Naked Reflections, from the Naked Scientists: Recent Episodes
The Woolf Institute
Reflecting on recent science news stories and current events, authoritative thinkers unpack the implications for society. Naked Reflections is chaired by Ed Kessler, director of the Woolf Institute, Cambridge.
LOVE THE OTHER can mean many things. For a psychologist it can imply two contrasting personalities coming together in a complementary and constructive relationship. It can also be construed as avoiding excessive self- love. But as Sam Victor and Ruby Naji-Naif see it can be about coming to terms with difference and understanding the other in such a profound way that it can become love and even bring about peace. Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
How practical is Jesus's advice to turn the other cheek? Some see it as an example of the excessive passivity of Christianity. Others think it's the only way to get out of an endless spiral of violence. Meryem Kalayci and Tim Stevens discuss the matter without coming to blows... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Music - that most abstract of arts - can of course express religious feeling but it can also be directly or obliquely political, especially when lyrics are involved. Think, National Anthems or protest songs ... With Ed Kessler, Dunya Habash and Jonas Otterbeck reflect... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Can positive thinking create its own momentum, or to put it another way, does negativity reap its own bad harvest? Esther-Miriam Wagner and Robert Tombs read the runes Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
If you asked the Astronomer Royal, Martin Rees, to discuss cosmology with a "flat-Earther", he would probably politely decline. But when it comes to more nuanced matters than scientific truth, is there ever a case for calling a halt to dialogue? Alfred Moore and Chris Wadibia consider the question... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The United Nations recently announced that by their estimate World population passed the 8 billion mark in November 2022. World population is predicted to continue growing, peaking at just over 10 billion in the 2080s. Is this too high a number and if so what should we do about it? Abdallah Rothman and Ed Kessler reflect ... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The system for those seeking asylum in the UK is not working, with damaging effects across society and for refugees. That's why the Woolf Institute has just launched its Commission on the Integration of Refugees with an aim to improve the refugee and asylum system for everyone, including refugees. Two of the Commissioners, Janice Lopatkin and Jehangir Malik share their thoughts. Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Since the COVID pandemic, satisfaction ratings with the National Health Service have plummeted. Should we look to other countries for alternative models? And Social Services, which have never been properly integrated into the NHS system, are on the brink of collapse, despite the claims of politicians to have "sorted" the problem. Sarah Smith and Gurch Randawa tackle a thorny problem... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
What do people of faith think about the psychological and psychiatric approach to dealing with mental health problems? Is there a sense for some that one's faith, one's God should be enough to quell any inner turmoil? Jamilla Hekmoun and Danny Smith reflect on the secular and the religious approaches to mental ill health... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Modern slavery is going on all around us. Brothels, nail bars, car wash outlets and some wealthy households all need victims who they can exploit, and people traffickers happily supply them. Kevin Hyland and Lauren Saunders square up to the problem... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
For Muslims it's coming, but it's shrouded in mystery; for Christians it's straightforwardly the return of Christ; for Hindus there's the get-out card of reincarnation. But the notion of apocalypse - the end of time - runs deep even for secular types. Beth Phillips and Mansur Ali check it out... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Hatred is something most people feel some of the time but how should it be controlled? Certainly not by giving free rein to social media platforms to stoke up controversy in order to maximize advertising revenues. Kitty O'Lone and Arif Ahmed discuss both the roots of hatred and its latest iterations... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
It would be an exaggeration to say that there are as many beliefs about what and how we should eat as there are beliefs about religion but sometimes it feels that way. And like religious adherents, advocates of different dietary regimes often tussle to claim the moral high ground. David Clough and Lutfi Radwan consider the issues... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
There is no orthodoxy that could not have been construed as blasphemous when it started. Christianity was accused by Jews of being blasphemous for proclaiming Jesus as divine, and Muhammad was criticised by his polytheistic Arab contemporaries for preaching monotheism. So how do the movies come into it? Emanuelle Degli Esposti and Mohammed Ahmed explain... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
We've combined extracts from two of our favourite episodes into a Summer Special covering QAnon and Sex. QAnon, the claim a pizza joint in Washington is a centre for child abuse, has become close to being a mainstream proposition for conspiracy obsessed US radio jocks. And when it comes to sex, the relatively new phenomenon of gender dysphoria presents another problem for religious traditionalists... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
When it comes to learning and education, there has always been a tension between discipline and creativity or scepticism. The balance has ebbed and flowed over the centuries and continues to do so. But perhaps you can't have one without the other? Julian Stanley and Austin Tiffany reflect on the current state of play... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Two and a half billion pounds was wagered on the last soccer World Cup in the U.K. alone. There are reckoned to be 400 thousand problem gamblers in this country and that could well be an under estimate. So should we regard gambling as a potentially serious addiction or just a bit of fun? Mark Griffiths and Ben Ryan check the odds... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Suicide is more common than we might think: no one is immune from suicidal thoughts and there are more than 5,000 actual deaths by suicide in the UK each year. Rose Doyle tells the story of her tragic experience... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Are we in danger of weaponising Christianity as a bulwark against Islam? Would it be more fruitful to pay more attention to the period in medieval Spain when the three Abrahamic faiths collaborated and prospered? Akbar Ahmed and Seherish Abrar take a long view... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Memory is unreliable and can even be treacherous. Think of all those criminal trials where two witnesses recall an event in totally contradictory ways. So how does memory operate? Amy Milton and Aliya Ali give us some answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The idea of sanctuary for the oppressed individual or for groups of people fleeing persecution or war is an ancient and noble one. In biblical times there were even designated sanctuary cities for those under threat. In these gender conscious times, the Women's Refuge provides another sort of sanctuary. Sara Trewitt and Beth Phillips discuss sanctuary... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The Archbishop of Canterbury ruffled some feathers in government circles when he said that there were "serious ethical questions about sending asylum seekers overseas". Archbishop Kirill of Moscow's intervention in favour of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, characterizing it as a defence of Orthodox Christian civilization was less nuanced. Should Archbishops get stuck into political debate? Jocelyn Cesari and Chris Cooper Davies discuss. Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
There's a pizza joint in Washington DC where a cabal of satanic child abusers meets to brag about their exploits. During his presidency Donald Trump got wind of this and as part of his plan to "drain the swamp" earmarked a day of mass arrests and executions which he nicknamed "the Storm". How are we to make sense of QAnon? Ruth Lawlor and Alfred Moore have a go... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Diasporas are often born of misfortune, the experience of homelands left willingly because of lack of opportunity, or fled because of war. In the age after Empire, many subject communities seemed to be drawn irresistibly by the magnet of the former colonial power, where they formed their own sometimes unwelcome diaspora communities. Esther-Miriam Wagner and Dragos Herescu discuss the experience... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Lots of us feel the need to believe in something in order to make sense of the world whether it takes the form of religious faith, the provability of science, or some singular strongly-held theory. But belief does not necessarily satisfy another great human need, the need to belong to a community. Joining Ed Kessler, Danny Smith and Grace Davie explore... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
"Without forgiveness there is no future." So said the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. But do we have it in us to forgive the most egregious sins? Some think that is in God's realm. Kitty O'Lone and Justin Lane tackle the F word... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
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Compassion, common sense and expert knowledge are what we would hope a good doctor would bring to the process of managing a death. But with more and more life prolonging technologies available, the danger of litigation and the growing need to consider different religious traditions, things are not straightforward. Philip Lodge and Ruwaida Randeree talk about getting ready to die... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
To read the KAMA SUTRA or the SONG OF SONGS you might feel religion is obsessed with sex. Yet so often the discussion of sex has been a problem in Churches, Temples, Synagogues and Mosques. The relatively new phenomenon of gender dysphoria presents another problem for religious traditionalists. Sonia Leach and Shanon Shah survey the territory... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The twentieth century was littered with genocides. Those in Armenia, Nazi Germany, Rwanda and Bosnia are the most notorious ... Meryem Kalayci and James Smith discuss this most distressing of subjects. The Podcast includes some unique witness from a survivor of the Srebrenica massacre... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
We have Alexa, we have drones in the sky, killer robots on the battlefield and creepy algorithms designed to anticipate our every need. But do we lose sight of the potential benefits of A.I? Beth Singler and Hope McGovern throw some light on a much discussed subject... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
At one point in the summer of 2021, wild fires were raging all around the Mediterranean from Greece to Spain and from France to Morocco. Even the most stubborn of climate change sceptics must be starting to worry. Madeleine Ary and Shannon Shah offer some much needed policy ideas... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
It's a long way from Victorian synagogues to Twentieth Century recording studios but both provided a catalyst for musical sharing and cultural enrichment bringing, respectively, Jewish and Muslim music into the mainstream. Danielle Padley and Jonas Otterbeck survey the scene... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
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How do we measure what wisdom scientists, religious leaders or politicians have? Sometimes we intuit it without quite knowing why. Sometimes we are wrong to do so. Esther- Miriam Wagner and Tim Stevens bring their wisdom to bear on understanding wisdom... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Where do religious beliefs come from? It's a perfectly reasonable question, and it's a question that even the fervent atheist might ask, although Richard Dawkins would come to a very different conclusion from the Archbishop of Canterbury. Kitty O'Lone and Rabbi Danny Smith reflect on an age old question... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
In the Abrahamic tradition, God is nearly always referred to with a male pronoun, though presumably God has no gender. One of the dominant scientific institutions, the Linnean Society, proscribed women until 1904. Lea Taragin- Zeller and Shanon Shah consider the charge sheet... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Stephen Hawking, who died in March 2018, was no ordinary scientist. His book A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME was an international best seller and he became a very unusual sort of international celebrity, even starring in an episode of THE SIMPSONS. Marika Taylor and Hélène Mialet discuss his legacy... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Light is one of the fundamental mysteries of our world. We still don't fully understand it. As an idea it is central to both philosophy and theology. At the darkest time of the year, Ilaria Bernocchi and Christopher Wadibia explore the theological and aesthetic significance of light in all its forms... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
LIVING IN HARMONY is a Woolf Institute outreach project which promotes understanding between Jews Muslims and Christians by demonstrating the shared musical heritage of the three faiths in the Middle East. Dunya Habash and Mohammed Ahmed explain how it works and play some examples... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Was there a reluctance to follow government guidance and a tendency towards vaccine scepticism in strictly observant Jewish and Muslim communities? And does this underpin high rates of disease transmission among these groups? Speaking with Ed Kessler, the Woolf Institute's Julian Hargreaves and Shaima Hassan have each conducted some research... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
What finally made the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland work? Is it now coming under threat? Should we think of peace as a continuing process rather than as a goal? The historian Niamh Gallagher and leader of the Alliance Party John Alderdice reflect on a complex situation... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Dealing with climate change presents a huge challenge but we focus on one aspect of the problem. Tim Winter, Chair of the board of trustees of Cambridge Mosque and the architect Sam Turner discuss building more sustainably and more imaginatively... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
It is Interfaith week in the UK and two practitioners, David Hampshire and Kitty O'Lone, talk about the principles of the movement which can range from high profile diplomacy to local get togethers... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Rhetoric used to be a subject for study at schools and universities. These days, eloquence seems to be under threat from social media and the public can be suspicious of persuasive scientists and religious leaders. To mark the 100th edition of NAKED REFLECTIONS Rowan Williams and Chris Smith come together to discuss the merits and dangers of eloquence. Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Paganism was omnipresent in the worlds of ancient Greece and Rome and their gods and myths have come down to us as part of our cultural inheritance. In northern Europe it took different forms but its traditions underpin many aspects of Christian ritual and symbolism. Kitty O'Lone and Ronald Hutton join Ed Kessler to explain a much misunderstood religion... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
A disagreement over a trivial or domestic matter may be easily overcome, but what about a disagreement over something that goes to the core of your religious or ethical beliefs? Julie Siddiqi and Alissa Symon discuss the hard won art of disagreeing... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Following an increase in anti-Semitic postings on social media, the anti-Semitism Policy Trust looked into it and asked the Woolf Institute to analyse the material they discovered. Julian Hargreaves discusses what he found with Daniel Staetsky... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
When Samson inveigled his way into the Temple of Dagon, he used his superhuman strength to pull the whole thing down, killing everyone inside and himself too. Remind you of anything? Samson has been characterized as a purveyor of awesome religious terror, a sort of proto suicide bomber. This week, Lord Carlile and Hadiya Masieh get to grips with terrorism... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
When the W.H.O. visited Wuhan and reported their findings on the COVID outbreak, they acknowledged access to all the relevant data was limited. So was there a cover up? Freya Jephcott and Alfred Moore reflect on the current state of thinking... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
It was a surprise when President Joe Biden suggested suspending medical patents to speed up the global roll out of COVID vaccines, but was he missing the point? Richard Jennings, Yuan Hu and Gurch Randhawa discuss patents and "big pharma"... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Crypto currencies involve "mining" which is weird because they have no physical existence. They use more energy than a country like Sweden, but to what end? Phil Sansom and David Gerard explore this mysterious phenomenon... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The gap between rich and poor is getting ever wider. Or is it? And should the creation of wealth be guided by the articulation of a societal purpose, or should the so called market be allowed to flourish, unfettered? Sir John Kay and Ahmed Zaidi discuss wealth creation... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
What's your take away image of decadence: some Roman emperor kicking back in a chaise longue, picking at grapes, or David Bowie in a gold lame jacket? Graham Henderson and Michael Minden explore a complex subject... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
As the reflections team take a break over August, here's a chance to catch up with extracts from favourite previous editions. This week, it's changing attitudes to childhood, and how we play the blame game... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Over the summer break, we revisit some of the hit items from earlier this year. This week, Beth Singler and David Halpern nudge us to think about nudge theory, while Ilaria Bernocchi and Suzanne Paul discuss the Dead Sea scrolls... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Translation is crucial to science, diplomacy, theology and literary culture. But it's not always easy to get it right. How can you convey a German joke in English or a Yiddish joke in Arabic? With Ed Kessler are Duncan Large and Esther- Miriam Wagner to discuss the pitfalls... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The night sky has been a source of wonder for humanity. We may still look at the stars with awe, but we also think of space as a potential military asset. And we are filling it with junk. Gerry Gilmore and Ben Wilkinson reflect on this unhappy situation... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Marcus Rashford's dignified response to the blizzard of racial abuse he received on social media after missing a penalty in the European Championship final was humbling. Following this response to England's defeat, Kenny Monrose and Julian Hargreaves join Ed Kessler to talk about the challenge facing Black Britons more than 70 years after Windrush... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The problem with the idea of reconciliation is that no one would really say they are against it. And it can legitimately be used to refer to a huge range of outcomes, from the miraculous and hard won solving of age old disputes, to an agreement between two individuals about what to pay for something. Janet Soskice and Chris Wadibia join Ed Kessler to explore the complexities of reconciliation... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The notion of self-conscious multiculturalism is not new. In the early 20th century, America declared itself proudly as a "melting pot" although the powerful in that country seemed to decide that its certain communities should be excluded. Multiculturalism: should we think melting pot or mixed salad? David Perry talks to Ed Kessler and Tariq Modood to test the waters... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
No doubt the police have a difficult job and they come under fire from many directions. How well are they doing? Do they still have our consent, do they have legitimacy? Ian Blair and Miriam Shovel join Ed Kessler to discuss policing and the community... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The audible booing of football fans when players "take the knee" cannot be ignored. Does it bode well for Euro 2021? And what is the impact of increasing cultural, ethnic and religious diversity in the sporting arena in general? Alongside Ed Kessler, Faye Curran and Matt Baker step up to the plate to take aim at the topic... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Rational pessimism would seem to be a sensible attitude to take to life, but it can easily degenerate into negativity, anxiety or even despair. How should we deal with setbacks and pursue mental well-being? Kitty O'Lone and Ruth Adams join Ed Kessler to offer some advice... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
"Group think" implies lazy, complacent decision making. But what about group thinking? That could imply collaboration, people getting together and coming up with a collective idea that's better than the ideas they each started out with. Neil Mercer and Kitty O'Lone join Ed Kessler to group think it through... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The Turin Shroud, the staff of Moses...why do some believers make pilgrimages to see and touch religious relics? Do these objects have any agency in the real world, or are they frauds? Mohammed Ahmed and Ilaria Bernocchi join Ed Kessler to re-examine relics... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
We speak of natural leaders, inspirational leaders and even born leaders, but figuring out what leadership entails is complicated, even murky. Stephen Toope and Brenda Hale join Ed Kessler to share their thoughts... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Imagine a world where nothing exists until it interacts with something else; a world of ghost waves and cats that are both asleep and awake. That's the spooky world of quantum, the hundred year old theory that has practical applications in everyday life yet remains an enigma for most of us. Carlo Rovelli and Richard Staley join Ed Kessler to lift the lid on the box with Schrodinger's cat inside... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The current local and mayoral elections in England are accompanied by parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales at a time when the UK Union is under strain and liberal democracy seems to be on the retreat worldwide. So will potential voters take it all seriously? David Runciman and Catherine Arnold join Ed Kessler to examine how we vote... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
It's something that we all experience, but does it ever get easier? What can we learn from failure, and can we turn it into success? What are some examples we can turn to when we need some encouragement? Xiaodong Lin and Neil Thorogood join Ed Kessler to discuss failure. Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Headlines speak of a polarised society, but most of us seem to be much more at ease with one another than this suggests. Nevertheless, religious diversity still seems to be a problem, and it is Islam that is viewed with most suspicion. Sayeeda Warsi and Julian Hargreaves join Ed Kessler to discuss Islamophobia... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Antisemitism is a deep rooted problem with a long history. Last year the Labour Party in Britain found itself in a quandary over this issue when a Human Rights and Equality Commission enquiry found that it had committed unlawful acts and had to change. Luciana Berger and Julian Hargreaves discuss antisemitism... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
April is Autism Awareness Month, a global event to improve the understanding of this condition, especially in the workplace. What unforeseen contributions can autistic people and other employees make in the working environment? With Ed Kessler are Simon Baron-Cohen and Catherine Connelly to discuss the subject... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Is hope the same as optimism? Where does it come from? Hope is to be found in the Abrahamic religions but they also express despair. And the ancient Greeks were very suspicious of the delusional potential of hope. Joining Ed Kessler to talk about the psychology, philosophy and theology of hope are Kitty O'Lone and Andrew Chignell... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
We have more information at our fingertips than ever before. Even so, in some respects we seem to live in an information desert, or at least a misinformation jungle. What has gone wrong? A practitioner, Ed Williams, and an educator, Neil Mercer, join Ed Kessler to discuss communication and communications... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
There's corruption and then there's corruption... a scientist taking a chance on some data in the hope of extending funding is very different from an autocrat looting a country's treasury. Tony Badger and Elizabeth David Barrett discuss the many forms of corruption. Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
There's a global pandemic raging. Millions have died, it's on an upward trajectory and it's not COVID. It is obesity, often accompanied by diabetes. Medics have coined the word "diabesity", because the two conditions are closely linked. Giles Yeo and Peter Honig discuss this hidden problem... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Hearing about unmanned armed drones up in the sky is disturbing enough but the idea of robot soldiers on the battlefield feels more like some sort of dystopian science fiction. However, it's already happening. Ed Kessler, Ben Wilkinson and Paul Cornish discuss the implications... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Restoring old master pictures and preserving old manuscripts requires knowledge of the latest scientific techniques. But it can still be a highly controversial activity, especially when it comes to famous canvases and frescoes. With Ed Kessler to compare notes are Ilaria Bernocchi and Suzanne Paul... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The investigation and prosecution of war crimes and atrocities by the International Criminal Court based in The Hague is a work in progress and, unsurprisingly, its decisions can be controversial. Meanwhile, there are peace-makers all over the world knocking heads together to try and resolve conflicts. Gwen Burnyeat and Mark Kersten join Ed Kessler to reflect on justice and conflict... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Addiction is a condition that can be overcome and an addict is much more than his or her addiction. In fact, the very word addict is unhelpful. Marc Rosen and Nick Sheppard join Ed Kessler to discuss the latest thinking on addiction... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The movement of peoples seems to be as old as the hills they move across. Sometimes it's necessary for survival, born of the wish to trade or simply out of curiosity, but it seems to be deeply engrained in human behaviour. With Ed Kessler, and taking the long view, are Peer Schouten and Dunya Habash take a long view... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Claims for a game-changing breakthrough in biological science were made recently when the Alphafold programme developed by Google's DEEP MIND had striking success in determining the 3D structures made by proteins. But was it worth the hype? Alex Taylor and Beth Singler give Ed Kessler their verdicts... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Why do we find it so difficult to own up to our mistakes? Why is there so much bile on social media but such reluctance to be straightforwardly critical in the public square? Bertram Malle and Kitty O'Lone join Ed Kessler to tease out the nuances of the blame game... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Creation 'ex nihilo', meaning 'from nothing', is nothing if not mysterious. How do the accounts in scripture compare with the latest biological research? Charlotte Kenchington and Keith Fox join Ed Kessler to review the evidence. Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
With the rollout of the COVID vaccine come the clinical and ethical challenges that it throws up. And what about the global rollout to follow? With Ed Kessler to examine the vaccination pecking order are Philip Clarke and Gurch Randhawa... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
What is magic thinking? Does it work? It can be a trivial thing of course, illusion and sleight of hand. But the need for it seems to be deep-rooted in the human psyche. With Ed Kessler to discuss are Christopher Gosden and Mohammed Ahmed. Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Donald Trump has tweeted his Tweets and America has made its choice. Tony Badger and Ruth Lawlor join David Perry to discuss the contested aftermath of the Presidential election and the Trump legacy... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
How should we prepare for death? How can we cope when those we love die? Medical advances mean life can be prolonged as never before but is this the right way to go? Joining Ed Kessler, Ray Tallis and Cassandra Geisel offer some thoughts on death and dying...Naked Scientists content referenced in this programme: To the scientific mind, death is but the next great adventure and What is death? Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
What does it take to make an effective peacemaker? Empathy? Attention to detail? Foresight? Hard-nosed and sometimes brutal negotiating skills? Gershon Baskin and Carlo Aldrovandi join Ed Kessler to discuss the art of conflict resolution... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
How good are we, in Britain, at living together? Some media report anxiety over growing ethnic and religious diversity in this country, so the Woolf Institute commissioned a study of British peoples' attitudes towards diversity, to see what was actually going on. Julian Hargreaves and Julie Siddiqi join Ed Kessler to discuss the findings... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The scramble for Africa began in earnest in the 1880s when European powers started competing to extract valuable natural resources like timber and ivory. The mineral wealth of the continent is also being pillaged: uranium, coltan, cobalt, the stuff we need in our mobile phones and electric car batteries. With Ed kessler are Peer Schouten and Christopher Wadibia to discuss the issues. Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, volcanic eruptions, the stuff of disaster movies and apocalyptic scripture... This week we look at natural disasters: what are we to make of them? How can we plan for them? Joining Ed Kessler, Marie Edmonds and Roger Abbott share their insights... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Do we need to rethink the way we deal with the COVID pandemic? The binary and banal mantra of "saving lives versus saving the economy" seems to be losing traction. Julia Neuberger and Jonathan Sumption join Ed Kessler to discuss the tough moral and ethical choices we face... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Neither Socrates nor Jesus wrote anything down, but writing seems to have emerged first around 3,000 BC. So how did it happen, and why? Esther-Miriam Wagner and Laura Davies join Ed Kessler to look at the history of writing, from tablets to tablet... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
When a pathogen jumps from an animal to a human, bad things can happen. Zoonosis, the word used to define this unhappy transmission, was a mildly obscure term for most of us until the outbreak of COVID-19. In this 50th edition of Naked Reflections, Chris Smith and Freya Jephcott join Ed Kessler to talk us through the issues... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Nudge Theory was developed as a tool of political policy fairly recently. Placing fresh fruit at eye level by the supermarket check-out would count as a nudge; banning junk food would not. Is nudge theory a euphemism for psychological manipulation or is it a practical way of improving things? Ed Kessler nudges Beth Singler and David Halpern, Chief Executive of the Behavioural Insights Team, to talk about the pros and cons. Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
How humble are great scientists and artists? Often, you might think, not very. Abrahamic scriptures and Dharmic religious texts preach humility but religious institutions are often far from humble. Joining Ed Kessler, Anna Alexandrova and Ilaria Bernocchi discuss the much talked about virtue of humility... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
What is the difference between nationalism and patriotism? What about the difference between a state and a nation? Should nationalism play any part in spurring scientific endeavour? Ed Kessler asks Chris Cooper-Davies and Dr Jeff Miley to provide some answers... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Censorship seems to be as old as human societies. Governments do it, institutions do it, religious bodies who claim to have the keys to heaven do it, and, perhaps more worryingly, we have a tendency to do it to ourselves. Esther-Miriam Wagner and James Roberts speak their minds...Naked Scientists content cited in this programme: Silencing our science: SOS and African genetics and ethics Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Our perceptions, our memories and our decisions are based on filtered information. We view the world, in a sense, 'top down' through concepts and mental templates which are built up from our past experiences. This is where prejudice starts. Can we pinpoint where it becomes a problem? The Reverend Jack Noble and Kitty O'Lone navigate Ed Kessler through these tricky waters... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
'I sing of arms and the man...' That's how the Roman poet Virgil opened his foundation epic the Aeneid. More than 2,000 years later the English First World War poet Wilfred Owen wrote, 'My subject is War and the Pity of War...'. Joining Ed Kessler to discuss the changing face of human conflict and war are Margaret MacMillan and Benedict Wilkinson...Clips included in the programme:Fighting in the airRelationships at Christmas Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Genealogy is all the rage. The TV series "Who Do You Think You Are?" indulges the curiosity of celebrities about their roots and is a big hit. Many people look to their family trees for exciting and surprising discoveries about their ancestors, or to clear up long-standing questions about family history. Talking with Ed Kessler, Denis Alexander and Tara Zammit unravel the arguments... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
During the first days of lockdown, there was a lot of utopian talk about clear skies, quiet streets and birdsong. There seemed to be a widespread consensus that the COVID crisis had taught us some unflattering things about the way we've been operating. But how can real change be brought about? Julian Huppert and Esther-Miriam Wagner join David Perry to get down to brass tacks... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
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When the Berlin Wall came down in 1991, the writer Alan Bennet quipped mordantly about 'the freedom to shop'. Of course there was much more to it than that. Esther-Miriam Wagner and Alexander Massmann join Ed Kessler to unpack concepts of freedom... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
It's become a cliche in endless discussions about lockdown: how we've all got to know our neighbours better? And why did it take a global pandemic to make this happen? Joining Ed Kessler to discuss the issue of changing neighbourhood relations are Julie Siddiqi and Julian Hargreaves... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
With his Special and General theories of relativity, sixty years after his death Albert Einstein is still probably the most famous scientific genius in the world. Indeed, even for non-scientists, he seems to personify the idea of genius. Richard Staley and Michalis Agathos join Ed Kessler to discuss his work and his enduring appeal... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The problem of waste and waste disposal is a serious one. Whether we're thinking about oceans being choked with plastic, nuclear waste or just noticing the litter on a local walk, it matters. Speaking with Ed Kessler, Ian Farnan and Freya Jephcott confront some harsh realities... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Memories are a crucial part of what makes us human. Where do we find meaning if we're deprived of the memories we have created of the people, the beliefs and the things we love? Speaking with Ed Kessler, John Swinton and Joanna Collicutt discuss the grim topic of dementia... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Artificial Intelligence is on the march and it seems destined to play a bigger and bigger part in our lives. Gut feelings about A.I. tend to be negative but could it be used for good? How might its development affect religious belief or religious practice? With Ed Kessler to explore AI are Beth Singler of Homerton College, Cambridge, and the religious philosopher Gorazd Andrejc... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
In the absence of the Glastonbury Festival, NAKED REFLECTIONS takes time to contemplate the mysteries of music. How does music make us feel? Can it be used as a political tool? Joining Ed Kessler to take to the virtual Pyramid Stage are Merav Rosenfeld-Hadad, Danielle Padley and David Perry... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
When George Floyd's brutal killing was captured on video, Black Lives Matter protests quickly spread across the world. In England, the statue of the 17th century slave trader Edward Colston was tipped into Bristol harbour. Are we in the process of reaching a more general tipping point in our attitudes towards racial inequality? It's a question that has been asked before, and joining Ed Kessler to discuss it are Kenny Monrose and Monica Moreno Figueroa... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Most of us feel lonely some of the time, but some of us feel lonely most of the time. To be alone, however, is not to be lonely, and sometimes being part of a crowd can feel very lonely indeed. Kitty O'Lone and Tamsin Ford join Ed Kessler to discuss this topic, timely as it is in the wake of COVID-19... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
By most accounts, the first cities sprang up in Mesopotamia and Central America around 7000 BC. Fertile soils and successful agricultural developments made it possible for people to live together in close proximity and to focus on things other than food production. But what can we learn from cities now? Wendy Pullan and Joanna Kusiak join Ed Kessler to discuss the past and the future of cities... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The Frankenstein story is an example of science overstepping the mark. Some people fear that organ transplantation is just such a step too far. But there are alternative transplant narratives: giving up a kidney to save the life of a loved one could be construed as the ultimate act of altruism. Following the change of the law in England to presumed consent for organ use after death, Julian Huppert and Gurch Randhawa join Ed Kessler to discuss organ donation... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
We all try to forget bad things and to support ourselves by polishing positive memories from our past. Can this process happen on a national level too? Or can the memorialising of something painful in a nation's history be used as a political weapon? Joining Ed Kessler to discuss political memory in Nigeria and Israel are Christopher Wadibia and Philip Luther-Davies... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
HIGH ANXIETY is when a stimulating challenge suddenly turns into a huge problem or when shyness and apprehension become crippling. These experiences are as old as humanity and are being exacerbated right now by the COVID-19 pandemic. Joining Ed Kessler to discuss stress and anxiety are Kitty O'Lone and Olivia Remes... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Betrayal is a harsh, even melodramatic word. And yet most people feel that they've experienced it at some point in their lives or worry that they might have been guilty of betraying someone else. An act of betrayal is of course at the heart of the Christian story but what other examples are there in religion and psychology? Kitty O'Lone and Emanuelle Degli Esposti join Ed Kessler to discuss... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Have we made any progress since Marie Curie took legal advice to ensure her name was included on the Nobel citation she shared with her husband? Or are we failing when it comes to supporting female leadership in science, religion and politics? Catherine Arnold and Esther-Miriam Wagner discuss female leadership in this episode... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Representatives of two religions - Islam and Judaism - come together to discuss the Moses story, as told in the Qu'ran and the Torah... What are the similarities and differences? How should texts be interpreted? Perhaps most importantly, how do we manage difference? With Ed Kessler are Ibrahim Mogra and Rick Sopher... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The way we perceive colour is by no means straightforward. What the eye delivers to the brain, the mind then interprets. How does it work? What are the colours in religious art telling us? And why do some people "hear" colours when they listen to music? With Ed Kessler to answer these and other questions are Dunya Habash and Ilaria Bernocchi... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Winston Churchill called his depression 'black dog'. Many people experience it in their lives and it can manifest itself in a wide range of intensities. There are signs of depressive writing in the Old Testament and today, we are told, intense pressure from social media is causing teenage depression. With Ed Kessler to discuss how can we go about changing minds and dealing with it are Laura Davies and Kitty O'Lone... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Plagues in the Bible, the Black Death in medieval Europe, the AIDS crisis... Pandemics are not new, but they always seem to come as a surprise. We consider the challenges the current pandemic presents for social, scientific and religious leadership. With Ed Kessler to discuss whether it will transform our societies are Neil Thorogood, Esther-Miriam Wagner and Fiona Cornish... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Over the centuries, reports of an upcoming apocalypse have been greatly exaggerated, to amend the Mark Twain quote. In biblical times, it was usually an angel or other heavenly messenger who unveiled the revelation and so it continued into the Middle Ages. These days it's more likely to be a fresh faced scientist. With Ed Kessler to discuss the apocalypse, and how not to have one, are Alexander Massmann and Freya Jephcott... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Cooking and sharing food are profound indicators of our humanity and we seem to be thinking much more about what we eat now than we used to. Rules about dietary restrictions are set out in most of the world's religions, and we worry increasingly about food and the planet's health. With Ed Kessler to ask how we can eat sustainably, religiously and responsibly are Tobias Mueller, Atif Imtiaz and Emma Garnett... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Claiming to be a messiah can be a cover for con artists and megalomaniacs, while belief in a messiah can be a refuge for the deluded as well as the faithful. But what would it be like if someone claiming to be the Messiah got traction in today's social media world? Discussing Messianism with Ed Kessler are Ilaria Bernocchi, Tobias Mueller and Alissa Symon... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The last time the plight of our planet featured on NAKED REFLECTIONS we began with a clip about fires in the Amazon. Since then there have been reports that parts of that rainforest are losing their ability to store carbon. And in South Eastern Australia, huge swathes of land have been burning in the most alarming way. With Ed Kessler to discuss the fate of our sick planet are Tobias Mueller, Freya Jephcott and Luke Kemp... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Alcohol can be seen as a way of celebrating and being sociable; as a symbol of the blood of Christ... But alcohol can of course be problematic. Just take a stroll round any city centre at 11 pm on a Friday or Saturday night and you'll see the evidence. And in the Islamic tradition and in some Christian denominations alcohol is forbidden. With Ed Kessler are Reuven Leigh, Duncan Hay and Esther-Miriam Wagner, and they're asking what is the theology of alcohol? Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
There's a wide spectrum of GUT FEELING. It can lead to wise judgements that rise above conflicting arguments, or it can disguise a stubborn refusal to listen to evidence. Joining Ed Kessler to unpack gut feeling are Catherine Arnold, Kitty O'Lone and Julian Hargreaves... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Humour takes many forms. It can be transgressive, courageous, dangerous, an invitation to social solidarity, cruel or simply boring. So, what are the physiological and psychological benefits of laughing? Analysing humour is a dangerous game. Look at it too closely and you can kill the thing you love. But that's what we're risking in this week's Podcast. Joining Ed Kessler are Lina Molokotos-Liederman, Will Owen and Mohammad Shomali... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Forgiving others is a serious matter but can it come from nowhere? Or is an apology needed first from the perpetrator of the misdeed in question? And when does an apology become an excuse? What are the social and psychological consequences of forgiving? Are some sins, like the Holocaust, unforgiveable? Joining Ed Kessler are Elazar Symon, Kitty O'Lone and Gemma Simmonds... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
A discussion of the issues arising from the controversial story covered in Naked Genetics about genetic data, race and participant consent. Last year, two whistle blowers were fired from the Sanger Institute in Cambridge after their allegations of ethical misconduct. They claim that the Sanger was planning to commercialise some genetic data without permission of the original participants. Sanger denies any wrong doing and was exonerated. Phil Sansom, Alexander Massmann, and Kitty O'Lone debate the issues... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The evidence for evolution is recorded in the fossil record. Charles Darwin's Theory of Evolution has long since ceased to be theoretical. So why is it that so many people, in America and elsewhere, find it so difficult to accept the idea of evolution? Join Ed Kessler to explore this, and reflect on the latest fossil research and thinking about evolution, are Charlotte Kenchington, Alexander Massman and Tobias Muller... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Genetic experimentation predates our real understanding of genetics by centuries. But recent developments in our understanding of the science of genetics have profound implications for our self- understanding and self-determining, medically, ethically and legally. Joining Ed Kessler are Denis Alexander from the Faraday Institute, Julian Huppert from Jesus College Cambridge, and Dr Kitty O'Lone, from the Woolf Institute... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Despite widespread assumptions about dramatically changing attitudes to childhood, based on stereotypes about child labour, little adult syndrome and high infant mortality, our consideration of childhood and children over the centuries has probably been as much about continuity as change. In this episode, we explore the concept of childhood and how we view children and childhood throughout the centuries. From literature to psychology, from education to religion, Ed Kessler asks Simon Baron-Cohen, Lindsay Burton and Julian Stanley what childhood really looks like, and what challenges exist in... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
How should we die? Can we plan or hope for a good death? Medical advances mean life can be prolonged as never before. There is a whole battery of heroic end of life intervention at our disposal. Is this the right way to go, or could this resource be better used? Joining Ed Kessler to discuss this are Laura Davies from the Good Death Project, the muslim charities forum's Atif Imtiaz, and hospital chaplain Mark Stobert... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Is the loss of faith in authority a perfect storm of an Internet fuelled delusion that we "know it all ourselves", exacerbated by a truculent tabloid press, or a genuine shift of power away from what elites tell us to believe towards a more sceptical and personal morality? Have institutions bought this reaction on themselves by their distant and sometimes reprehensible behaviour? With Ed Kessler to debate the issue are Patrick Nash, Alissa Symon, and Neil Thorogood... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
"It's the hope that kills you..." as football managers and football fans are fond of saying... and hope is not a one way street, it can, of course, lead to disappointment. And optimism, hope's more pragmatic sibling is not always rewarded either. And where does the religious concept of faith come into this? Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
Sometimes human travel is a desperate necessity; sometimes it is a statement of religious faith; sometimes it is an uncomfortable chore; sometimes it is more like a self- glorifying quest. Joining Ed Kessler to debate the merits of travel are Ilaria Bernocchi, Dunya Habash, and Esther-Miriam Wagner... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
How inclusive are scientific institutions, academia, religious institutions and society as a whole? Joining Ed Kessler to debate whether things need to change are Lea Taragin- Zeller, Izzie Clarke Headley, and James Simpkins... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
The Amazon forest was burning up this summer. Meanwhile the huge Greenland icecap is melting, North Pole ice is thinning year on year and the oceans are inundated with micro-plastics and plastic bags. It's a well rehearsed topic but what's to be done? Freya Jephcott, Steph Bryant and Beth Bhavara join Ed Kessler to examine the issue... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
What exactly is a crime? It's not always obvious: both Socrates and Jesus were after all treated as criminals. In this discussion, Loraine Gelsthorpe, Caroline Lanskey and Julian Hargreaves join Ed Kessler to look at crimes, religion, the law, and some weird bygone punishments... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review
It's a common assumption that when uncertainty creeps into scientific enquiry or religious faith it is a sign of failure. In fact, the experience of uncertainty is central to both science and religious faith, as Ed Kessler discovers with Ilaria Bernocchi, Julian Huppert and Julian Hargreaves... Like this podcast? Please help us by writing a review