Episode 98, The William Lane Craig Interview (Part I - Reasonable Faith)

Welcome to ‘Episode 98 (Part I of II)’, in which we’ll be discussing the existence of God with William Lane Craig.

Christianity is the largest religion in the world: with almost 2.5 billion followers across the globe, nearly one in three people have faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Essential to the Christian worldview is the belief that the universe was created by a maximally great God: a being who is invested in the moral lives of his people and offers salvation to all who embrace his teachings. He is a God of three persons, a God of maximal power and intelligence, and a God who loves us all unconditionally. For many Christians, this belief is a matter of faith, but is this faith reasonable?

Joining us this episode to discuss the nature and existence of God is Visiting Professor of Philosophy at Talbot School of Theology and Professor of Philosophy at Houston Baptist University, Dr William Lane Craig. With over thirty books and two hundred publications, Dr Craig has had a profound and lasting impact on academic debates within philosophy and theology. As well as being one of the leading philosophers of our time, Dr Craig’s work extends beyond the dusty chalkboards of university campuses. As the founder of the hugely popular non-profit organisation Reasonable Faith, Dr Craig is best known for his online lectures and for taking on the world’s most prominent philosophers and scientists in defence of Christianity. In the words of James Porter Moreland, ‘It is hard to overstate the impact that William Lane Craig has had for the cause of Christ. He is simply the finest Christian apologist of the last half century.’

Without God, says Craig, morality is groundless, metaphysics is hopeless, and life is meaningless. The God of Christianity is the wellspring from which all life and values come into being. It is God who made us without dust, and it is to God to whom we shall return.

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/loves you unconditionally

This episode is produced in partnership with The Global Philosophy of Religion Project at University of Birmingham, led by Yujin Nagasawa and funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

Contents

Part I. Reasonable Faith

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion

Episode 93, ‘The Philosophy of Hinduism’ with Jessica Frazier (Part II - Death, Evil, and Suffering)

Panpsycast Logo 2020.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 93 (Part II of II)’, in which we’ll be speaking to Jessica Frazier about consciousness, reincarnation, morality, and the problem of evil.

Hinduism is the world’s oldest living religion, and it won’t be disappearing any time soon. This ancient worldview currently boasts over one billion devotees, making it the third most popular religion in the world. Despite its popularity, scholarship in philosophy of religion continues to ignore its influence, with academic papers on the Abrahamic faiths vastly outnumbering those devoted to Hinduism. Our classrooms don’t paint a prettier picture. In UK schools, Hinduism is scarcely taught in comparison to the other major world religions, with reports showing that educators lack the confidence and subject knowledge to teach Hinduism properly. Fortunately, thanks to the work of scholars such as Jessica Frazier, things are changing.

Jessica Frazier is Lecturer in Theology and Religion at Trinity College, Oxford and Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. Frazier is one of the world’s leading experts on Hindu philosophy, reshaping and globalising philosophy of religion for the 21st century. As well as being the founding editor of the Journal of Hindu Studies, she is best known for her books Reality, Religion and Passion, The Bloomsbury Companion to Hindu Studies, and most recently, Hindu Worldviews: Theories of Self, Ritual and Reality. Far from your ivory tower academic, Jessica is a committed public philosopher, broadening the horizons of academics and the general public through her captivating writing style and regular media appearances. 

As we will see, Frazier’s work demonstrates Hinduism's rich and insightful philosophical tradition; a tradition that can shed light on life’s greatest questions: from the nature of life, god and suffering, to the fundamental structure of reality.

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/creates something out of something

This episode is produced in partnership with The Global Philosophy of Religion Project at University of Birmingham, led by Yujin Nagasawa and funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

Contents

Part I. Fundamental Reality

Part II. Death, Evil, and Suffering

Episode 93, ‘The Philosophy of Hinduism’ with Jessica Frazier (Part I - Fundamental Reality)

Panpsycast Logo 2020.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 93 (Part I of II)’, in which we’ll be speaking to Jessica Frazier about Hindu metaphysics.

Hinduism is the world’s oldest living religion, and it won’t be disappearing any time soon. This ancient worldview currently boasts over one billion devotees, making it the third most popular religion in the world. Despite its popularity, scholarship in philosophy of religion continues to ignore its influence, with academic papers on the Abrahamic faiths vastly outnumbering those devoted to Hinduism. Our classrooms don’t paint a prettier picture. In UK schools, Hinduism is scarcely taught in comparison to the other major world religions, with reports showing that educators lack the confidence and subject knowledge to teach Hinduism properly. Fortunately, thanks to the work of scholars such as Jessica Frazier, things are changing.

Jessica Frazier is Lecturer in Theology and Religion at Trinity College, Oxford and Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies. Frazier is one of the world’s leading experts on Hindu philosophy, reshaping and globalising philosophy of religion for the 21st century. As well as being the founding editor of the Journal of Hindu Studies, she is best known for her books Reality, Religion and Passion, The Bloomsbury Companion to Hindu Studies, and most recently, Hindu Worldviews: Theories of Self, Ritual and Reality. Far from your ivory tower academic, Jessica is a committed public philosopher, broadening the horizons of academics and the general public through her captivating writing style and regular media appearances. 

As we will see, Frazier’s work demonstrates Hinduism's rich and insightful philosophical tradition; a tradition that can shed light on life’s greatest questions: from the nature of life, god and suffering, to the fundamental structure of reality.

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/creates something out of something

This episode is produced in partnership with The Global Philosophy of Religion Project at University of Birmingham, led by Yujin Nagasawa and funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

Contents

Part I. Fundamental Reality

Part II. Death, Evil, and Suffering

Episode 88, Buddhism (Part V - Further Analysis and Discussion)

Panpsycast Logo 2020.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 88 (Part V of V)’, where we’ll be concluding our discussion of Buddhism, as well as engaging in some further analysis.

Jack was walking down a street. It was a day like any other. As ever, his mind was a flurry of thoughts, worries, and anxieties, stimulated by coffee and the bright light of his phone. In a bid to relieve his stress, he put his phone in his pocket, and tried to notice the details he would usually ignore. 

As he walked past the pharmacy, he saw a sick man coughing and spluttering; he was throwing medication back to stop his disease from decaying his body. Jack kept walking and came across an old woman waiting at a bus stop. She was fragile, crooked, and anxious; clearly age had taken much from her. Crossing the road away from the bus stop, he waited for the traffic to pass. Driving slowly past him was a hearse: a coffin on full display, surrounded by flowers, proceeded by a stream of weeping mourners. 

Jack fell to his knees, overwhelmed with despair, “we all get sick, we all age, and we all die. We cannot escape this fate!” His head against the pavement, he didn’t move for almost an hour. When he got up, he was approached by a homeless man, to whom he said, “sorry, I don’t have any change.” The man replied, “It is you who needs a little change, young monk. I know why you fall to your knees in despair: the inescapable suffering of life weighs on us all. Let me tell you of someone who was once like you, who tried to remove suffering from our minds… let me tell you the story of Siddhartha Gotama, The Buddha.”

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/escapes the cycle of rebirth
Gaston+Luga+Panpsycast.jpg

This episode is proudly sponsored by Gaston Luga backpacks.

Head over to www.gastonluga.com and get 10% off any purchase with the discount code PANPSYCAST10.

Contents

Part I. The Life of Siddhārtha Gautama

Part II. The Four Noble Truths

Part III. The Cycle of Life

Part IV. The Eightfold Path

Part V. Further Analysis and Discussion

Episode 88, Buddhism (Part IV - The Eightfold Path)

Panpsycast Logo 2020.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 88 (Part IV of V)’, where we’ll be discussing Buddhist practices and the eightfold path.

Jack was walking down a street. It was a day like any other. As ever, his mind was a flurry of thoughts, worries, and anxieties, stimulated by coffee and the bright light of his phone. In a bid to relieve his stress, he put his phone in his pocket, and tried to notice the details he would usually ignore. 

As he walked past the pharmacy, he saw a sick man coughing and spluttering; he was throwing medication back to stop his disease from decaying his body. Jack kept walking and came across an old woman waiting at a bus stop. She was fragile, crooked, and anxious; clearly age had taken much from her. Crossing the road away from the bus stop, he waited for the traffic to pass. Driving slowly past him was a hearse: a coffin on full display, surrounded by flowers, proceeded by a stream of weeping mourners. 

Jack fell to his knees, overwhelmed with despair, “we all get sick, we all age, and we all die. We cannot escape this fate!” His head against the pavement, he didn’t move for almost an hour. When he got up, he was approached by a homeless man, to whom he said, “sorry, I don’t have any change.” The man replied, “It is you who needs a little change, young monk. I know why you fall to your knees in despair: the inescapable suffering of life weighs on us all. Let me tell you of someone who was once like you, who tried to remove suffering from our minds… let me tell you the story of Siddhartha Gotama, The Buddha.”

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/escapes the cycle of rebirth
reading-our-times-4ewYVvfaqWH-5rwVhZKeRxP.1400x1400.jpg

This episode is proudly sponsored by the Reading Our Times podcast.

You can find Reading Our Times on all major streaming sites, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Deezer.

For more information, please visit www.theosthinktank.co.uk.

Contents

Part I. The Life of Siddhārtha Gautama

Part II. The Four Noble Truths

Part III. The Cycle of Life

Part IV. The Eightfold Path

Part V. Further Analysis and Discussion

Episode 88, Buddhism (Part III - The Cycle of Life)

Panpsycast Logo 2020.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 88 (Part III of V)’, where we’ll be discussing Buddhist metaphysics.

Jack was walking down a street. It was a day like any other. As ever, his mind was a flurry of thoughts, worries, and anxieties, stimulated by coffee and the bright light of his phone. In a bid to relieve his stress, he put his phone in his pocket, and tried to notice the details he would usually ignore. 

As he walked past the pharmacy, he saw a sick man coughing and spluttering; he was throwing medication back to stop his disease from decaying his body. Jack kept walking and came across an old woman waiting at a bus stop. She was fragile, crooked, and anxious; clearly age had taken much from her. Crossing the road away from the bus stop, he waited for the traffic to pass. Driving slowly past him was a hearse: a coffin on full display, surrounded by flowers, proceeded by a stream of weeping mourners. 

Jack fell to his knees, overwhelmed with despair, “we all get sick, we all age, and we all die. We cannot escape this fate!” His head against the pavement, he didn’t move for almost an hour. When he got up, he was approached by a homeless man, to whom he said, “sorry, I don’t have any change.” The man replied, “It is you who needs a little change, young monk. I know why you fall to your knees in despair: the inescapable suffering of life weighs on us all. Let me tell you of someone who was once like you, who tried to remove suffering from our minds… let me tell you the story of Siddhartha Gotama, The Buddha.”

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/escapes the cycle of rebirth
Gaston+Luga+Panpsycast.jpg

This episode is proudly sponsored by Gaston Luga backpacks.

Head over to www.gastonluga.com and get 10% off any purchase with the discount code PANPSYCAST10.

Contents

Part I. The Life of Siddhārtha Gautama

Part II. The Four Noble Truths

Part III. The Cycle of Life

Part IV. The Eightfold Path

Part V. Further Analysis and Discussion

Episode 88, Buddhism (Part II - The Four Noble Truths)

Panpsycast Logo 2020.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 88 (Part II of V)’, where we’ll be discussing the central teachings of Buddhism, the four noble truths.

Jack was walking down a street. It was a day like any other. As ever, his mind was a flurry of thoughts, worries, and anxieties, stimulated by coffee and the bright light of his phone. In a bid to relieve his stress, he put his phone in his pocket, and tried to notice the details he would usually ignore. 

As he walked past the pharmacy, he saw a sick man coughing and spluttering; he was throwing medication back to stop his disease from decaying his body. Jack kept walking and came across an old woman waiting at a bus stop. She was fragile, crooked, and anxious; clearly age had taken much from her. Crossing the road away from the bus stop, he waited for the traffic to pass. Driving slowly past him was a hearse: a coffin on full display, surrounded by flowers, proceeded by a stream of weeping mourners. 

Jack fell to his knees, overwhelmed with despair, “we all get sick, we all age, and we all die. We cannot escape this fate!” His head against the pavement, he didn’t move for almost an hour. When he got up, he was approached by a homeless man, to whom he said, “sorry, I don’t have any change.” The man replied, “It is you who needs a little change, young monk. I know why you fall to your knees in despair: the inescapable suffering of life weighs on us all. Let me tell you of someone who was once like you, who tried to remove suffering from our minds… let me tell you the story of Siddhartha Gotama, The Buddha.”

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/escapes the cycle of rebirth
reading-our-times-4ewYVvfaqWH-5rwVhZKeRxP.1400x1400.jpg

This episode is proudly sponsored by the Reading Our Times podcast.

You can find Reading Our Times on all major streaming sites, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and Deezer.

For more information, please visit www.theosthinktank.co.uk.

Contents

Part I. The Life of Siddhārtha Gautama

Part II. The Four Noble Truths

Part III. The Cycle of Life

Part IV. The Eightfold Path

Part V. Further Analysis and Discussion

Episode 88, Buddhism (Part I - The Life of Siddhartha Gautama)

Panpsycast Logo 2020.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 88 (Part I of V)’, where we’ll be discussing the life of the Buddha.

Jack was walking down a street. It was a day like any other. As ever, his mind was a flurry of thoughts, worries, and anxieties, stimulated by coffee and the bright light of his phone. In a bid to relieve his stress, he put his phone in his pocket, and tried to notice the details he would usually ignore. 

As he walked past the pharmacy, he saw a sick man coughing and spluttering; he was throwing medication back to stop his disease from decaying his body. Jack kept walking and came across an old woman waiting at a bus stop. She was fragile, crooked, and anxious; clearly age had taken much from her. Crossing the road away from the bus stop, he waited for the traffic to pass. Driving slowly past him was a hearse: a coffin on full display, surrounded by flowers, proceeded by a stream of weeping mourners. 

Jack fell to his knees, overwhelmed with despair, “we all get sick, we all age, and we all die. We cannot escape this fate!” His head against the pavement, he didn’t move for almost an hour. When he got up, he was approached by a homeless man, to whom he said, “sorry, I don’t have any change.” The man replied, “It is you who needs a little change, young monk. I know why you fall to your knees in despair: the inescapable suffering of life weighs on us all. Let me tell you of someone who was once like you, who tried to remove suffering from our minds… let me tell you the story of Siddhartha Gotama, The Buddha.”

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/escapes the cycle of rebirth
Gaston+Luga+Panpsycast.jpg

This episode is proudly sponsored by Gaston Luga backpacks.

Head over to www.gastonluga.com and get 10% off any purchase with the discount code PANPSYCAST10.

Contents

Part I. The Life of Siddhārtha Gautama

Part II. The Four Noble Truths

Part III. The Cycle of Life

Part IV. The Eightfold Path

Part V. Further Analysis and Discussion

Episode 77, ‘Time Travel: The Grandfather Paradox and Abilities’ with Olivia Coombes (Part I - Time Traveller Abilities)

Classic Cast.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 77 (Part I of II)', where we’ll be discussing the grandfather paradox with Olivia Coombes.

Olivia Coombes is a philosopher and teacher at the University of Edinburgh whose research focuses on issues about the possibility of time travel, the paradoxes involved in time travel, and how these topics relate to the question of free-will. In addition to this, Liv is also the co-host of the Edinburgh-based podcast Two Philosophers: One Podcast, No Problems.

Since the philosopher David Lewis, and before, philosophers, scientists, movie fans (pretty much everybody), have deliberated the possibility of time travel. People have asked questions like: What is the order of time? If we could build a powerful enough machine, would we be able to travel through time? Causation goes forwards in time, but is there anything stopping it going backwards? And, if it could, can we have causal loops in time?

In this episode we’re going to be focusing on the grandfather paradox, which is one instance of the question: can time travellers change the past? This paradox asks us whether or not we could go back in time and kill our own grandfathers. Many people say no: it is logically impossible, like squaring circles, or making something from nothing. However, Olivia Coombes thinks differently. She thinks that we can kill our grandfathers, and that we are able to change the past.

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/travels forwards in time

Contents

Part I. Time Traveller Abilities

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion

Episode 76, René Descartes (Part V - Further Analysis and Discussion)

Classic Cast.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 76 (Part V of V)', where we’ll be engaging in some further analysis and discussion.

All my life, I have been fed apples from that tree. I was told it was the only tree worth eating from. Every day, whether it was in school or in the church, someone would arrive with a basket, and I would take what they offered. Today a similar basket lays in front of me, full of apples I've been saving so to take a closer inspection.

Check those apples for me would you? Why so worried? Surely if they are good, there is nothing to worry about. You've heard of the Italian who was punished for checking, you say? I understand. I will do it myself.

There are too many in there to check one by one. I shall take them all out and only place back in the basket the ones that are certifiably good! I think the Italian might have been onto something, they all look rotten! I must check closer. I refuse to accept that they are all bad!

Ah, there is one. That will do. Perhaps the seeds can be used to grow more good apples...

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/dreams of melons

Contents

Part I. The Life of René Descartes.

Part II. Meditations on First Philosophy, 1-2.

Part III. Meditations on First Philosophy, 3-4.

Part IV. Meditations on First Philosophy, 5-6.

Part V. Further Analysis and Discussion.

Episode 76, René Descartes (Part IV - Meditations on First Philosophy, 5-6)

Classic Cast.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 76 (Part IV of V)', where we’ll be unpacking Descartes’ fifth and sixth meditations.

All my life, I have been fed apples from that tree. I was told it was the only tree worth eating from. Every day, whether it was in school or in the church, someone would arrive with a basket, and I would take what they offered. Today a similar basket lays in front of me, full of apples I've been saving so to take a closer inspection.

Check those apples for me would you? Why so worried? Surely if they are good, there is nothing to worry about. You've heard of the Italian who was punished for checking, you say? I understand. I will do it myself.

There are too many in there to check one by one. I shall take them all out and only place back in the basket the ones that are certifiably good! I think the Italian might have been onto something, they all look rotten! I must check closer. I refuse to accept that they are all bad!

Ah, there is one. That will do. Perhaps the seeds can be used to grow more good apples...

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/dreams of melons

Contents

Part I. The Life of René Descartes.

Part II. Meditations on First Philosophy, 1-2.

Part III. Meditations on First Philosophy, 3-4.

Part IV. Meditations on First Philosophy, 5-6.

Part V. Further Analysis and Discussion.

Episode 76, René Descartes (Part III - Meditations on First Philosophy, 3-4)

Classic Cast.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 76 (Part III of V)', where we’ll be discussing Descartes’ third and fourth meditations.

All my life, I have been fed apples from that tree. I was told it was the only tree worth eating from. Every day, whether it was in school or in the church, someone would arrive with a basket, and I would take what they offered. Today a similar basket lays in front of me, full of apples I've been saving so to take a closer inspection.

Check those apples for me would you? Why so worried? Surely if they are good, there is nothing to worry about. You've heard of the Italian who was punished for checking, you say? I understand. I will do it myself.

There are too many in there to check one by one. I shall take them all out and only place back in the basket the ones that are certifiably good! I think the Italian might have been onto something, they all look rotten! I must check closer. I refuse to accept that they are all bad!

Ah, there is one. That will do. Perhaps the seeds can be used to grow more good apples...

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/dreams of melons

Contents

Part I. The Life of René Descartes.

Part II. Meditations on First Philosophy, 1-2.

Part III. Meditations on First Philosophy, 3-4.

Part IV. Meditations on First Philosophy, 5-6.

Part V. Further Analysis and Discussion.

Episode 76, René Descartes (Part II - Meditations on First Philosophy, 1-2)

Classic Cast.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 76 (Part II of V)', where we’ll be exploring the first and second of Descartes’ meditations.

All my life, I have been fed apples from that tree. I was told it was the only tree worth eating from. Every day, whether it was in school or in the church, someone would arrive with a basket, and I would take what they offered. Today a similar basket lays in front of me, full of apples I've been saving so to take a closer inspection.

Check those apples for me would you? Why so worried? Surely if they are good, there is nothing to worry about. You've heard of the Italian who was punished for checking, you say? I understand. I will do it myself.

There are too many in there to check one by one. I shall take them all out and only place back in the basket the ones that are certifiably good! I think the Italian might have been onto something, they all look rotten! I must check closer. I refuse to accept that they are all bad!

Ah, there is one. That will do. Perhaps the seeds can be used to grow more good apples...

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/dreams of melons

Contents

Part I. The Life of René Descartes.

Part II. Meditations on First Philosophy, 1-2.

Part III. Meditations on First Philosophy, 3-4.

Part IV. Meditations on First Philosophy, 5-6.

Part V. Further Analysis and Discussion.

Episode 76, René Descartes (Part I - The Life of René Descartes)

Classic Cast.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 76 (Part I of V)', where we’ll be discussing the life of René Descartes.

All my life, I have been fed apples from that tree. I was told it was the only tree worth eating from. Every day, whether it was in school or in the church, someone would arrive with a basket, and I would take what they offered. Today a similar basket lays in front of me, full of apples I've been saving so to take a closer inspection.

Check those apples for me would you? Why so worried? Surely if they are good, there is nothing to worry about. You've heard of the Italian who was punished for checking, you say? I understand. I will do it myself.

There are too many in there to check one by one. I shall take them all out and only place back in the basket the ones that are certifiably good! I think the Italian might have been onto something, they all look rotten! I must check closer. I refuse to accept that they are all bad!

Ah, there is one. That will do. Perhaps the seeds can be used to grow more good apples...

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/dreams of melons

Contents

Part I. The Life of René Descartes.

Part II. Meditations on First Philosophy, 1-2.

Part III. Meditations on First Philosophy, 3-4.

Part IV. Meditations on First Philosophy, 5-6.

Part V. Further Analysis and Discussion.

Episode 70, Plato's Euthyphro: Socrates Accused (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)

Classic Cast.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 70 (Part II of II)', where we'll be engaging in some further analysis and discussion.

Did you hear the news of Socrates? He’s finally to answer for his sophistry! At last, the great lampooning, moral gadfly is to stand before the Court of Athens and answer for his crimes. To think, one could have the audacity to trade in talentless talk and lies, to lead our youth astray, and deny our gods, only to play the fool once more, and plead ignorance when his number is called.

Oh, magnificent Socrates, ‘the great rhetorician’ - his followers are deluded. A more fitting label? ‘Socrates, the great casuist clown!’ Lacking all reason and logic, he makes a mockery of our institutions. Like the fool who claims others cannot see, because he himself is blind, Socrates has only ever opened his mouth to appease his own lack of wisdom. Justly, he now finds himself in a tricky dilemma; may the gods have mercy on his impious soul.

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/finds out what true 'downloading' really means

Contents

Part I. The Dialogue

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion

Episode 70, Plato's Euthyphro: Socrates Accused (Part I - The Dialogue)

Classic Cast.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 70 (Part I of II)', where we'll be reading Plato’s Euthyphro.

Did you hear the news of Socrates? He’s finally to answer for his sophistry! At last, the great lampooning, moral gadfly is to stand before the Court of Athens and answer for his crimes. To think, one could have the audacity to trade in talentless talk and lies, to lead our youth astray, and deny our gods, only to play the fool once more, and plead ignorance when his number is called.

Oh, magnificent Socrates, ‘the great rhetorician’ - his followers are deluded. A more fitting label? ‘Socrates, the great casuist clown!’ Lacking all reason and logic, he makes a mockery of our institutions. Like the fool who claims others cannot see, because he himself is blind, Socrates has only ever opened his mouth to appease his own lack of wisdom. Justly, he now finds himself in a tricky dilemma; may the gods have mercy on his impious soul.

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/finds out what true 'downloading' really means

Contents

Part I. The Dialogue

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion

Episode 65, 'The Awe-Some Argument' with Ryan Byerly (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)

Classic Cast.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 65 (Part II of II)', where we'll be engaging in some further analysis and discussion.

University of Sheffield philosopher, Assistant Professor Ryan Byerly is best known for his work in philosophy of religion, epistemology and virtue theory. Publishing widely in these areas, Ryan is also Reviews Editor for the European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Treasurer for the British Society for Philosophy of Religion, and a member of Sheffield’s Centre for Engaged Philosophy. Amongst many other fascinating papers in philosophy of religion, Ryan is the author of ‘The Awe-Some Argument for Pantheism’, which forms our focus for today’s discussion.

Ryan’s argument for pantheism (the belief that ‘God is the universe and the universe is God’) provides an exciting and unique take on not just the type of god we should believe in, but also the way in which we might come to establish its existence. In short, Ryan thinks that the emotion of awe - that profound, ineffable feeling that one has when they see Van Gogh’s Starry Night or a meteor burning up in the atmosphere - can point us in the direction of things which are divine. The greatest object of awe, says Byerly, is the cosmos, and therefore, the cosmos is the most divine thing.

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/points you towards the divine

Contents

Part I. The Awe-Some Argument for Pantheism.

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion.

Episode 65, 'The Awe-Some Argument' with Ryan Byerly (Part I - Pantheism)

Classic Cast.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 65 (Part I of II)', where we'll be discussing Ryan Byerly’s Awe-Some Argument for Pantheism.

University of Sheffield philosopher, Assistant Professor Ryan Byerly is best known for his work in philosophy of religion, epistemology and virtue theory. Publishing widely in these areas, Ryan is also Reviews Editor for the European Journal for Philosophy of Religion, Treasurer for the British Society for Philosophy of Religion, and a member of Sheffield’s Centre for Engaged Philosophy. Amongst many other fascinating papers in philosophy of religion, Ryan is the author of ‘The Awe-Some Argument for Pantheism’, which forms our focus for today’s discussion.

Ryan’s argument for pantheism (the belief that ‘God is the universe and the universe is God’) provides an exciting and unique take on not just the type of god we should believe in, but also the way in which we might come to establish its existence. In short, Ryan thinks that the emotion of awe - that profound, ineffable feeling that one has when they see Van Gogh’s Starry Night or a meteor burning up in the atmosphere - can point us in the direction of things which are divine. The greatest object of awe, says Byerly, is the cosmos, and therefore, the cosmos is the most divine thing.

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/points you towards the divine

Contents

Part I. The Awe-Some Argument for Pantheism.

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion.

Episode 63, 'Pantheism and Panentheism' with Andrei Buckareff (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)

Classic Cast.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 63 (Part II of II)', where we'll be engaging in some further analysis and discussion.

Andrei Buckareff is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Co-Director of the Cognitive Science Program at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and Associate Editor of the journal Science, Religion, and Culture. Andrei’s work focuses on a range of fascinating topics, from metaphysics, philosophy of mind, epistemology and the philosophy of action, to philosophy of religion, the afterlife, pantheism, and alternative concepts of God. Andrei is a prolific writer, publishing extensively in these fields, and his influence cannot be overstated. Alongside Yujin Nagasawa and funded by the John Templeton Foundation, Andrei is also the co-leader of the ‘the Pantheism and Panentheism Project’, which will form our focus for today.

In this episode, we’ll be speaking to Andrei about alternative concepts of God; more specifically, on Andrei’s recent work surrounding pantheism and panentheism. In a word, Andrei argues that if we are to understand God as ‘acting in space-time’, we should be inclined to believe that this God exists within time and space, at all spatial locations. Moreover, if we are inclined to think that God is omniscient, then we should also believe that God ‘is the universe’ – that is, God and the universe are essentially made of the same stuff, with God being either identical with or constituted by the cosmos.

Andrei’s work calls the orthodox theist to radically reconceptualise their understanding of God, in the light of a more philosophically plausible philosophy. Our question, if we are theists, do we need to change the way we think about God?

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/allows itself to be realised in God's mind

This episode is produced in partnership with ‘the Pantheism and Panentheism Project’, which is led by Andrei Buckareff and Yujin Nagasawa and funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

Contents

Part I. The Divine Mind.

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion.

Episode 63, ‘Pantheism and Panentheism’ with Andrei Buckareff (Part I - The Divine Mind)

Classic Cast.jpg

Welcome to 'Episode 63 (Part I of II)', where we'll be discussing ‘the divine of mind’ with Andrei Buckareff.

Andrei Buckareff is Associate Professor of Philosophy and Co-Director of the Cognitive Science Program at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, and Associate Editor of the journal Science, Religion, and Culture. Andrei’s work focuses on a range of fascinating topics, from metaphysics, philosophy of mind, epistemology and the philosophy of action, to philosophy of religion, the afterlife, pantheism, and alternative concepts of God. Andrei is a prolific writer, publishing extensively in these fields, and his influence cannot be overstated. Alongside Yujin Nagasawa and funded by the John Templeton Foundation, Andrei is also the co-leader of the ‘the Pantheism and Panentheism Project’, which will form our focus for today.

In this episode, we’ll be speaking to Andrei about alternative concepts of God; more specifically, on Andrei’s recent work surrounding pantheism and panentheism. In a word, Andrei argues that if we are to understand God as ‘acting in space-time’, we should be inclined to believe that this God exists within time and space, at all spatial locations. Moreover, if we are inclined to think that God is omniscient, then we should also believe that God ‘is the universe’ – that is, God and the universe are essentially made of the same stuff, with God being either identical with or constituted by the cosmos.

Andrei’s work calls the orthodox theist to radically reconceptualise their understanding of God, in the light of a more philosophically plausible philosophy. Our question, if we are theists, do we need to change the way we think about God?

The file size is large, please be patient whilst the podcast buffers/downloads/allows itself to be realised in God's mind

This episode is produced in partnership with ‘the Pantheism and Panentheism Project’, which is led by Andrei Buckareff and Yujin Nagasawa and funded by the John Templeton Foundation.

Contents

Part I. The Divine Mind.

Part II. Further Analysis and Discussion.