Within Reason

For the curious. A philosophy podcast that sometimes flirts with other disciplines, Within Reason has featured guests including Richard Dawkins, Douglas Murray, William Lane Craig, Peter Singer, Konstantin Kisin, and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

#127 Bear Grylls - Retelling Jesus' Life as a Thriller

Bear Grylls is a British adventurer, writer, television presenter and former SAS trooper who is also a survival expert. Widely known for his television series Man vs. Wild, he was also appointed as The Scout Association’s youngest-ever Chief Scout of the United Kingdom and Overseas Territories at the age of 35. His new book, The Greatest Story Ever Told, is a retelling of the life of Jesus through the eyes of five Gospel characters: Mary the mother of Jesus, Thomas, Peter, John, and Mary Magdalene.TIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Retelling Christianity in the First Person12:36 - Faith and Doubt Come Together16:46 - Did Bear’s Research Cause Doubt or Faith?28:01 - Reconciling the Differences Between the Gospels39:50 - On Not Putting Words in Jesus’ Mouth48:59 - Where Alex’s Interest in the Gospels Began55:24 - Travelling Back to the Time of Jesus: Where Would You Go?

10-26
01:02:17

#126 Was Jesus an Ancient Magician? - Religion for Breakfast

Exclusive NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/withinreason. Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee.Andrew Mark Henry is a scholar of religious studies. His research focus is early Christianity and late Roman religion. He earned his PhD at Boston University.His YouTube channel is "Religion for Breakfast", find it here.Timestamps:0:00 - Was Jesus a Magician?3:35 - The Origins of ‘Magic’10:02 - Celsus, Christianity’s Earliest Critic16:35 - The Wise Magi19:59 - Did Jesus Use a Wand?30:22 - Curses, Rituals, and Magical Formulas40:43 - What Kind of “Magus” Was Jesus?43:52 - Was Jesus a Freelance Ritual Expert?48:34 - Charisma and the Origin of Exorcism53:03 - Grimoires: The Magic of the Written Word01:08:40 - The Religion Department

10-19
01:11:31

#125 Emily Qureshi-Hurst - Does God Know What Time It Is?

Dr. Qureshi-Hurst is a Philosopher of Religion and Science at the University of Cambridge. Her work focuses on the relationship between physics—and time in particular—and theology. Her forthcoming book, Decoding the Cosmos: God, Physics, and the Search for Deeper Explanation, explores this relationship in depth.Improve your focus with Brain FM with 30 days free: https://www.brain.fm/withinreason.TIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Does the Bible Predict the Big Bang?2:37 - Scientists and Theologians10:18 - Where Did Biblical Literalism Come From?17:31 - How Does Science Conflict with Theology?23:47 - Does God Experience Time?29:27 - The A, B and C Series of Time38:38 - Timeless God, Timed Universe42:52 - Christianity and the End of the Universe48:35 - Intelligent Design and Modern Science55:58 - Is Biblical Literalism a Plausible Reading?58:32 - Why Emily is an Atheist

10-12
01:02:25

#124 Sisyphus 55 - So You're Having an Existential Crisis

Ben Thomas is @Sisyphus55, a YouTuber creating videos about philosophy, existentialism, nihilism, absurdism, and meaning. His new book, So You're Having an Existential Crisis: a Roadmap for Lost Souls, is available now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

10-05
01:31:16

#123 Candida Moss - Were Early Christians Really Persecuted by Rome?

Candida Moss is a historian of Christianity and author of The Myth of Persecution: How Early Christians Invented a Story of Martyrdom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

09-28
01:21:17

#122 Robert Greene - Near-Death Experiences and the Mind Apart From the Brain

Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code alexoconnor at https://huel.com/alexoconnor (Minimum $75 purchase). Robert Greene is an American author of books on strategy, power, and seduction. He has written seven international bestsellers, including The 48 Laws of Power. He is working on a book about the concept of the sublime, and speaks today about its relation to near-death experiences, dreaming, consciousness, and religious belief. Buy his books here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

09-21
01:23:41

#121 John Cottingham - The Father of Modern Philosophy: René Descartes

John Cottingham (born 1943) is an English philosopher. The focus of his research has been early-modern philosophy (especially Descartes), the philosophy of religion and moral philosophy. He is a Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Reading, Professorial Research Fellow at Heythrop College, University of London, and Honorary Fellow of St John's College, Oxford. He is also a current Visiting Professor to the Philosophy Department at King's College, London. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

09-16
01:39:52

#120 Brant Pitre - Jesus DID Claim to be God

Brant Pitre is an American New Testament scholar and Distinguished Research Professor of Scripture at the Augustine Institute. He has written extensively on the historical Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Paul the Apostle, the origin of the Eucharist, and the canonical Gospels. His book, Jesus and Divine Christology, is available here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

09-10
01:59:35

#119 Jim Al-Khalili - The Strange World of Quantum Physics

Jim Al-Khalili is an Iraqi-British theoretical physicist and science populariser. He is professor of theoretical physics and chair in the public engagement in science at the University of Surrey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

09-01
01:05:53

#118 Joe Folley - Everything You Need to Know About Logic

EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/withinreason Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee Joe Folley runs the YouTube channel Unsolicited Advice. He graduated from Cambridge University in 202with an MPhil in Philosophy, specialising in logic. TIMESTAMPS: 0:00 - What is Logic?5:04 - Aristotelian vs Stoic Logic12:47 - How Logic Provides Clarity18:42 Ambiguities in Logical Language29:07 - Validity vs Soundness in a Logical Argument39:40 Why Anything Follows From a Contradiction47:42 - The Law of Non-Contradiction56:27 - What is Truth and Falsity in Logic?58:36 - Does Your Mum Know You’re Gay?1:05:05 What is Fuzzy Logic?01:08:14 - What is Modal Logic?01:13:40 - Informal Rules of Logic01:29:15 - Resources to Learn About Logic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

08-24
01:33:13

#117 Dan McClellan - The Bible Has More Than One God

Dan McClellan is an American biblical scholar and author of The Bible Says So: What We Get Right (and Wrong) About Scripture’s Most Controversial Issues. Timestamps: 0:00 Why Does God Say “We”?14:36 Does God Create the Universe From Nothing?28:43 Is This Explained By The Trinity?34:32 Is There Only One God?47:39 Fake Idols or Gods?1:02:50 How English Translations Mislead Us Into Monotheism01:11:02 The Elevation of YHWH to God of the Universe1:20:36 Polytheism in the New Testament01:24:14 The Strongest Case For Monotheism in the Old Testament Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

08-17
01:28:55

#116 Peter Godfrey Smith - Animal Consciousness: What Can We Know?

Peter Godfrey-Smith is an Australian philosopher of science and writer, who is currently Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney. Buy his books here. Timestamps: 0:00 How Many Times Has the Brain Independently Evolved? 4:36 What is a Nervous System? 7:12 The Differences Between the Human and Animal Brains 13:40 What Does an Octopus Brain Look Like? 25:21 What is it Like to be an Octopus? 35:48 Are the Mind and Body Distinct? 42:46 Panpsychism: Is Everything Conscious? 55:53 How Do Experiences Combine Into One Consciousness? 01:05:08 Which Animals Feel Pain? What is it Like? 01:16:51 Should We Make Shrimp Farming an Ethical Priority? 01:29:22 Animal Science and Animal Foods 01:35:59 The Ethics of Killing Animals 01:52:13 Are Octopuses Playful? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

08-10
01:56:23

#115 Phil Halper & Niayesh Afshordi - What Came Before The Big Bang?

Niayesh Afshordi is a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Waterloo. Phil Halper is a science communicator and YouTuber. Together, they have authored a book called "Battle of the Big Bang: The New Tales of Our Cosmic Origins", an overview of the state of modern cosmology on the nature of the big bang. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

08-04
02:00:05

#114 Simon Blackburn - What is Ethical Emotivism?

Simon Blackburn is well-known both as a writer of popular philosophy introductions (like Think), and also a significant figure in non-cognitivist meta-ethics, having invented the term “quasi-realism” to describe his moral philosophy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

07-28
01:21:30

#113 Sabine Hossenfelder - Superdeterminism: Why Are Physicists Scared of It?

Sabine Hossenfelder is a German theoretical physicist, author, science communicator, and YouTuber. She is the author of Existential Physics: A Scientist’s Guide to Life’s Biggest Questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

07-21
59:51

#112 Rick Alan Ross - Do Cult Leaders Believe Their Own Lies?

Rick Alan Ross is an American deprogrammer, cult specialist, and founder and executive director of the non-profit Cult Education Institute. Frequently appearing in the news and other media, discussing groups some consider cults. Ross has intervened in more than 500 deprogramming cases in various countries. (Wikipedia) Get Rick's book, "Cults Inside Out: How People Get In and Can Get Out" here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

07-13
01:54:41

#111 Helen Bond - The Forgotten Female Disciples of Jesus

Helen Bond is Professor of Christian Origins at the New College, University of Edinburgh, and former head of the School of Divinity there. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. In 2023, she co-authored a book with Joan Taylor called Women Remembered: Jesus’ Female Disciples. Watch the documentary version here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

07-06
01:23:40

#110 The Cultural Tutor - Why Modern Love Fails and How to Rescue It

Sheehan Quirke is The Cultural Tutor. A writer on history, art, and architecture with millions of followers, he is also the author of the forthcoming The Cultural Tutor: Forty-Nine Lessons You Wish You’d Learned at School, which is currently available for preorder here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

07-01
01:16:17

#109 David Pakman - The New Threat Donald Trump Poses to America

David Pakman is an American progressive political commentator and host of  @thedavidpakmanshow . Buy David's book, The Echo Machine here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

06-22
01:06:36

#108 Marcus du Sautoy - Do Numbers Exist?

Marcus du Sautoy is a British mathematician, Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford, Fellow of New College, Oxford and author of popular mathematics and popular science books. Buy Blueprints: How Mathematics Shapes Creativity here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

06-16
01:05:29

Ryan Corke

This guy is even worse than Peterson, with his meaningless, driveling truckloads of rotten word salad.

04-21 Reply

amirmomp

Do more podcasts with joe folley

12-09 Reply

Alaskan Tequila

love it. you guys are two people that i can stand listening to I'm so glad you asked him those questions and I love how destiny answered them. love you both I wish it was a longer episode. bring him back some other time. Actually bring him every now and then he's awesome

10-31 Reply

TournelHenry

"birds are order. Fish are chaos because they're in the dark sea". Yes Pageau. It sounds stupid. This meaningless word play is why religion is absurd

07-23 Reply

Adam Itinerant

He gets a bit grumpy, doesn't he.

06-10 Reply

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