Naked Reflections, from the Naked Scientists

May 22 2023 144 ep. 2.1k
Naked Reflections, from the Naked Scientists Podcast artwork

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.

  Society & Culture  Science  Religion & Spirituality
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Love the other

May 22 2023 27 mins  
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 l

Turning the other cheek

Mar 28 2023 30 mins  
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

The Politics of Music

Mar 05 2023 24 mins  
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

Good Luck

Feb 05 2023 27 mins  
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

Time to stop talking?

Jan 09 2023 27 mins  
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

8 Billion and Counting

Dec 14 2022 28 mins  
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

Refugees and Migrants

Nov 27 2022 23 mins  
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. Li

The National Health Service

Nov 13 2022 23 mins  
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 proble

Faith in Mental Health

Nov 06 2022 27 mins  
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

Oct 30 2022 27 mins  
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