Philosophy Everyday

Liv Boeree is a science communicator, former professional poker player and host of the Win-Win podcast. She studied astrophysics at the University of Manchester before winning titles on both the European Poker Tour and the World Series of Poker. In recent years she has focused on game theory, AI risk and Moloch, the trap behind races to the bottom, from the Cold War nuclear arms race to today's race to build superintelligent AI. In this conversation, we ask whether AI could become humanity's successor species, and why it doesn't have to. We begin with hyperstition, Liv's word for 2026 and a term coined by the philosopher Nick Land, and why the stories we tell about AI may become self-fulfilling now that AI agents act on the words they read. From there, we explore accelerationism, what Moloch actually is, and what nuclear arms control can teach today's AI labs about safety, transparency and verification. Later, we discuss Anthony Aguirre's idea of tool AI versus building "one omniscient, omnipotent god", Nick…

Robin Waterfield is a classicist, author, and one of the most prolific translators of ancient Greek philosophy and history into modern English, with more than thirty-five volumes of translations to his name. His work includes Plato’s Republic and Symposium, Herodotus, Marcus Aurelius, Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War, Epictetus, Xenophon, Euripides, and other major Greek and Roman authors. His latest translation is Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics, published in 2026, continuing a career focused on making ancient philosophy, Greek history, and classical literature accessible in readable modern English. In this conversation, we discuss Thucydides and the Melian Dialogue, including the famous line “the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must,” and why Robin considers that familiar version misleading. We compare Thucydides and Herodotus, examine how the ancient Greeks understood history, and discuss Aristotle, eudaimonia, happiness, ancient Greek religion, moral philosophy, slavery,…

Angie Hobbs is Professor Emerita of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield, where she held the world's first chair of that title. She works on ancient Greek philosophy, particularly Plato, and on how it bears on contemporary questions. Alongside her academic work she has taught the Socratic method in schools and to the UK civil service, and appears regularly on radio and television. Her books include Plato and the Hero, and most recently Why Plato Matters Now, which she also narrated for audiobook. She is currently writing a book on heroes and heroism. In this conversation we discuss what Plato was reacting against, from the Sophists to the materialism of Democritus, and why he took Heraclitus and Parmenides seriously but not the atomists. We look at the problem of separating Plato from Socrates in the dialogues, and why Plato wrote in dialogue form and never in his own voice. We turn to the Republic and Thrasymachus's claim that justice is the interest of the stronger, the…

Simon Critchley is a British philosopher, author, and the Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy at The New School for Social Research in New York. One of the most distinctive voices in contemporary philosophy and continental philosophy, his work spans ethics, political philosophy, psychoanalysis, literature, religion, tragedy, death, football (soccer), and the role of philosophy in everyday life. He has written more than twenty books, including The Book of Dead Philosophers, What We Think About When We Think About Soccer, Tragedy, the Greeks, and Us, Mysticism, and Heidegger Thinking: Being and Time Explained. Critchley is known for making complex philosophical ideas accessible, playful, provocative, and relevant beyond academic philosophy. In this conversation, Simon Critchley explores what mysticism actually means, why modern philosophy has become too serious, and whether mystical experience can exist outside organized religion. We discuss Christian mysticism, incarnation, religious belief, miracles, Martin…

Peter Adamson is Professor of Philosophy at LMU Munich and the host of the widely respected podcast History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps. He is one of the leading scholars working on the history of philosophy across the Islamic world, late antiquity, medieval philosophy, Greek philosophy, Arabic philosophy, and the broader global history of ideas. In this episode, we discuss Ibn Sina’s Flying Man thought experiment, the mind-body problem, the soul, the self, and whether the mind can exist without the body. We also explore Ibn Sina, also known as Avicenna, Ibn Rushd, also known as Averroes, Al-Ghazali, Aristotle, Plato, falsafa, kalam, Islamic philosophy, philosophy in the Islamic world, Arabic philosophy, the Greek-Arabic translation movement, the Latin translation movement, Maimonides, Al-Kindi, Al-Farabi, Descartes, the Islamic Golden Age, the Abbasid world, Byzantium, Syriac translators, madrasas, commentary traditions, the Mongol invasions, the myth that Al-Ghazali killed philosophy, and why philosophy…

Michael Levin is a developmental and synthetic biologist at Tufts University whose work sits at the intersection of biology, bioelectricity, artificial life, regenerative medicine, synthetic biology, computer science, cognitive science, and philosophy of mind. He is known for his research on how cells communicate, make decisions, build bodies, repair tissues, and form collective intelligence through bioelectric signals. His work on Xenobots and Anthrobots has opened new questions about living robots, synthetic life forms, biological machines, morphogenesis, basal cognition, cellular intelligence, regeneration, cancer, aging, and the nature of mind beyond the brain. In this conversation, Michael Levin and I explore whether mind and intelligence are binary or exist on a continuum, why cognition may be much older than brains, and how systems from cells to humans can pursue goals in different ways. We discuss the TAME framework, the spectrum of persuadability, cognitive light cones, bioelectricity, gap…

David Pinsof is an evolutionary psychologist, writer, and co-creator of Cards Against Humanity. He is the author of the substack "Everything Is Bullsh*t", where he examines self-deception, social status, morality, humor, and the hidden motives behind human behavior through the lens of evolutionary psychology. In this conversation, we discuss how self-deception stabilizes status games, why people pretend not to care about status, whether happiness is really the goal of life, why utilitarianism may misunderstand human nature, how charisma works, why deception can sometimes benefit the deceived, what ancient Cynicism reveals about status, and why laughter may have evolved as a way to signal that a social “mix-up” should not be taken seriously. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

William B. Irvine is an American philosopher and Professor Emeritus at Wright State University, best known for his work on Stoicism and practical philosophy. His books include A Guide to the Good Life, which helped popularize modern Stoicism, and his most recent work, How to Think More and Better: Being Reasonable in an Unreasonable World (2024), where he explores evidence-based reasoning, cognitive biases, and the challenges of thinking clearly in the modern information environment. In this conversation, we discuss why many people choose the “easy way” of thinking by relying on others instead of engaging in effortful reasoning, and how this tendency is amplified by social media and AI. We explore concepts such as evidence-based reasoning, confirmation bias, and the distinction between “feelers” and “thinkers.” The discussion also covers the erosion of trust in evidence in the age of AI-generated content, and how emerging technologies may both improve and distort our ability to think clearly. William's book:…

Rebecca Goldstein is a philosopher/novelist who brings serious philosophical ideas to the world of popular discussion. A trained analytic philosopher, with an interest in philosophers such as Spinoza, Plato, and Aristotle; her writing takes up many of the most ancient of questions about human existence from a contemporary perspective. She recently developed the concept of "the mattering instinct" (which represents the core impulse or drive of humans to believe their lives have importance). Here, we talk about why being happy isn't the most important thing in the world and how people are actually motivated by the desire to be meaningful. Here we also examine how we create our own sense of meaning through what Goldstein refers to as 'mattering projects', why modern life makes creating this kind of meaning difficult and how the loss of traditional forms of meaning (such as religious systems) has moved responsibility for developing a sense of personal meaning to the individual. Along the way we will reference…

Dr. Niayesh Afshordi is a theoretical physicist and professor at the University of Waterloo, known for his work on cosmology, quantum gravity, and the fundamental nature of the universe. His research explores some of the deepest questions in physics, including the origin of the Big Bang, the nature of time, and the limits of our current theories. He is also the co-author of The Battle of the Big Bang, where he examines competing models of the early universe and what they reveal about reality. In this episode, we explore whether the Big Bang truly marks the beginning of the universe or simply the point where our current equations break down. We discuss the meaning of singularities, the possibility of something existing before the Big Bang, and whether the universe could emerge from “nothing.” The conversation also dives into quantum mechanics, the challenge of unifying it with gravity, the role of inflationary models, and why time itself may not be fundamental. Niayesh's book:…

Robert Pogue Harrison is a Professor of Italian and French Literature at Stanford University and a leading scholar in Philosophy, Literature, Intellectual History. He has written many important books on topics such as Death and Youth, which include: The Dominion of the Dead; Juvenescence. Additionally, he hosts the popular podcast "Entitled Opinions" in which he discusses big picture issues of Human Existence, Culture and Meaning. In this conversation, we examine the reason for the rising discomfort in modern society regarding Death and what that may say about how we perceive meaningfulness. We compare the concepts of Dying vs. Perishing; and examine the concept of a "Secular After Life." We also look at how other cultures in the past developed their social structures based upon common mortality. The conversation also moves into technology, examining whether AI is reshaping our relationship with thinking, memory, and human connection, and what might be lost when thinking is outsourced. Throughout, we return…

What do you believe to be true? Are you absolutely certain? Can you really know? Does reason exist for its own sake, or is every thought simply an illusion created by your brain? This week, I look at Descartes' revolutionary experiment of doubting everything - everything about the world, how we sense things, even our own reasoning - and attempting to build knowledge back up again. He bases his conclusions on what he finds: the idea of "perfection" leads him to conclude that there must be a god. Is the argument valid? Where do your thoughts come from? How could you feel so sure about something and yet be entirely wrong? Is it possible to use logic to prove anything at all? And at the heart of these questions is one fundamental question that remains unanswered: Are you a person, or are you just using a body? Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

I recently talked with Dr. Gordon Pennycook who is a cognitive psychologist and has researched, among other things, why people accept false information, why some statements sound profound but have no real meaning and if using Artificial Intelligence (AI) could help decrease conspiracy thinking. Dr. Pennycook is one of the top researchers studying misinformation, cognitive reflection and what he terms "Pseudo-Profound Bullshit", statements that may seem profound but fall apart when scrutinized. We talked about the psychological mechanisms behind pseudo-profoundness and others related to human reasoning. We also discuss his recent research showing that conversations with large language models can reduce belief in conspiracy theories by presenting clear evidence and counterarguments. Could AI become a tool for improving public reasoning? Or does it introduce new risks for misinformation?This conversation explores how intuition, reflection, and cognitive laziness shape the way we think and what that means in an…

Steven C. Hayes is a prominent American clinical psychologist and researcher known for his foundational work in behavioral science and psychotherapy with a focus on human language, cognition, and alleviating suffering. He developed Relational Frame Theory (RFT), which explains human higher cognition, and originated Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an evidence-based psychotherapy. We explore why our evolution as social primates has left us with a mind that we can’t forget. Dr. Hayes explains how to transition from a life of emotional struggle to one of true psychological flexibility. We also explore the relationship of pursuing happiness and how this may ultimately lead to the opposite, the differences between being in pain and suffering, the concept of experiential avoidance, the concept of cognitive attachment, the evolutionary development of language and human cognition, and the science of developing psychological flexibility. Steven's website: https://www.stevenchayes.com/ Instagram and other…

The idea that love is a feeling rather than an appetite for something may be part of the marketing surrounding Valentine's Day; in other words, love is viewed as satisfaction, completion, or a secure sense of emotions. However, Plato has an entirely different view. In this episode, I take a look at Plato's "Symposium," which is arguably one of the most upsetting, and authentic descriptions of love ever put on paper. It is through Socrates' and Diotima's explanations that Plato describes love as absence, longing, and as a movement toward something we don't yet possess. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

John Vervaeke is a cognitive scientist and philosopher best known for his work on the modern meaning crisis, wisdom, and the nature of human understanding. He is a professor at the University of Toronto and the creator of Awakening from the Meaning Crisis, a widely influential lecture series exploring why modern life feels increasingly disconnected, fragmented, and nihilistic. In this episode, we explore what happens to love, truth, and meaning in a nihilistic world. We discuss Socrates and Plato on eros and the examined life, the role of love in orienting us toward reality, and why truth cannot be reduced to method or calculation alone. We examine the consequences of modernity, Nietzsche’s warning about nihilism, the loss of wisdom as a way of life, and why rationality without care leads to a crisis of meaning. We also consider whether love is a condition for truth rather than its rival, and how recovering wisdom may be essential for confronting the challenges of modern life. John's lectures:…

John Cottingham is one of the world’s leading scholars of René Descartes and early modern philosophy. He is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Reading and the author of several influential books on Descartes, ethics, and philosophy of religion. Cottingham is also widely known for his work on the Cambridge Edition of the Works of Descartes, where he served as editor and translator, helping shape how Descartes is read and understood today. In this episode, we explore Descartes’ philosophy from its foundations to its modern consequences. We discuss the method of radical doubt, the meaning of “I think, therefore I am,” the mind–body problem, and why consciousness still resists purely scientific explanation. We also examine the central role God plays in Descartes’ system, whether reason alone can justify belief, and how these ideas continue to shape debates in philosophy, science, and artificial intelligence today. John's website: https://www.johncottingham.co.uk/ Instagram and other platforms:…

Nothing can be trusted to be real, or at least, that’s the starting point. In this episode, I break down René Descartes’ method of radical doubt by walking through the First and Second Meditations, step by step. What happens if you treat everything that can be doubted as false? That includes; your senses, your body, the external world, and even mathematics. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

Dr. Avi Loeb is a prominent theoretical physicist specializing in astrophysics and cosmology. He serves as the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University, where he previously chaired the Astronomy Department and founded the Black Hole Initiative. He has authored over 800 papers and popular books like Extraterrestrial on potential signs of alien technology. Follow the podcast for more conversations on cosmology, science, and philosophy. Avi Loeb's blog: https://avi-loeb.medium.com/ Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

As we enter 2026, I wanted to take a step back and reflect on some of the books I read this year, and what they made me rethink about life, meaning, power, consciousness, and society. Check out the chapter names to see books discussed in this video. Let me know in the comments what you’re planning to read in 2026, and whether you have read any of these before. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

Was education ever meant to make you employable or fix your career? In the final book of Politics, Aristotle argues that this assumption misunderstands education from the beginning. According to Aristotle, education primarily exists for the sake of leisure, here understood as freedom from necessity and the condition for contemplation. This understanding proposes that a life organized entirely around usefulness and efficiency may function, but it cannot flourish. In this episode, I unpack Aristotle’s most demanding claims about education, virtue, habituation, music, physical training, and the role of the city in shaping character. Aristotle draws sharp distinctions between usefulness and nobility, cleverness and virtue, play and leisure, work and the activities that are worth pursuing for their own sake. There might be some FPS drops in the beginning of the video, which gets better later. This was due to unidentified technical issue during the recording. I apologize for this. However, the audio and the pacing…

Did Aristotle sketch the foundations of something like Universal Basic Income in ancient times? In Book VII of Politics, he argues that no citizen should live in a state of constant labor and necessity, because leisure is the precondition for virtue, philosophy, and judgment. In this episode, I walk through his surprising claims about basic sustenance, land distribution, civic roles, military power, and why a well-designed city must give its citizens the freedom to think, reflect, and flourish. Aristotle connects everything: virtue, happiness, citizenship, leisure, even city walls and cold plunges into one vision of how a society creates excellent human beings. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

Aristotle never treated philosophy as a luxury or something that you do when you are bored. In Book Seven of Politics, he forces a difficult question: can the philosophical life become a retreat from real action? And if so, what does that say about the lives we choose? What is worth pursuing at the end of the day? And what is ultimately meaning of life? In this episode, I break down Aristotle’s argument that happiness is found in living life according to virtue, and both philosophical / scientific life and active civic life are virtuous. Virtue comes from action and from the choices you make, the habits you build, and the character you sharpen. Thought without action becomes passivity. Action without thought becomes chaos. The good life lies in the tension between them. Aristotle also explores the oldest divide in human life: the active citizen versus the pure thinker. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

In this episode, I walk through Book 6 of Aristotle’s Politics, a section where he becomes unusually practical. Here he stops talking about ideal systems and starts asking a simpler question: what actually keeps a community functioning? Why do some forms of shared rule remain stable while others constantly shift? Aristotle looks at freedom, equality, participation, and the habits of everyday life. He studies how farmers, merchants, and workers naturally shape different patterns of governance often without intending to. He examines why different groups see justice differently, how equality gets defined, and why the character of a population matters as much as its laws. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

I talked to Dr. Anil Seth, neuroscientist, author of "Being You", and one of the world’s leading thinkers on consciousness, to explore one of the deepest questions in philosophy and science: What does it mean to be aware, and why does it feel like something to be you? Dr. Seth’s work is amazing as it bridges neuroscience, philosophy, and artificial intelligence. Just to be clear, the theory of controlled hallucination that Anil advocates doesn't suggest the external world doesn't exist. It simply means our access to it is always filtered through the interpretive and predictive mechanisms of our own brains. Portrait credit: Ramon Haindl / Die Ziet. Anil's website: https://www.anilseth.com/ Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

What did Aristotle really think about monarchy? In this episode, I finish Book V of Aristotle’s Politics, exploring how monarchies rise, fall, and sometimes turn into their opposite. Along the way, we look at Aristotle’s comparisons with democracy, and his practical reflections on power, virtue, and moderation. This discussion is entirely historical and philosophical in nature, focusing on Aristotle’s ideas in their original context. Source of discussion in the video: Aristotle’s Politics, Book V, Chapters 10-12. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

I sat down with Dr. Spencer Greenberg, mathematician, entrepreneur, and host of the Clearer Thinking podcast, to explore one of the most fascinating puzzles of human nature: why even the most intelligent minds can fall for irrational beliefs. In this conversation, we discuss: (1) Is intelligence alone to protect us from bias and self-deception? (2) How emotions, heuristics, and evolution shape our irrational choices (3) Is there any cost of being perfectly “rational”? (4) Whether truth-seeking can conflict with happiness or fulfillment (5) How to recognize when you’re playing status games instead of searching for truth (6) Why positive thinking and self-help can sometimes backfire (7) How to train your mind to think more clearly in a world full of noise. Spencer's website: https://www.spencergreenberg.com/ Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

What makes a society lose its moral strength?Did Aristotle already warn us about how virtue slowly fades not through sudden corruption, but through small unnoticed habits that change who we become?In Book V of Aristotle’s Politics, he explores why even the best systems weaken over time, and why preserving balance depends less on power and more on character. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

I sat down with Dr. Stephen Hicks, philosopher and author of Explaining Postmodernism, to explore some of the biggest questions in modern thought: what the Enlightenment really changed, how confidence in reason began to crack over time, and why modern philosophy still struggles with truth, meaning, and progress. Stephen's website: https://www.stephenhicks.org/ Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

What is the source of all conflicts? Aristotle thought that the answer had something to do with human nature itself. In this episode, I talk about Book V of Aristotle's Politics, where Aristotle finally stops describing systems and now also starts dissecting their psychology. He explores how ambition, resentment, and pride drive people toward conflict, and why the rich and poor never agree on what “justice” means. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

I sat down with Dr. Massimo Pigliucci, philosopher, evolutionary biologist, and one of the most influential voices bringing Stoicism into the modern age. In this episode, we explore timeless ideas that matter more than ever today: Why Stoicism keeps returning in times of crisis? What you actually control, and what you don’t? The biggest misconceptions about Stoicism. How Stoicism compares with Nietzsche, Aristotle, and Christianity? What Stoicism can teach us about living well in chaotic times? Massimo's substack: https://figsinwintertime.substack.com/ Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

Aristotle links his ethics to politics, arguing that just as virtue is found in the middle, so too is stability in the city.The middle class, the “middling element,” becomes the true stabilizer, citizens who know both how to rule and how to be ruled. From there, Aristotle maps how regimes endure or fall, how incentives like fines and pay shape participation, and how military power cavalry or infantry reshapes constitutions.Finally, he lays out a three-part system of deliberation, offices, and courts, a design that looks strikingly like an early form of checks and balances. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

I sat down with Dr. Roman Yampolskiy, a leading voice in AI safety and author of AI: Unexplainable, Unpredictable, Uncontrollable. In this episode, we dive into questions that challenge reality itself: Are we living in a simulation? Can superintelligent AI ever be controlled? What makes humans truly special? Could we one day solve death itself? Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

Should the wealthy few rule, or the poor majority? Should politics belong to those with leisure, or can every citizen truly take part? In these chapters, Aristotle digs into the messy reality behind democracy, oligarchy, polity, and tyranny. He shows that oligarchies, like democracies, come in degrees. He insists that politics always returns to one fact: those with leisure have the time to rule, while those busy with survival often step aside. Out of this tension, the mixed constitution of polity emerges, balancing rich and poor, freedom and wealth. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

Is politics about ideals, or about what actually works? Aristotle shifts from dreaming about the perfect city to wrestling with the messy reality of real regimes. Instead of chasing one utopia, he asks sharper questions: what is the best regime most cities can actually attain? Should we measure politics by ideals of justice and virtue, or by what circumstances allow? And who shapes whom do laws make constitutions, or do constitutions give birth to laws? Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

Who should rule, the one or the many? Aristotle wrestled with this question in Politics, and his answer is anything but simple. On one side stands the idea of a single extraordinary ruler. A man of unmatched virtue, flexible enough to judge every situation like a wise doctor who can go beyond the handbook. On the other side is the law: impartial, passionless, reason stripped of jealousy and anger. Then there is the multitude, the collective judgment of free citizens whose perspectives balance out the flaws of any single person. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

In this episode, I dive into Aristotle’s controversial idea, the “natural king.” This is the one person whose virtue and wisdom are so far above everyone else’s that ruling them would be unjust. Aristotle says such a ruler should lead willingly accepted by all, a model of kingship that sounds strangely familiar in the age of artificial intelligence. Could a superintelligent AI fit this description? And if so, should we let it rule? Or would that be the fastest road to digital dystopia? I also explore Aristotle’s blueprint for mixed government, his early version of checks and balances, and why he thought both mob rule and oligarchic control were dangerous. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

In this episode, I explore Aristotle’s brutal critique of both democracy and oligarchy and why he believed neither the rich nor the poor should rule simply because they can. For Aristotle, justice is about purpose rather than wealth or equality. Cities exist for living well, and not just for mere survival. This is where Aristotle draws the line between power and legitimacy. He doesn’t care how many people rule. He cares why they rule, and who actually benefits from it. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

Does being a good person automatically make you a good citizen? In this episode, I dive into one of Aristotle’s most important distinctions between moral virtue and political virtue. You can be honest, kind, and just, yet still fail the test of citizenship. Why? Aristotle claims that the real citizen is someone who takes part in deliberation and decision-making in the community. That means power, participation, and free time to to engage in politics. So where does that leave others? This is Aristotle at his most precise and provocative. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

Sparta was worshipped, by both ancient and modern admirers. But what if the truth behind the myth is weaker, even a little absurd? In this episode, I go deep into Aristotle’s breakdown of Sparta. A regime that trained its men for war, ignored its women, enslaved its workforce, and collapsed the moment peace arrived. I also explore what Aristotle thought about Crete, Carthage, and the lawgivers who tried and often failed to build the perfect city. I also talk about Aristotle's criticism of his contemporary thinkers from Plato’s Republic to Phaleas of Chalcedon. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

What if the perfect society is actually a trap? In this episode, I dive into Book II of Aristotle’s Politics, where he dissects Plato’s idea of a utopia, shared property, shared families, total unity. On the surface, it sounds noble. But Aristotle peels back the layers and asks: what happens when everyone owns everything... and no one owns anything? I talk about why radical equality might backfire, why too much unity can destroy what makes a city work, and how the push for perfection often ends in dysfunction. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

Is there such a thing as getting rich the right way? In this episode, I dive into Aristotle’s views on wealth, money-making, and the purpose behind it all. Aristotle saw a clear difference between natural and unnatural ways of getting rich. Why did he think the endless pursuit of profit could distort your soul? What kind of wealth is worthy of respect, and what kind isn't? Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

Why did Aristotle say that anyone who lives outside society is either a beast or a god? In this first episode of the Politics series, I go back to the origins of the city, the household, and the idea that humans are, by nature, political animals. This is about what kind of creature the human being is, and what happens when he tries to exist alone. I also dive into one of the most controversial parts of Aristotle’s thinking: slavery. Was he defending the brutal institution of his time, or was he describing a more uncomfortable truth about human inequality? Did he, in a strange way, predict the end of slavery with his thought experiment about self-moving tools? Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/

How do art, AI, and ideology shape how we see the world?In this first episode of Philosophy Everyday, I speak with Dr. Rebecca Marks, an art historian with a PhD from Cambridge University. We explore one of my favorite paintings, Raphael’s The School of Athens, its meaning, symbolism, and place in the Renaissance.We also discuss how AI might influence the future of art, how ideology shapes perception, and the deeper philosophical questions behind creativity, meaning, and human experience. Instagram and other platforms: ⁠https://linktr.ee/philosophy.everyday⁠ More from Philosophy Everyday: ⁠https://www.thephilosophyeveryday.com/