Podcast · 56 episodes

Within Reason

by Alex J O'Connor · English

For the curious. A philosophy podcast that sometimes flirts with other disciplines, Within Reason has featured guests including Richard Dawkins, Douglas Murray, William Lane Craig, Peter Singer, Konstantin Kisin, and Neil deGrasse Tyson.

Philosophy Society & Culture

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Latest episodes

#166 Are Plants Conscious? - Michael PollanWhether plants are conscious or at least sentient, and what that implies for consciousness more broadly (including “hard problem” and limits of materialist explanations).27 Sep 2026 · 1 h 29 min

#165 Buddhist Emptiness Explained - Jan WesterhoffMadhyamaka Buddhism and “emptiness” (shunyata) as explained by Nagarjuna—how “emptiness” avoids both foundationalism and nihilism by emphasizing dependent origination and the two truths.31 Aug 2026 · 1 h 44 min

#164 The Chosen Creator: Putting Words in Jesus' Mouth?Dallas Jenkins (creator of The Chosen) explains how the show dramatizes Jesus’ life while claiming it doesn’t “add to the Bible.” He argues the priority is great storytelling and plausibility, not…9 Aug 2026 · 2 h 15 min

All episodes

#163 Religion is an Obligation - Ross DouthatRoss Douthat argues that religious belief is “intellectually obligatory” because multiple lines of evidence converge: the universe’s order/design, the foundational mystery of consciousness, and…31 Jul 2026 · 1 h 49 min · 39 chapters

#162 Two Million Subscriber QnAA subscriber Q&A where Alex O’Connor answers audience questions about his YouTube viewing habits, philosophical goals, truth and ethics (deflationary truth and “global emotivism”), future academic…30 Jul 2026 · 51 min · 24 chapters

#161 What’s the Point of Going Back to the Moon? Chris Hadfield -Why go back to the Moon; how public interest in space rises and falls; what spaceflight is really for (science, communications, planetary physics); and how space travel is shifting from national…15 Jul 2026 · 57 min · 22 chapters

#160 Every Theory of Consciousness - Robert Lawrence KuhnRobert Lawrence Kuhn discusses his “Landscape of Consciousness” project and how to categorize major theories of consciousness, arguing that one’s theory of consciousness strongly shapes beliefs about…2 Jul 2026 · 2 h 20 min · 45 chapters

#159 Aristotle: The World's Greatest Philosopher?A discussion of Aristotle’s significance and core philosophy—especially his approach to metaphysics, change, causation, God/unmoved mover, and what makes humans distinct—contrasting him with Plato…25 Jun 2026 · 1 h 24 min · 29 chapters

#158 Could Consciousness Be an Illusion?Keith Frankish argues for illusionism about consciousness: conscious “phenomenology” (what it’s like) is real but misconceptualized by introspective systems.18 Jun 2026 · 2 h 7 min · 43 chapters

#157 How a Blind Man Sees the World - Tommy EdisonTommy Edison (blind since birth) discusses how he learned he was blind, what school and radio work were like before accessibility existed, how technology (Mac screen reader, Apple VoiceOver, iPhone)…8 Jun 2026 · 1 h 4 min · 21 chapters

#156 Mysticism: The Heretics Who Got Too Close to God - Simon CritchleyChristian (and comparative) mysticism as “ecstasy” and proximity/unification with the divine, how the term “mysticism” developed historically, and why mystical claims often triggered church…26 May 2026 · 1 h 18 min · 33 chapters

#155 AI Music is Not Music - Adam NeelyAdam Neely discusses why AI music (especially commercial generative tools like Suno and UDO) threatens music as a craft and as a communal cultural practice, not just jobs.13 May 2026 · 1 h 57 min · 51 chapters

#154 Happiness: Epicurus' Ancient Guide - Jonny ThomsonEpicurus’ Epicureanism as an “ancient guide” to happiness—correcting the stereotype that it’s selfish hedonism.4 May 2026 · 1 h 49 min · 45 chapters

#153 If Anyone Builds It, EVERYONE Dies - AI Expert on SuperintelligenceAI superintelligence risk—why “if anyone builds it, everyone dies.” Nate Soares interviews AI safety author Nate Soares (co-author of If Anyone Builds It, Everybody Dies) about how modern AI could…26 Apr 2026 · 1 h 35 min · 32 chapters

#152 Why AI Will Never Be ConsciousThe episode argues that artificial intelligence is unlikely to be conscious, mainly because consciousness is tied to biological, embodied, self-maintaining brains rather than to substrate-independent…20 Apr 2026 · 1 h 42 min · 34 chapters

#151 John Lennox - What Nearly Dying Taught Me About GodJohn Lennox argues that Christianity (especially the resurrection) is a coherent response to suffering and to critiques from “new atheists,” and he says science describes patterns, not ultimate…13 Apr 2026 · 1 h 19 min · 25 chapters

#150 Materialist AND Panpsychism are True - Galen StrawsonGalen Strawson argues for a physicalist (naturalist) worldview while also endorsing panpsychism/“psychism,” rejecting radical emergence.8 Apr 2026 · 58 min · 20 chapters

#149 My Problem With C.S. Lewis - Philip PullmanPhilip Pullman critiques C.S. Lewis’s approach to children’s literature, innocence, and Christian doctrine, then expands into debates about organized religion, atheism’s dogmatism, and how stories…2 Apr 2026 · 1 h 27 min · 26 chapters

#149 Blaise Pascal: Philosopher, Mathematician, Genius - Graham TomlinBlaise Pascal’s life and ideas—how a 39-year lifespan produced major work in mathematics/physics and a later religious turn centered on the “God of Jesus Christ,” not “the God of the philosophers.”…25 Mar 2026 · 1 h 34 min · 42 chapters

#147 What is PURE Consciousness? - Thomas Metzinger147 What is PURE Consciousness?18 Mar 2026 · 2 h 3 min · 48 chapters

#146 The Most Complicated Thing in the Universe: What is the Brain?In this episode of *Within Reason*, host Alex O'Connor engages with Matthew Cobb, a British zoologist and Emeritus professor of zoology at the University of Manchester.8 Mar 2026 · 2 h 25 min · 47 chapters

#145 The Algorithm is God Now - The Etymology NerdThe impact of social media on language and the emergence of "Algospeak".4 Mar 2026 · 1 h 16 min · 26 chapters

#144 Sam Harris - Spirituality for Atheists.In this episode of "Within Reason," host Alex O'Connor welcomes Sam Harris, a prominent neuroscientist, philosopher, and author.25 Feb 2026 · 1 h 53 min · 43 chapters

#143 Hinduism, Consciousness and Advaita Vedanta - Swami SarvapriyanandaIn this episode of the *Within Reason* podcast, Alex O'Connor interviews Swami Sarvapriyananda, a prominent Hindu monk and philosopher from the Vedanta Society of New York.16 Feb 2026 · 1 h 55 min · 30 chapters