Within Reason

Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code alexoconnor at https://huel.com/alexoconnor (Minimum $50 purchase).For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: https://www.alexoconnor.com.Simon Critchley is a British philosopher, author and professor at The New School in New York. He is best known for his work on existentialism, mysticism, ethics and continental philosophy, and is the author of books including The Book of Dead Philosophers, Faith of the Faithless and Mysticism.Get Simon's book Mysticism here.TIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Is Mysticism Always Religious?7:52 - What is Mysticism?18:58 - Unification With the Divine29:58 - Mysticism and the Self40:38 - Why Are So Many Mystics Women?48:41 - The Limits of Language59:54 - Was Pascal a Mystic?01:03:21 - Where Does Simon Stand on Mysticism?01:11:22 - Where Should We Start With Learning About Mysticism?01:15:36 - Imagery in Simon’s Book - CONNECTMy Website: https://www.alexoconnor.comTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/cosmicskepticFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/cosmicskepticInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/cosmicskepticTikTok: @CosmicSkeptic - CONTACTBusiness email: contact@alexoconnor.comBrand enquiries: David@modernstoa.co

Transcribed - Published: 26 May 2026

Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code alexoconnor at www.huel.com/alexoconnor (Minimum $50 purchase).For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack.Adam Neely is an American bassist, YouTuber, and jazz musician based in New York City. His YouTube content includes Q&A videos, vlogs about performing music, and video essays about online music culture. As a musician, he performs with groups including the electro-jazz duo Sungazer and the instrumental band Aberdeen.Watch Adam's video on Suno here.TIMESTAMPS:0:00 - Music and Philosophy5:17 - Can You Cheat in Music?9:07 - What is Suno?25:20 - Can You Use AI Musically?32:21 - Is AI Just the New Sampling?38:40 - AI and Inclusivity46:21 - Is Music Becoming Narcissistic?57:26 - Does Great Art Require Ego?01:07:04 - Are AI Music Tools Inevitable?01:22:55 - How Would Adam Improve Suno?01:35:44 - Are We Removing the Humanity From Music?01:44:18 - Is Jazz the Blueprint? - CONNECTMy Website: https://www.alexoconnor.comSOCIAL LINKS:Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cosmicskepticFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/cosmicskepticInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/cosmicskepticTikTok: @CosmicSkeptic - CONTACTBusiness email: contact@alexoconnor.comBrand enquiries: David@modernstoa.co

Transcribed - Published: 13 May 2026

Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: https://www.alexoconnor.com.Jonny Thomson is a philosopher and the founder of PhilosophyMinis . He is on the Executive Board for the British Philosophy Association and is a staff writer at Big Think.Get Jonny's upcoming book, The Art of Enough: The Ancient Epicurean Philosophy of Finding – and Keeping – HappinessTIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Are Epicureans Selfish?05:30 - Why Epicureanism?10:31 - Who Was Epicurus?16:42 - Godless But Not Atheistic23:21 - Epicurus’ Metaphysics27:24 - Why Focus on Pleasure?35:29 - Epicureanism vs Utilitarianism48:59 - What About Immoral Pleasures?53:02 - Could AI be Epicurean?01:00:50 - The Experience Machine01:10:59 - Why Epicurus Didn’t Like Sex01:16:21 - Are Influencers Watering Down Ancient Philosophy?01:20:06 - Are You In Control of Your Happiness?01:26:33 - Epicureanism vs Stoicism01:32:36 - Epicurus on Death01:36:42 - Do We Have a Happiness Crisis? - CONNECTMy Website: https://www.alexoconnor.comSOCIAL LINKS:Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cosmicskepticFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/cosmicskepticInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/cosmicskepticTikTok: @CosmicSkepticThe Within Reason Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/within-reason/id1458675168 - CONTACTBusiness email: contact@alexoconnor.comBrand enquiries: David@modernstoa.co

Transcribed - Published: 4 May 2026

Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack.-Nate Soares is an American artificial intelligence author and researcher known for his work on existential risk from AI. In 2014, Soares co-authored a paper that introduced the term AI alignment, the challenge of making increasingly capable AI’s behave as intended. Nate is the president of the Machine Intelligence Research Institute, a research nonprofit based in Berkeley, California. Get the book, If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: Why Superhuman AI Would Kill Us All. - TIMESTAMPS00:00 - Is This an Exaggeration?04:31 - What Is Unique About the Threat of AI?11:28 - What is Superintelligence?21:25 - From Chess Computers to Murderous Machines27:52 - What Really Drives AI Systems?44:29 - Evidence AI Is Already Turning Against Us56:03 - How We Are Helping AI Take Over01:01:21 - Why Would AI Seek Power or Control?01:07:42 - Some Worst-Case AI Scenarios01:18:38 - What Do We Do About This Now?01:32:53 - How Has AI Changed in the Last Six Months? - CONNECTMy Website: https://www.alexoconnor.comSOCIAL LINKS:Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cosmicskepticFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/cosmicskepticInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/cosmicskepticTikTok: @CosmicSkeptic - CONTACTBusiness email: contact@alexoconnor.comBrand enquiries: David@modernstoa.co

Transcribed - Published: 26 April 2026

Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code alexoconnor at https://huel.com/alexoconnor (Minimum $50 purchase).For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack.Anil Seth is a British neuroscientist and professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex. A proponent of materialist explanations of consciousness, he is currently amongst the most cited scholars on the topics of neuroscience and cognitive science globally.Read Anil's essay, "The Mythology of Conscious AI". - TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - The Difference Between Intelligence and Consciousness03:55 - What’s Stopping the Replication of Consciousness in AI?17:01 - Can You Separate What the Brain Is From What It Does?22:20 - Is Conscious Experience Just Predictions From the Brain?26:48 - Why Do We Project Consciousness Onto LLMs?37:27 - Can Consciousness Exist Without a Body?42:25 - Why We Liken the Brain to a Computer52:11 - Is There An Evolutionary Reason For Consciousness?56:29 - Studying Unconscious Perception?1:01:21 - Is Consciousness Unified? Split-Brain Patients1:15:10 - Attention and Consciousness1:19:04 - What Would a Conscious Chatbot Even Look Like?1:25:13 - Consciousness as a Controlled Hallucination1:34:19 - Do Scientists Actually Study “Consciousness” At All? - CONNECTMy Website: https://www.alexoconnor.comTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/cosmicskepticFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/cosmicskepticInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/cosmicskepticTikTok: @CosmicSkeptic - CONTACTBusiness email: contact@alexoconnor.comBrand enquiries: David@modernstoa.co

Transcribed - Published: 20 April 2026

Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: https://www.alexoconnor.com.-John Lennox is a Northern Irish mathematician, bioethicist, and Christian apologist originally from Northern Ireland. He has written many books on religion, ethics, the relationship between science and God, and has had public debates with atheists including Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens. -Exclusive discount: Listeners to my show can get 30% Off John Lennox’s autobiography, My Story when shopping directly from his publishers. Visit https://spckpublishing.co.uk/my-story and enter AOC30 at checkout to get 30% off.  - TIMESTAMPS00:00 - How Pressure Can Produce the Best Work02:29 - Does the Incarnation Make Sense?06:22 - John’s Richard Dawkins Debate14:39 - What Did the New Atheists Get Wrong About God?26:21 - Science Cannot Explain Everything31:22 - What Did the New Atheists Get Right?35:18 - Why Does God Hide From So Many People?44:36 - Why Does God Allow Arbitrary Suffering?56:25 - Is Faith “Belief Without Evidence”?1:00:33 - How Could God Punish a Mere Lack of Faith?1:08:14 - How Christopher Hitchens Agreed with Jesus1:13:03 - Does Christianity Cause Evil?

Transcribed - Published: 13 April 2026

Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code alexoconnor at https://huel.com/alexoconnor (Minimum $50 purchase).For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: https://www.alexoconnor.com.Galen Strawson is a British analytic philosopher and literary critic who works primarily on philosophy of mind, metaphysics, John Locke, David Hume, Immanuel Kant and Friedrich Nietzsche.TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Is Radical Emergence Possible?08:15 - Can Physics Describe Consciousness?12:01 - Is Everything Made of Consciousness?18:34 - Why Are People Resistant to Panpsychism?21:19 - Can Experience Alone Tell Us What Consciousness Is?23:50 - Does Consciousness Require Complexity?29:03 - Panpsychism vs Idealism: What’s the Difference?36:08 - The Combination Problem40:03 - What is the “Self”?43:16 - Do We Even Need to Explain Consciousness?48:25 - Is Consciousness a Scientific or Philosophical Question?53:25 - Is It Possible for AI to Become Conscious?

Transcribed - Published: 8 April 2026

Philip Pullman is one of England's most cherished and celebrated writers. Author of the popular His Dark Materials series of books (later adapted into a film, The Golden Compass (2007), and a 2019 HBO/BBC drama series), his novels are dripping with philosophical and religious themes.Get Philip Pullman's Books here.-TIMESTAMPS:0:00 - C.S. Lewis Tells Filthy Lies5:12 - Childhood Innocence is Overrated10:09 - Religion in Philip’s Novels21:26 - How to Improve the Story of Jesus and the Gospels27:43 - The Connection Between Music and Fiction36:24 - Books vs Movies43:38 - Consciousness in The Book of Dust50:05 - Should Novelists Go Back and Update Their Books?56:11 - The Omniscient Narrator1:00:12 - How Movies Changed Novels1:05:49 - Why Subtitles Are So Popular Now1:10:56 - The Role of Philosophy in Philip’s Novels1:13:27 - Philip’s Writing Process1:20:11 - The Fear of AI in Creative Industries

Transcribed - Published: 2 April 2026

Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code alexoconnor at https://huel.com/alexoconnor (Minimum $50 purchase).For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack.Graham Tomlin is a British theologian, author and former Church of England bishop.LINKS:Get Graham's book, Blaise Pascal: The Man Who Made the Modern WorldGraham's organisation, Seen and Unseen TIMESTAMPS:00:00 - Can Blaise Pascal Be Categorised?03:05 - Who Was Blaise Pascal?11:12 - Pascal’s First Conversion17:19 - Pascal’s “Night of Fire”21:59 - Did Pascal Reject Reason?31:45 - Pascal’s War With Descartes42:31 - Did Pascal Invent the Bus?45:42 - The Heart Has Its Reasons, Of Which Reason Knows Nothing50:03 - How Pascal Invented Probability Theory52:29 - Pascal’s Wager1:15:35 - The Pensées1:18:30 - Pascal’s “Two Minds”1:22:39 - The Importance of Boredom1:26:58 - Why Should Atheists Read Pascal?1:31:34 - What Would Graham Ask Pascal?

Transcribed - Published: 25 March 2026

Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code alexoconnor at https://huel.com/alexoconnor (Minimum $50 purchase).For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: https://www.alexoconnor.com.Thomas Metzinger is a German philosopher and Professor Emeritus of theoretical philosophy at the University of Mainz. His primary research areas include philosophy of mind, philosophy of neuroscience, and applied ethics, particularly focusing on neurotechnology, virtual reality, and artificial intelligence.Get The Elephant and the Blind: The Experience of Pure Consciousness: Philosophy, Science, and 500+ Experiential ReportsTIMESTAMPS0:00 - The Minimal Phenomenal Experience Project11:34 - Is MPE New Age Meditation?17:07 - Collecting Reports of Pure Consciousness25:48 - Lucid Deep Sleep - Thomas’ Experience32:19 - Does Consciousness Require Complexity?39:29 - The Power of Meditation45:32 - Is Meditation Always a Positive Experience?53:13 - Is a MPE Actually an Experience?01:11:21 - Your Brain is Not Telling You the Truth01:20:08 - Analysing Minimal Conscious Experiences01:27:26 - Is Meditative Enlightenment Unethical?01:32:37 - Western Ignorance of Eastern Tradition01:40:13 - “Coming Home”01:44:29 - The Political Implications of MPE01:52:40 - Should Ketamine Be Legalised?

Transcribed - Published: 18 March 2026

Matthew Cobb is a British zoologist and Emeritus professor of zoology at the University of Manchester.Get his book, The Idea of the Brain: A HistoryCloser to Truth's Map of Consciousness: loc.closertotruth.com/mapTIMESTAMPS:0:00 The Heart or the Head?4:13 Medicine in the Ancient World12:25 Why Don’t We Accept Evidence?18:34 From Ancient to Modern Understanding29:29 When Did We Reach a Consensus on the Brain?37:41 Electricity in the Brain39:58 Our Metaphors for the Brain44:15 Is the Brain Segmented or Whole?01:05:20 Why is Speech Governed by the Left Hemisphere?01:18:55 Why is the Brain Split Into Two Hemispheres?01:23:06 Where in the Brain Does Consciousness Originate?01:32:46 The Ladybug Robot01:35:08 Back to Consciousness01:45:27 What is a Neuron?01:56:04 Why is Smell Connected to Memory So Strongly?02:02:14 Do London Cab Drivers Have Larger Hippocampi?02:10:11 The Limits of MRI and CT Scans02:19:24 Will We Ever Be Able to See Consciousness in the Brain?

Transcribed - Published: 8 March 2026

Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code alexoconnor at https://huel.com/alexoconnor (Minimum $50 purchase). For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: https://www.alexoconnor.com. - VIDEO NOTES Adam Aleksic, known online as Etymology Nerd, is an American linguist and content creator who produces videos exploring the origins of words. He began exploring word origins in 2016 through his blog. Aleksic studied at Harvard University, where he gained attention for his educational TikTok videos on linguistics and language in 2023. In 2025, he published Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language. - LINKS Buy "Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language": https://amzn.to/3NcOLpw - TIMESTAMPS0:00 – Will Social Media End Local Languages?7:49 – Why Does Language Change?15:11 – What Is Algospeak?22:33 – We Worship Our Phones27:36 – Upcoming Slang to Invest In33:26 – Online Slang That Never Quite Caught On38:48 – Introducing Adam to British Slang47:13 – The Origins of Language57:22 – Punctuation in Text Messaging1:06:24 – The Latin Mass and Hocus Pocus1:13:44 – The Message of Algospeak - CONNECT My Website: https://www.alexoconnor.com SOCIAL LINKS:Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/cosmicskepticFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/cosmicskepticInstagram:http://www.instagram.com/cosmicskepticTikTok: @CosmicSkepticThe Within Reason Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/within-reason/id1458675168 - CONTACT Business email: contact@alexoconnor.comBrand enquiries: David@modernstoa.co------------------------------------------

Transcribed - Published: 4 March 2026

Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access. Come to my UK tour, tickets still available for Cambridge and Newcastle: https://www.livenation.co.uk/alex-o-connor-tickets-adp1641612. For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: https://www.alexoconnor.com. Sam Harris is a neuroscientist, philosopher, New York Times best-selling author, host of the Making Sense podcast, and creator of the Waking Up meditation app. Buy the Waking Up book here. TIMESTAMPS:00:00 – Tour00:32 – Is ‘Spirituality’ a Dirty Word?04:26 – Why Take Reflective Knowledge Seriously?29:11 – What Is the Self?47:04 – Why Are There Distinct Selves?1:01:22 – The Two Hemispheres of the Brain1:06:47 – The Problem of Emergence1:18:41 – What’s the Minimal Amount of Consciousness?1:34:09 – Is AI Lying to Us About Consciousness?1:39:15 – What Is the Present?

Transcribed - Published: 25 February 2026

Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code alexoconnor at https://huel.com/alexoconnor (Minimum $50 purchase).Come to my UK tour: https://www.livenation.co.uk/alex-o-connor-tickets-adp1641612.For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: https://www.alexoconnor.com.-Swami Sarvapriyananda is a Hindu monk belonging to the Ramakrishna Order. He is the current resident Swami and Minister in Charge, of the Vedanta Society of New York.-TIMESTAMPS:00:00 – Tour00:32 – An Intro to Hinduism and Advaita Vedanta14:31 – What Are the Upanishads22:08 – Where Do the Vedas (Scripture) Come From?29:02 – What Does “Upanishad” Mean?34:36 – What Do the Upanishads Teach Us?47:07 – What Is Brahman, or Ultimate Existence?1:02:52 – What Is the True Nature of Consciousness?1:08:15 – Non-Dualism in Advaita Vedanta1:18:34 – Why Isn’t There Just One Big Consciousness?1:29:06 – What Is the Self?1:36:30 – Are Brahman and Atman the Same Thing?1:45:25 – What Does ‘God’ Mean in Hinduism?1:49:07 – Does Hinduism Believe Other Religions Are Incorrect?

Transcribed - Published: 16 February 2026

Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access.Get tickets to my UK tour here.For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack.Joe Schmid is a PhD student in philosophy at Princeton University and creator of the Majesty of Reason YouTube channel. He graduated with a B.A. in philosophy from Purdue University in 2022. He has published articles in metaphysics, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of time, and the author of books including "Existential Inertia and Classical Theistic Proofs". Felipe Leon’s 200 arguments for atheism: https://exapologist.blogspot.com/2023/03/200-or-so-arguments-for-atheism.html TIMESTAMPS00:00 – Tour00:32 – Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence07:50 – There Is No Evidence for God25:27 – Who Created God?49:44 – Science Flies You to the Moon, Religion Flies You into Buildings01:02:33 – Your Location Determines Your Religion01:28:33 – Claims Are Not Evidence01:32:50 – You Can’t Prove a Negative01:38:35 – What Can Be Asserted Without Evidence Can Be Dismissed Without Evidence01:43:51 – Faith Is Belief Without Evidence01:54:59 – Religion Makes Good People Do Bad Things01:55:32 – Absence of Evidence Is Evidence of Absence01:56:31 – Theism Is Unfalsifiable02:01:03 – Science Books Would Come Back, Religions Would Not02:12:58 – Evolution Disproves God

Transcribed - Published: 8 February 2026

Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code alexoconnor at https://huel.com/alexoconnor (Minimum $50 purchase). Come to my tour in February: https://www.livenation.co.uk/alex-o-connor-tickets-adp1641612. For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: https://www.alexoconnor.com. - VIDEO NOTES John Sellars is a Reader in philosophy at Royal Holloway, University of London, a visiting Research Fellow at King's College London and a Member of Wolfson College, Oxford. His books include Lessons in Stoicism, The Fourfold Remedy, Aristotle and his work has been translated into over a dozen languages. TIMESTAMPS00:00 – Tour00:32 – Did Socrates Found Stoicism?08:03 – The Three Eras of Stoicism17:50 – Stoic Logic26:19 – Empiricism: How the Stoics Got Knowledge34:33 – Materialism: Only Physical Things Exist43:00 – How Reason Fundamentally Animates the Universe48:43 – Did the Stoics Believe in God?59:37 – Do the Stoics Contradict Themselves?01:08:17 – Stoic Ethics01:24:24 – How Did the Stoics Deal With Evil?01:36:32 – Can You Choose Your Outcome If Everything Is Determined?

Transcribed - Published: 3 February 2026

Get all sides of every story and be better informed at https://ground.news/AlexOC - subscribe for 40% off unlimited access. Come to my UK tour: https://www.livenation.co.uk/alex-o-connor-tickets-adp1641612. For early, ad-free access to videos, and to support the channel, subscribe to my Substack: https://www.alexoconnor.com. Sean Michael Carroll is an American theoretical physicist who specializes in quantum mechanics, cosmology, and the philosophy of science. TIMESTAMPS:0:00 – Tour0:32 – Can Science Alone Explain the Universe?6:08 – The Principle of Sufficient Reason10:07 – What Are the Laws of Physics?18:22 – The Fine-Tuning Argument32:39 – Does the Multiverse Undermine Morality?36:29 – Free Will and the Multiverse42:24 – What Is Emergence?56:21 – What “Stuff” Do Materialists Believe In?1:02:41 – How Does Consciousness Work on Materialism?1:17:31 – What Could Move Sean Away from Materialism?

Transcribed - Published: 26 January 2026

Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code alexoconnor - https://huel.com/alexoconnor (Minimum $50 purchase).Come to my tour in February, click here for tickets. TIMESTAMPS:0:00 – Intro 0:32 – Are All Things Full of Gods? 8:51 – Subjectivity and the Scientific Third Person 18:56 – What is the Materialistic Worldview? 28:45 – Consciousness of the Gaps? 38:21 – What’s Wrong with Emergence? 1:00:18 – Why Panpsychism is False 1:10:25 – Is There a Fundamental Unit of Consciousness? 1:23:08 – Why Are There Individual Selves? 1:27:43 – What’s Special About the Brain? 1:40:35 – Where Does the Self Go After Death?

Transcribed - Published: 18 January 2026

Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code alexoconnor at huel.com/alexoconnor (Minimum $75 purchase).For tickets to my UK tour, click here.--Rhett McLaughlin is a comedian best known for creating the internet’s most-watched daily talk show, Good Mythical Morning‬, alongside Link Neal. The pair also host a weekly podcast, ‪Ear Biscuits‬.--Timestamps:0:00 – Tour0:32 – Did Rhett Break Christianity on Easter Sunday?6:15 – What About Christianity Needs Rethinking?12:16 – Christians Should Embrace Faith23:39 – Christians Should Stop Relying on Evidence37:01 – Christians Should Stop Relying on Philosophy49:05 – Christians Should Embrace Truth55:15 – Why Do Christians Resist Evolution?1:02:55 – Are Alex and Rhett About to Convert to Christianity?1:07:49 – Christians Should Embrace Jesus1:34:30 – Rhett’s New Channel

Transcribed - Published: 11 January 2026

Graham Oppy is Professor of Philosophy and Associate Dean of Research at Monash University. An Australian philosopher of religion, he is often considered one of the most thoughtful and important academic atheists in the world.Buy his book, Arguing About Gods, here.Timestamps: 00:00 - Tour00:31 - The First Cause Argument14:14 - Can There be an Infinite Regress?30:46 - The Modal Fatalism Objection36:08 - The Kalam Cosmological Argument51:12 - The Fine Tuning Argument1:06:15 - The Multiverse1:10:01 - Are the Constants of the Universe Just Necessary?1:15:37 - Was the Hole Designed for the Puddle?1:20:20 - Anselm’s Ontological Argument1:33:59 - The Modal Ontological Argument1:38:23 - Closing

Transcribed - Published: 4 January 2026

Get tickets for my UK tour here.Alain de Botton is the creator of The School of Life. A Swiss-born British author and public speaker, his books discuss various contemporary subjects and themes, emphasising philosophy's relevance to everyday life.

Transcribed - Published: 26 December 2025

John Nelson earned a PhD in New Testament and Christian Origins from the University of Edinburgh in 2023. He writes for the Substack Behind the Gospels.His thesis is the first book-length study of Jesus' physical appearance in the Gospels. He runs a weekly Substack called "Behind the Gospels" which aims to make Biblical studies accessible to all. Timestamps:0:00 - Was Jesus Really Born on Christmas Day?2:51 - Are the Birth Narratives Attempts at History?6:34 - Where Was Jesus Actually Born?16:19 - Were the Birth Narratives Added Later?20:53 - Was Mary Really a Virgin?32:57 - Why Does Nobody Else Mention the Virgin Birth?37:39 - Was Jesus a Product of Adultery? 42:22 - Was Jesus Born in a Manger?48:07 - Who Are the Magi?54:04 - Was the Star Really a Star?01:00:03 - Did Herod Really Order a Slaughter of Infants?01:05:09 - Is the Christmas Story Anti-Imperial?01:09:04 - How Would Jewish Readers Interpret the Christmas Narratives?01:13:13 - Are Christmas Trees a Pagan Idol?01:16:12 - John’s Book and the Upcoming Tour

Transcribed - Published: 20 December 2025

Timestamps0:00 - 1,778,795 Q&A 0:24 - How Are You? 5:12 - If You Could Choose Your Date of Birth, When Would It Be? 9:36 - Survival Tips From Bear Grylls? 10:21 - How Do You Remember so Much Stuff? 15:24 - What is Your Dream Podcast? 17:01 - Doesn’t Consciousness Just… Emerge? 29:26 - If You Clean a Vaccum, Are You a Vaccum Cleaner? 35:41 - Is Water Wet? 37:26 - How Many Holes Are In a Straw? 40:55 - Is a Hot Dog a Sandwich? 42:28 - Do You Edit Everything By Yourself? 43:23 - What Would It Be Like to Observe a Contradiction? 43:33 - Which Philosophical Concepts are Often Misunderstood? 50:29 - When I Changed My Mind Mid-Debate 01:01:49 - Would You Tour?

Transcribed - Published: 19 December 2025

Hank Green (@hankschannel) is one of YouTube's most beloved creators. One half of vlogbrothers, he is also the co-creator and host of SciShow and Crash Course. Timestamps:0:00 - Where Are All the Aliens? 8:08 - What Makes Humans So Special? 17:22 - Has the US Lost its Cultural Identity? 29:34 - Martin Luther Wrong About God? 36:30 - Is the World an Illusion? 46:54 - Should We Believe Our Illusions? 53:58 - How Objective is Science? 59:41 - Does Science Explain Anything? 01:11:10 - Could We Explain Cold to an Alien? 1:22:03 - The Hard Problem of Consciousness 01:27:44 - Will Computers Ever Become Conscious? 01:35:58 - Do You Have Two Brains? 01:42:30 - Should We Be Worried About TikTok? 1:49:08 - Hank’s Video Ideas 01:59:39 - What’s it Like Meeting Your Old Heroes? 2:05:51 - Being a YouTuber

Transcribed - Published: 7 December 2025

Michael Stevens is the creator of Vsauce, one of YouTube's most popular channels. Alongside Hannah Fry he hosts the newly-launched podcast The Rest is Science. Timestamps:0:00 - Does Anything Really Exist? 10:32 - Is Michael a Mereological Nihilist? 19:42 - Are Philosophers Overcomplicating Function Behaviour? 25:24 - Do “You” Really Exist? 41:57 - Free Will and the Bicameral Mind Theory 50:09 - Why the Future Isn’t Changing Like It Used To 59:11 - The Scientific Mystery of Torque? 01:17:46 - Consciousness

Transcribed - Published: 30 November 2025

Timestamps0:00 - What Existential Risks Does AI Pose?8:57 - How AI Systems Lie to Us26:04 - Why We Should Be Worried About AI33:28 - What Does It Mean for AI System to “Want” Something?43:41 - AI Weapons and Nuclear Warfare48:57 - Where Should We Focus Our Resources?53:35 - What Policies Should We Enact?

Transcribed - Published: 27 November 2025

Philip Goff is a British author, panpsychist philosopher, and professor at Durham University whose research focuses on philosophy of mind and consciousness. Specifically, how consciousness can be part of the scientific worldview. Buy Philip's books here. - Timestamps0:00 - Why Philip Became Religious07:13 - Panpsychism and the Fine-Tuning Argument18:46 - Why God’s Power is Limited30:10 - The Problem of Suffering42:53 - Non-Western Religious Positions48:34 - What is the Role of Jesus in This?57:35 - “Why Aren’t You Just a Hindu?”01:02:23 - What is the Point in the Crucifixion?01:09:41 - The Beautiful Uncertainty of Religion

Transcribed - Published: 16 November 2025

Get Huel today with this exclusive offer for New Customers of 15% OFF with code alexoconnor at https://huel.com/alexoconnor (Minimum $75 purchase). William MacAskill is a Scottish philosopher and author, as well as one of the originators of the effective altruism movement. Get his book. What We Owe the Future, here. 0:00 – The World Isn’t Ready for AGI9:12 – What Does AGIDoomsday Look Like?16:13 – Alignment is Not Enough19:28 – How AGI Could Cause Government Coups27:14 – Why Isn’t There More Widespread Panic?33:55 – What Can We Do?40:11 – If We Stop, China Won’t47:43 – What is Currently Being Done to Regulate AGI Growth51:03 – The Problem of “Value Lock-in”01:05:03 – Is Inaction a Form of Action?01:08:47 – Should Effective Altruists Focus on AGI?

Transcribed - Published: 9 November 2025

Bernardo Kastrup is a Dutch philosopher and computer scientist recognised for his contributions to consciousness studies, notably through his formulation of analytic idealism—a variant of metaphysical idealism rooted in the analytic tradition. Buy his books here. Timestamps:0:00 - What is the World Really Made Of? 7:11 - Qualities vs Quantities 9:45 - Can Materialism Explain Anything? 25:06 - Is There More Than What We Perceive? 33:57 - Can We Exist Without a Brain? 42:15 - What is Personhood? 48:35 - Consciousness is not the Self 54:46 - Why is Mental Activity Localised? 01:10:39 - Why Panpsychism Doesn’t Make Sense 01:22:20 - Distinguishing Idealism and Panpsychism 01:32:20 - Are There Distinctions Between Material Objects? 01:39:14 - The Illusion of the Self 01:46:16 - The Biggest Misunderstanding of Analytical Idealism

Transcribed - Published: 2 November 2025

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 Person 12:36 - Faith and Doubt Come Together 16:46 - Did Bear’s Research Cause Doubt or Faith? 28:01 - Reconciling the Differences Between the Gospels 39:50 - On Not Putting Words in Jesus’ Mouth 48:59 - Where Alex’s Interest in the Gospels Began 55:24 - Travelling Back to the Time of Jesus: Where Would You Go?

Transcribed - Published: 26 October 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 19 October 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 12 October 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 5 October 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 28 September 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 21 September 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 16 September 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 10 September 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 1 September 2025

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 Logic 12:47 - How Logic Provides Clarity 18:42 Ambiguities in Logical Language 29:07 - Validity vs Soundness in a Logical Argument 39:40 Why Anything Follows From a Contradiction 47:42 - The Law of Non-Contradiction 56:27 - 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 Logic 01:29:15 - Resources to Learn About Logic Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 24 August 2025

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 Monotheism 01:11:02 The Elevation of YHWH to God of the Universe 1:20:36 Polytheism in the New Testament 01:24:14 The Strongest Case For Monotheism in the Old Testament Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 17 August 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 10 August 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 4 August 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 28 July 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 21 July 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 13 July 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 6 July 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 1 July 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 22 June 2025

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

Transcribed - Published: 16 June 2025

Dale Allison is an American historian and Christian theologian. His areas of expertise include the historical Jesus, the Gospel of Matthew, Second Temple Jewish literature, and the history of the interpretation and reception of the Bible. Allison is the Richard J. Dearborn Professor of New Testament at Princeton Theological Seminary (2013- ). (Wikipedia) By Dale Allison's book, The Resurrection of Jesus, here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcribed - Published: 12 June 2025