Episodes

  • Episode 147, ‘Creator or Cosmos’ with Tim Mawson and Asha Lancaster-Thomas (Part I - The Debate)

    Episode 147, ‘Creator or Cosmos’ with Tim Mawson and Asha Lancaster-Thomas (Part I - The Debate)
    Sep 21 2025

    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, though, may be beginning to change. One such alternative – pantheism – tells us that the universe and God are one and the same thing. It challenges conventional ideas about divine agency and the coherence of traditional theism, and invites us to reconsider what we mean when we speak of ‘God’.

    To explore God’s nature, in this special episode, I’ll be joined by two guests: Tim Mawson and Asha Lancaster-Thomas. Dr Mawson is Edgar Jones Fellow and Tutor in Philosophy at St Peter’s College, University of Oxford. He has published five books and over fifty papers in the philosophy of religion. Dr Lancaster-Thomas is Teacher of Philosophy at Atlanta Classical Academy, USA, and has published widely on the philosophy of religion – most recently exploring alternative concepts of God, including the one we’ll be debating today.

    Tim Mawson will be arguing in favour of traditional theism – the view that God and the world are not identical. Asha Lancaster-Thomas will be defending pantheism – the view that they are. What are the implications of identifying God with the universe? Can such a view still provide the kind of moral and metaphysical grounding traditionally associated with belief in a transcendent creator? Or – by dragging God down from the heaven’s – do we diminish the divine and its explanatory power?

    This episode is generously supported by The John Templeton Foundation, through The Panpsychism and Pan(en)theism Project (62683).
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    40 mins
  • Episode 146, The Philosophy of Comedy (Part III - Further Analysis and Discussion)

    Episode 146, The Philosophy of Comedy (Part III - Further Analysis and Discussion)
    Sep 7 2025
    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 of thousands of ‘Gypsies’ as a ‘positive’. The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, the Auschwitz Memorial, and the UK government condemned the joke as ‘appalling’, ‘abhorrent’, and ‘racist’; Carr, critics said, was trading on the ‘last acceptable form of racism’. Comedy touches every part of our lives. We tell jokes at the pub, around the dinner table, and by the office coffee machine. We all know someone who makes us laugh – and someone who seems to take things too far. But is there a line when it comes to humour? And if there is, who gets to draw it? Should we suspend our moral judgements when the lights go down and the curtain goes up? Or do jokes, like most speech acts, carry moral weight? To answer these questions, we need to understand the nature of comedy itself – what exactly it is we’re responding to when we laugh. Humour might be a release of nervous tension, a playful disruption of expectations, or – more troublingly, if it applies to Carr’s joke – a means of asserting social superiority. No doubt, comedy has the power to shape our culture and perceptions. But, as we’ll find out, it also tells us something about who we are, who we ought to be, and the things we value most. Links Abrahams, Daniel – Winning Over the Audience: Trust and Humor in Stand‐Up Comedy (paper) Anderson, Luvell – Roasting Ethics (paper) Bergson, Henri – Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic (book) Carroll, Noël – Ethics and Comic Amusement (paper) Carroll, Noël – Humour: A Very Short Introduction (book) Carroll, Noël – I’m Only Kidding: On Racist and Ethnic Jokes (paper) Carroll, Noël – Cruelty and Humour (paper) Critchley, Simon – On Humour (book) Deen, Phillip – What Could It Mean to Say That Today’s Stand‐Up Audiences Are Too Sensitive? (paper) Gimbel, Steven (ed.) – The Philosophy of Comedy (book) Hick, Darren Hudson – Why Can’t You Take a Joke? The Several Moral Dimensions of Pilfering a Ha‐Ha (paper) Morreall, John – Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor (book) Morreall, John – Philosophy of Laughter and Humor (book) Morreall, John – Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Philosophy of Humor (article) Smuts, Aaron – Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Comedy (article)
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    59 mins
  • Episode 146, The Philosophy of Comedy (Part II - The Ethics of Humour)

    Episode 146, The Philosophy of Comedy (Part II - The Ethics of Humour)
    Aug 24 2025
    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 of thousands of ‘Gypsies’ as a ‘positive’. The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, the Auschwitz Memorial, and the UK government condemned the joke as ‘appalling’, ‘abhorrent’, and ‘racist’; Carr, critics said, was trading on the ‘last acceptable form of racism’. Comedy touches every part of our lives. We tell jokes at the pub, around the dinner table, and by the office coffee machine. We all know someone who makes us laugh – and someone who seems to take things too far. But is there a line when it comes to humour? And if there is, who gets to draw it? Should we suspend our moral judgements when the lights go down and the curtain goes up? Or do jokes, like most speech acts, carry moral weight? To answer these questions, we need to understand the nature of comedy itself – what exactly it is we’re responding to when we laugh. Humour might be a release of nervous tension, a playful disruption of expectations, or – more troublingly, if it applies to Carr’s joke – a means of asserting social superiority. No doubt, comedy has the power to shape our culture and perceptions. But, as we’ll find out, it also tells us something about who we are, who we ought to be, and the things we value most. Links Abrahams, Daniel – Winning Over the Audience: Trust and Humor in Stand‐Up Comedy (paper) Anderson, Luvell – Roasting Ethics (paper) Bergson, Henri – Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic (book) Carroll, Noël – Ethics and Comic Amusement (paper) Carroll, Noël – Humour: A Very Short Introduction (book) Carroll, Noël – I’m Only Kidding: On Racist and Ethnic Jokes (paper) Carroll, Noël – Cruelty and Humour (paper) Critchley, Simon – On Humour (book) Deen, Phillip – What Could It Mean to Say That Today’s Stand‐Up Audiences Are Too Sensitive? (paper) Gimbel, Steven (ed.) – The Philosophy of Comedy (book) Hick, Darren Hudson – Why Can’t You Take a Joke? The Several Moral Dimensions of Pilfering a Ha‐Ha (paper) Morreall, John – Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor (book) Morreall, John – Philosophy of Laughter and Humor (book) Morreall, John – Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Philosophy of Humor (article) Smuts, Aaron – Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Comedy (article)
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    38 mins
  • Episode 146, The Philosophy of Comedy (Part I - The Nature of Humour)

    Episode 146, The Philosophy of Comedy (Part I - The Nature of Humour)
    Aug 10 2025
    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 of thousands of ‘Gypsies’ as a ‘positive’. The Holocaust Memorial Day Trust, the Auschwitz Memorial, and the UK government condemned the joke as ‘appalling’, ‘abhorrent’, and ‘racist’; Carr, critics said, was trading on the ‘last acceptable form of racism’. Comedy touches every part of our lives. We tell jokes at the pub, around the dinner table, and by the office coffee machine. We all know someone who makes us laugh – and someone who seems to take things too far. But is there a line when it comes to humour? And if there is, who gets to draw it? Should we suspend our moral judgements when the lights go down and the curtain goes up? Or do jokes, like most speech acts, carry moral weight? To answer these questions, we need to understand the nature of comedy itself – what exactly it is we’re responding to when we laugh. Humour might be a release of nervous tension, a playful disruption of expectations, or – more troublingly, if it applies to Carr’s joke – a means of asserting social superiority. No doubt, comedy has the power to shape our culture and perceptions. But, as we’ll find out, it also tells us something about who we are, who we ought to be, and the things we value most. Links Abrahams, Daniel – Winning Over the Audience: Trust and Humor in Stand‐Up Comedy (paper) Anderson, Luvell – Roasting Ethics (paper) Bergson, Henri – Laughter: An Essay on the Meaning of the Comic (book) Carroll, Noël – Ethics and Comic Amusement (paper) Carroll, Noël – Humour: A Very Short Introduction (book) Carroll, Noël – I’m Only Kidding: On Racist and Ethnic Jokes (paper) Carroll, Noël – Cruelty and Humour (paper) Critchley, Simon – On Humour (book) Deen, Phillip – What Could It Mean to Say That Today’s Stand‐Up Audiences Are Too Sensitive? (paper) Gimbel, Steven (ed.) – The Philosophy of Comedy (book) Hick, Darren Hudson – Why Can’t You Take a Joke? The Several Moral Dimensions of Pilfering a Ha‐Ha (paper) Morreall, John – Comic Relief: A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor (book) Morreall, John – Philosophy of Laughter and Humor (book) Morreall, John – Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Philosophy of Humor (article) Smuts, Aaron – Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: Comedy (article)
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    54 mins
  • Episode 145, The Mystery of Morality: Live in London (Part II - Audience Questions)

    Episode 145, The Mystery of Morality: Live in London (Part II - Audience Questions)
    Jul 27 2025

    '“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, Jessica Frazier, Alex O’Connor and Peter Singer. The question at the heart of the discussion: where does morality come from, and who (or what) counts morally?

    It’s a brilliant discussion filled with humorous moments, but also some very serious moments and topics, such as same-sex relationships and animal rights. I think it’s one of our best shows yet. Thank you to everyone who came along to make it such a special evening. The first part of this podcast is their free-flowing conversation; the second is a Q&A with the audience. Without further ado, I’ll pass you over to Jack, live from The Royal Institution Theatre – we hope you enjoy the show.”

    Links

    Richard Swinburne, Website

    Jessica Frazier, Website

    Alex O’Connor, Website

    Peter Singer, Website
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    23 mins
  • Episode 145, The Mystery of Morality: Live in London (Part I - The Debate)

    Episode 145, The Mystery of Morality: Live in London (Part I - The Debate)
    Jul 13 2025

    '“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, Jessica Frazier, Alex O’Connor and Peter Singer. The question at the heart of the discussion: where does morality come from, and who (or what) counts morally?

    It’s a brilliant discussion filled with humorous moments, but also some very serious moments and topics, such as same-sex relationships and animal rights. I think it’s one of our best shows yet. Thank you to everyone who came along to make it such a special evening. The first part of this podcast is their free-flowing conversation; the second is a Q&A with the audience. Without further ado, I’ll pass you over to Jack, live from The Royal Institution Theatre – we hope you enjoy the show.”

    Links

    Richard Swinburne, Website

    Jessica Frazier, Website

    Alex O’Connor, Website

    Peter Singer, Website
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    1 hr and 15 mins
  • Episode 144, Steven Pinker x Richard Dawkins: Live in London (Part II - Audience Questions)

    Episode 144, Steven Pinker x Richard Dawkins: Live in London (Part II - Audience Questions)
    Jun 29 2025

    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 human beings and the challenges we face in the future. Richard leads the discussion, questioning Steve about his extensive catalogue of books and his contributions to psychology, sociology, and evolutionary theory. They focus a lot on the past but, eventually, get on to the future. It’s a brilliant exchange, covering a wide range of topics and packed with some of Pinker’s most important insights.

    The first part of this podcast special is their free-flowing conversation; the second is a Q&A with the audience, hosted by Jack. Thank you to everyone who came along and made the show possible. Without further ado, here’s the audio from our live show – we hope you enjoy the conversation.

    Links

    Steven Pinker, Website

    Richard Dawkins, Website
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    33 mins
  • Episode 144, Steven Pinker x Richard Dawkins: Live in London (Part I - The Future of Humanity)

    Episode 144, Steven Pinker x Richard Dawkins: Live in London (Part I - The Future of Humanity)
    Jun 15 2025

    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 psychologist Steven Pinker and biologist Richard Dawkins – both previous guests on The Panpsycast – exploring the evolution of human beings and the challenges we face in the future. Richard leads the discussion, questioning Steve about his extensive catalogue of books and his contributions to psychology, sociology, and evolutionary theory. They focus a lot on the past but, eventually, get on to the future. It’s a brilliant exchange, covering a wide range of topics and packed with some of Pinker’s most important insights.

    The first part of this podcast special is their free-flowing conversation; the second is a Q&A with the audience, hosted by Jack. Thank you to everyone who came along and made the show possible. Without further ado, here’s the audio from our live show – we hope you enjoy the conversation.

    Links

    Steven Pinker, Website

    Richard Dawkins, Website
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    1 hr and 5 mins