The Argument: Recent Episodes
RADIO SAFA - Sede Úbeda
The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche wrote in 1882 that “God is dead”. Many agreed with him because the new discoveries of science and geology made it impossible for them to continue to believe the traditional evidence of the Christian Bible.
And yet many people still hold religious beliefs today, almost a-hundred-and-fifty years later. Why? This edition of The Argument investigates...
We’re members of the wealthiest societies in human history, but we’re not happy. One in five adults in the UK today takes anti-depressants, and you probably know someone who does too. There are several reasons why this might be the case—and we’ve already considered some of them in other editions of The Argument this year—but one is undoubtedly the pace of what we call “modern life”.
This edition asks a question about how we personally cope when things get on top of us, because if we don’t learn how to deal with the pressures of daily life we may one day join the long queue at the doctors looking for a “quick fix” to what is in fact a life-long problem.
We live in the hashtag generation, the age of that funny symbol like a noughts-and-crosses grid—#—used to identify subjects for discussion on Twitter and other social media applications and pages. One of its most popular uses is by groups of people starting conversations about their identity, something that seems to be an obsession for many different groups these days. It’s even started a new age—that of “identity politics”.
If you don’t know what identity politics is (and I didn’t until I prepared this podcast), this edition of The Argument explains, and goes on to ask the question: is identity politics a way to obtain freedom for individuals in our societies, or is it a new kind of social prison?
More of us are living to our natural maximum age. Advances in medical science have eradicated the infectious diseases which killed many of our ancestors when they were young, and the treatment of diseases affecting us as adults improve with each generation. But as more people live into old age the cost of providing health care for a society increases dramatically: older people naturally need more health care.
The increasingly unhealthy lifestyles of people in rich societies are also costing our societies more in health treatments for such problems as obesity—and a large number of people, including the young in Spain, still smoke.
The big question even for wealthy societies such as ours is: how can we afford to pay for these increasing costs? Some societies already ration health care. Is this a good way to solve the problem? Or should people with unhealthy lifestyles pay more of the cost of the problems with their health?
The podcast this week begins as a horror story, you know. the kind where you gradually get the sense something very unpleasant is going to happen. And then it turns into a mystery tale—but one where you become the protagonist who has to answer a question about your life: is it a dream or a nightmare? Could it become either of these in the future???The Argument is an opportunity to spend a few minutes thinking about something that matters more than how perfect or not you or your girlfriend or boyfriend—or both—look on your WhatsApp profile picture. And perhaps it will also last a little longer in your memory…
We seem to be surrounded by infants - children who naturally have tantrums, but also students who blame teachers or examiners if they fail an exam, relatives who blame doctors when relative dies, and most of all almost every adult who appears on "reality" TV shows and many other media channels and networks.
What's going on? More importantly, should we do something about it?
Have a listen and see what you think.
We live at a time where there is increasing scepticism about science and the role of experts in our society; some people even think the moon landings were staged in a film studio, that they didn't happen.
This scepticism has led to a sprouting of "alternative therapies" (see the edition of The Argument about Fibromyalgia), and a flood of pseudo (or "pop") psychology which provides the "solution" to any and every problem in life.
This edition of The Argument spends a few minutes thinking a little more seriously about a very common piece of this pop psychology and what it's consequences might be.
People who care about the suffering of people in less fortunate parts of the world than Spain often say it’s a good thing that some government money is spent helping to improve the lives of these people—in fact many of them believe the amount of this development aid should be increased because Spain is a rich country.
This edition of The Argument argues the exact opposite: that this help should stop! Why?
Listen to the podcast and see what you think.
It’s one of the most important questions of our time and, as the climate of our world becomes more hostile, the pressures of people moving from one place to another will increase. And that’s even if wars such as that in Syria don’t add even more migrants to the movement of people across the world.
What do you think of your government’s policy on migration? Should migrants be allowed to enter Spain or any other country freely, or should all immigration be stopped when there are millions of people without jobs? Or would you prefer a policy somewhere between these extremes?
Listen to the arguments for and against allowing migration and make up your own mind.
This week’s edition of The Argument offers a thought experiment. It also suggests a different way to think about something everyone tells me they are very interested in: being happy.
The thought experiment asks questions about a figure—some of you may consider it a person—we typically call “God”. Is God happy? It might seem a strange, even ludicrous question, but perhaps the possible answers to these questions will cast light on our own relationship to what we call “happiness”. Listen, and see what you think…
Chronic-Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia are different names for the same condition, an illness that is frequently identified in recent years - but which has a longer history. What has not changed is the absence of a cure.
This edition of The Argument offers a new way to think about this illness, but also a way to consider larger questions of illness, health care and life. As to Fibromyalgia itself, it might surprise you to know what lies behind it... Interested? Have a listen.
With all the fuss these days about gender rights, it might be useful to spend a few minutes thinking about how it is we all come to be who we are - and ask whether we chose the gender we find ourselves with at all.
We live in societies where freedom is highly valued, but as Simone de Beauvoir made clear to us seventy years ago, women are far less free than we think they are... and so are men.
If you're still confused about the difference between the meaning of the terms "sex" and "gender", this podcast makes it clear why the distinction is important.
"It's too complicated to understand!" This is the reaction from many people when the subject of Economics comes up, and it's certainly true that most of what politicians and people who pretend to be economists say is puzzling.
This edition of The Argument offers another way to think about what Economics is really about and that everyone can understand. Listen and see what you think.
A good life. It's what we all want, isn't it? But what does it mean to say a life is or is not "good"? What things do we take into account when summing up the life of a human being?
Denise was a friend of my youth, and I've had plenty of time to think about what makes a "good" life since her death. I won't tell you what my conclusion is, but tell you her story to allow you to decide for yourself.
Sheep are often said to be rather unintelligent animals because they follow each other (like Fakebook or Twitter friends) rather than thinking for themselves. In this edition of The Argument I suggest that we are human sheep, copying what others do rather than expressing our individuality. Just look at what we wear and our haircuts… Does this mean we’re unintelligent animals? Listen and see what you think.
The purpose of The Argument is to make you think, and whether or not what I say convinces you or not, to give you the opportunity to practise your English as well as, perhaps, seeing your life in a different way.
Climate change, traffic congestion, unemployment, poverty… All the big problems of our world are related to one species on the planet: us.
It seems odd, therefore, that one discussion almost entirely absent from debates about solutions to these problems is that of our population. In fact the only time it is discussed it is to argue for an increase in the number of children couples have.
Listen to my argument for taking this question seriously and see what you think.
The Western Economies are in a mess. With populations of increasing numbers of older people and fewer people being born, there is no possibility that pensions for retired people will continue to be as high as today. In fact, they might becomes very small, or even vanish altogether.
What does this mean for we who live in societies where more of us live to our maximum physical age? Will the idea of retirement shrink to almost nothing?
We live in times of equality between girls and boys, men and women. I've been listening to people in Britain and Spain tell me this for twenty years. I don't believe it.
What's my evidence? This edition of The Argument provides it. Listen and see what you think.
Parents tell us to be honest. Teachers tell us to be honest. But is life that simple? Is being honest always the right thing to do, the best policy?
This podcast offers a few examples of real-life situations where honesty might be a mistake, and as a way to help us think more carefully about the complexities of human life.
Everyone—or almost everyone—goes to school. Are they wasting their time?
It’s a provocative question, but in this edition of The Argument I suggest that school is not only wasting children’s time, but it’s also wasting the enormous potential they have to make their lives happier and the world a better place.
The purpose of The Argument is to make you think, and whether or not what I say convinces you or not, to give you the opportunity to practise your English as well as, perhaps, seeing your life in a different way.
This is a podcast giving background information to the discussion to take place at SAFA-Úbeda on December 3, 2018, in our next edition of The Argument.
Come and join us if you can, and listen to what other people think. And if you’d like to, tell us your opinion.