With Reason
Intelligent thinking for turbulent times, from New Humanist magazine and the Rationalist Association. Interviews with writers, researchers and academics who speak to our age – on subjects including religion, belief, race, politics, sex, technology, science, work and more. Hosted by New Humanist editor Samira Shackle, deputy editor Niki Seth-Smith, and series producer Alice Bloch.
- Update frequency
- every 5 days
- Average duration
- 39 minutes
- Episodes
- 20
- Years Active
- 2020 - 2021
Inside The New Space Race, with Nicholas Schmidle
As mainstream space tourism grows ever more likely, New Yorker writer Nicholas Schmidle tells Niki Seth-Smith about life inside the new space race, as explored in his new book 'Test Gods'. What moti…
Black Resistance and Racist Policing, with Adam Elliott-Cooper
Racism is not an externality to British policing but is integral to its history, says sociologist and ex-youth worker, Adam Elliott-Cooper. He tells Samira Shackle about the ideas behind his book ‘Bl…
(M)otherhood and Choice, with Pragya Agarwal
What does it mean to contemplate 'motherhood' in a world that values some bodies - and some decisions - over others? Behavioural scientist Pragya Agarwal tells Alice Bloch about her experiences as a…
Quantum Physics & Philosophy, with Carlo Rovelli
Carlo Rovelli, the globally celebrated physicist and bestselling storyteller of science, talks to Niki Seth-Smith about the history - and sheer wonder - of quantum theory. How did a feverish young ma…
Bonus: Rutger Bregman and Philippe Sands - Are Humans Naturally Good? From How To Academy
A special episode from the How To Academy Podcast. Human rights lawyer and award-winning author Philippe Sands QC meets the Dutch historian and viral superstar Rutger Bregman to hear a new argument: …
Why our minds need the wild, with Lucy Jones
For centuries, we’ve had an intuitive sense that connecting with “nature” is good for our wellbeing. But what’s the hard evidence? What exactly is “nature” anyway? Should we be wary of it being presc…
Learning from our ancestors, with Alice Roberts
Alice Roberts, one of the UK’s leading public scientists, talks to Samira Shackle about what we can learn from the burial sites of the earliest Britons, as explored in her new book ‘Ancestors’. What …
How to Fix the Internet, with Chris Bail
Polarisation is seen as a threat to democracy - and social media is seen as a cause. But what can be done? Does the blame really lie with tech alone? And what could the virtual public square look lik…
Writing and Recovery, with Michael Rosen
The poet, author and broadcaster Michael Rosen almost died of COVID-19. He talks to Samira Shackle about that experience, described in his new book ‘Many Different Kinds of Love’. They discuss the va…
The Cosmos & Us, with Jo Marchant
What do we gain when we gaze at the stars? How has cosmology shaped our politics? Why take the celestial seriously? And why is awe a feeling that we can’t afford to lose? Acclaimed science writer Jo …
Deporting Black Britons, with Luke de Noronha
In the last two decades, the UK has deported thousands of people to Jamaica, many of whom left that country as children and grew up in the UK. Luke de Noronha talks to Alice Bloch about his moving an…
Activism and Belief, with Rosemary Hancock
What’s the relationship between people’s personal faith and their political activism? What extra dimension does religion bring to social movements and to contemporary cities? How might being a person…
Desire in the age of Consent, with Katherine Angel
In the era of #MeToo, it’s assumed that the empowered woman can and must express her desires clearly. But in ‘Tomorrow Sex Will be Good Again’, Katherine Angel argues that this an unreasonable burden…
Looking back in anger at 'Cool Britannia' with Jason Arday
Looking back in anger at ‘Cool Britannia’ with Jason Arday
The 1990s are remembered for Britpop and New Labour. But it was also a time of inequality and racism. Sociologist and Oasis fan Jason Arday…
Escaping the logic of work, with Mareile Pfannebecker
The co-author of ‘Work Want Work: Labour and Desire at the End of Capitalism’ on how the logic of work has crept into all we do, and how we might untangle ourselves. Will the Covid-19 pandemic offer …
Sensuous knowledge and black feminism, with Minna Salami
Why do we value some forms of knowledge over others? Minna Salami discusses her bold new book ‘Sensuous Knowledge: A Black Feminist Approach for Everyone’ and its radical call to move beyond the dama…
The symbolic power of charity, with Jon Dean
Society praises those who give, but the ‘good glow’ benefits the giver. Sociologist Jon Dean unpicks how charity operates in the real world, from the wave of Covid-19 volunteering to the new fear of …
Taking sex robots seriously, with Kate Devlin
Will future sex tech be more inclusive? What’s at stake in the design and distribution of sex robots? And what role could they play in our relationships? Kate Devlin, author of ‘Turned On: Science, S…
Faith, fraternity and the Orange Order, with Joe Webster
Anthropologist Joe Webster discusses his research amongst Protestant groups in Scotland, from Brethren fishermen to the sometimes-controversial Orange Order. We talk about apocalypse and conspiracy, …
Introducing With Reason
With Reason offers intelligent thinking for turbulent times, from New Humanist magazine and the Rationalist Association. Enjoy interviews with writers, researchers and academics who speak to our age …