The Panpsycast Philosophy Podcast
by Jack Symes | Andrew Horton, Oliver Marley, Rose de Castellane, Gregory Mill
An 'informal and informative' philosophy podcast inspiring and supporting students, teachers, academics and free-thinkers worldwide. All episodes are available at www.thepanpsycast.com.
Episodes
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The End of The Panpsycast
Hey everyone, Today I have to break some sad news. After ten years of The Panpsycast, we have taken the difficult decision to bring the show to an end. We started this project in 2016. Since then, we have released over 400 instalments of the show; never (not once) missing our schedule to bring…
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Episode 163, The Battle for Reality with Slavoj Zizek, Sabine Hossenfelder, Rowan Williams, and William Lane Craig
Hey Everyone, I'm delighted to present our third and final live show from The Mystery of Existence series at the Royal Institution Theatre, London. People travelled from far and wide to join us, and for our final event we brought together four intellectual heavyweights: Slavoj Žižek, Sabine...
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Episode 162, Animal Consciousness with Peter Godfrey-Smith
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...
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Episode 161, The Story of Everything Debate, with William Lane Craig, Jessica Frazier, Philip Goff, and Joe Folley
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...
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Episode 160, Jack Symes vs Philip Goff
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...
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Episode 159, The Rowan Williams Interview
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...
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Episode 158, Live Debate: Alex O'Connor x William Lane Craig
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...
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Episode 157, 'Jesus' Physical Appearance' with John Nelson
"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...
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Episode 156, 'Epicurus – Worst Philosopher Ever?' with Jonny Thomson
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...
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Episode 155, 'On Veganism' with Earthling Ed
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 –...
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Episode 154, 'African Philosophy of Religion' with Aribiah David Attoe (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
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...
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Episode 154, 'African Philosophy of Religion' with Aribiah David Attoe (Part I – The Meaning of Life)
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...
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Episode 153, 'Beautiful Veganism' with Vid Simoniti
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...
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Episode 152, 'God, Consciousness, and Fundamental Reality' with Philip Goff, David Godman, and Miri Albahari (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
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...
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Episode 152, 'God, Consciousness, and Fundamental Reality' with Philip Goff, David Godman, and Miri Albahari (Part I - The Debate)
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...
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Episode 151, 'Afro-Brazilian Religions' with José Eduardo Porcher (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
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...
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Episode 151, 'Afro-Brazilian Religions' with José Eduardo Porcher (Part I - Candomblé)
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...
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Episode 150, The World's Worst Philosopher (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
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,...
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Episode 150, The World's Worst Philosopher (Part I - T.R.U.T.H)
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,...
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Episode 149, 'The Philosophy of Jainism' with Marie-Hélène Gorisse (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
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...
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Episode 149, 'The Philosophy of Jainism' with Marie-Hélène Gorisse (Part I - Liberation)
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...
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Episode 148, 'Divine Commands' with Paul Taylor (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
Most people believe in moral facts – that is, there's something about torturing and murdering innocent people that makes it wrong, which goes beyond just a feeling. Yet it's hard to locate morality anywhere in the natural world. For this reason, many have understood God to be the source and…
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Episode 148, 'Divine Commands' with Paul Taylor (Part I - The Euthyphro Dilemma)
Most people believe in moral facts – that is, there's something about torturing and murdering innocent people that makes it wrong, which goes beyond just a feeling. Yet it's hard to locate morality anywhere in the natural world. For this reason, many have understood God to be the source and…
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Episode 147, 'Creator or Cosmos' with Tim Mawson and Asha Lancaster-Thomas (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
Across the world, belief in God continues to be widespread and, among philosophers, has long been considered one solution to the problems of the world's origin, fine-tuned nature, and purpose. However, in the West, very few people have considered alternative concepts of God credible. That…
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Episode 147, 'Creator or Cosmos' with Tim Mawson and Asha Lancaster-Thomas (Part I - The Debate)
Across the world, belief in God continues to be widespread and, among philosophers, has long been considered one solution to the problems of the world's origin, fine-tuned nature, and purpose. However, in the West, very few people have considered alternative concepts of God credible. That…
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Episode 146, The Philosophy of Comedy (Part III - Further Analysis and Discussion)
In 2021, Netflix released His Dark Material, a Christmas stand-up special by Irish–British comedian Jimmy Carr. The show sparked international outrage. Toward the end of the set, Carr delivered what he called a 'career ender' – a joke about the Holocaust, in which he described the Nazis' murder…
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Episode 146, The Philosophy of Comedy (Part II - The Ethics of Humour)
In 2021, Netflix released His Dark Material, a Christmas stand-up special by Irish–British comedian Jimmy Carr. The show sparked international outrage. Toward the end of the set, Carr delivered what he called a 'career ender' – a joke about the Holocaust, in which he described the Nazis' murder…
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Episode 146, The Philosophy of Comedy (Part I - The Nature of Humour)
In 2021, Netflix released His Dark Material, a Christmas stand-up special by Irish–British comedian Jimmy Carr. The show sparked international outrage. Toward the end of the set, Carr delivered what he called a 'career ender' – a joke about the Holocaust, in which he described the Nazis' murder…
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Episode 145, The Mystery of Morality: Live in London (Part II - Audience Questions)
'"Hello – it's Olly here! For Episode 145, we have another very special show for you: the recording from our live event – The Mystery of Morality – held on 12 June 2025 at London's Royal Institution Theatre. The event was a conversation between four of our previous guests: Richard Swinburne,...
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Episode 145, The Mystery of Morality: Live in London (Part I - The Debate)
'"Hello – it's Olly here! For Episode 145, we have another very special show for you: the recording from our live event – The Mystery of Morality – held on 12 June 2025 at London's Royal Institution Theatre. The event was a conversation between four of our previous guests: Richard Swinburne,...
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Episode 144, Steven Pinker x Richard Dawkins: Live in London (Part II - Audience Questions)
This is a live recording from our recent show – The Future of Humanity – held on 3 June 2025 at London's Royal Institution Theatre. The event was a conversation between psychologist Steven Pinker and biologist Richard Dawkins – both previous guests on The Panpsycast – exploring the evolution of...
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Episode 144, Steven Pinker x Richard Dawkins: Live in London (Part I - The Future of Humanity)
Welcome to Episode 144 (Part I of II), where Richard Dawkins interviews Steven Pinker on the past and future of humanity. This is a live recording from our recent show – The Future of Humanity – held on 3 June 2025 at London's Royal Institution Theatre. The event was a conversation between...
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Episode 143, 'The Philosophy of Mental Health' with Rose Cartwright (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
We're living through a mental health crisis. In Europe, use of antidepressant has more than doubled in the past twenty years, and one in five children are now living with a recognised mental health condition. These numbers are striking, and the suffering they reflect personal, and clouded in...
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Episode 143, 'The Philosophy of Mental Health' with Rose Cartwright (Part I - The Maps We Carry)
We're living through a mental health crisis. In Europe, use of antidepressant has more than doubled in the past twenty years, and one in five children are now living with a recognised mental health condition. These numbers are striking, and the suffering they reflect personal, and clouded in...
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Episode 142, 'The Philosophy of Food' with Julian Baggini (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
Food is one of the most universal and essential parts of human life. From gourmet steaks to the everyday, humble, packet of crisps, food consumption is everywhere. But what do we actually know about how our food is grown? How is it processed? And how does it ends up on our supermarket shelves or…
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Episode 142, 'The Philosophy of Food' with Julian Baggini (Part I - How the World Eats)
Food is one of the most universal and essential parts of human life. From gourmet steaks to the everyday, humble, packet of crisps, food consumption is everywhere. But what do we actually know about how our food is grown? How is it processed? And how does it ends up on our supermarket shelves or…
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Episode 141, 'Deadly Sins' with Elizabeth Oldfield (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
Much of ethics is relational: it's about how we treat other people, the world around us, and how those relationships shape who we become. In philosophy, this often gets formalised as a set of virtues to cultivate, duties to obey, or harms to avoid. But today, we rarely talk about sins – let alone...
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Episode 141, 'Deadly Sins' with Elizabeth Oldfield (Part I - Fully Alive)
Much of ethics is relational: it's about how we treat other people, the world around us, and how those relationships shape who we become. In philosophy, this often gets formalised as a set of virtues to cultivate, duties to obey, or harms to avoid. But today, we rarely talk about sins – let alone...
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Episode 140, 'Interpersonal Art' with Harry Drummond (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
Reflecting on the experiences we value most, many that come to mind are those we share with others. Consider the strangers we sit alongside at the football, the romantic partners who share (or endure) our favourite television shows, the friends with whom we dance through the early morning hours....
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Episode 140, 'Interpersonal Art' with Harry Drummond (Part I - Collective Experience)
Reflecting on the experiences we value most, many that come to mind are those we share with others. Consider the strangers we sit alongside at the football, the romantic partners who share (or endure) our favourite television shows, the friends with whom we dance through the early morning hours....
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Episode 139, Unanswered Questions
A couple of weeks ago, Jack took part in a debate at Oriel College, University of Oxford, with Stephen Law on the evil-god challenge. It was a fantastic discussion, full of thought-provoking arguments and brilliant questions from the audience. It was also set to be our final episode on the topic....
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Episode 138, Plato's Symposium (Part III - The Ladder of Love)
A Christmas party is where humanity's deepest truths can be revealed. It's a space where profound questions like "How much gravy is too much gravy?" "What is partridge doing in a pear tree?" mingle seamlessly with "What is the meaning of life?" The very act of gathering to celebrate is a tribute…
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Episode 138, Plato's Symposium (Part II - A Whole Lot of Love)
A Christmas party is where humanity's deepest truths can be revealed. It's a space where profound questions like "How much gravy is too much gravy?" "What is partridge doing in a pear tree?" mingle seamlessly with "What is the meaning of life?" The very act of gathering to celebrate is a tribute…
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Episode 138, Plato's Symposium (Part I - The Hangover)
A Christmas party is where humanity's deepest truths can be revealed. It's a space where profound questions like "How much gravy is too much gravy?" "What is partridge doing in a pear tree?" mingle seamlessly with "What is the meaning of life?" The very act of gathering to celebrate is a tribute…
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Episode 137, Between God and Atheism: Live in London (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
This is a live recording from our recent show at The Royal Institution Theatre in London. The panel includes returning guests Philip Goff (professor of philosophy at Durham) and Rowan Williams (former Archbishop of Canterbury), as well as two new panellists, Elizabeth Oldfield (the popular…
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Episode 137, Between God and Atheism: Live in London (Part I - The Debate)
This is a live recording from our recent show at The Royal Institution Theatre in London. The panel includes returning guests Philip Goff (professor of philosophy at Durham) and Rowan Williams (former Archbishop of Canterbury), as well as two new panellists, Elizabeth Oldfield (the popular…
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Episode 136, 'A World Unmade' with Peter Hitchens (Part II - A Revolution Betrayed)
The Western world faces a tidal wave of secularisation, which shows no signs of receding. In the UK, Christian self-identification has plummeted – dropping, for example, from 72% in 2001 to 47% in 2021. The secularists argue that this trend reflects a shift towards an inclusive and intellectually...
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Episode 136, 'A World Unmade' with Peter Hitchens (Part I - The Rage Against God)
The Western world faces a tidal wave of secularisation, which shows no signs of receding. In the UK, Christian self-identification has plummeted – dropping, for example, from 72% in 2001 to 47% in 2021. The secularists argue that this trend reflects a shift towards an inclusive and intellectually...
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Episode 135, 'The Philosophy of Headphones' with Jacob Kingsbury Downs (Part II - Further Analysis and Discussion)
Listening to a podcast on the morning commute, drowning out the office noise with your favourite album, getting lost in an audiobook as you walk home – for many of us, navigating the world through headphones is second nature. But is there more to these everyday experiences than listening to our...
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Episode 135, 'The Philosophy of Headphones' with Jacob Kingsbury Downs (Part I - There's No Sound Like Home)
Listening to a podcast on the morning commute, drowning out the office noise with your favourite album, getting lost in an audiobook as you walk home – for many of us, navigating the world through headphones is second nature. But is there more to these everyday experiences than listening to our...
About this show
An 'informal and informative' philosophy podcast inspiring and supporting students, teachers, academics and free-thinkers worldwide. All episodes are available at www.thepanpsycast.com.
Hosted by
Jack Symes | Andrew Horton, Oliver Marley, Rose de Castellane, Gregory Mill
Categories