Episodes

  • #137 Debunking Arguments for God - Graham Oppy
    Jan 4 2026

    Graham Oppy is Professor of Philosophy and Associate Dean of Research at Monash University. An Australian philosopher of religion, he is often considered one of the most thoughtful and important academic atheists in the world.

    Buy his book, Arguing About Gods, here.

    Timestamps:

    00:00 - Tour

    00:31 - The First Cause Argument

    14:14 - Can There be an Infinite Regress?

    30:46 - The Modal Fatalism Objection

    36:08 - The Kalam Cosmological Argument

    51:12 - The Fine Tuning Argument

    1:06:15 - The Multiverse

    1:10:01 - Are the Constants of the Universe Just Necessary?1:15:37 - Was the Hole Designed for the Puddle?

    1:20:20 - Anselm’s Ontological Argument

    1:33:59 - The Modal Ontological Argument

    1:38:23 - Closing

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    1 hr and 41 mins
  • #136 Why Did The World Get So Ugly? - Alain de Botton
    Dec 26 2025

    Get tickets for my UK tour here.

    Alain de Botton is the creator of The School of Life. A Swiss-born British author and public speaker, his books discuss various contemporary subjects and themes, emphasising philosophy's relevance to everyday life.

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    1 hr
  • #135 Christmas Isn't What You Think - John Nelson
    Dec 20 2025

    John Nelson earned a PhD in New Testament and Christian Origins from the University of Edinburgh in 2023. He writes for the Substack Behind the Gospels.

    His thesis is the first book-length study of Jesus' physical appearance in the Gospels. He runs a weekly Substack called "Behind the Gospels" which aims to make Biblical studies accessible to all.


    Timestamps:

    0:00 - Was Jesus Really Born on Christmas Day?
    2:51 - Are the Birth Narratives Attempts at History?
    6:34 - Where Was Jesus Actually Born?
    16:19 - Were the Birth Narratives Added Later?
    20:54 - Was Mary Really a Virgin?
    32:57 - Why Does Nobody Else Mention the Virgin Birth?
    37:39 - Was Jesus a Product of Adultery?
    42:22 - Was Jesus Born in a Manger?
    48:07 - Who Are the Magi?
    54:05 - Was the Star Really a Star?
    01:00:03 - Did Herod Really Order a Slaughter of Infants?
    01:06:26 - Is the Christmas Story Anti-Imperial?
    01:13:13 - Are Christmas Trees a Pagan Idol?
    01:16:12 - John’s Book and the Upcoming Tour

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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • 1.75m QnA - Triangles, Getting Owned by GodLogic, and Douglas Adams' Puddle
    Dec 19 2025

    Timestamps

    0:00 - 1,778,795 Q&A
    0:24 - How Are You?
    5:12 - If You Could Choose Your Date of Birth, When Would It Be?
    9:36 - Survival Tips From Bear Grylls?
    10:21 - How Do You Remember so Much Stuff?
    15:24 - What is Your Dream Podcast?
    17:01 - Doesn’t Consciousness Just… Emerge?
    29:26 - If You Clean a Vaccum, Are You a Vaccum Cleaner?
    35:41 - Is Water Wet?
    37:26 - How Many Holes Are In a Straw?
    40:55 - Is a Hot Dog a Sandwich?
    42:28 - Do You Edit Everything By Yourself?
    43:23 - What Would It Be Like to Observe a Contradiction?
    43:33 - Which Philosophical Concepts are Often Misunderstood?
    50:29 - When I Changed My Mind Mid-Debate
    01:01:49 - Would You Tour?

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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • #133 Hank Green on God, Science, and Consciousness
    Dec 7 2025

    Hank Green (@hankschannel) is one of YouTube's most beloved creators. One half of vlogbrothers, he is also the co-creator and host of SciShow and Crash Course.


    Timestamps:

    0:00 - Where Are All the Aliens?
    8:08 - What Makes Humans So Special?
    17:22 - Has the US Lost its Cultural Identity?
    29:34 - Martin Luther Wrong About God?
    36:30 - Is the World an Illusion?
    46:54 - Should We Believe Our Illusions?
    53:58 - How Objective is Science?
    59:41 - Does Science Explain Anything?
    01:11:10 - Could We Explain Cold to an Alien?
    1:22:03 - The Hard Problem of Consciousness
    01:27:44 - Will Computers Ever Become Conscious?
    01:35:58 - Do You Have Two Brains?
    01:42:30 - Should We Be Worried About TikTok?
    1:49:08 - Hank’s Video Ideas
    01:59:39 - What’s it Like Meeting Your Old Heroes?
    2:05:51 - Being a YouTuber

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    2 hrs and 13 mins
  • #132 Vsauce - Does Anything Exist?
    Nov 30 2025

    Michael Stevens is the creator of Vsauce, one of YouTube's most popular channels. Alongside Hannah Fry he hosts the newly-launched podcast The Rest is Science.


    Timestamps:

    0:00 - Does Anything Really Exist?
    10:32 - Is Michael a Mereological Nihilist?
    19:42 - Are Philosophers Overcomplicating Function Behaviour?
    25:24 - Do “You” Really Exist?
    41:57 - Free Will and the Bicameral Mind Theory
    50:09 - Why the Future Isn’t Changing Like It Used To
    59:11 - The Scientific Mystery of Torque?
    01:17:46 - Consciousness

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    1 hr and 35 mins
  • #131 Toby Ord - Will AI Destroy Humanity?
    Nov 27 2025

    Timestamps

    0:00 - What Existential Risks Does AI Pose?8:57 - How AI Systems Lie to Us26:04 - Why We Should Be Worried About AI33:28 - What Does It Mean for AI System to “Want” Something?43:41 - AI Weapons and Nuclear Warfare48:57 - Where Should We Focus Our Resources?53:35 - What Policies Should We Enact?

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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • #130 Philip Goff - Why I'm a Heretical Christian
    Nov 16 2025

    Philip Goff is a British author, panpsychist philosopher, and professor at Durham University whose research focuses on philosophy of mind and consciousness. Specifically, how consciousness can be part of the scientific worldview.


    Buy Philip's books here.


    - Timestamps

    0:00 - Why Philip Became Religious

    07:13 - Panpsychism and the Fine-Tuning Argument

    18:46 - Why God’s Power is Limited

    30:10 - The Problem of Suffering

    42:53 - Non-Western Religious Positions

    48:34 - What is the Role of Jesus in This?

    57:35 - “Why Aren’t You Just a Hindu?”

    01:02:23 - What is the Point in the Crucifixion?

    01:09:41 - The Beautiful Uncertainty of Religion


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    1 hr and 18 mins