Where do your opinions come from?
Do we ‘think’ our world views, or ‘feel’ them? And what do our beliefs mean for politics and society?
In each episode of On Opinion, Turi Munthe asks thought leaders to share their perspectives on why we think what we think and what it means for the world today, discussing everything from the war on truth to how to argue with people you can’t abide.
We’re in the Age of Opinion - but do we understand what opinions really are?
On Opinion asks:
- What is an opinion?
- Why do we think the way we do?
- What does that mean for society?
- And how can we learn to talk to each other.
These aren’t idle academic questions today. Understanding how we form our beliefs - the role of culture, inheritance, brute evolution - helps us humanise those we disagree with.
As we face today’s key questions - climate change, inequality, automation, and the rise of authoritarian populism on left and right - On Opinion asks how we can learn to listen to opinions that we detest, so that we can tackle our challenges together.
On Opinion will be talking to experts from around the world and across the political spectrum.
From Philosophy and Psychology, through Evolution, Media Studies and Mediation work, we’ll be asking: why do we hold our beliefs, and how can we talk to those we disagree with.
On Opinion is part of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts that examines what’s broken in our democracy and how we can work together to fix it.
Series 2
Equalitarianism: the Liberal Bias with Cory Clark
How Cultures Think with Julian Baggini
Negotiating with Warlords with Hichem Khadhraoui
Saving Liberalism with Timothy Garton Ash
The Problem with Microaggression with Regina Rini
Evolutionary Psychology and Politics with Hector Garcia
Dyadic Morality with Kurt Gray
Polarisation around the World with Thomas Carothers
Collective Consciousness with Sarah Rose Cavanagh
The Securitarian Personality with John Hibbing
Bridging the Gap with Stephen Hawkins
The Backlash against Democracy with Roberto Foa
Why we Believe with Michael Shermer
Infodemiology with Jens Koed Madsen
Populism with Jan-Werner Müller
Investing in Injustice - System Justification Theory with John Jost
Conflict is Good with Ian Leslie
Polarisation on the Couch with Alex Evans
Post-Privacy Politics with Michal Kosinski
The Neuroscience of Dehumanisation with Lasana Harris
On Inhumanity with David Livingstone Smith
Psychometrics: Measuring Ourselves with John Rust
The Evolution of Cooperation with Nichola Raihani
The Journal of Controversial Ideas with Francesca Minerva
Emotional Politics with Omar Kholeif and Jonathan Sklar
Political Predisposition with John Hibbing
Generational Politics with Bobby Duffy
Spiritualism Today with Jules Evans
Our Stone-Age Brains with Maren Urner
Series 1
How our Tribes Fail Us with James Mumford
How to Talk with Extremists with Gabrielle Rifkind
How Lies Became the World’s Most Powerful Political Tool with Peter Pomerantsev
How Humans Became Moral Animals with Oliver Scott Curry
How Technology Rewired our Thoughts with Shumon Basar
How Polarisation Ends with Eve Pearlman
How Intelligence Works with David Robson
Emotional Politics: how ‘angry populism’ made President Trump with Karin Wahl-Jorgensen
Can we Trust what we Believe with Miriam Schoenfield
Why do we believe Conspiracy Theories with Karen Douglas
John Stuart Mill and Free Speech today with Nigel Warburton
Why we Lie to Ourselves with Adrian Bardon
Rebuilding Democracy (Pt.1): Equal Citizenship with Robert Talisse
Rebuilding Democracy (Pt. 2): Disagreement and Civility with Robert Talisse
Why Bias is Rational with Kevin Dorst