Q+A on âthe wisdom of crowdsâ
Waleed Aly, Scott Stephens and philosopher Stephanie Collins field questions from a live studio audience on crowd-behaviour, conformity and the importance of dissent.
The Minefield
enMarch 06, 2024
The Art of Living: Jane Austen's "Emma"
enDecember 22, 2022
What was the main topic of the podcast episode?
Summarise the key points discussed in the episode?
Were there any notable quotes or insights from the speakers?
Which popular books were mentioned in this episode?
Were there any points particularly controversial or thought-provoking discussed in the episode?
Were any current events or trending topics addressed in the episode?
About this Episode
In Jane Austenâs novel Emma, we find an abiding concern with the demands, not just of propriety, but of morality, an attentiveness to the dangers of self-deception, and vivid reminders of the importance of friendship to progress in the moral life.
Recent Episodes from The Minefield
How much credence should we give to âthe wisdom of crowdsâ?
Ever since Plato, âcrowdsâ have been associated with irrationality, emotivism, conformism, short-term thinking, and herd-like behaviour. But what if it turns out that crowds are collectively more intelligent than their individual members?
The Minefield
enFebruary 28, 2024
When is it right to call some act â or someone â âevilâ?
What are we trying to convey when we reach for a word like âevilâ? Is it something about a personâs actions or character? Is it what they do or the manner in which they do it?
The Minefield
enFebruary 21, 2024
From Beyoncé to Taylor Swift â whatâs behind the mass appeal of live music events?
It is worth reflecting, not just on what is singular about Taylor Swift at this particular cultural moment â why she attracts both the loyalty and the animus that she does â but on what it is about live music events that now draw millions of people to them.
The Minefield
enFebruary 14, 2024
What is the harm in âdeepfakesâ â and what are they doing to democracy?
Over the last 18 months, enormously powerful generative AI tools have been placed in the hands of anyone who wants them; as a consequence, the internet and our social media feeds have been inundated with wholly or partially synthetic content.
The Minefield
enFebruary 07, 2024
How can trust be cultivated in a time of pervasive suspicion?
Because it is sustained by nothing more substantial than a weave of trusted institutions, shared habits and moral commitments, democracies are highly susceptible to the corrosive effects of distrust; Jedediah Purdy joins Waleed and Scott to discuss the necessary conditions for democratic life.
The Minefield
enJanuary 31, 2024
What do we lose by succumbing to conspiracy-mindedness?
Ours is a time when institutional distrust, digital disinformation and mutual suspicion have become pervasive â but can democracy withstand epistemic and social fragmentation of this kind?
The Minefield
enJanuary 24, 2024
In a screen saturated age, is literacy under threat?
Professor Maryanne Wolf joins Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to discuss whether we are entering an age of widespread moral illiteracy â an incapacity to engage in the processes that make up the habit of deep reading.
What do we lose when we lose the capacity for boredom?
It is fair to say that boredom is a distinctly modern terror. But, as Stan Grant discusses with Waleed and Scott, what if existential boredom points us to our deeper need?
Goyaâs âSaturnâ and its moral challenge
Spanish painter Francisco de Goyaâs depiction of Saturn eating his son is a haunting portrait of lust and the fear of oneâs own finitude. Christos Tsiolkas joins Waleed and Scott to look into that darkness, and discover what looks back.