Dr. Richard Firth-Godbehere PhD is one of the world’s leading experts on disgust and emotions. He is an independent researcher and consultant in the history, language, science & philosophy of emotions & an honorary research fellow at the centre for the history of the emotions, Queen Mary University of London. Richard’s first book, "A Human History of Emotions" (also known as "Homo Emoticus") will soon be published in over a dozen languages in countries ranging from Japan to the USA, from Australia to Brazil.
In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what’s real?” & “what matters?”
Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is here on YouTube.
We discuss:
00:00 Welcome
01:27 Richard's Intro
- The history of human emotions
- Academia & public engagement
- History "never talked about feelings" but wars start "because someone gets annoyed"
- You can't really separate emotion & rationality "You cannot make a decision unless you feel something"
- Interdisciplinary
06:00 What's Real?
- Lapsed Catholic mother & an "its all bloody rubbish-arian" father
- Scientific family; Doctors, engineers, nurses. "We didn't go into the seminary"
- Joining mum in a spiritual phase. Tarot, mediums, psychics...
- Realising you could "read people" without tarot
- "Yeh - this is a load of rubbish"
- "Firmly atheist". The incoherence of "god". "If it's timeless it doesn't exist anywhen, if it's spaceless it doesn't exist anywhere"
- "Every answer... has come down firmly not on the side of the supernatural"
- "In a world where we have a billion HD cameras... why do we only see blurry photographs [of ghosts]?"
- Hume's scepticism
- The Kalam Cosmological Argument "doesn't get you back to god... it could have been a farting space pixie!"
- "People assume emotions mean 'irrational'"
- Science is driven by excitement, wonder, passion & curiosity
- "The idea that science is people in lab coats with no feelings is completely wrong"
- "Emotion is a driver & part of decision-making"
- "The Stoics didn't suppress their emotions, they used them!"
19:10 What (& Who) Matters?
- Ethics comes from us being an evolved group animal. "If we all went around stabbing each other we wouldn't be here"
- The Golden Rule
- Secular Humanism
- Well-being for humans & beyond
- "I have a real problem with 'everyone must be happy!'"
- Negative emotions (e.g. appropriate fear) can help wellbeing
- Good/bad forms of hate & love
- The harm of "toxic happiness." It's OK to feel down
...and much more. Full show notes at Sentientism.info and on YouTube.
Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at Sentientism.info. Join our "I'm a Sentientist" wall via this simple form.
Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is here on FaceBook. Come join us there!
Thanks Graham.
--- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/sentientism/messageCheese Challenge & Pescetarian Paradox - Maja Cullen, Devon Docherty, Carol Jasper - Sentientism 200
"Reductionism is well-named. It reduces what you can do." - Michael Levin - Sentientism 199
"We need to imagine a different world" - Emilia Leese - author and host of Think Like a Vegan - Sentientism 198
Hip Hop is Going Green - Keith Tucker of Hip Hop is Green - Sentientism 197
Nigerian Food Revolution - Hakeem Jimo of Veggie Victory and ProVeg Nigeria - Sentientism 196
Consciousness Live! - with skateboarding philosopher Richard Brown - Sentientism 195
A Truly Humane Education - Laura Chepner - The Vegan Society's Education Officer - Sentientism 194
Imagining Ethical Schools - Sentientism 193
Is Veganic the Future of Farming? "We grow plants using plants" - Jimmy Videle - Sentientism 192
Half-Earth Socialism - Troy Vettese - Sentientism 191
"Your Neighbour Kills Puppies" - Tom Harris - Activist, Artist & Author - Sentientism 190
"A new world of animal justice" - Sabine Brels of World Animal Justice - Sentientism 189
Talking to Humanists about Sentientism - Cross-post bonus from Podcast for Inquiry - Sentientism 188
"What if we saw ourselves as species diplomats?" - David Peña-Guzmán of Overthink and SFSU - Sentientism 187
Could animal farming be good for the animals? The Logic of the Larder - with Nick Pendergrast - Cross-post bonus episode from 3CR's Freedom of Species radio show and podcast - Sentientism 186
"If you combine rationality and compassion you have the essence" - Jonathan Leighton of OPIS - Sentientism 185
Is veganism a moral obligation? Ghostless Machine cross-post bonus - Sentientism 184
Don't underestimate your influence! - Chris Bryant of Bryant Research - Sentientism 183
160: "Mother Cow, Mother India" - Yamini Narayanan - International Development A/Prof - Sentientism
Waking Cosmos - a cross-post bonus episode - Sentientism 182
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