citizen? In this episode, I dive into one of Aristotle’s most important distinctions between moral virtue and political virtue. You can be honest, kind, and just, yet still fail the test of citizenship. Why?Aristotle claims that the real citizen is someone who takes part in deliberation and decision-making in the community. That means power, p
The Society That Was Too Strong to Survive | Aristotle on Sparta
Sparta was worshipped, by both ancient and modern admirers. But what if the truth behind the myth is weaker, even a little absurd?In this episode, I go deep into Aristotle’s breakdown of Sparta. A regime that trained its men for war, ignored its women, enslaved its workforce, and collapsed the moment peace arrived.I also explore what Aristotle thought about Crete, Carthage, and the lawgivers who t
Why Perfect Equality Fails | Aristotle on Equality, Unity, and Utopias
What if the perfect society is actually a trap?In this episode, I dive into Book II of Aristotle’s Politics, where he dissects Plato’s idea of a utopia, shared property, shared families, total unity. On the surface, it sounds noble. But Aristotle peels back the layers and asks: what happens when everyone owns everything... and no one owns anything?I talk about why radical equality might backfire,
Is It Natural to Want More Than You Need? | Aristotle on Money and Greed
Is there such a thing as getting rich the right way?In this episode, I dive into Aristotle’s views on wealth, money-making, and the purpose behind it all. Aristotle saw a clear difference between natural and unnatural ways of getting rich.Why did he think the endless pursuit of profit could distort your soul?What kind of wealth is worthy of respect, and what kind isn't?This video is deeper look a
Why Humans Need Politics | Aristotle on Why Man Is a Political Animal
Why did Aristotle say that anyone who lives outside society is either a beast or a god?In this first episode of the Politics series, I go back to the origins of the city, the household, and the idea that humans are, by nature, political animals. This is about what kind of creature the human being is, and what happens when he tries to exist alone.I also dive into one of the most controversial parts
How Art and AI Shape Meaning Today with Dr. Rebecca Marks!
How do art, AI, and ideology shape how we see the world?In this first episode of Philosophy Everyday, I speak with Dr. Rebecca Marks, an art historian with a PhD from Cambridge University.We explore one of my favorite paintings, Raphael’s The School of Athens, its meaning, symbolism, and place in the Renaissance.We also discuss how AI might influence the future of art, how ideology shapes percepti
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