The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast

Hey everyone, Jack here with another special episode – my recent conversation with Peter Godfrey-Smith, Professor in the School of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney.

Peter is best known for his bestselling book Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness – a landmark work on animal intelligence and the philosophy of mind.

In thi...

This week's episode is a live debate we hosted recently at The Royal Institution Theatre in London. The topic is 'The Story of Everything' – a discussion between four different belief systems on the existence of God.

William Lane Craig defends traditional theism; Jessica Frazier represents Hinduism; Joseph Folley argues for agnosticism; and Philip Goff defends a God of limited powers.

Long-...

Welcome to a special Episode 160 – a conversation / debate between Jack Symes and Philip Goff.

Philip Goff and Jack Symes have known each other since 2011, when Philip taught Jack's very first philosophy lecture. In the years since, they've both arrived at views that sit awkwardly between God and atheism – but in very different ways.

Philip defends a God of limited powers...

This episode brings together Jack and Rowan Williams, the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury and one of the world's most distinguished theologians.

As they explore the intersection of faith, politics, and ethics, they confront Christian nationalism, the morality of war, the value of animal life, and the nature of God. A sweeping philosophical and theological exchange!

We hope you enjoy the show.

This episode brings together two leading voices in philosophy of religion: William Lane Craig, one of the world's foremost Christian apologists, and Alex O'Connor, one of today's most prominent atheist thinkers.

As they confront the arguments for and against belief in God, they seek to break the long-standing impasse between God and atheism.

Hosted by Jonny Tho...

"Hey, it's Jack here – I'm still out in the van writing up my travel book. The wind and rain coming down hard in France, as you might hear in the background.

We're recording an old-school show and another interview at the end of the month, which we're really excited to produce and share. In the meantime, I'm happy to release a one-to-one conversation with me and John Nelson – author of Jesus' Phy...

Hey everyone, it's Jack here. I'm still out in the camper van writing a travel book – I'm really excited to share more on this soon.

At the same time, we've been producing live events and YouTube videos – so there's been a lot going on. We'll be sharing audio from the live shows soon, as well as recording an old school Panpsycast episode at the end of May.

Hey, it's Jack here – I'm currently in the snowy hills of Switzerland, recording this from the back of my campervan, so forgive the audio quality. (It won't be like this beyond the introduction.)

I've been busy producing new content for YouTube, with some exciting conversations coming your way – one of which, was with Ed Winters, which I'm excited to share with you today.

We had a rea...

The meaning of life is, as Albert Camus put it, the most urgent question in philosophy – the one on which everything else depends. Yet, when Western philosophy looks to answer this question, it paces up and down the same old libraries – the same shelves filled with the same assumptions about what counts as a self, a good life, and what happens after death.

African philosophy of religion has been ...

The meaning of life is, as Albert Camus put it, the most urgent question in philosophy – the one on which everything else depends. Yet, when Western philosophy looks to answer this question, it paces up and down the same old libraries – the same shelves filled with the same assumptions about what counts as a self, a good life, and what happens after death.

African philosophy of religion has been ...

Hello, it's Jack here!

I'm excited to share that I'll soon be launching a new YouTube video series, interviewing previous guests from The Panpsycast – along with a few new faces.

The series launches at the end of March. Head to www.youtube.com/@DrJackSymes – or simply search Dr Jack Symes on YouTube – and subscribe so you're ready for the first release.

In the meanti...

The supreme being of classical theism is unlimited in power, knowledge, and goodness – a being distinct from the world, who creates it out of nothing and governs it from beyond. On this picture, we are not identical with God. God's consciousness is not our consciousness – and our identity is not theirs.

That picture has long been challenged by schools of Hindu philosophy and, more recently, by We...

The supreme being of classical theism is unlimited in power, knowledge, and goodness – a being distinct from the world, who creates it out of nothing and governs it from beyond. On this picture, we are not identical with God. God's consciousness is not our consciousness – and our identity is not theirs.

That picture has long been challenged by schools of Hindu philosophy and, more recently, by We...

In the beginning, there was nothing but air. The supreme being breathed upon it, and the air became water. Air and water moved together, forming mud. Seeing its shape, the supreme being breathed again – and life began.

Today, we'll be exploring this creation story – born of Afro-Brazilian philosophy – forged under conditions of extreme violence, displacement, and resistance. During the tran...

In the beginning, there was nothing but air. The supreme being breathed upon it, and the air became water. Air and water moved together, forming mud. Seeing its shape, the supreme being breathed again – and life began.

Today, we'll be exploring this creation story – born of Afro-Brazilian philosophy – forged under conditions of extreme violence, displacement, and resistance. During the tran...

Slavoj Žižek, Friedrich Nietzsche, Kehinde Andrews – the world has never been short of bad philosophers. But of all the minds who have graced, tortured, or otherwise afflicted human history, which one truly deserves the title: The World's Worst Philosopher?

That's not an easy question; after all, philosophy has given us so many options. When Dan Dennett denied consciousness, was that the silliest claim...

Slavoj Žižek, Friedrich Nietzsche, Kehinde Andrews – the world has never been short of bad philosophers. But of all the minds who have graced, tortured, or otherwise afflicted human history, which one truly deserves the title: The World's Worst Philosopher?

That's not an easy question; after all, philosophy has given us so many options. When Dan Dennett denied consciousness, was that the silliest claim...

Jainism, along with Buddhism and Hinduism, is one of India's great dharmic traditions – though far less well known than its siblings. Emerging around the second century BCE, it is best-known for valuing ahimsa in pursuit of liberation – a devout practice of non-violence. Yet there is far more to Jain philosophy than liberation and ahimsa. Jainism offers a rich way of understanding the self, the cosmos, and t...

Jainism, along with Buddhism and Hinduism, is one of India's great dharmic traditions – though far less well known than its siblings. Emerging around the second century BCE, it is best-known for valuing ahimsa in pursuit of liberation – a devout practice of non-violence. Yet there is far more to Jain philosophy than liberation and ahimsa. Jainism offers a rich way of understanding the self, the cosmos, and t...