Explore every episode of the podcast Reading Our Times

The idea that our country is Christian - in the historical sense of having been comprehensively formed by the faith - is sometimes taken as a kind of Christian nationalist dog whistle. But it shouldn't be.

In reality, this is true for most countries in Europe, in which, in spite of massive secularisation in the later 20th century, Christianity's fingerprints are everywhere.

So, what is England? How has the English nation, its laws, politics, culture and literature, been formed by Christianity? And (how) can they survive without it?

This week on Reading Our Times, Nick Spencer is joined by British historian and journalist Bijan Omrani to discuss these questions and more, delving into his new book, provocatively titled God is an Englishman: Christianity and the Creation of England. You can purchase a copy of his book here: https://swiftpress.com/book/god-is-an-englishman/

Immigration is a major issue in the contemporary world, a - if not the - driver of nationalist movements the world over. It is impossible to think about nationalism today, religious or otherwise, without thinking first about immigration.

But immigration is also a hard subject to think about, not because of a paucity of information but because of a glut. Awash with statistics, anecdotes and personal stories, immigration offers people a well-stocked cupboard of things to feed their existing views and opinions.

So, what is the truth behind immigration? What are the actual numbers? What are the benefits? And the harms? And to which people? Immigration policy is notoriously tough - is there are way to think clearly about it and make it any easier?

Today Nick Spencer speaks to Alan Manning, Professor of Economics at LSE and former chair of UK government's Migration Advisory Committee, about his latest book, Why Immigration Policy Is Hard: And How to Make It Better. You can purchase his book here: https://www.politybooks.com/bookdetail?book_slug=why-immigration-policy-is-hard-and-how-to-make-it-better--9781509563654

"Woke" has become one of the most contested words in contemporary culture, deployed as a badge of honour by some, a term of abuse by others. But what does it actually mean, and does it constitute a serious ideological movement or merely a passing fashion?

In today's episode, Nick talks to writer, comedian and broadcaster Andrew Doyle, best known as the creator of satirical persona Titania McGrath, whose latest book The End of Woke examines the origins, methods and possible decline of the movement. They discuss how woke ideology captured institutions, weaponised language, and confused equity with equality - and why the real threat, left or right, is always authoritarianism in disguise.

You can buy a copy of his book here: https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/andrew-doyle/the-end-of-woke/9781408723968/

Unpalatable truth as it may be, there are some, especially today, who draw on the Bible to exclude and vilify others, as a way of protecting and the "pure" Christian culture of Europe or the West.

It's not an altogether new phenomenon - people have deployed the Bible for militaristic ends since the Crusades - but it appears to be growing once again, as the Europe comes under "attack" from immigrants and Islam.

How does this happen? What Bibles do the Far Right use? What texts do they quote? What principles underlie that usage? And what can be done about it?

In today's episode, Nick talks to theologian Hannah Strømmen, whose latest book The Bibles of the Far Right, examines just these questions.

You can buy a copy of her book here: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-bibles-of-the-far-right-9780197789896?cc=gb&lang=en&

Buddhism is often seen in the West as a religion of peace and serenity - rarely, if ever, associated with violence. But that comforting image has obscured a darker and more complex reality playing out across Southeast Asia.

 Journalist and author Sonia Faleiro joins Nick Spencer to explore her latest book The Robe and the Sword, which examines how Buddhist nationalism has fuelled ethnic tension, discrimination, and outright genocide in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, and Thailand. From the militant monks who emerged out of Sri Lanka's brutal civil war, to the Facebook-driven hatred that preceded the Rohingya genocide in Myanmar, the patterns Faleiro uncovers are uncomfortably familiar to anyone watching the rise of religious nationalism elsewhere in the world.

You can buy Sonia's book, The Robe and the Sword: How Buddhism is Shaping Modern Asia, here: https://globalreports.columbia.edu/books/the-robe-and-the-sword

European Christian politics is not new. Indeed, the religion has been an integral politcal factor for 1700 years. But something has changed over the last 20 years.

Increasingly, a secularised form of Christian politics is taking centre-stage, in which populist leaders celebrate Christianity, but without the Christ bit.

What forms does this secular Christianity take? How does it differ between Europe's major nations? And why may we be seeing not the Americanisation of European politics (as many claim) but the Europeanisation of American politics?

Today, Nick Spencer speaks to Tobias Cremer, a Member of the European Parliament and former Junior Research Fellow in Religion and the Frontier Challenges at Pembroke College Oxford, about the history of European Christian nationalism, and about his latest book, The Godless Crusade: Religion, Populism and Right-Wing Identity Politics in the West.

Tobias' book is available to purchase at: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/godless-crusade/EAA250C071364E6DACE3EC0BE31B3C65

Christian Nationalism seems to be on the rise - particularly in the US, but increasingly in Europe. The phrase, however, is often used vaguely and carelessly.

Indeed "Christian nationalism" can be something of a "dustbin" term, into which people throw all the kinds of things they dislike.

So, what does it mean? What forms does it take and, with a particular focus on the US, what motivates and shapes it?

Join Nick Spencer as he talks to sociologist Andrew Whitehead about what Christian nationalism is - and what it isn't.

You can buy a copy of Andrew's latest book, Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States, here: https://academic.oup.com/book/33661

We live in an increasingly nationalistic age, with globalisation stumbling and international institutions disregarded. But we have been here before.

Nations have existed for centuries, but it's only in the last 200 years that nationalism has become such a huge influence.

So, where does nationalism come from? How has it changed since its inception? And what can its history tell us about its future?

Join Nick Spencer as he speaks to Eric Storm, Senior Lecturer in European History at Leiden University and author of 'Nationalism: a world history', a global perspective on the nature and evolution of nationalism, from the early modern era to the present.

You can buy a copy of Eric's book here: https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691233093/nationalism

Human beings need a sense of purpose but differ strongly on whether that purpose is discovered or created, on whether the universe itself has a purpose or whether purpose is just the result of a hyperactive human mind?

This disagreement often maps onto the theist/atheist divide - but not always and not necessarily. Perhaps the issue of purpose is wider than belief in God.

So does the universe itself show signs of purpose? If so, how would we know? Or is all this simply a delusion of a hominid brain than needs purpose and is happy to create it if it can’t find one out there?

Join Nick Spencer as he speaks to Philip Goff, a British author, panpsychist philosopher, and professor at Durham University, to discuss his latest book, Why? The Purpose of the Universe.

You can buy a copy of Philip's book here.

What is the ultimate nature of reality? And how best to describe it? Is it fundamentally smooth and continuous, flowing seamlessly from one state to another? Or is it discrete, composed of distinct, separate units that interact across unbridgeable gaps?

This ancient philosophical puzzle, which dates back at least as far back as Zeno and his famous paradoxes 2,500 years ago, remains surprisingly urgent and relevant today, shaping debates across physics, evolutionary biology, history, and even our understanding of consciousness itself.

In this episode, host Nick Spencer speaks with American philosopher Graham Harman about his provocative new book Waves and Stones: On the Ultimate Nature of Reality. Harman argues that both the continuous and the discrete are irreducible aspects of our world - a position he calls "primal dualism" that challenges the modern impulse to reduce everything to a single, unified explanation.

You can buy a copy of his book here.

Consciousness is famously called the “hard problem” and it elicits a very wide range of (sometimes very strongly held) opinions.

These range from the idea that it is little more than a trick played on us by our brain, to the idea that it is built into the very fabric of matter at the most fundamental level.

How does consciousness differ from mindedness? It is all or nothing, or are there grades of consciousness? And how does it map on our ordinary, everyday lives?

This week, Nick Spencer speaks to Baroness Susan Greenfield about her new book: A Day in the Life of the Brain: The Neuroscience of Consciousness from Dawn Till Dusk.

You can buy a copy of her book here.

Everyone has heard of quantum physics. Many of us can parrot its key ideas – uncertainty, entanglement, collapsing the wave function, something to do with a cat…

But when it comes to really understanding it, well that’s a different matter altogether. “Anyone who is not shocked by quantum mechanics hasn’t understood it”, wrote the eminent physicist Niels Bohr.

So, what is quantum physics? How did it come about? What does it say about ultimate reality? And how might it transform our lives?

This week on Reading Our Times, Nick Spencer delves into the quantum realm with scientist Paul Davies to discuss his latest book, Quantum 2.0: The Past, Present, and Future of Quantum Physics.

You can buy a copy of Paul's book here.

The performance of Olivier Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time in a freezing WW2 prison camp is one of the most famous moments of 20th century music.

The piece and performance spoke to audiences movingly, both then and now, of peace, God, time, and the power of music.

Such questions remain powerful today. How imprisoned by time are we? In what sense does music and art enable us to transcend the constraints of our existence? What does the end of time mean?

This week on Reading Our Times, Nick speaks to poet Michael Symmons Roberts about his latest book Quartet for the End of Time: On Music, Grief and Birdsong.

You can buy a copy of Michael's book here.

The idea of transcendence is common, perhaps even universal, among human beings. But what it means (if anything) is much more debatable.

There are different ways of understanding transcendence, some orthodoxly religious; others more heterodox and surprising.

How should we understand transcendence? If you can be spiritual but not religious, can you experience transcendence without religion? What does it mean to live a transcendent life?

This week, Nick speaks to Clare Carlisle, Professor of Philosophy at Kings College London, about her latest book 'Transcendence for Beginners'.

Purchase a copy of Clare's book here.

Many of the New Atheist arrows fired in the religion wars of 2000s and 2010s hit their target well and hard. The question is, was it the right target?

Believers often claim that atheists don't believe in the kind of God that they themselves don't believe in, and that the concept of God in Christian thought is altogether subtle and more sophisticated than critics give credit.

What is the evidence for this? Is this more sophisticated understanding of God not simply a late, post-Enlightenment evasion? Or does the idea that "God is nothing" have deep roots?

This week, Nick speaks to Gilbert Markus about his book, 'God as nothing'.

Purchase a copy of Gilbert's book here.

Recent decades have seen the gene as supreme in all discussions of what life is and how it works. Whether selfish, co-operative or eternal, it's genes that matter.

But that picture is changing, in favour of a much subtler, more complex and more layered understanding. Life, it seems, goes all the way down (and up).

So what role do genes play in life? Where, if anywhere, does agency reside? Are human beings more than mere propagation vehicles? How, in effect, does life work?

This week, Nick speaks to Philip Ball about his book 'How Life Works: A User’s Guide to the New Biology'.

Purchase a copy of Philip's book here.

Reading our Times is back – and this series we’re getting metaphysical.  

We're going to be talking about the building blocks of life, the universe and reality, with scientists, philosophers, theologians and poets. 

We’ll be talking to Clare Carlisle about transcendence and Susan Greenfield about consciousness. We’ll talk to Philip Ball about how life really works And to physicist Paul Davies about the quantum world. 

To philosophers Graham Harman and Philip Goff about the nature of reality and the reality of purpose. To poet Michael Symmons Roberts about music and time and to theologian Gilbert Markus about whether God is Nothing.

So if you like books, you like ideas, you like thinking – and you want to go deeper, join Nick Spencer for Reading our Times coming soon.

Western societies have fallen out of love with (having) children, and all too often this is treated as a policy problem. But in reality, it's a much deeper personal and philosophical one. 

What has changed in our attitudes to having children? How do we understand the role and standing and "purpose" of children in society? What, in effect, do we think children are for? 

This week Nick Spencer talks with Anastasia Berg about her book co-authored with Rachel Wiseman, ‘What are children for? On Ambivalence and Choice’ 

Purchase a copy of their book here:  https://www.amazon.co.uk/What-Are-Children-Ambivalence-Choice/dp/0861549481

Choice is so important to who we are in the West is no longer feels like something we do, so much as something we are. Deny someone choice, and it feels like you are challenging their very humanity. 

Where does this obsession with choice come from, historically and philosophically? What are its foundations and justifications? And has it gone too far? Can you have too much of this particular good thing? 

This week Nick Spencer talks with Sophia Rosenfeld about her book ‘The Age of Choice: A History of Freedom in Modern Life’ 

Purchase a copy of her book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Age-Choice-History-Freedom-Modern/dp/0691164711  

Strange things are happening to Christianity in the West. Some people are talking about revival whereas others are talking about extinction. Whoever is right, the ramifications for our culture will be immense.

What is happening? If we are entering a period of eclipse for Christianity, would it matter? Would it simply be strike us through the loss of beautiful buildings and moving music? Or is there something more substantial in all this? 

This week Nick Spencer talks with Rupert Shortt about his book ‘The Eclipse of Christianity and why it matters’ 

Purchase a copy of the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eclipse-Christianity-why-matters/dp/1399802747  

The idea that society should grow - and continue to grow, economically, without ending, without limits - is a relatively new and fiercely defended idea. It emerged first in Western countries but has captured much of the world today. 

How realistic is it? How "sustainable"? What should we think about “limits to growth”? Is it a narrative of declinism, best ignored? Or a warning we dismiss at huge peril? 

This week Nick Spencer talks with Richard McNeill Douglas about his book ‘The Meaning of Growth: The Rhetoric of Environmental Scepticism and the Defence of Modernity’ 

Richard’s book will be published in Autumn, find out more here. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/mono/10.4324/9781003607632/meaning-growth-richard-mcneill-douglas   

The Russian Orthodox Church has been conspicuous in its support of Putin's war against Ukraine. The reasons seem as obvious as they are depressing. 

But behind the politics, there are centuries of history and theology. How did we get here? How is history of the church in Russia shaping the nation's present? How might it shape the future? 

This week Nick Spencer talks with Lucy Ash about her book ‘The Baton and the Cross: Russia’s Church from Pagans to Putin’.

Purchase a copy of Lucy's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Baton-Cross-Russias-Church-Pagans/dp/1837731837

The UK has one of highest levels of dissatisfaction with democracy in the world, though other Western countries aren't far behind. Hopes that the rest of the world would naturally follow the West and democratise have all but evaporated. 

How serious is this decline in democratic sympathy? What lies behind it? What are the deep foundations on which democracy rests? And what, if anything, can be done about it? 

This week, Nick Spencer talks with Jonathan Sumption about his book ‘The Challenges of Democracy: And The Rule of Law’. 

Purchase his book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Challenges-Democracy-Rule-Law/dp/1805222503  

One of the major changes in Western society in the last half century is the so-called sexual revolution, and one way of understanding that is to see it as the long, withdrawing roar of a Christian sexual ethic. 

But that makes two presuppositions: first, that we have indeed left Christian sexual ethics behind and second that there is such a thing as a single identifiable Christian sexual ethic.

This week Nick Spencer talks with Diarmaid MacCulloch about his book ‘Lower than the angels: A history of Sex and Christianity' recorded live at the Church Times Festival of Faith and Literature.

Purchase Diarmaid’s book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lower-than-Angels-History-Christianity/dp/0241400937

The idea of the West – its foundations, its values, its future – has become much debated over recent months. 

What does the political rise of China mean for us? What about the economic rise of the BRICS nations? Or the demographic rise of the global south? Where will power and influence tilt, and to what effect? Is it all over for “the West”? 

This week Nick Spencer talks with Samir Puri, Director of the Global Governance and Security Centre for Chatham House, about his book ‘Westlessness: the great global rebalancing’ 

Purchase Samir’s book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Westlessness-Global-Rebalancing-Samir-Puri/dp/1399722638  

Reading Our Times is back for its 10th series but this time, with a twist... 

Nick Spencer explores themes surrounding the West – its roots, its contours, and its future. 

Series 10 looks at the future of democracy with Jonathan Sumption, at the future of growth with Richard Douglas, and the future of Christianity with Rupert Shortt. Lucy Ash unpacks the threat from Putin and the ever-supportive Orthodox Church.  

The series asks the big questions about children, about choice and its deification, and about sex and religion with Diarmaid Macculloch. 

Next week, episode 1 gives an overview of the future of the West – or rather of the prospect of Westlessness – with Samir Puri. 

Tune in weekly from 27 May. Find Reading Our Times on all podcasting platforms. 

🎙️ Follow Dr Nick Spencer @theosnick 

💡 Produced by ‪@theosthinktank https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/  

Announcing a new four-part documentary podcast, Motherhood vs The Machine, where hosts Chine McDonald and Dr Madeleine Pennington look at what motherhood teaches us about what it means to be human.

The work of motherhood has always been changed by technological advancement: from the nipple shield to the feeding bottle and breast pump. But as technological advancement accelerates and a future of artificial wombs and ‘bio bags’ does not seem as far-fetched as it once did, what of the humanity of motherhood might be lost if it is outsourced to machines? What might we miss when the maternal doorway is closed to profound and rarely expressed spiritual ideas - such as sacrifice, love, care, value, dignity, and hope?

Out weekly from 13 March. Find it on all podcasting platforms.

🎙️ Follow Chine McDonald: @ChineMcDonald

🎙️ Follow Dr Madeleine Pennington: @mlmpennington

💡 Produced by the ‪@thinktanktheos‬ www.theosthinktank.co.uk/

With series 9 of Reading Our Times coming to an end, Nick Spencer takes a look back on the series and shares his thoughts on the ideas espoused by the various guests. Should Britain pay slavery reparations? Are 'leftism' and 'wokeism' compatible? What do all these topics tell us about what it means to be human? Join us for all this and more!

The claim that evolution can help us understand, even explain, the modern world and modern mind has not always had a happy history, veering between overclaim and catastrophe. But the opposite idea - that everything is culture and nothing nature - is hardly more convincing. So, can we threat this needle? Can we have nuanced and realistic understanding of the impact of evolution on us today without going down the rabbit hole of determinism. So, what impact has evolution had on us - our communities and societies, our morality and our religion. Purchase Harvey's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inheritance-Evolutionary-Origins-Modern-World/dp/1529152224/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0

The Enlightenment has become weaponised over recent years. Numerous public figures, not all of them historians, have lined up to state defiantly that it needs protecting from... postmodernity? populism? religion?... take your pick. But what is - or was - The Enlightenment? What are we being called to defend here? Is The Enlightenment actually a thing? Was it even “a thing” in the first place? And if not, when did we start talking about it, and why? Purchase a copy of Jonathan's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Enlightenment-Idea-Its-History/dp/0198916280

The demand for post-colonial nations to pay reparations to, and for their treatment of, their former colonies has grown increasingly loud over recent years. And although many dismiss the idea as textbook liberal guilt and bandwagon wokery, there are some serious claims behind it. The topic kicks up some big moral issues. You can’t talk about colonial reparations without working through what you think about moral responsibility, collective identity, and the effect of time on liability, all of which reflect on the underlying question of how we see ourselves. So, what is the nature of our relationship to other countries, to the past and to whatever moral norms we pride ourselves on? The demand for post-colonial nations to pay reparations to, and for their treatment of, their former colonies has grown increasingly loud over recent years. And although many dismiss the idea as textbook liberal guilt and bandwagon wokery, there are some serious claims behind it. The topic kicks up some big moral issues. You can’t talk about colonial reparations without working through what you think about moral responsibility, collective identity, and the effect of time on liability, all of which reflect on the underlying question of how we see ourselves. So, what is the nature of our relationship to other countries, to the past and to whatever moral norms we pride ourselves on? Purchase Michael's book here: https://chbookshop.hymnsam.co.uk/books/9780198889441/britains-slavery-debt

Depending on who you are, you might understand “woke” to mean “concerned with fundamental human justice”. Alternatively, you might think its means obsessed with identity politics, tribal, angry, and inclined to cancel and censor. Either way, you probably associate the term with the left. After all, “lefty” and “liberal” and the words most commonly paired with “woke”. But what if that isn’t the case? What if it’s an oversimplification? What if woke isn’t left and left isn’t woke? Where does that leave the left? And where does it leave wokery? Depending on who you are, you might understand “woke” to mean “concerned with fundamental human justice”. Alternatively, you might think its means obsessed with identity politics, tribal, angry, and inclined to cancel and censor. Either way, you probably associate the term with the left. After all, “lefty” and “liberal” and the words most commonly paired with “woke”. But what if that isn’t the case? What if it’s an oversimplification? What if woke isn’t left and left isn’t woke? Where does that leave the left? And where does it leave wokery? Purchase a copy of Susan's book 'Left is not Woke' here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Left-Not-Woke-Susan-Neiman/dp/1509558306

Assisted Dying is back on the legislative agenda, with parliament voting on it this autumn. It is a profound and contentious debate about which good and well-meaning people can and do disagree deeply. What is really at stake here? Apart from the obvious, the debate kicks up some profound and difficult questions about most important ideas concerning human life. For example, how far should we respect people's autonomy and choice? What constitutes a meaningful life? And what is the meaning of human dignity? 💬 Follow Theos here: https://linktr.ee/theosthinktank 📚 Buy a copy of Ilora and Julian's book 'The Reality of Assisted Dying' here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reality-Assisted-Dying-Julian-Hughes/dp/0335253172

For many people, many of whom would not call themselves religious or even spiritual, poetry is somehow able to enchant, to inspire, to heal– to give them a glimpse of connection, of transcendence that transforms their life. Particularly today, in “A secular age” in the West, it is poetry and indeed the arts more widely that often boast the greatest ability convey that sense of connection and transcendence that seems so important and hard-wired in humans. What is going on here? How does it work? And what does it say about us as human beings? 💬 Follow Theos here: https://linktr.ee/theosthinktank 📚 Buy a copy of Charles Taylor's book 'How the World Made the West' here: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674296084

About 30 years ago, the American political philosopher Samuel Huntington wrote a hugely influential book entitled The clash of civilizations in which he predicted that the ideological wars of the 20th century would give way to civilisational ones in the 21st. The book drew criticism for the way it talked about “civilizations” as if they were hard edged and obviously identifiable things. Because the general idea of civilizations is a relatively recent one, and if we peer into the mists of time, we can make out the many streams and tributaries that have poured into the West over the centuries to make it what it is. So, where exactly is our civilisation, “the West”? How has it been shaped by “other” cultures? And what does that mean for us today? 💬 Follow Theos here: https://linktr.ee/theosthinktank 📚 Buy a copy of Josephine Quinn's book 'How the World Made the West' here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/how-the-world-made-the-west/josephine-quinn/9781526605184

We are emerging from the so-called “Gutenberg Parenthesis”, the 500 years in which the printed word dominated society, and embracing a new age of screens, images, and tweets. Or so it is claimed. Reading remains popular, however, and the printed book has rallied of late. What’s going on? Might the dominance of the book, indeed of the written word, be coming to an end? Or is it the only medium capable of handling the complexities of human reason and imagination? And how much does any of this matter? In a live recording at the How the Light Gets in festival in London, Nick Spencer discusses the future of books and reading with Times literary critic Johanna Thomas-Corr, Guardian literary editor David Shariatmadari and editorial director of Oneworld Publications Juliet Mabey. 💬 Follow Theos here: https://linktr.ee/theosthinktank

Science and religion have a long history. According to some, it's a history of warfare; to others they are (or at least should be) non-overlapping. Joining Nick Spencer at the @chalkehistoryfestival is historian and host of @restishistorypod Tom Holland, to discuss Nick's book Magisteria: The Entangled Histories of Science and Religion. 📚 Buy a copy of Magisteria here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/9780861544615 💬 Follow Theos here: https://linktr.ee/theosthinktank

Dear Reading Our Times listeners, We are growing and we need your help! Whether you're a long-time listener or a new follower, we would love to hear your thoughts and feedback on the podcast. Take the survey here👇 https://biblesociety.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cLLw26aCQWzn9gG A massive thank you for listening and engaging from Nick and the Reading Our Times team!

This series of Reading our Times has looked at a number of scientific issues that have cast questions of, and sometimes shadows on, human personhood. So, in our final episode this series, we are asking specifically about that personhood. What does it means to be a human person? And how do we come to know that personhood - not philosophically, not empirically but, well, personally. In an age in which technology threatens to remake us, even despite our intentions, how can we come to know and honour our deepest existence? In this week's episode, Nick Spencer speaks to David Brooks about his book How To Know a Person. You can buy a copy of David's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Know-Person-Seeing-Others/dp/0241670292 ***** Like what you see? Be sure to sign up to the Theos monthly newsletter to stay up-to-date with all our content, research and events: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E9E17CAB71AC7464 CONNECT WITH THEOS Twitter: https://twitter.com/Theosthinktank Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theosthinktank LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theos---the-think-tank/ Website: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/ CHECK OUT OUR PODCASTS The Sacred: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-sacred/id1326888108 Reading Our Times: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/reading-our-times/id1530952185

Pretty much every index for the mental health of young people in Britain and the US in particular is pointing in the wrong direction. More anxiety, more depression, more therapy, more medication, more suicide. Why? What is going on here? And why is it that the vast increase in spending on mental health - on counselling, therapy and drugs over recent decades seems to have made no difference whatsoever? In this week's episode, Nick Spencer speaks to Abigail Shrier about her book Bad Therapy: Why the Kids Aren't Growing Up Buy a copy of the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Therapy-Kids-Arent-Growing/dp/1800754132/ref=asc_df_1800754132/ ***** Like what you see? Be sure to sign up to the Theos monthly newsletter to stay up-to-date with all our content, research and events: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E9E17CAB71AC7464 CONNECT WITH THEOS Twitter: https://twitter.com/Theosthinktank Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theosthinktank LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theos---the-think-tank/ Website: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/ CHECK OUT OUR PODCASTS The Sacred: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-sacred/id1326888108 Reading Our Times: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/reading-our-times/id1530952185

The question 'what is a life worth?' feels wrong; heretical even. Humans are infinitely valuable, we say. You can't put a price on a life. And yet we do, every day: for healthcare, for philanthropy, for insurance, for criminal compensation... Indeed, arguably, if we actually care for life, we must. So, how do we do it? What are we willing to pay for life? How do we calcualate it? Who decides, and on what basis? And what does all this tell us about our (in)humanity? In this week's episode, Nick Spencer speaks to Jenny Kleeman about her book The Price of Life. Buy a copy of the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Price-Life-Search-Worth-Decides/dp/1035004968/ref=asc_df_1035004968/ ***** Like what you see? Be sure to sign up to the Theos monthly newsletter to stay up-to-date with all our content, research and events: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E9E17CAB71AC7464 CONNECT WITH THEOS Twitter: https://twitter.com/Theosthinktank Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theosthinktank LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theos---the-think-tank/ Website: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/ CHECK OUT OUR PODCASTS The Sacred: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-sacred/id1326888108 Reading Our Times: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/reading-our-times/id1530952185

The idea that non-human animals should be recognised as legal persons has gained traction over recent years, and is the subject of numerous court cases. But underlying the legal and indeed empirical questions here, are some pretty deep philosophical ones. What actually is a person? What role does rationality or consciousness or language play? And depending on our answers to those questions, could a non-human animal ever qualify as a person? In this week's episode, Nick Spencer speaks to Mark Rowlands about his book Can Animals be Persons? Buy a copy of the book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Can-Animals-Persons-Mark-Rowlands/dp/0190846038 ***** Like what you see? Be sure to sign up to the Theos monthly newsletter to stay up-to-date with all our content, research and events: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E9E17CAB71AC7464 CONNECT WITH THEOS Twitter: https://twitter.com/Theosthinktank Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theosthinktank LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theos---the-think-tank/ Website: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/ CHECK OUT OUR PODCASTS The Sacred: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-sacred/id1326888108 Reading Our Times: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/reading-our-times/id1530952185

Once upon a time, it was religions that promised eternal life. Now its science, with the possibility of immortality - whether bionic, cellular, genetic, or virtual - being the subject of big Silicon Valley dollars. Is this something we want? Who actually want to live forever? And, perhaps more importantly, should we? In this week's episode, Nick Spencer speaks to Stephen Cave about his book Should You Choose to Live Forever? Buy a copy of Stephen's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CMF7YW3M?ref=KC_GS_GB_GB ***** Like what you see? Be sure to sign up to the Theos monthly newsletter to stay up-to-date with all our content, research and events: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E9E17CAB71AC7464 CONNECT WITH THEOS Twitter: https://twitter.com/Theosthinktank Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theosthinktank LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theos---the-think-tank/ Website: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/ CHECK OUT OUR PODCASTS The Sacred: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-sacred/id1326888108 Reading Our Times: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/reading-our-times/id1530952185

AI is taking over the planet - or at least the news agenda! For hardly a day goes by without some AI story in the headlines. Should we believe what we read? Or is it all hype? In particular, should we believe what we are promised - or threatened - about AI become super-intelligent, sentient, conscious, human? In this week's episode, Nick Spencer speaks to Eve Poole about her book Robot Souls: Programming in Humanity Buy a copy of Robot Souls here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Robot-Souls-Programming-Eve-Poole/dp/1032426624 ***** Like what you see? Be sure to sign up to the Theos monthly newsletter to stay up-to-date with all our content, research and events: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E9E17CAB71AC7464 CONNECT WITH THEOS Twitter: https://twitter.com/Theosthinktank Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theosthinktank LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theos---the-think-tank/ Website: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/ CHECK OUT OUR PODCASTS The Sacred: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-sacred/id1326888108 Reading Our Times: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/reading-our-times/id1530952185

Little green men were once a complete fantasy - but the numbers appear to be on their side. The sheer size of the universe, the number of stars and, it seems, the number of potentially inhabitable planets means that alien life is highly probable. What would it mean for us if that were so? If we did ever 'make contact'? What would it mean for our sense of pride, our dignity and in particular for those belief systems that have a particular emphasis on the human species? In this week's episode, Nick Spencer speaks to Andrew Davison about his book Astrobiology and Christian Doctrine. Buy a copy of Astrobiology and Christian Doctrine here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Astrobiology-Christian-Doctrine-Exploring-Implications/dp/1009303155 ***** Like what you see? Be sure to sign up to the Theos monthly newsletter to stay up-to-date with all our content, research and events: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E9E17CAB71AC7464 CONNECT WITH THEOS Twitter: https://twitter.com/Theosthinktank Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theosthinktank LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theos---the-think-tank/ Website: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/ CHECK OUT OUR PODCASTS The Sacred: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-sacred/id1326888108 Reading Our Times: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/reading-our-times/id1530952185

Every century is different - but the 21st may be seriously different, with our ability to understand, modify and re-create humanity having come on light years in recent decades. Should we? So often, the warning we hear when it comes to the scientific manipulation of the human is that we shouldn't "play God". But what grounding does that actually have? What if we actually are a "playing God" species? Kicking off a new series of Reading our Times, this one dedicated to the overall theme of Playing God, Chine McDonald talks to Nick Spencer about his new book, co-authored with Hannah Waite, Playing God: science, religion and the future of humanity

In this week's episode, recorded live at the UnHerd cafe in London, Nick Spencer speaks to Robert Skidelsky about his book The Machine Age: An Idea, a History, a Warning. Once upon a time, we had faith in technology. Machines would make our lives easier, simpler, more comfortable. Today… well, faith in technological fixes for our problems is on the wane. Worse, it’s often replaced with fear. The companies want our data. The robots want our jobs. The government our freedoms. In his latest book, The Machine Age, Robert Skidelsky looks at humanity’s long relationship with machines, exploring how we got here and what happens next. How serious is the risk of mass unemployment, a world of politicised deep-fakes, a Chinese-style social credit system? And what, if anything, can we do about them? Reading our Times is the podcast from Theos think tank that engages with the books and ideas that are shaping the world today. It is hosted by Theos’ Senior Fellow, Nick Spencer. In this special live recording, Robert Skidelsky joins Nick to discuss The Machine Age: an idea, a history, a warning. Buy a copy of The Machine Age here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Machine-Age-Idea-History-Warning/dp/0241244617 ***** Like what you see? Be sure to sign up to the Theos monthly newsletter to stay up-to-date with all our content, research and events: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/d/E9E17CAB71AC7464 CONNECT WITH THEOS Twitter: https://twitter.com/Theosthinktank Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theosthinktank LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/theos---the-think-tank/ Website: https://www.theosthinktank.co.uk/ CHECK OUT OUR PODCASTS The Sacred: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-sacred/id1326888108 Reading Our Times: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/reading-our-times/id1530952185

Tuesday 5 July 2023 was, apparently, the hottest day ever recorded, and 2023 looks like its going to be the hottest year in human history. At this pace, we are heading for a dire future. But we do need to be careful here: after all, humans have been transforming the earth for mllennia. How? How have we changed the earth, and how has it changed us? And what does this mean for our shared future? In this week's episode, Nick Spencer speaks to Peter Frankopan about his book The Earth Transformed: An Untold Story

"Elites have open contempt for those who are not members of their rarefied class.” So claimed no less than Rupert Murdoch, friend of PMs and presidents, in his resignation letter. Is he right? Is there a "new elite"? If so, who are they and what do they believe in? And are they really in charge in now? In this week's episode, Nick Spencer speaks to Matt Goodwin about his book Values, Voice and Virtue: The New British Politics

Our relationship with food is unhealthy. While nearly 2/3 of English adults and 1/3 of children struggle with extra weight problems, there are currently around 2,500 food banks operating in the UK. What's gone wrong? Why do we so struggle with food? And whose responsiblity is it to feed us anyway? In this week's episode, Nick Spencer speaks to author Pen Vogler about her book Stuffed: A History of Good Food and Hard Times in Britain