Iain McGilchrist & Philip Goff: Is the universe conscious?

Freddie Sayers, Editor-in-Chief of UnHerd, interviews Dr Fiona Hill, renowned Russia expert and former Senior Director for European and Russian Affairs in the first Trump administration (2017–2019). A senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and Chancellor of Durham University, Dr Hill has advised three U.S. presidents (including George W. Bush and Barack Obama) on foreign policy, and recently guided UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, authoring the UK Strategic Defence Review 2025, shaping UK defence policy and supporting NATO’s increased spending commitments.Dr Hill analyses the ‘12-day war’ between Israel and Iran in June 2025, ended by U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, resulting in a fragile ceasefire. She explores the risks of increasing global nuclear proliferation and the defence ties among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, and debates NATO’s 2025 Hague Summit pledge to raise defence spending to 5% of GDP and Western military preparedness against these threats.Dr Hill and Freddie Sayers examine whether foreign policy is turning more hawkish and realist, ask whether today’s volatile world of hybrid warfare and global instability brings us closer to World War III. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers interviews Dan Caldwell about the recent US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites - Dan is the former senior adviser to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Iraq War veteran, and a leading voice in the “restrainer” faction skeptical of U.S. military overreach in the Middle East.Caldwell’s extensive experience in the Trump administration, where he served as a key defense adviser until he was put on leave and then terminated following an investigation into Pentagon leaks after the ‘Signalgate’ scandal. His insights, recently articulated in his UnHerd article “How the War Could Spin Out of Control,” offer a critical lens on the recent U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites and their far-reaching implications.In this in-depth conversation, Caldwell breaks down the motivations behind the U.S. strikes, questions whether they achieved their objectives, and evaluates their alignment with America’s interests. He explores the behind-the-scenes dynamics, the risk of escalation into a regional crisis or even World War III, and what Iran and the U.S. might do next—whether Iran will retaliate or seek de-escalation. Drawing on his Marine Corps service and Trump administration tenure, Caldwell provides a sobering analysis of the Middle East’s volatile trajectory and the potential for catastrophic blowback. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

UnHerd’s Florence Read sits down with John Michael Greer, prolific author of over 50 books, including The Druidry Handbook, The Long Descent, and The King in Orange, and former Grand Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America. Greer explains what it means to be a Druid today, detailing the spiritual practices rooted in Celtic traditions, including rituals, meditation, and divination, and their connection to the living Earth.They discuss Greer's perspective on the modern world, blending ecology, spirituality, and societal decline. He describes magic as "the politics of the excluded," revealing its role in history and power dynamics. Greer also shares his provocative views on contemporary politics, including speculation on Donald Trump's destiny, suggesting he might follow the path of other transformative U.S. Presidents who died in office. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this two-part UnHerd TV episode, Editor-in-Chief Freddie Sayers delves into the volatile Iran-Israel crisis, presenting contrasting, thought-provoking analyses from two intellectual heavyweights.In Part 1, American International Relations realist theorist and renowned political scientist John Mearsheimer dissects Israel’s strategy as a risky and flawed endeavor, arguing it’s unlikely to succeed in curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions and warning that U.S. military involvement would be catastrophic, inadvertently strengthening Russia and China’s geopolitical positions.In Part 2, Israeli-American philosopher and author of The Virtue of Nationalism Yoram Hazony, speaking from Jerusalem, passionately defends Israel’s imperative to decisively block Iran’s nuclear program, asserting it’s both realistic and essential for national survival, while carefully debating the benefits and risks of U.S. support.Subscribe to UnHerd TV for this nuanced exploration of a deeply sensitive and intricate global issue. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this captivating discussion, Iain and Philip ask what makes us who we are? Are we merely our brains, or does science only capture part of the human story? Is the universe conscious?Dr. Iain McGilchrist, renowned psychiatrist, neuroscience researcher, philosopher, and author of the critically acclaimed The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World, engages in a thought-provoking event at the UnHerd club with Professor Philip Goff, a leading panpsychist philosopher from Durham University and author of Galileo’s Error: Foundations for a New Science of Consciousness.McGilchrist and Goff dive into the intersections of neuroscience, philosophy, and consciousness, exploring the limits of reductionist science, the nature of the self, and the profound implications of their work for understanding the human mind and its place in the cosmos. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Freddie Sayers interviews reporter and documentary filmmaker Leighton Woodhouse for an on-the-ground account of the LA protests that followed ICE immigration raids. Woodhouse was in the thick of it—witnessing firsthand the violence, the escalation, and the crumbling of the “peaceful protest” narrative that dominated mainstream coverage. In this in-depth interview, he describes what it felt like to stand in the middle of what at times resembled “pre-civil war” more than a political demonstration. What began as outrage over immigration enforcement quickly spiralled into something much more chaotic. Leighton details the street-level reality: smashed windows, street fires, armed standoffs, and moments where the rule of law appeared to vanish. He challenges the media portrayal of events, questions the motives of protest leaders, and unpacks the deeper constitutional implications of what unfolded. Were these protests truly peaceful? Who was escalating the violence—and why? At what point does protest cross into insurrection? Is this unrest contained to Los Angeles and California, or will it spread, and become something more? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this exclusive UnHerd interview, Steve Bannon, former Trump Chief Strategist, host of The War Room, and Elon Musk’s strongest critic, dissects the dramatic rift between President Donald Trump and Musk, sparked by disputes over Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill”—a tax-cut and spending package Musk slammed as a “disgusting abomination” for inflating the $36.2 trillion national debt.Bannon brands Musk an “illegal alien”, possibly an agent of the CCP, and calls for his deportation and on Trump to seize SpaceX under the Defense Production Act, while defending Trump’s America First agenda against Musk’s fiscal critiques.With Tesla’s stock dropping ~14% and Musk backpedalling on threats to decommission the Dragon spacecraft, the conversation probes whether this public feud signals the end of the Trump-Musk alliance, a potential MAGA “civil war,” and risks America’s space and economic future. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is China poised to dominate the global economy? UnHerd's Editor-in-Chief, Freddie Sayers, speaks to Kyle Chan, a Princeton University expert on Chinese industrial policy, to unpack the seismic shifts reshaping the U.S.-China economic rivalry, as explored in Chan’s recent New York Times Op-Ed ‘In the Future, China Will Be Dominant. The U.S. Will Be Irrelevant.’Together, they dive into China’s meteoric rise in high-tech sectors like AI, robotics, and electric vehicles, and dominance in manufacturing output, and aluminium, steel and battery production, and question whether U.S. policies—such as President Trump’s latest tariffs and cuts to research funding—are inadvertently paving the way for a 'Chinese Century'.What are China’s next steps to counter U.S. policies and global trade isolation? Can the U.S. reverse its talent drain and supply chain disruptions to stay competitive? And is the 'Chinese Century' inevitable, or will demographic and economic headwinds derail Beijing’s ambitions? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is Donald Trump cashing in on the crypto craze—or crossing ethical lines?UnHerd’s Freddie Sayers and CoinDesk’s Ben Schiller unpack the Trump family’s sudden crypto conversion and what it means for politics, finance, and ethics. Once a vocal crypto critic, Trump now calls himself a “big fan,” with his family and inner circle making major moves in the digital asset world.Freddie and Ben look at the Trump family’s 60% stake in World Liberty Financial—a $2.2B crypto venture backed by high-profile investors like Justin Sun and Abu Dhabi—and the controversial launch of the $TRUMP memecoin ahead of the 2025 election. Add to that Trump Media’s $2.5B war chest reportedly aimed at a Bitcoin buying spree—are we witnessing smart strategy or something shadier?At Bitcoin2025 in Las Vegas, VP JD Vance pushed pro-Bitcoin policy and stablecoin regulation under the GENIUS Act, while Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump promoted their new crypto platform—pitched as a response to being shut out by traditional banks.With Bitcoin hitting $109K and political memecoins on the rise, is this a financial revolution or just another power grab?From institutional growth to making America the “crypto capital,” what’s next for digital finance and the Trump administration’s role in it? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is the European Union heading for a slow-motion collapse? In this unfiltered conversation, economist Yanis Varoufakis and journalist Wolfgang Münchau join Freddie Sayers to dive deep into the political and economic forces reshaping Europe—from the rise of populism in Romania and Poland, to the EU's failure to offer a compelling future to Eastern member states. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.