The Human Podcast

The Human Podcast

Stories & ideas about being human. New episodes every Wednesday. Watch here.

  1. 1D AGO

    The Extraordinary Life & Mind of Alan Turing, Revealed By His Biographer | Andrew Hodges

    Watch on YouTube - https://youtu.be/QR-HIaU8xTU Andrew Hodges is the author of 'Alan Turing: The Enigma' - his definitive biography (and the official book behind the Academy Award-winning film The Imitation Game, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley). Andrew has spent his life deeply researching Turing's extraordinary life - from inventing the computer and breaking Nazi codes at Bletchley Park, to his tragic persecution and death at 41. In this conversation, we explore the mind of the man who changed computing forever. The Human Podcast explores stories & ideas about being human. Audio Spotify - Apple Podcasts - Timestamps 0:00 - Introduction 0:32 - Turing's 3 Biggest Achievements 2:41 - How He Imagined Computers Before Existence 6:50 - Actually Building The Computer 10:10 - How The Death of Christopher Morcom Shaped Him 15:05 - Secretly Being Gay & University 19:08 - The Personality Everyone Completely Misunderstood 22:50 - The Truth Behind His Suicide 27:11 - Can Machines Think? The Turing Test 34:03 - What Turing Would Think Of ChatGPT 36:00 - He Was An Olympic-Level Runner 38:14 - The Imitation Game Film 43:13 - Why Your Deep Interest in Turing? 43:22 - Why Spend Your Life Researching Turing? 46:51 - Andrew Working With Roger Penrose On Twistor Theory 48:26 - Turing vs Twistor Theory - Which Matters More? 49:56 - What Is A Good Life? Guest - Andrew Hodges Book (Alan Turing: The Enigma) - https://amzn.to/4ewdccJ Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Hodges Social Media Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thehumanpodcastinsta TikTok - https://https://www.tiktok.com/@heythehumanpodcast 𝕏 - https://x.com/heyhumanpodcast Support The Show https://buymeacoffee.com/thehumanpodcast Audio License MB01ISGEO0XN8EK"

    52 min
  2. APR 12

    Mini Philosophy: How Small Ideas Can Upgrade Your Life & Happiness - Jonny Thomson

    Watch on YouTube - https://youtu.be/HYqm9BRwz-I Meet Jonny Thomson - creator of "Mini Philosophy", the channel that's made philosophy accessible, relatable, and genuinely fun for over two million followers worldwide. A former secondary school philosophy teacher turned author, Jonny writes regularly for Big Think and has published three books - Mini Philosophy, Mini Psychology, and Mini Big Ideas. Timestamps 0:00 - What Is Mini Philosophy? 2:06 - What Is Philosophy? 4:06 - Key Areas Of Philosophy 6:48 - How Philosophy Can Transform Your Life 9:28 - AI Is Bringing Philosophy Back 11:09 - The Secret To Becoming Happier 16:41 - Why Doing Less Makes You Happier 18:52 - Why Meaning & Fulfilment Also Matter 21:03 - The Happiness Mistakes People Make 22:11 - Why Are You Obsessed With Happiness? 23:33 - When Philosophy Destroys You (Overthinking) 26:04 - The Truth About Real Friendship 29:19 - Awkwardness About Discussing Deep Things 32:34 - Why You Keep Toxic Friends Around 33:48 - Should You Ditch or Save Your Friends? 35:43 - How To Start Philosophy (For Beginners) 39:43 - How My Psychologist Parents Shaped Me 41:43 - Teaching Philosophy To Teenagers 43:38 - Growing Mini Philosophy To Millions 46:33 - My Book On Happiness + What's Next 48:30 - Writing For Big Think 49:24 - What Is A Good Life? The Human Podcast explores stories & ideas about being human. Guest - Mini Philosophy (Jonny Thomson) Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/philosophyminis TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@philosophyminis Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/philosophyminis YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@philosophyminis X - https://x.com/philosophyminis Book: Mini Philosophy - https://amzn.to/4edXCSX Substack - https://miniphilosophy.substack.com LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jonny-thomson-mini-philosophy Social Media Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thehumanpodcastinsta TikTok - https://https://www.tiktok.com/@heythehumanpodcast 𝕏 - https://x.com/heyhumanpodcast Support The Show https://buymeacoffee.com/thehumanpodcast Audio License MB01ISGEO0XN8EK

    51 min
  3. APR 5

    How World-Class Designers Think Differently - Irene Pereyra

    Watch on YouTube - https://youtu.be/_CZEjwp_Ajg Meet Irene Pereyra, a world-class designer who is the co-founder of the Brooklyn-based design studio "Anton & Irene", along with Anton Repponen. Irene has led the strategy and UX initiatives for clients, including The Met, Kickstarter, Balenciaga, USA Today, EA, Spotify, Google, Nickelodeon, BBC and Red Bull. Her work has been recognised by Cannes, The Webbys, The Emmys, and she is the author of "Universal Principles of UX: 100 Timeless Strategies to Create Positive Interactions between People and Technology". The Human Podcast explores stories & ideas about being human. Timestamps 0:00 - What Is Design? 1:22 - Different Design Fields 2:15 - What Is UX (My Speciality)? 3:56 - How Designers Work With Clients 6:40 - Designer vs Client Disagreements 9:33 - Key Design Principle 12:33 - Why Form Beats Function 14:02 - Design Process: Consider, Empathise, Define, Research, Design, Validate 14:52 - The #1 Mistake Designers Make 18:09 - Personality & Lifestyles Of Great Designers 22:19 - Designers Are Not Relaxed People 23:55 - How To Become A Phenomenal Designer 26:53 - Why I Hate "Design Thinking" 28:19 - Are Design Skills Transferable? 30:44 - Is Design Objective or Subjective? 35:18 - How Irene Got Into Design 37:06 - My Design Heroes & Inspiration 38:42 - My Design Studio With Anton Repponen 40:38 - Creating The NU:RO Watch 42:33 - Working With Google, Spotify, Red Bull & More 44:52 - Why I Can't Stop Designing 47:07 - What Is A Good Life? Guest - Irene Pereyra Book: Universal Principles of UX: 100 Timeless Strategies to Create Positive Interactions between People and Technology - https://amzn.to/4saIo4u Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/irenepereyra LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/irenepereyra Anton & Irene - https://antonandirene.com/ NU:RO Watch - https://nuro.co/ Social Media Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thehumanpodcastinsta TikTok - https://https://www.tiktok.com/@heythehumanpodcast 𝕏 - https://x.com/heyhumanpodcast Support The Show https://buymeacoffee.com/thehumanpodcast Audio License MB01ISGEO0XN8EK

    51 min
  4. MAR 29

    What I Learnt Filming Shamans & Ayahuasca Ceremonies In the Amazon Rainforest: Victoria Lynn Carroll

    Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/K1w1fVk0GMg In this episode, I interview Victoria Lynn Carroll, the director of the award-winning 'She Is A Shaman' - a meditative documentary that follows an ayahuasca shaman who balances hallucinatory rituals and her unusual daily. The film explores the difference between the idolized shamanic figure and who they really are. Watch 'She Is A Shaman': https://youtu.be/Lra4c4LwCBw?si=Y0twCfZs_30ZrT8m The Human Podcast explores stories & ideas about being human. Timestamps 0:00 - What is 'She Is A Shaman'? 3:12 - The History of Ayahuasca 3:46 - Why People Take It 6:14 - Shamans Believe Ayahuasca Is Sentient 6:58 - What Are Shamans Like? 9:19 - The Paradox About Ordinary Shamans 11:33 - Experience Filming Ayahuasca Ceremonies 13:03 - Why Make This Film? 15:56 - My Ayahuasca Experience 17:21 - Science vs. Spirituality Explaining Ayahuasca 21:16 - DMT vs. Ayahuasca 24:49 - Was The Film A Healing Process? 27:05 - Why Watch This Film? 28:30 - Who Should & Should NOT Take It? 30:12 - Psychedelics Helping Society 32:20 - Voice Acting Career 35:08 - Why I Took Ayahuasca 37:47 - Ayahuasca Helped My Trauma 41:55 - Next Film: 'O God' 44:03 - What Makes a Good Life? Guest - Victoria Lynn Carroll Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/incertaspecie YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6IxClbWJ8X6yKQIwQTeITw Website - https://www.victorialynncarroll.com/ Substack - https://substack.com/@victorialynncarroll IMDb - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3055998/ The Human Podcast 𝕏 - https://twitter.com/heyhumanpodcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thehumanpodcastinsta Support the show - https://buymeacoffee.com/thehumanpodcast Audio License MB01ISGEO0XN8EK"

    45 min
  5. MAR 26

    How I Founded Wired, Lived Fully, & Discovered What Technology Wants - Kevin Kelly

    Watch on YouTube - https://youtu.be/i2KTV4G7iUw In this episode, I sit down with Kevin Kelly — co-founder of Wired magazine, author of "1000 True Fans," editor of the Whole Earth Review, futurist, and one of the most influential voices on technology. Kevin is the author of various books, including "What Technology Wants" and "Excellent Advice for Living". The Human Podcast explores stories & ideas about being human. Timestamps 0:00 - Most interesting moments of your life 0:57 - I'm a recovering hippy 2:01 - How psychedelics shaped Silicon Valley 3:32 - The future belongs to optimists 5:27 - Backpacking around Asia 8:22 - Whole Earth Catalog 11:19 - Meeting Steve Jobs 11:59 - Co-founding Wired Magazine 16:10 - Book: What Technology Wants 19:35 - What is the 'Technium'? 21:40 - Book: Excellent Advice For Living 25:36 - What have you changed your mind on? 26:32 - Book: Vanishing Asia 28:32 - 1000 True Fans 34:00 - Living as if you'll die in 6 months 36:02 - The Amish's relationship with tech 38:38 - Why are you so interested in tech? 42:08 - Thoughts on the future 46:44 - Advice for writers 48:10 - What is a good life? Guest - Kevin Kelly Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Kelly_(editor) Website - https://kk.org/ X - https://x.com/kevin2kelly Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/kevin2kelly/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/Kevin2Kelly/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/KevinKelly Book: Excellent Advice For Living: Wisdom I Wish I'd Known Earlier - https://amzn.to/4lUDY0f Book: What Technology Wants - https://amzn.to/41xYAln Book: The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future - https://amzn.to/4rT871i Article: Thousand True Fans - https://kk.org/thetechnium/1000-true-fans/ The Human Podcast 𝕏 - https://twitter.com/heyhumanpodcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thehumanpodcastinsta Support the show - https://buymeacoffee.com/thehumanpodcast Audio License MB01ISGEO0XN8EK"

    51 min
  6. FEB 18

    The Mind Of A World-Class Magician - Alex Hansford

    Watch on YouTube - https://youtu.be/Ic7waaBcUm8 In this episode, I sit down with world-class magician and creator of The Neat Review, Alex Hansford. Alex has performed internationally in card magic, including at The Magic Castle, earning global recognition. He's also a highly respected designer and publisher, creating beautifully crafted magic magazines and designing Derren Brown's latest book, Notes From a Fellow Traveller. The Human Podcast explores stories & ideas about being human. Timestamps 0:00 - Incredible card trick performance 4:02 - How much practice is needed 5:46 - Why people obsess over magic 8:36 - Personality of a magician 11:05 - Different areas of magic 12:18 - How to master magic 14:35 - Magic community around world 16:29 - Psychology secrets behind magic 22:02 - Working with my idol, Derren Brown 25:17 - Derren Brown's influence on me 26:34 - What is 'The Neat Review'? 32:55 - Creating Derren Brown's book 34:35 - Learning great design skills 37:13 - Future plans in magic 39:20 - Rare magician-designer combination 44:02 - What makes a good life? Guest - Alex Hansford Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/watchalexander Instagram (The Neat Review) - https://www.instagram.com/neatrvw The Neat Review - https://theneatreview.com Derren Brown Book (Notes From A Fellow Traveller) - https://derrenbrown.co.uk/books Magic Tricks - https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/magician/Alex-Hansford The Neat Review (Store) - https://theneatreview.com/collections/all The Human Podcast 𝕏 - https://twitter.com/heyhumanpodcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thehumanpodcastinsta Support the show - https://buymeacoffee.com/thehumanpodcast Music License SyncID - MB01JIHRGHQFBB8

    48 min
  7. FEB 11

    Why AI May Solve Mathematics’ Hardest Problems - Yang Hui-He (Mathematical Physicist)

    Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xOpnvk7XIyE In this episode, I sit down with Professor Yang Hui-He, a mathematical physicist who is a Fellow at the London Institute for Mathematical Sciences (LIMS) and a lecturer at Merton College, Oxford. I ask Yang about his work on AI-guided mathematics and whether AI will solve the hardest mathematical problems, the basics of string theory, his career journey, who LIMS are, why he's working in Michael Faraday's apartment, and more! The Human Podcast explores stories & ideas about being human. Timestamps 0:00 - Working in Faraday's apartment 3:30 - $1million problems AI could solve 7:38 - Does AI make you sad or excited? 10:54 - What AI can already do 14:57 - What AI struggles with 17:18 - How I became a mathematical physicist 19:57 - AI will replace your calculator 20:40 - What is string theory? 25:33 - Does string theory mess with your mind? 27:24 - Mathematics can literally drive people mad 30:27 - Lecturing at the Royal Institution 33:10 - What is algebraic geometry? 37:20 - What I most love about mathematics 39:47 - Princeton, Cambridge & MIT PhD 42:34 - How I plan years of research 44:14 - Does your work practically matter? 46:19 - One question for a superintelligence 47:53 - What is a good life? Guest - Yang Hui-He LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/yang-hui-he-22b3ab/ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/yanghui.he.9 Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yang-Hui_He London Institute for Mathematical Sciences (LIMS) - https://lims.ac.uk/ Oxford Physics (Yang) - https://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/our-people/he LIMS (Yang) - https://lims.ac.uk/yang-hui-he/ Royal Institution Lecture (The Search for a Theory of Everything) - https://youtu.be/llGvkEgXnAQ?si=FYBDjwcd6JsMlYYO Royal Institution Lecture (How geometry created modern physics) - https://youtu.be/z8jdndd-x7w?si=i_4wdBzUyCawK12j Royal Institution Lecture (Mathematics: The rise of the machines) - https://youtu.be/oOYcPkBaotg?si=NrAGlzIWitSU9vlo The Human Podcast 𝕏 - https://twitter.com/heyhumanpodcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thehumanpodcastinsta Support the show - https://buymeacoffee.com/thehumanpodcast Music License SyncID - MB01JIHRGHQFBB8

    52 min
  8. FEB 4

    Why People Do "Evil" Things (The Psychology of Empathy) - Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen

    Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MloFCML_Y7E In this episode, I sit down again with Professor Simon Baron-Cohen of Cambridge University - one of the world's leading psychologists, and author of Zero Degrees of Empathy. Is evil the best way to explain people who do cruel things? Simon argues that what we call "evil" is actually rooted in low empathy, not some inherent darkness. We explore the science behind empathy, examine the minds of psychopaths, narcissists, and those with borderline personality disorder (BPD), discuss what causes empathy to break down, and explore how we should respond to those behaving badly. The Human Podcast explores stories & ideas about being human. Timestamps 0:00 - Do evil people exist? Watch Previous Episode with Simon: https://youtu.be/fwC1rzgmPtw Guest - Simon Baron-Cohen 𝕏: https://twitter.com/sbaroncohen Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Baron-Cohen Zero Degrees of Empathy Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zero-Degrees-Empathy-Simon-Baron-Cohen/dp/0141017961 The Science of Evil: On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty Book - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Science-Evil-Empathy-Origins-Cruelty/dp/0465031420/ Uni of Cambridge Bio - https://www.psychol.cam.ac.uk/people/simon-baron-cohen Autism Research Centre (ARC) - https://www.autismcentreofexcellence.org The Human Podcast 𝕏 - https://twitter.com/heyhumanpodcast Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/thehumanpodcastinsta Support the show - https://buymeacoffee.com/thehumanpodcast Music License SyncID - MB01JIHRGHQFBB8

    47 min

About

Stories & ideas about being human. New episodes every Wednesday. Watch here.