Closer To Truth

Gregg Caruso on Free Will: Philosophy and Moral Responsibility 01.07.2026 1ч 18мин

Do we really have free will? In this conversation, Gregg Caruso explores the philosophy of free will, moral responsibility, determinism, compatibilism, libertarian free will, and free will skepticism. Discussing themes from Just Deserts: Debating Free Will, co-authored with Daniel Dennett, Caruso examines whether human beings possess the kind of control required for moral responsibility and how neuroscience and philosophy shape the debate. Gregg D. Caruso is Professor of Philosophy at SUNY Corning and Honorary Professor of Philosophy at Macquarie University. Subscribe to Closer To Truth: https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV Join the Community: Membership (5,000+ videos): https://closertotruth.com/register/ Audio Podcast: https://closertotruth.podbean.com Support the Show: https://closertotruth.com/donate/ Official Merchandise: https://www.bonfire.com/store/closertotruth/ Follow Us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CloserToTruthTV/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/closertotruth/ X: https://x.com/CloserToTruth

Wendy Freedman on the Hubble Constant, Standard Candles, and Cosmology 24.06.2026 49мин

How do we measure the expansion of the universe? In this conversation, Wendy Freedman discusses the Hubble constant, standard candles, redshift, and the ongoing effort to determine the age, size, and evolution of the universe. Exploring Cepheid variables, supernovae, cosmic expansion, and the tension between competing cosmological measurements, Freedman explains how increasingly precise observations are reshaping modern cosmology. Wendy Freedman is an astronomer known for her measurements of the Hubble constant and for her leadership of the Carnegie Observatories in Pasadena, California, and Las Campanas, Chile. Subscribe to Closer To Truth: https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV Join the Community: Membership (5,000+ videos): https://closertotruth.com/register/ Audio Podcast: https://closertotruth.podbean.com Support the Show: https://closertotruth.com/donate/ Official Merchandise: https://www.bonfire.com/store/closertotruth/ Follow Us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CloserToTruthTV/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/closertotruth/ X: https://x.com/CloserToTruth

Michael Ruse on Evolution, Human Exceptionalism, and Philosophy of Biology 17.06.2026 1ч 10мин

What does evolution imply about human nature and human value? In this conversation, Michael Ruse explores the philosophy of biology, the mechanistic view of life, human exceptionalism, and the relationship between evolution and meaning. Discussing themes from his book A Philosopher Looks at Human Beings, Ruse examines whether the world is best understood as an organism or a machine, how Darwin transformed our understanding of humanity, and whether values can exist within a mechanistic picture of nature. Michael Ruse was a philosopher of science specializing in the philosophy of biology, evolution, science and religion, and the creation–evolution controversy. He taught at Florida State University. Subscribe to Closer To Truth: https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV Join the Community: Membership (5,000+ videos): https://closertotruth.com/register/ Audio Podcast: https://closertotruth.podbean.com Support the Show: https://closertotruth.com/donate/ Official Merchandise: https://www.bonfire.com/store/closertotruth/ Follow Us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CloserToTruthTV/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/closertotruth/ X: https://x.com/CloserToTruth

Thomas Hertog on the Origin of Time 10.06.2026 1ч 13мин

How did the universe begin—and what determines the laws of physics we observe? In this conversation, Thomas Hertog discusses On the Origin of Time: Stephen Hawking’s Final Theory, presenting a new approach to cosmology developed through years of collaboration with Stephen Hawking. Exploring quantum cosmology, the multiverse, fine-tuning, and the “no-boundary” proposal, Hertog argues for a profoundly evolutionary picture of the cosmos and our place within it.Thomas Hertog is Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Leuven. His research focuses on the quantum nature of the big bang and the origins of the universe.Order Thomas Hertog's book: https://bit.ly/3ZZal1d Subscribe to Closer To Truth: https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV Join the Community: Membership (5,000+ videos): https://closertotruth.com/register/ Audio Podcast: https://closertotruth.podbean.com Support the Show: https://closertotruth.com/donate/ Official Merchandise: https://www.bonfire.com/store/closertotruth/ Follow Us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CloserToTruthTV/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/closertotruth/ X: https://x.com/CloserToTruth

David Chalmers on Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy 03.06.2026 1ч 14мин

Can virtual worlds be genuinely real? In this conversation, David Chalmers explores the philosophical implications of virtual reality, simulation theory, and digital existence. Discussing themes from his book Reality+, Chalmers examines whether we could be living in a simulation, whether virtual worlds can contain real meaning and value, and how emerging digital realities challenge our understanding of consciousness, knowledge, and existence.Chalmers' book, Reality+: Virtual Worlds and the Problems of Philosophy, is available for purchase: https://bookshop.org/books/reality-virtual-worlds-and-the-problems-of-philosophy/9780393635805 David Chalmers is Professor of Philosophy at New York University and Co-Director of the Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness. His work focuses on consciousness, philosophy of mind, metaphysics, epistemology, and the foundations of cognitive science. Subscribe to Closer To Truth: https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV Join the Community: Membership (5,000+ videos): https://closertotruth.com/register/ Audio Podcast: https://closertotruth.podbean.com Support the Show: https://closertotruth.com/donate/ Official Merchandise: https://www.bonfire.com/store/closertotruth/ Follow Us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CloserToTruthTV/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/closertotruth/ X: https://x.com/CloserToTruth

Anil Seth on a New Science of Consciousness 27.05.2026 1ч 2мин

In this conversation, Anil Seth discusses a new scientific approach to consciousness — moving beyond the traditional “hard problem” toward explaining the actual properties of conscious experience. Robert Lawrence Kuhn and Seth explore phenomenology, neural correlates of consciousness, predictive perception, conscious selfhood, and why measuring consciousness may be essential for understanding it. Anil Seth is Professor of Cognitive and Computational Neuroscience at the University of Sussex and Co-Director of the Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science. His research brings together neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, computer science, mathematics, and psychiatry to investigate the biological basis of consciousness.Seth's book, Being You: A New Science of Consciousness, is available for purchase in the UK and the US: https://amzn.to/3jI9ss7 Subscribe to Closer To Truth: https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV Join the Community: Membership (5,000+ videos): https://closertotruth.com/register/ Audio Podcast: https://closertotruth.podbean.com Support the Show: https://closertotruth.com/donate/ Official Merchandise: https://www.bonfire.com/store/closertotruth/ Follow Us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CloserToTruthTV/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/closertotruth/ X: https://x.com/CloserToTruth

Why Philosophy of Evolutionary Biology? 13.05.2026 27мин

Why do we need philosophy to understand evolution? Robert Lawrence Kuhn explores the philosophy of evolutionary biology — not just how evolution works, but what its core concepts really mean. Through conversations with Elliott Sober, Richard Dawkins, Samir Okasha, John Dupré, Dennis Noble, and Michael Ruse, this episode examines natural selection, common ancestry, challenges to evolutionary theory, and the deeper implications of evolution for science, religion, and human identity. Featuring interviews with Elliott Sober, Richard Dawkins, Samir Okasha, John Dupré, Dennis Noble, and Michael Ruse.Subscribe to Closer To Truth: https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV Join the Community: Membership (5,000+ videos): https://closertotruth.com/register/ Audio Podcast: https://closertotruth.podbean.com Support the Show: https://closertotruth.com/donate/ Official Merchandise: https://www.bonfire.com/store/closertotruth/ Follow Us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CloserToTruthTV/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/closertotruth/ X: https://x.com/CloserToTruth

Arnold Zuboff on Why You Are Every Conscious Being 06.05.2026 32мин

What if the boundaries between you and every other conscious being are an illusion? Philosopher Arnold Zuboff makes the case for Universalism — the radical view that first-person immediacy, not any particular body or origin, is what makes an experience yours. And if that's right, then you exist wherever consciousness exists.Arnold Zuboff is an American philosopher known for his work on personal identity, consciousness, and probability. He took his PhD at Princeton in 2009 under Thomas Nagel and spent most of his academic career at University College London. Subscribe to Closer To Truth:https://www.youtube.com/@CloserToTruthTV Join the Community:• Membership (5,000+ videos): https://closertotruth.com/register/ • Audio Podcast: https://closertotruth.podbean.com • Support the Show: https://closertotruth.com/donate/ • Official Merchandise: https://www.bonfire.com/store/closertotruth/

Rebecca Newberger Goldstein on The Mattering Instinct 29.04.2026 34мин

Philosopher Rebecca Newberger Goldstein introduces the idea of the “mattering instinct”—the deep human drive to see our lives as significant. In this conversation, she explores how our longing to matter may arise from the very material reality we often try to transcend. Rebecca Newberger Goldstein is an award-winning philosopher, writer, and public intellectual. She is the author of 10 books of acclaimed fiction and non-fiction — including 36 Arguments for the Existence of God, Betraying Spinoza, and her landmark new work The Mattering Instinct: How Our Deepest Longing Drives Us and Divides Us. She holds a PhD in philosophy of science from Princeton University and has taught at Yale, Columbia, NYU, Dartmouth, and Harvard. She is a MacArthur Fellow and recipient of the 2014 National Humanities Medal, presented by President Obama in 2015. Get access to over 5,000 videos by signing up for a free Closer To Truth membership: https://closertotruth.com/register/

What Is The Far Future Of Intelligence 22.04.2026 27мин

What might intelligence become—not just in centuries, but across millions or even billions of years? Robert explores the deepest questions about the far future of intelligence in the universe. While we often think in terms of decades, extending our perspective to vast cosmic timescales challenges our assumptions about meaning, purpose, and what may ultimately be real. If the future holds clues, how far can we reasonably speculate, and what might we discover about intelligence itself?Featuring interviews with Freeman Dyson, Lawrence Krauss, Raymond Kurzweil, Frank Tipler, Robin Collins, and Paul Davies.Get access to over 5,000 videos by signing up for a free Closer To Truth membership: https://closertotruth.com/register/

Roman Yampolskiy on How Dangerous Is Artificial Intelligence 15.04.2026 47мин

We may be creating something a million times smarter than all of humanity combined — and we have no plan for what happens next. AI safety pioneer Roman Yampolskiy lays out the risks, the arguments, and whether any solution exists. Roman V. Yampolskiy is a tenured Associate Professor of Computer Science at the University of Louisville's Speed School of Engineering, where he founded and directs the Cyber Security Lab. Widely credited with coining the term "AI safety" in 2011, he is the author of AI: Unexplainable, Unpredictable, Uncontrollable.Get access to over 5,000 videos by signing up for a free Closer To Truth membership: https://closertotruth.com/register/

Michael James on What the World Is According to Sri Ramana 08.04.2026 34мин

Is the world we experience truly real, or is it more like a dream we haven't yet woken up from? Michael James, a leading scholar and translator of the teachings of Sri Ramana Maharshi, explores how Ramana's philosophy challenges our most basic assumptions about the self, the world, and the nature of reality. Michael James has spent nearly 50 years studying, practicing, and translating the works of Sri Ramana Maharshi. He studied under Sri Sadhu Om, a direct disciple of Ramana, and is the author of Atma-Vidya: The Science of Knowing Oneself. He is regarded as a leading authority on Ramana's primary sources and experiential practice.Make a donation to Closer To Truth to help us continue exploring the world's deepest questions without the need for paywalls: https://shorturl.at/OnyRq

Current Arguments for God 01.04.2026 27мин

Make a donation to Closer To Truth to help us continue exploring the world's deepest questions without the need for paywalls. I like arguments about God, whether based on science, philosophy or personal experience. I like to push and to be pushed, explore the possible existence of a Creator. I must also consider defeaters of God. Featuring interviews with Rebecca Goldstein, Ian Barbour, John Polkinghorne, Robin Collins, Anthony Grayling, Yujin Nagasawa, and Alvin Plantinga.

Can Brain Alone Explain Consciousness? 25.03.2026 27мин

Support the show with a tax-deductible donation of any amount so we can continue exploring the world's biggest questions without the need for paywalls. Can physical facts about the brain account for mental experiences of the mind? Has philosophy of mind made progress? We take a 15-year journey with John Searle and David Chalmers.

Asking Ultimate Questions 18.03.2026 27мин

Contribute what you can to help Closer To Truth continue exploring the world's deepest questions without the need for paywalls. We like pushing boundaries, trying to discern existence, searching the foundations of reality, knowing all that can be known. Overly ambitious? Sophomoric? We don't care. We do it anyway. Here are ultimate questions. Featuring interviews with Lawrence Krauss, John Leslie, Max Tegmark and Paul Davies

Why a Landscape of Consciousness? 11.03.2026 26мин

Contribute what you can to help Closer To Truth continue exploring the world's deepest questions without the need for paywalls. Explore diverse theories of consciousness, like materialism, dualism, panpsychism, idealism, and diverse ways of thinking about consciousness, like neuroscience, philosophy, wisdom traditions. Compare theories of consciousness on a ‘Landscape of Consciousness'.

What Life Might Come After Death? 08.03.2026 26мин

Make a donation to Closer To Truth to help us continue exploring the world's deepest questions without the need for paywall What kinds of afterlives do the world’s religions offer? Soul/spirit in heaven or hell, with or apart from God? Reincarnation with innumerable rebirths, seeking liberation and nirvana? Resurrection of the body, reuniting with a soul/spirit?

Could Theories of Consciousness Affect Life After Death? 25.02.2026 27мин

Life after death is a haunting and deeply personal longing. Can we explore life after death in relation to theories of consciousness, ranging from strict materialism to imaginative philosophy to ancient wisdom traditions?

Raymond Tallis on the Mystery of Human Beings 18.02.2026 25мин

Explicitness is one of the fundamental mysteries in which our lives are wrapped. Our capacity, as conscious subjects, to make things explicit, so that what-is presents itself as “that-it-is” or “that-it-is-the-case” is at the heart of the mystery of human being. Philosopher Raymond Tallis explores how explicitness connects with fundamental ontological, metaphysical, and epistemological questions. Tallis' latest book, Circling Round Explicitness: The Heart of the Mystery of Human Being, is available for purchase now: https://amzn.to/3MUX5Ke

What do Theories of Consciousness Mean? 11.02.2026 1ч 9мин

What causes consciousness, our inner felt experience, like the smell of garlic cooking in olive oil? Explore diverse theories from quantum consciousness to consciousness as fundamental reality. We seek the edges of consciousness.