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Breaking Consensus

Breaking Consensus

Written by: Kevin von Niederhäusern
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A podcast that challenges mainstream views through deep conversations on the forces shaping our world. Guests include philosophers, researchers, and curious thinkers who push us to reconsider what we often take for granted.Kevin von Niederhäusern Philosophy Social Sciences
Episodes
  • #3 Jeanette Andrews - What Magic Teaches Us About Beliefs & Polarization
    Oct 30 2025

    Jeanette Andrews is a New York–based artist and magician whose work bridges illusion, installation, and conceptual art. Her performances function as live thought experiments — multisensory investigations into perception, cognition, and belief. Jeanette Andrews is a New York–based artist and magician whose work bridges illusion, installation, and conceptual art. Her performances function as live thought experiments — multisensory investigations into perception, cognition, and belief. She has presented commissioned works with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Québec City Biennial, the Boca Raton Museum of Art, among many others, and has been affiliated with Harvard’s metaLAB and held a fellowship with MIT’s Center for Art, Science and Technology.


    More from Jeanette Andrews:

    Website: https://www.jeanetteandrews.com/

    Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/jeanetteandrewsmagic/


    Timestamps:

    0:00 – What Is Magic, Really?

    5:15 – The Power of Framing: How Context Impacts Perception

    11:47 – Consensual Deception: When We Agree to Be Fooled

    13:12 – Magic, Manipulation, and the Ethics of Belief

    19:04 – The Real Purpose of Illusion

    24:58 – What Magic Reveals About the Mind and Perception

    26:37 – Where Art Meets Philosophy and Science

    35:00 – Deception, Bias, and the Architecture of Belief

    40:06 – How Magicians Exploit (and Expose) Our Cognitive Traps

    46:40 – A Live Experiment in Cognitive Magic

    50:01 – Inside Jeanette Andrews’ MIT Project The Attestation

    1:05:20 – [Announcement] What Is Coming Next For Jeanette Andrews

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    1 hr and 7 mins
  • #2 Tristram McPherson - Should You Act… Even If It Won’t Change Anything?
    Jul 6 2025

    Tristram McPherson is a moral philosopher and Professor at The Ohio State University. His work bridges ethics, metaethics, and political philosophy, with a focus on the moral challenges of contemporary life.

    More from Tristram McPherson:

    Website: https://sites.google.com/site/drtristram/

    Publications: https://sites.google.com/site/drtristram/publications?authuser=0


    Timestamps:

    00:00 Crowley The Modern Demon

    07:10 The “Drop in the Bucket” Problem

    12:43 Can Tiny Actions Have Huge Consequences?

    18:08 Morality by the Numbers: A Problem?

    26:34 Can Consequences Make a Wrong Action Right?

    34:20 Being Part Of A Group

    36:31 What If You Didn’t Know It Was Wrong?

    43:05 What About Necessary Harms?

    53:10 How Much Can We Reasonably Be Expected to Do?

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    59 mins
  • #1 Liz Jackson - Can You Choose What You Believe?
    Jun 5 2025

    Liz Jackson is a leading voice in contemporary epistemology and an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Saint Louis University. Her work challenges how we think about rational belief, evidence, and faith. Known for defending doxastic voluntarism and epistemic permissivism, she brings fresh insight to debates on belief, responsibility, and disagreement.

    More from Liz Jackson:

    Website: ⁠⁠https://liz-jackson.com/⁠⁠

    YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtQ8f0Ws8uZ2mWaI2vFr6Yg

    Academia edu page: ⁠⁠https://isluportal.academia.edu/LizJackson


    Timestamps:

    00:00:00 - What Is Epistemology, And Why Should Anyone Care?

    00:06:13 - Why Is Knowledge So Hard To Define?

    00:13:33 - Do We Have A Responsibility To Form Rational Beliefs?

    00:17:22 - Are Beliefs Morally Accountable, Or Just Epistemically?

    00:26:27 - What Is Doxastic Voluntarism? (Belief At Will)

    00:29:28 - If Beliefs Drive Actions, Can We Really Have Free Will?

    00:31:28 - What Kind Of Control Can We Have Over Beliefs?

    00:36:11 - Does Deliberation Count As Voluntary Control?

    00:39:28 - Are Beliefs Something We Choose Or Just Acquire?

    00:43:58 - Can We Really Compare Beliefs And Actions?

    00:47:19 - Is Faith Just Belief With Desire? What About Sam Harris?

    00:54:18 - Why Do Philosophers Keep Arguing Over Definitions?

    01:00:41 - What Motivates You To Practice Public Philosophy?

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    1 hr and 7 mins
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