Explore every episode of the podcast The Here and Now Podcast
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phenomenology | 16 Jul 2022 | 00:28:27 | |
You are an experience machine, everything that has ever happened to you and everything that will ever happen to you is experience. Reflecting on your experience offers a unique insight into the nature of reality and forms the basis for the philosophical methodology of phenomenology. In this episode we explore phenomenology from its inception by Edmund Husserl in the early 20th century, to Martin Heidegger's exploration of being-in-the-world, the embodiment of phenomenology as described by Maurice Merleau-Ponty and its influence on the applied phenomenology of Iris Marion Young's work on femininity. | |||
| Sanctuary | 07 Apr 2022 | 00:08:55 | |
In this brief reflection, I consider the idea of psychological sanctuary, it's importance and its dangers. | |||
| Libertarianism | 10 Nov 2021 | 00:34:23 | |
Libertarianism is a political philosophy based on John Locke's philosophy of natural law, that each is entitled to freedom for oneself and ones property and society should require minimal intervention by government. It is closely associated with individualism but its origins can be traced to ancient China. We explore contemporary principles of libertarianism and offer a brief critical reflection on what is seems to be missing. | |||
| Nuance | 25 Sep 2021 | 00:19:50 | |
In this reflective episode I discuss something that bugs me - the always or never fallacy. We often exaggerated and use hyperbole to emphasis our stories, but society is often a reflection of our complacency at recognising the things that make us unique and the grey areas of life most of us inhabit. We consider Kenneth Feinberg's unenviable role in the aftermath of 9/11 and how recognising the nuance that makes us unique is in conflict with the need to generalise. | |||
| Diversity in Science with David Latchman | 17 Sep 2021 | 00:48:54 | |
David Latchman is a science communicator and host of the Science Bloggers Podcast. He trained as a physicist before becoming a full time science journalist and freelance science writer. He is passionate about sharing ideas from science with a general audience and making the STEM fields a more diverse and inclusive space for minorities and people of colour. We talk a little about his background and work as a science communicator, some of the issues surrounding a lack of diversity in science and how these can be addressed. | |||
| The Dialogical Self | 05 Sep 2021 | 00:28:07 | |
It might feel like you are a distinct and continuous identity, but the theory of the dialogical self asserts that you inhabit many different I-positions that represent different aspects of You. In this episode, we briefly explore the origins of dialogical self theory and how the person you are is manifest both internally and externally through many voices engaged in continual dialogue. | |||
| Utilitarianism - The Greatest Good | 18 Aug 2021 | 00:25:16 | |
Utilitarianism is a principle of ethical philosophy which considers that the most morally correct action is one that produces the most good. This idea was first tackled seriously by 18th century philosopher Jeremy Bentham, however it is not without complications. In this episode we explore utilitarianism and consider how it can be applied to making both everyday decisions and ones of crucial social importance ones as well. | |||
| Universal Basic Income | 14 Jul 2021 | 00:36:04 | |
The concept of a Universal Basic Income (UBI) has been growing in popularity so I decided to explore it for a recent research project. I began as a sceptic but after considering a variety of social justice arguments I now believe a UBI should be an policy goal for societies who wish to reduce inequality and achiever greater social justice. But UBI is not just about helping those worst off, it can benefit everyone in a range of ways which we explore in this episode. | |||
| Tackling Social Issues with Professor Darrin Hodgetts | 07 Jul 2021 | 01:08:12 | |
Societal and community psychologist Professor Darrin Hodgetts joins me to discuss his work with marginalised communities most affected by social injustice and structural violence. Prof Hodgetts is a highly respected figure in New Zealand community psychology circles having advanced ethnographic and action oriented research to engage directly with those most affected by urban poverty, homelessness, and other social issues. We discuss structural violence, equality of opportunity and outcome, why resolving inequalities benefits all members of society, and how applied psychologists tackle social justice issues and help to shape policy that improves well-being across society. | |||
| Distributive Justice | 30 Jun 2021 | 00:31:23 | |
In this episode we consider the limits of wealth distribution in society, inherent inequalities to life and the role of luck. We also explore the economic ideas of the commons and public goods and the role these play in free market and state capitalist societies. We also take a look at the social protection floor and why it is often conceptualised by society as something to be ashamed of. This leads us to consider the tight coupling of labour and income and the subsequent vulnerability of those without a job or in casual work, a class known as the precariat. All of this leads us to question social justice in wealth distribution and ask the question; could be another way to smooth the edges of income precarity? | |||
| Social Justice | 23 Jun 2021 | 00:40:03 | |
In this episode we explore social justice, namely: what is it, why is it so contested, and why are you probably sick of hearing about. It has taken a while to write this episode, largely because it is a challenging topic which introduces politics and confronts our worldviews. It is not meant to be divisive or inflammatory, its purpose is to open minds and approach social justice issues with compassion and rationality. This episode also draws together a few threads to set the stage for the next episodes which will cover social justice issues more fully. | |||
| The Social Contract | 11 Jun 2021 | 00:25:22 | |
What is the role of government? Should it exist to provide safety and security for its citizens or to maintain order because humans are fundamentally selfish? Is an equitable society possible? What would such a society look like? Episode 73 is the first of a mini-series on social justice in which we consider the social contract that exists between a state and its people according to the divergent views of four political philosophers. | |||
| Cognitivism | 05 Apr 2022 | 00:29:34 | |
The cognitive revolution in psychology began in the mid 20th century and supplanted behaviourism as the dominant theoretical paradigm explaining human cognition and behaviour which continues today. We explore the origins of cognitive psychology, what it has revealed about the workings of the mind, cognitive maps and mental models, why it is like a computer but not like a computer, neural networks, and why despite great advances, it fails to capture the totality of what it means to be human. | |||
| Integrity | 12 May 2021 | 00:24:10 | |
Integrity is one of the most hallowed virtues but is it one we can ever truly attain? Is acting with integrity always the best path to follow? We explore integrity and its opposite in this episode and find that integrity may be more complicated than it seems and often when we think we act with integrity, we may actually be lying to ourselves. The Here and Now Podcast on Facebook | |||
| Pointlessness | 05 May 2021 | 00:29:10 | |
What is the meaning of life? That age old, philosophical cliché has had no shortage of answers but what if there isn’t one? What if life is pointless? Philosopher Rivka Weinberg presents a compelling argument for the pointlessness of life which I explore in this episode. But don't be alarmed, there is a bright side! (Spoiler alert: there may not be a bright side). | |||
| Meaning and Purpose at Work | 14 Apr 2021 | 00:22:31 | |
We often struggle to find a sense of meaning and purpose in our lives. In this episode we consider the psychology of how we find meaning and consider a few strategies to help to you find meaning and purpose in both your professional and private life. | |||
| Turning back and Living Well with Bruce Grierson | 07 Apr 2021 | 01:00:53 | |
Bruce Grierson is a social science writer whose work has featured in many well known print and online publications including New York Magazine, Popular Science, Time Magazine, Psychology Today and Scientific American. He is a five times Canadian National Magazine Award winning feature writer and has written the books U-Turn: What if you woke up one morning and realised you were living the wrong life? and What makes Olga run?: The mystery of the 90-something track star and what she can teach us about living longer, happier lives. We discuss both of Bruce's books, topics from psychology and social science, creativity and writing and one of my favourite subjects, space exploration. The Here and Now Podcast on Facebook | |||
| Language IX - Absolute Language | 31 Mar 2021 | 00:21:00 | |
We conclude the language series by considering the final question: Do words actually mean anything? This may sound like a strange question to ask, considering the many aspects of language we've covered over the last eight episodes, but when we look closely at language and words, the answer is not obvious. We unpack the question from the perspective of Jacques Derrida, the 20th century French philosopher whose work established the controversial field of deconstruction. The Here and Now Podcast on Facebook | |||
| Language VIII - The Fabric of Thought | 24 Mar 2021 | 00:27:09 | |
In the third and final part of our series on language we consider the philosophical question: Do we need language to think? This question is often articulated as the Sapir Whorf hypothesis. We examine the question from its historical perspective, Boas, Sapir and Whorf's anthropological investigations, Lenneberg's formulation of a strong and weak version of the hypothesis, the relationship between language and cognition, what we've learned from Piaget's study of childhood development, how bilingualism and translatability inform thought and how this leads us to our old friend, culture. Spoiler alert: the conclusion is unsatisfying (at least to me), but we still uncover some interesting aspects of human cognition and language along the way. | |||
| Language VII - Language and Us | 17 Mar 2021 | 00:26:39 | |
To conclude part two of the series we consider pragmatics, the linguistic field that deals with context and how language is used. We take a look at 'why' we have language and the subtle and not so subtle ways we communicate. We consider different types of dialects, turn taking and the power of language to shape the way we think. We then conclude the episode with a look at one of the superpowers of language, swearing. | |||
| Language VI - What does it all mean? | 10 Mar 2021 | 00:23:32 | |
Part two of our series on language considers the question: How do we use language? In this episode we look at the field of linguistics known as semantics which considers how words represent tangible and abstract meanings. We also see how much of what we say is metaphor and how culture informs how we create mental maps of meaning which we use to communicate and share ideas. | |||
| Language and Culture with Professor Quentin Atkinson | 03 Mar 2021 | 00:50:11 | |
Professor Quentin Atkinson of the University of Auckland joins me to discuss his work on the origins of language and the evolution of culture. Professor Atkinson gained widespread recognition for his 2011 paper in the journal Science in which he used modeling techniques from evolutionary biology to show how human language can be traced to its origins on the west coast of Africa. I discussed this briefly in the last episode Language V - The Great Leap. The Here and Now Podcast on Facebook | |||
| Language V - The Great Leap | 24 Feb 2021 | 00:30:56 | |
In this final episode of part I of our series on language, we examine the non-gradualist theory of the emergence of language, also referred to as The Great Leap theory which argues that complex human language appeared suddenly around 50,000 years ago. | |||
| Behaviorism | 13 Feb 2022 | 00:23:01 | |
Behaviorism is a tradition within the field of psychology which came to prominence during the early to mid 20th century through the work of John B. Watson and B. F. Skinner. It includes the theories of classical and operant conditioning and was considered to explain all of human behavior. It has since been superseded by the cognitive revolution, however the principles of behaviorism can be found throughout modern psychology and society itself which we explore in this episode. | |||
| Language IV - Mind and Body | 17 Feb 2021 | 00:41:26 | |
We get more technical in this fourth episode of our series on language. We continue with the gradualist theory of the origins of language by looking at three key areas: the brain, speech production and gestures. We consider whether there are regions of the brain associated with language, whether there is a language gene and how the speech apparatus works. We also consider sign language and gestures and discuss whether these could have been the origins of language in humans and hominids like Homo erectus. | |||
| The Psychology of Language with Professor Trevor Harley | 10 Feb 2021 | 01:28:14 | |
Dr. Trevor Harley is an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Dundee University, Scotland specialising in cognitive psychology. He has authored eight books including the best selling textbook, The Psychology of Language, currently in its fourth edition, as well as his gentler introduction to the topic, Talking the Talk. His other works include The Psychology of Weather, Science and Psychology and a soon to be released textbook on the psychology of consciousness. Despite his many academic achievements, Dr. Harley has battled with mental illness throughout his life. | |||
| Language III - Animals | 03 Feb 2021 | 00:17:06 | |
Animals are capable of many amazing feats. Some even have remarkable learning and communication abilities, but do they have language? In part three of our series on language we take a look at the linguistic abilities of several animals and highlight a few of the distinctions between animal communication and human language. | |||
| Language II - Origins | 27 Jan 2021 | 00:22:13 | |
The origins of language are unknown. Now that's out of the way we can get on with investigating several of the possibilities in this second episode of our series on language. This episode considers Daniel Everett's gradualism thesis that the hominid Homo erectus was an early adopter of language as evidenced by their extensive travels and creation of icons and symbols. We explore this thesis, Pierces' semiotics model, and evidence from the fossil record. Remember, this is a gentle introduction to the topic which fills volumes. You can find much more detail in the reading list below. | |||
| Language I - The Questions | 20 Jan 2021 | 00:22:14 | |
Is there a quality more uniquely human than language? The domain of language is vast and complex and involves many disciplines. In this series we will explore many of the big questions about language and cover a range of topics from evolution, biology, linguistics, anthropology, psychology and philosophy. On our search for answers we’ll gain a deeper understanding of what language is, how it emerged in humans, and how it functions in individuals and society. | |||
| Creative Realities with Nathalie Wendt | 06 Jan 2021 | 00:49:43 | |
Nathalie Wendt is a performing artist, puppeteer and all round creative talent based in Berlin. She is host of The Bullet by Nathalie Wendt, an intriguing podcast which explores philosophy and the nature of reality through the medium of performance audio. We discuss Nathalie's background and approach to the performing arts, the blurring of lines between the real and the imagined, the nature of objective and subjective reality and more. | |||
| Holiday Replay - Ego | 30 Dec 2020 | 00:14:43 | |
This is one of my favourite episodes and I refer to its themes regularly. I still can't stand the sound of eating, but I try to deal with it. In a year where we've seen the full range of human behaviour from the self-centred to the selfless, perhaps end the year by taking a step back and reflecting on how you come across in the world and what version of you you'd like to present in the future. | |||
| Holiday Replay - Negativity | 23 Dec 2020 | 00:17:46 | |
Merry Christmas! I wrote and recorded this episode of The Here and Now Podcast in a hotel room in Shanghai about a year ago. A lot has changed since then but my thoughts are more or less the same. While not exactly in the holiday spirit, many people struggle at this time of year for different reasons so I hope this message finds someone who needs to hear it. | |||
| Peace of Mind | 16 Dec 2020 | 00:17:23 | |
I saw a meme recently that read, "anything that costs you your peace of mind is too expensive". At first glance it made sense, but something about it didn't feel right so I decided to explore that feeling in this final episode for 2020. | |||
| Workplace Psychology with Dr Austin Tay | 09 Dec 2020 | 01:10:50 | |
In this episode, organisational psychologist Dr Austin Tay of Omnipsi Consulting and the podcast, PsyChat, joins me to discuss psychology in the workplace. We discuss a range of timely and important topics including: The psychological impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our professional lives and what this might mean for a future version of 'normal'. The relevance of personality when recruiting employees and building teams, How corporate culture can both help and hinder employee performance and job satisfaction. How to deal with setbacks at work. Rethinking Maslow’s Theory of motivation. What motivates high performers to aim high and succeed. How to optimise relationships in the modern, multicultural, workplace. Omnipsi Consulting | |||
| Materialism | 05 Feb 2022 | 00:26:18 | |
The prevailing philosophical paradigm underpinning the physical sciences is materialism, also known as physicalism. Simply, everything that exists is material in some sense. However there are many concepts which seem immaterial so how are these reconciled? In this episode we briefly explore materialism and it’s issues. | |||
| A Good Bastard with Dr. Dave Baldwin | 02 Dec 2020 | 00:57:29 | |
Doctor Dave Baldwin is a GP and Aviation Medical Examiner known for his 'not-so-royal' flying doctor service and 'Healthy Bastards' campaign, which promotes men's health and well-being. We cover Dave's spiritual journey, his work in aviation and private medical practice, how he finds creative freedom, his thoughts on a devastating personal tragedy, his passion for flying and the outdoors and more in this engaging and at times hilarious conversation. | |||
| Identity | 25 Nov 2020 | 00:24:07 | |
Who are you? Identity is about who we are but we are all made up of many parts. We develop a sense of individual identity during adolescence then begin to inhabit social worlds which inform our identity in ways that can be highly rewarding but leave us vulnerable when our life circumstances change. In this episode we explore the problem of building one's sense of self around a social identity and consider ways to overcome it. | |||
| Episode 52 | 18 Nov 2020 | 00:19:01 | |
It's been one year of weekly episodes of The Here and Now Podcast so I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the journey and what it has meant for me and to acknowledge the eight guests who have graciously shared their stories and time with me over this past year. Thanks also to you for listening and inspiring me to keep thinking, writing and recording. | |||
| Beyond the Battlefield with Tim Davies | 11 Nov 2020 | 01:35:29 | |
Tim Davies served for twenty years as a fighter pilot and flying instructor in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. In addition to consulting to a number of private companies, Tim runs one-on-one and group training sessions through his company, Fast Jet Performance, where he helps people of all backgrounds find meaning and purpose using lessons he has learnt from his time operating high performance military aircraft. Our conversation is wide ranging and covers some of the challenges he faced during his military career including the importance of taking accountability for self actualisation through a focus on mental and physical health. | |||
| Getting Curious with Ollie Martin | 04 Nov 2020 | 01:12:52 | |
Ollie Martin spent 10 years as a constable with the Sussex police force operating in high risk covert surveillance and intelligence roles. After suffering burnout, Ollie resigned from the force and has since developed a range of programmes and peer support groups to help police officers and men from all walks of life 'get curious' about their own mental health and start talking. We discuss Ollie's journey from his career in the police, to the emotional impact of a traumatic event he witnessed on the job, to how he rekindled his spirit and has used that experience to help other men to open up, share their stories, and improve their mental and physical health. | |||
| Accountability | 28 Oct 2020 | 00:21:48 | |
It seems there has been a lot of focus on personal accountability in recent years. I've personally found this helpful for making improvements in my own life but I'm also conflicted about what the limits of personal accountability are. I explore that question in this more conversational type of episode. I'd appreciate hearing your thoughts on the topic. | |||
| The Other | 21 Oct 2020 | 00:27:20 | |
In philosophy, the Other is the conception of the self as a distinct entity, but it is has another more sinister connotation in psychology and sociology as the subjugated altern characterised by difference. We explore the Other through the lenses of colonisation and neoliberalism and discuss how the western history of othering has influenced society in myriad ways, from racism and inequality to world war. The Here and Now Podcast on Facebook | |||
| Regret | 14 Oct 2020 | 00:21:02 | |
We all have regrets in life but it's the things we didn't do that affect us the most. In this episode we take a look at the psychology of regret and learn from those reflecting upon their lives in their final days. | |||
| Anxiety | 07 Oct 2020 | 00:23:14 | |
We all experience anxiety at different times throughout our lives but for many people it becomes a serious issue requiring treatment. There are five types of anxiety disorder and together they are the most commonly diagnosed mental health issues. In this episode we take a look at what causes anxiety and consider two specific anxiety disorders, panic disorder and generalised anxiety disorder and discuss the forms of treatment available. | |||
| Moral Relativism | 30 Sep 2020 | 00:30:29 | |
Are there universal moral absolutes or does right and wrong vary by culture, society, or individuality? We delve into the complex and challenging philosophical topic of moral relativism to try to make sense of this question. Some of the examples will be hard to to stomach, but in order to understand how we should think about moral questions for everyone, we must first consider how they feel to us. | |||
| The meaningless life with Professor James Tartaglia | 13 Jan 2022 | 00:55:54 | |
To kick off the new year I recently spoke with philosopher James Tartaglia, a professor at Keele University, about nihilism and the meaning of life. It turns out, there isn’t one. But all hope is not lost as we also discuss what a modern day philosopher does, what nihilism means for everyday life, how to situate ethics in a meaningless universe, the paradox of absurdism, how to respect the views of others, the difference between evaluative and descriptive statements, the sense of self, and why seeing life as nihilistic is not as bad as it seems. | |||
| The Big Five | 23 Sep 2020 | 00:24:51 | |
The Five Factor Model of personality, also known as the big five, is the mostly widely accepted model of personality in psychology. We explore the origins of the FFM, evidence of its validity, how it has informed theories of personality and what a model of personality means for the individual. | |||
| The Myers Briggs Type Indicator | 16 Sep 2020 | 00:35:23 | |
The Myers Briggs Type Indicator or MBTI is a popular personality testing instrument which categorises personality according to 16 possible types based on four dimensions: Extraverted or Introverted, Sensing or Intuition, Thinking or Feeling, and Judging or Perceiving. The MBTI purports to help individuals choose the right careers, improve personal relationships, and to better understand themselves while critics argue it is an elaborate form of entertainment. In this episode we take a close look at the MBTI to see if it meets the criteria of validity and reliability used for evaluating all psychometric tests. Myers Briggs Personality Types | |||
| How to Pack a Suit Case | 09 Sep 2020 | 00:19:30 | |
Those who travel a lot get pretty good at packing but it is easy to overpack or to carry a lot of things that aren't needed. Life is much the same way, we all carry with us emotional baggage, false ideas and misconceptions which hold us back. Examining those thoughts and letting them go is a great way to lighten the load. | |||
| Sacrifice and purpose with Patrick Bronte | 02 Sep 2020 | 00:43:13 | |
Patrick Bronte has a unique story which has led him to dedicate his life to capturing the voices of New Zealand military veterans through his website and trust, Nga Toa, Maori for, 'many warriors'. In my conversation with Pat we discuss how the project came about, the importance of capturing forgotten voices, and his journey to find meaning and purpose through the voices of the many warriors who have represented the New Zealand defence force in conflicts around the world. | |||