All Episodes

April 24, 2025 63 mins

Thomas Nagel is an American philosopher known for exploring consciousness, ethics, and the limits of scientific explanation. He is best known for his essay "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?" and his critique of materialism in Mind and Cosmos.


Thomas discusses how he was drawn to philosophy, he elaborates on the major themes of his work, especially the challenge of understanding the subjective experience, and calls for a broader view of reality that encompasses both mental and physical dimensions. 


Beyond philosophy of mind, Nagel discusses ethical issues, such as the difficulty of comparing the suffering of different species and the tensions between impartial moral theories and personal loyalties.


Read: What Is It Like to Be a Bat?


Keep up to date with Peter on Substack

Keep up to date with Kasia!


Executive Producer: Rachel Barrett


Thanks to our volunteer researchers Hendrik Dahlmeier and Mihika Chechi


And special thanks to Suzi Jamil


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.