Podcasts about how fear works

Features the lecture ‘Freedom of conscience: 21st century challenges' recorded at Living Freedom Summer School 2023.    For many centuries, in religious and secular times alike, societies have wrestled with dilemmas as to how we should live in accordance with our inner-most thoughts and beliefs. What should we understand by the term freedom of conscience, how did it emerge and why is it so important? What are the main threats to conscience-based freedoms today? LECTURER Professor Frank Furedi, sociologist and social commentator; author, 100 years of identity crisis and How Fear Works: culture of fear in the 21st century. READ ON On Tolerance: A Defence of Moral Independence, Frank Furedi, Continuum, 2011 There is nothing wrong with unconscious bias Don't let them control your thoughts! Frank Furedi, Roots and Wings, 29 August 2022 LIVING FREEDOM Living Freedom exists to renew freedom through education and debate, offering young adults the opportunity to explore ideas and debate ideals as they relate to the past, present and future of freedom.  See www.livingfreedom.org.uk and @LivingFreedomUK IDEAS MATTER PODCAST Ideas Matter is a podcast that takes the most important issues of our times and explores the ideas and intellectual trends that have shaped where we are today. Subscribe via Spotify, iTunes, Podbean or SoundCloud. Email us at info@ideasmatter.org.uk    

Professor of sociology at the University of Kent https://www.amazon.com/Democracy-Under-Siege-Dont-Them/dp/1789046289/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Democracy+Under+Siege&qid=1606774616&s=books&sr=1-1 -- 0:16 - What is Democracy, and why is it moral? 1:54 - Is mass ignorance an argument against democracy? 4:09 - “Democracy is mob rule” 5:17 - “How can you delegate rights you don't have?” 7:25 - Rational ignorance - Bryan Caplan, The Myth of the Rational Voter 10:36 - Against Democracy by Jason Brennan 12:49 - Democracy blurs potential “class-consciousness” 16:13 - The problem is not nobility, but the double standard of statism 18:33 - Owners v. temporary caretakers 22:04 - Popularity contests result in perversions of truth, justice, & beauty 24:13 - Do government schools bias the minds of the citizens in favor of the government? 27:33 - “Democracy makes accountability impossible” 30:31 - Do you support world democracy? 33:01 - Voluntary democracy v. involuntary democracy - Worker cooperatives - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_worker_cooperatives 34:57 - Are “American values” unique? 38:00 - Double standards when it comes to the west 41:49 - How can I become an informed voter / democratic participant 45:11 - Major takeaways from the work of Edward Bernays 47:14 - The thesis of How Fear Works 50:17 - Book recommendations to think logically with regards to fear? 53:10 - Final message about democracy

Everyone seems to be cursing 2020. We have seen a coronavirus pandemic, mass unemployment, an impending recession or depression, Black Lives Matter riots, and the scourge of cancel culture continues at pace. All these events have led to another epidemic — fear. We are told to fear the virus, fear economic collapse, and fear…each other. But have you ever wondered how fear works? To answer that question, we talked to Frank Furedi a sociologist, social commentator, and author of 26 books including How Fear Works. Frank and CIS policy analyst Monica Wilkie discuss the shift from assuming people are resilient, to assuming they are vulnerable. What impact has how fear ridden culture had on individuals and society?

This book launch was hosted by the Academy of Ideas on Tuesday 30 June. Donate to the Academy of Ideas at www.academyofideas.org.uk/donate/   Limits, boundaries and borders are increasingly unfashionable. Whether its support for the ‘no borders’ approach of Europhiles or the rejection of binaries by gender-theory enthusiasts, arguing for borders is difficult these days. In an age of mass migration and globalisation, some argue that borders are a thing of the imperial past. During the Brexit debate, those who argued against freedom of movement were likened to dinosaurs, unable to keep up with the borderless future of the European Union. At the same time, borders between social concepts like man and woman, child and adult or animal and human have come into question, with critics arguing that the ‘progressive’ stance to take is to reject binaries and accept fluidity.   On the other hand, the attempt to alter or abolish conventional boundaries coexists with the imperative of constructing new ones. No-Border campaigners call for safe spaces. Opponents of cultural appropriation demand the policing of language and advocates of identity politics are busy building boundaries to keep out would-be encroachers on their identity. Is this proof of the fact that borders are essential tools for the way we relate to the world around us? Can there be a progressive case made for borders with an internationalist outlook? If we destroy the notion of borders and distinctions, what happens to judgement?   In his new book, Why Borders Matter: why humanity must relearn the art of drawing boundaries, Professor Frank Furedi argues that the key driver of the confusion surrounding borders and boundaries is the difficulty that society has in endowing experience with meaning.   SPEAKERS:   Professor Frank Furedi sociologist and social commentator; author, How Fear Works: culture of fear in the 21st century and Populism and the European Culture Wars   Timandra Harkness journalist, writer and broadcaster; presenter, Radio 4’s FutureProofing and How to Disagree; comedian, Take A Risk; author, Big Data: does size matter?

Professor Frank Furedi discusses the cultural turn that emerged in the 1970s and its subsequent development in the decades that followed. The talk explores the reaction to the 60s counterculture, the rise of post-material values and the contemporary politicisation of culture.LECTURERProfessor Frank Furedi, sociologist and social commentator; author, How Fear Works: culture of fear in the 21st century and Populism and the European Culture Wars.TALKING POINTS IN THIS PODCAST• The role of environmental issues in the intellectual elite’s adoption of post-material values in the 1970s• The erosion of meaning and dissolving of long established physical and cultural boundaries of Western civilisation• The demise of the traditional authority of the liberal ideal of autonomy• The depoliticization of public life and the new marriage of cultural and technocratic politics.FURTHER READING• The Hidden History of Identity Politics by Frank Furedi, 1 December 2017 www.frankfuredi.com/article/the_hid…entity_politics• Icarus Fallen: The Search for Meaning in an Uncertain World by Chantal Delsol, ISI Books, 2010THE ACADEMY 2019• In the context of today’s instrumental approaches to knowledge, The Academy summer school is a modest attempt to demonstrate the value of scholarship, and of the worth of the university as a place of free enquiry dedicated to the pursuit of truth.IDEAS MATTER PODCAST• Ideas Matter is a podcast that takes the most important issues of our times and explores the ideas and intellectual trends that have shaped where we are today.• You can subscribe and listen to Ideas Matter on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean or SoundCloud.• For full details of all episodes, visit the podcast page on our website• Keep up-to-date with Ideas Matter podcast and all the initiatives organised by the Battle of Ideas charity by following us on Twitter (@theboi_uk)and on Facebook (@battleofideas).• Email us at info@theboi.co.uk

This is the second podcast to the series Culture Wars: then and now, recorded in 2019 at the summer school The Academy.The series explores the emergence and evolution of the culture wars, and aims to understand the intellectual, cultural, social and political ideas that shape them. In this lecture, Frank Furedi introduces the concept of the culture wars, explores its historical context and outlines how changing conceptions of morality and the status of moral authority distinguish today’s culture wars from those that took place in the past.LECTURERProfessor Frank Furedi, sociologist and social commentator; author, How Fear Works: culture of fear in the 21st century and Populism and the European Culture WarsTalking Points in this podcastThe dominant issues that serve as the focus of the culture wars todayThe emergence of a socio-political impulse to remove ourselves from the pastThe culture wars as catalysed by the corrosion of Western society’s confidence in its own valuesThe importance of autonomy and sovereigntyBIBLIOGRAPHYFirst World War: Still No End in Sight (chapters 6 & 8), Frank Furedi, Bloomsbury Continuum, 2014Beyond Culture: Essays on Literature and Learning (Preface) Lionel Trilling, Penguin, 1965THE ACADEMY 2019In the context of today’s instrumental approaches to knowledge, The Academy summer school is a modest attempt to demonstrate the value of scholarship, and of the worth of the university as a place of free enquiry dedicated to the pursuit of truth. Find out more: https://theboi.co.uk/the-academyIDEAS MATTER PODCASTIdeas Matter podcast takes the most important issues of our times and explores the ideas and intellectual trends that have shaped where we are today. Subscribe and listen to Ideas Matter on iTunes, Podbean or SoundCloud.Keep up-to-date with Ideas Matter and all the initiatives organised by the Battle of Ideas charity by following us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/theboi_uk) and on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/battleofideas/)Email us at info@theboi.co.uk

A recording of a discussion at the Battle of Ideas Festival 2018. Published in 1997, Frank Furedi’s book Culture of Fear was widely acclaimed as perceptive and prophetic. In his new book, How Fear Works, Furedi seeks to explore two interrelated themes: why fear has acquired such a morally commanding status in society today and how the way we fear has changed from the way it was experienced in the past. How has fear become detached from its material and physical source, so that it is now experienced as a secular version of a transcendental force? What is the role of the media in promoting fear and does anyone benefit from this culture of fear? TIMANDRA HARKNESSjournalist, writer and broadcaster; presenter, FutureProofing; author,Big Data: does size matter? IN CONVERSATION WITH: PROFESSOR FRANK FUREDIsociologist and social commentator; author, How Fear Works: culture of fear in the 21st century and Populism and the European Culture Wars

Listen to the debate from the Battle of Ideas 2018. Whatever way we read today’s political disruptions, change is in the air. Mainstream political parties internationally, from Italy to Sweden, are being thrown into disarray by new challengers. Democratic votes, from Brexit to Trump, are seemingly giving two fingers to establishment norms. This turbulent atmosphere is undoubtedly unsettling. It is understandable that we can be tempted to resist change because of the risks associated with it. But can we transform today’s turbulence as an opportunity to shape the future, grasp the moment with hope, be inspired by a period that is resonant with possibilities? Can we create a climate in which people will embrace new experiences and exhibit a willingness to take risks? SPEAKERSProfessor Frank Furedi sociologist and social commentator; author, How Fear Works: culture of fear in the 21st century and Populism and the European Culture Wars Dr Eliane Glaser writer; radio producer; senior lecturer, Bath Spa University; author, Anti-Politics: on the demonization of ideology, authority, and the state Matthew Goodwin professor of political science, University of Kent; senior fellow, Chatham House; author, National Populism: the revolt against liberal democracy and Revolt on the Right Stephen Kinnock MP Labour MP for Aberavon; member, Exiting the EU Select Committee and EU Scrutiny Committee; co-editor Spirit of Britain, Purpose of Labour: building a whole nation politics to reunite our divided country CHAIR Claire Fox director, Academy of Ideas; author, I STILL Find That Offensive!

A recording of the debate at the Battle of Ideas 2018 festival on Saturday 13 October at the Barbican in London. Language has always been a source of political controversy as much as a medium for discussing politics. Terms like ‘terrorist’ and ‘freedom fighter’ reveal the politics of the speaker as much as the nature of those described. But recent years have seen the proliferation of completely new terms: white Brexit voters are ‘gammons’, women critical of feminism have ‘internalised misogyny’, students are ‘snowflakes’. It can be hard to keep up. But is the way we talk about politics simply changing, or becoming impoverished? What’s the line between the natural evolution of political language, and its degeneration into trendy slurs? SPEAKERS Professor Frank Furedisociologist and social commentator; author, How Fear Works: culture of fear in the 21st century and Populism and the European Culture Wars Sophia Gastondirector, Centre for Social and Political Risk, Henry Jackson Society; visiting research fellow, London School of Economics Professor Dr Robert Pfallerphilosopher, University of Art and Industrial Design, Linz, Austria; author, (in German)

Frank Furedi, author of How Fear Works, discusses fear as a cultural resource, fear as a byproduct of the media, fear as currency in our economy, fear displayed in the use of -- and the need for -- safe spaces on campuses, fear manifested as signs in the grocery store, and more.