Institute of Art and Ideas
banner
iai.tv
Institute of Art and Ideas
@iai.tv
Changing how the world thinks. Home to the big ideas and leading thinkers of our time. Subscribe here: https://iai.tv/subscribe

Host of HowTheLightGetsIn Festival 💡
Pinned
Bluesky's first feed dedicated to arts, culture, and slow politics has just landed 💡

bsky.app/profile/iai....

Pin now, and add #politicssky #artsky #culturesky or this emoji 💡 to your posts to contribute to the feed!
Is the future one where free trade is dead and high tariffs the norm? Or will it undermine trade, leading to a global recession? | https://bit.ly/4qSABsA

To find out join Ingrid Harvold Kvangraven, Mark Littlewood, Ben Chu, and Greg Hands to find out more from the link in bio.
The end of free trade and the new world economy
For centuries tariffs were an obvious way to raise revenue, and protect a nation's agriculture and industry from foreign competition. Then in the mid-19th century, backed by the economic theories of R...
bit.ly
November 10, 2025 at 6:30 PM
“The idea that every little thing is set in stone is a morally misguided philosophy,” argues Associate Professor Tracy Llanera. | https://iai.tv/articles/everything-doesnt-happen-for-a-reason-auid-3073

Tap to read as she exposes the myth of modern stoicism.

#philsky
The myth of modern stoicism: Everything doesn't happen for a reason | Tracy Llanera
iai.tv
November 10, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Social media platforms don’t just change how we look, they change what a self is for. | https://iai.tv/articles/the-pursuit-of-beauty-is-fragmenting-the-self-auid-3412

Author of Pixel Flesh Ellen Atlanta argues beauty culture intensifies and extends until our bodies fragment.
November 10, 2025 at 12:04 PM
Can our core subjectivity survive bodily death? | https://iai.tv/articles/schopenhauers-sense-of-self-auid-1329

Bernardo Kastrup uses the work of Arthur Schopenhauer to explore the conception of self.

#philsky
Schopenhauer’s sense of self
Dutch philosopher Bernardo Kastrup explains Arthur Schoenphauer's metaphysics of self, and why core subjectivity transcends bodily death.
iai.tv
November 9, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Most of us think that different languages refer to the same stuff "out there" in the world. But have we been confusing the realistic with the real? | https://bit.ly/3WjxX15

Join Sandra Laugier as she makes the case that there is no core of meaning shared among languages.

#philsky #langsky
Untangling Language
Most of us think that different languages refer to the same stuff
bit.ly
November 9, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Rcent announcements about the giant ring structure in a distant part of the universe has put into question fundamental assumptions of cosmology. | https://bit.ly/3JhbH59

But Dominik Schwarz argues such interpretations depend on a misunderstanding of the cosmological principle.

#philsci ⚛️ 🧪
Giant rings and the threat to cosmology | Dominik Schwarz
The recent announcement about the observation of a giant ring structure in a distant part of the universe, was widely reported as putting into question some fundamental assumptions of cosmology. But D...
iai.tv
November 9, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Will we ever understand the cosmos? | https://iai.tv/video/physics-next-paradigm-shift-with-matt-odowd

Join Matt O'Dowd to discuss cutting-edge black hole research, the possibility of extra-terrestrial life, and the next big paradigm shift in physics.

#philsci 🧪 ⚛️
Physics' next paradigm shift with Matt O'Dowd
Join astrophysicist and science communicator Matt O'Dowd for an in-depth interview on physics, in which he discusses cutting-edge black hole research, the possibility of extraterrestrial life, the imp...
iai.tv
November 8, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Despite the usual suspects of supply shocks and wage pressure, a new source of inflation has been blamed for the current crisis; 'greedflation'. | https://bit.ly/4hrrTxl

Paul Middleditch argues that greedflation is a convenient excuse for central bank failures over the last decade.

#econsky
The myth of greedflation | Paul Middleditch
The relative price stability after 2008 has come to an abrupt end throughout the West. Despite the usual suspects of supply shocks and wage pressure, a new source of inflation has been blamed for the ...
iai.tv
November 8, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Lou Marinoff argues against the pessimistic views of Hobbes and Freud to claim that war is unnecessary. | https://bit.ly/3VxdyFD

She claims that the self-consciousness of humans allows us to negate our instincts towards aggression and hatred.

#philsky
Avoiding World War Three | Lou Marinoff
Explore the possibility of peace in a world engulfed in war with philosopher Lou Marinoff's wake-up call on negating human aggression and embracing self-consciousness
iai.tv
November 8, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Can science answer the big philosophical questions? | https://iai.tv/video/in-conversation-sabine-hossenfelder-and-hilary-lawson

Join Hilary Lawson and physicist Sabine Hossenfelder to discuss her attitudes to the problems of modern physics and the importance of philosophy.

#philsci #philsky ⚛️ 🧪
In conversation: Sabine Hossenfelder and Hilary Lawson
Join physicist Sabine Hossenfelder and non-realist philosopher Hilary Lawson in riveting conversation. With Hilary interviewing, Sabine outlines her attitude to the problems of modern physics and the ...
iai.tv
November 7, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Tap the link to read how Thomas Hertog, alongside Stephen Hawking at the end of his life, collaborated to argue for a model of the universe as a self-organising entity. | https://iai.tv/articles/stephen-hawkings-radical-final-theory-auid-3067

#philsci ⚛️ 🧪
Why Stephen Hawking changed his mind about the observer | Thomas Hertog
iai.tv
November 7, 2025 at 4:30 PM
This Remembrance Day and Veterans Day, a minority of people will know someone who served in WWII. | https://bit.ly/47IMpov

But to truly honour the dead, former intelligence officer in the British Army Andy Owen, argues we must leave politics aside.

#polsky
Remembrance Day, Veterans Day, and the philosophy of forgetting
As the UK marks 80 years of Remembrance Day, few veterans remain and collective memory fades. This article explores how remembrance has changed—from the Cenotaph’s origins to global rituals of honouri...
bit.ly
November 7, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Are we wrong about the beginning of the universe? | https://bit.ly/4onZkn1

Join Nobel Laureate Roger Penrose, theoretical physicist Claudia de Rham, and philosopher of science Karen Crowther as they debate if we can determine the age of the universe once and for all.

#philsci ⚛️ 🧪
The age of the universe
bit.ly
November 6, 2025 at 6:30 PM
“We should distinguish consciousness from the self, in my view unconsciousness is the one thing in this universe that actually can’t be an illusion,” argues Sam Harris. | https://bit.ly/47f2F0l

Watch Harris, alongside Roger Penrose and Sophie Scott, discuss whether the self is divided.

#philsci 🧪
The divided self
Many have sought to divide the self into separate parts. From Aristotle's distinction between the rational and irrational self to Freud's separation of the conscious and unconscious mind, from Kahnema...
iai.tv
November 6, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Science tells us what things are made of, not what they are. | https://iai.tv/articles/on-the-ultimate-nature-of-reality-auid-3408

For Graham Harman, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, the world’s ultimate nature can’t be captured by equations or unified theories.

#philsky
November 6, 2025 at 12:30 PM
What is happening in the world of computational neuroscience, and will the world be ready for it? | https://iai.tv/video/copying-consciousness-the-future-of-mind-uploading

Join Anders Sandberg, best known for his work on human enhancement and emerging technologies, to hear his talk.

#philsci 🧪
Copying consciousness, the future of mind uploading
Whole-brain emulation (often called “mind uploading” in science fiction) refers to the possible future ability to scan a human brain in such detail that a digital replica could be created, capable of ...
iai.tv
November 5, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Many believe Gregor Mendel's experiments offer a foundation for genetics, despite the neglected role of environments in heredity. | https://bit.ly/48QElEr

Gregory Radick argues these critiques were sidelined, perpetuating the wrong idea that only genes determine traits.

#philsci 🧪
Your genes do not define you | Gregory Radick
In the early 20th century many critiqued Mendel's model of evolutions but, as Gregory Radick shows, those criticisms failed to carry the day – not because they were defeated in reasoned, evidence-base...
bit.ly
November 5, 2025 at 4:30 PM
As artificial intelligence transforms the foundations of work, we face the question of what will it mean to be human in a world of abundance. | https://bit.ly/47EYDi9

In this piece, Zoltan argues that we should reimagine the American Dream for the AI era.

#polsky #AI #techsky
We need a new American Dream for the age of AI | Zoltan Istvan
Explore the debate between Aaron Bastani and Zoltan Istvan on capitalism and automation at HowTheLightGetsIn London 2025. What does the future hold for humanity?
iai.tv
November 5, 2025 at 12:00 PM
We believe reason is a pathway to truth. Yet from Popper’s demand for falsifiability to Darwin’s doubt about the mind’s origins, a more unsettling picture is emerging. | https://bit.ly/3WDuOti

Samuel McKee argues that our greatest obstacle may be the very mind that seeks it.

#philsci
Our brains evolved to survive, not to find truth | Samuel McKee
We like to believe that reason is our pathway to truth. Yet from Popper’s demand for falsifiability to Darwin’s doubt about the mind’s origins, a more unsettling picture is emerging. In an age that pr...
bit.ly
November 4, 2025 at 6:30 PM
“Attentive use of the imagination is, unlike fantasy, not a way to escape the world into a daydream but the route by which we become positive agents within the world,” argues Miles Leeson. | https://bit.ly/3WFplSA

He explores Iris Murdoch’s view that imagination is not a way to escape the world.
Imagination is not an escape from reality | Miles Leeson
iai.tv
November 4, 2025 at 4:30 PM
With the increase in violence between Israel and Palestine, political rhetoric around the Middle East and Muslims has escalated in recent years. | https://bit.ly/4oV9rjh

Ali Allawi, Ali argues that the situation in the Middle East is more than just about Islam or foreign powers.

#polsky
The West versus the Islamic World, with Ali Allawi
With the increase in violence between Israel and Palestine, political rhetoric around the Middle East and Muslims has escalated in recent years. However, in the West, the Middle East is often portraye...
bit.ly
November 4, 2025 at 12:30 PM
Language shapes how we think, remember, and reason. But does it help us to uncover the fundamental nature of reality? | https://iai.tv/video/how-words-warp-reality

Join Nick Enfield, as he explores why language excels at persuasion but falters at faithfully representing reality.

#langsky
How words warp reality
Language shapes how we think, remember, and reason. But does it help us to uncover the fundamental nature of reality? Join the author of Language vs. Reality and linguistic anthropologist, Nick Enfiel...
iai.tv
November 3, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Medical errors are the 3rd biggest killer in the US & UK; specialisation contributing through incorrect diagnosis. Should we give up the idea that specialists are always the best? | https://bit.ly/4hiqc5o

Join Mark Salter, David Healy, Caitjan Gainty, and Nick Lane to debate.

#medsky #philsci 🧪
How specialisation is killing us
Once, the doctor would diagnose anything from a broken leg to bronchitis. Now students can choose from over 200 medical specialisations. In the past decade alone, referrals to specialists have doubled...
iai.tv
November 3, 2025 at 4:30 PM
What if our deepest desire isn’t to be free but to escape freedom itself? | https://bit.ly/3JdsC8Q

Benjamin Carpenter argues that the Persona series brings existential ideas to life, showing how our search for meaning is haunted by a longing to surrender the very freedom that defines us.

#philsky
Existentialism and the videogame exposing our fear of freedom | Benjamin Carpenter
Drawing on Sartre, Nietzsche, and Heidegger, philosopher Benjamin Carpenter shows how the hit game Persona 5 brings our flight from freedom to life.
bit.ly
November 3, 2025 at 1:22 PM
We tend to think of the present moment as an infinitely small, discrete period of time, but is this incorrect? | https://bit.ly/4qjMRSX

Emily Herring argues that this is a mistake; time is a flow, containing past, present and future all at once.

#philsci ⚛️
Time is not made of distinct present moments | Emily Herring
We tend to think of the present moment as an infinitely small, discrete period of time; the present moment occurring just after the past, and just before the future. But, argues Emily Herring, this is...
iai.tv
November 2, 2025 at 6:30 PM