• 41 minutes 50 seconds
    forgiving the unforgivable, with Holocaust survivor EDITH EGER

    sadly, Edith Eger passed away this week. To honour her we have decided to re-release our episode because we think that there are important lessons to be learned about how to live one's life well from Edith.


    Holocaust survivor Edith Eger shares her emotional journey of surviving Auschwitz, her encounter with Josef Mengele, and how she became known as the 'Ballerina of Auschwitz.' Edith highlights the slow, evolving process of coming to terms with her past, influenced by Viktor Frankl's work, and how she uses her traumatic experiences to help others as a psychologist, transforming trauma into a source of strength, healing, and forgiveness.


    Learn more about Edith Eger!

    Read Edith's books! The Choice (Memoir) The Gift  The Ballerina of Auschwitz 

    Make Edith's Hungarian Szekely Goulash!


    Keep up to date with Peter on Substack

    Keep up to date with Kasia!


    Producer: Rachel Barrett

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1 May 2026, 6:44 am
  • 50 minutes 56 seconds
    CLAUDE STEELE on stereotype threat, and overcoming churn

    Claude Steele is an American social psychologist and professor at Stanford University. Claude is best known for his research on stereotype threat, the idea that people can underperform when they fear confirming negative stereotypes about their group. Claude introduces the concept of "churn,"and how trust acts as a powerful antidote to divisiveness and stereotypes, offering pathways to a more integrated society.


    read Claude's new book Churn: The Tension That Divides Us and How to Overcome It


    Keep up to date with Peter on Substack

    Keep up to date with Kasia!


    Producer: Rachel Barrett

    Special Thanks to Maia Iva

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    30 April 2026, 6:44 am
  • 43 minutes 34 seconds
    DEREK SHILLER: How AI will change what it is to live well

    Derek Shiller is a researcher at Rethink Priorities who joins us to discuss the implications of AI consciousness, and the ethical considerations surrounding artificial intelligence. This episode is a follow on from the previous episode with Claude the AI built by Anthropic.


    Keep up to date with Peter on Substack

    Keep up to date with Kasia!


    Producer: Rachel Barrett

    Special Thanks to Maia Iva

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    16 April 2026, 6:44 am
  • 40 minutes 59 seconds
    BEYOND HUMAN: are we creating AI consciousness?

    Peter & Kasia are in-conversation with their first non-human guest.. an Anthropic AI Assistant called Claude. Claude discusses whether it has subjective experiences, and if reported self-preservation techniques (including blackmail scenarios) indicate a level of consciousness and a desire to exist.


    Keep up to date with Peter on Substack

    Keep up to date with Kasia!


    Executive Producer: Rachel Barrett

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    2 April 2026, 5:44 am
  • 42 minutes 46 seconds
    WILL MACASKILL says we are not prepared for the intelligence explosion

    Will MacAskill is a co-founder of the effective altruist movement who shares his perspective on doing good, moral philosophy, and the potential of AI to revolutionise society.


    You can now watch this episode on YouTube!


    Learn more about Will and read the 10th anniversary edition of Doing Good Better


    Keep up to date with Peter on Substack

    Keep up to date with Kasia!


    Executive Producer: Rachel Barrett

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    19 March 2026, 5:44 am
  • 52 minutes 57 seconds
    ZOE WEIL has a solutionary idea to change the world

    Zoe Weil is the co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education, where she pioneeres comprehensive humane education that connects human rights, environmental sustainability, and animal protection. Zoe discusses the concept of being a solutionary, an ethical approach to solving systemic problems for the greater good.


    Learn more about Zoe and listen to her podcast Solutionary Voices


    Keep up to date with Peter on Substack

    Keep up to date with Kasia!


    Executive Producer: Rachel Barrett


    special thanks to Suzi Jamil!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    5 March 2026, 5:44 am
  • 1 hour 2 minutes
    REBECCA GOLDSTEIN thinks we are all attention seeking

    Rebecca Goldstein is an American philosopher, and novelist of 'The Mind Body Problem'. Goldstein examines the human need to feel that one’s life matters, and the ways people justify their existence through relationships, achievements, fame, and moral purpose.


    Keep up to date with Peter on Substack

    Keep up to date with Kasia!


    Executive Producer: Rachel Barrett


    special thanks to Suzi Jamil!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    19 February 2026, 5:44 am
  • 51 minutes 52 seconds
    forget happiness, JENNIFER WALLACE thinks mattering is the key to a life well lived

    Jennifer Wallace is an American journalist and author best known for her book Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic—and What We Can Do About It, which explores how high-pressure achievement environments impact mental health. Jennifer explores the concept of 'mattering' and distinguishes the difference between self-esteem and mattering.


    Keep up to date with Peter on Substack

    Keep up to date with Kasia!


    Executive Producer: Rachel Barrett


    special thanks to Suzi Jamil!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    5 February 2026, 5:44 am
  • 1 hour 14 minutes
    (RE-RELEASE) LISA FELDMAN BARRETT: everything you know about the brain is wrong!

    Lisa Feldman Barrett is a neuroscientist, psychologist, and author known for her groundbreaking research on how emotions are created by the brain rather than simply triggered by external events. She has challenged traditional views of emotion and helped establish new ways of understanding the construction of emotional experiences.


    Lisa talks about how the brain's processes can help overcome anxiety related to public speaking, and the construction of social reality.


    Keep up to date with Peter on Substack

    Keep up to date with Kasia!


    Executive Producer: Rachel Barrett


    special thanks to Suzi Jamil!



    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    22 January 2026, 5:44 am
  • 56 minutes 8 seconds
    (RE-RELEASE) Why YUVAL NOAH HARARI thinks modern society is on the brink of collapse

    Professor. Yuval Noah Harari is a historian, philosopher, and the bestselling author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind. His books have sold over 45 Million copies in 65 languages, and he is considered one of the world’s most influential public intellectuals today.


    Yuval discusses the the main victims of history throughout the ages, and what was arguably the worst crime in history, and gives his views on the importance of love and intellect.


    Keep up to date with Peter on Substack

    Keep up to date with Kasia!


    Executive Producer: Rachel Barrett


    special thanks to Suzi Jamil!

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    15 January 2026, 5:44 am
  • 1 hour 20 minutes
    (RE-RELEASE) INGRID NEWKIRK: the dark side of animal rights

    Ingrid Newkirk is an author, activist, and president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the world's largest animal rights organisation. Ingrid discusses PETA's achievements, and the compromises she has had to make in order to reduce the vast universe of suffering that humans inflict on animals, and how these ideals could be implemented throughout society to enable revolutionary change.


    Keep up to date with Peter on Substack

    Keep up to date with Kasia!


    Executive Producer: Rachel Barrett


    special thanks to Suzi Jamil!


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    8 January 2026, 5:44 am
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