The Institute of Art and Ideas

Should we give up on the idea that the brain produces consciousness?

We tend to think of consciousness as something the brain produces, a byproduct of atoms arranged in the right way. But Alex O'Connor, formerly known as CosmicSkeptic and host of the Within Reason podcast, argues that consciousness may be more fundamental than that.

Materialism can't explain how purely physical processes give rise to subjective experience. And the analogies emergence theorists use presuppose consciousness in order for them to work. Alex's answer is to see consciousness as baked into the fundamental nature of reality.

5 hours ago | [YT] | 27

The Institute of Art and Ideas

What distinguishes spirituality from religion?

At the height of the Victorian era, the poet Matthew Arnold captured the mood of the time, using the metaphor of the waves on Dover Beach to refer to the long slow retreat of the sea of faith. Since then, many have assumed reason and scientific advance would gradually overturn, and even eradicate, religion and mysticism.

But although there has been a widespread European decline in church attendance, religious belief has not been eradicated and recent surveys show young Westerners are more drawn to mysticism and spirituality than their grandparents. Furthermore critics argue that belief in science and progress itself displays a mystical faith in the power of reason.

Should we conclude that we all have to worship somebody or something, whether it be gods, leaders or principles? Will the future be one where we see a return to an open acceptance of mysticism and spirituality? Or is there time yet for reason and science to put an end to religious belief?

1 week ago | [YT] | 34

The Institute of Art and Ideas

How much wealth is too much wealth?

The wealth of the richest in our societies has grown disproportionately over the last few years. Many wish to tackle this growing inequality, yet others argue the richest are needed to create and invest in products and services that benefit the rest of us.

Join philosopher and economist Ingrid Robeyns, as she proposes her solution: limitarianism, or a hard limit on the wealth any one person can accumulate.

But will it work in practice?

1 week ago | [YT] | 41

The Institute of Art and Ideas

Have past disasters blinded us to the power of nuclear energy?

From Chernobyl to Hiroshima, nuclear technology has long been associated with catastrophe, risk, and environmental harm. For much of the past half-century, nuclear power was sidelined, deemed too dangerous and costly. But the narrative is shifting. Nuclear power is increasingly promoted as a vital source of carbon-free, stable energy. The US plans to quadruple its nuclear output by 2050. The UK has committed to building eight small modular reactors. Thirty countries have pledged to triple global nuclear capacity. Yet serious doubts remain. Critics argue there is still no long-term solution for nuclear waste, that huge costs and construction timelines can't compete with renewables, and that the possibility of catastrophe remains.

So what is the future of nuclear power? What is it about atomic energy that provokes both existential fear and utopian promise, and are either justified? At a time of intensifying climate urgency, is nuclear power our best hope for the future or a dangerous distraction?

Author of 'Going Nuclear' Tim Gregory, Harvard professor Sheila Jasanoff, and author of 'Nuclear is Not the Solution' M.V. Ramana debate nuclear dreams and nightmares.

1 week ago | [YT] | 22

The Institute of Art and Ideas

In the modern era, have humans separated themselves from nature?

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 36

The Institute of Art and Ideas

“Liberalism is no religion, no world view, no party of special interests,” claimed von Mises.

Liberalism wasn't supposed to define 'the good,’ but rather ensure the individual freedom to define it ourselves. But opponents argue liberalism's supposed neutrality is an illusion, and that it is in fact universalist, prescriptive, and obstructive to alternatives.

The Russian philosopher and critic of the West, Aleksandr Dugin, argues, “the individual subject is no longer the result of choice, but is a kind of mandatory given.” Indeed, for some, the label 'liberal' is no longer immediately associated with freedom or tolerance and equates with intolerance and censorship.

So, should we conclude that liberalism has failed? Or do we need to be more wary of the ideologies that seek to take its place as the dominant force in the West?

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 28

The Institute of Art and Ideas

Were we wrong about the Big Bang?

In this exclusive studio interview, Phil Halper highlights a growing landscape of alternative models—from bouncing and cyclic universes to multiverses and black hole cosmologies—that question whether the universe truly began in a singular explosive event.

While the Big Bang remains the prevailing framework, its conceptual and empirical gaps leave room for radically different possibilities. Halper reflects on the evidence for these competing visions of cosmic origins and what their implications are for understanding whether the universe had a beginning at all, or exists as part of a deeper, possibly eternal reality.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 38

The Institute of Art and Ideas

Is it time for a massive overhaul of the economy?

The rise of populism has, in turn, been lauded as the defeat of neoliberalism. But while the old world may be dead, what does the new world that is struggling to be born look like?

Join philosopher Wendy Brown in conversation with anarchist Sophie Scott Brown as they discuss how antidemocratic politics intertwine with neoliberal economics to create the political climate we see today.

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 48

The Institute of Art and Ideas

The fascinating case of a man living a normal life without most of his brain has inspired questions about the nature of consciousness and how the structures of music could offer a radical new perspective.

In the first instalment of Ideas For Our Time, we explore an idea put forth by Michael Gazzaniga and Bridget Queenan: that consciousness might be the “music of the mind”.

Could this view inspire a new way to define consciousness? What does it mean for determining which animals make it into the man-made “consciousness club”? And what are the impacts of A.I. on our own brains?

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 34

The Institute of Art and Ideas

Once A.G.I. exists, will humans become redundant?

The 2024 Nobel Prizes for physics and chemistry were both won for AI-related science, leading some to claim that AI will soon be making novel scientific discoveries on its own. Start-ups are already attempting to create “The AI Scientist,” which will one day “fully automate scientific discovery.” And researchers at Imperial College argue AI will "usher in a new age of discovery to rival the golden age of the scientific method.”

However, critics argue the scientific capability of AI remains unknown. Many argue that whilst it could speed up scientific discovery, it will never be able to identify scientific problems to focus on and more importantly initiate solutions.

Is the AI bubble built solely on marketing hype and a misunderstanding of how computers work? Or are we about to enter a new age where our fate rests in the hands of intelligent machines?

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 23