Episodes

  • Should You Be A Nationalist?

    Should You Be A Nationalist?
    May 7 2026
    Does nationalism have to be xenophobic or racist? What would it mean to be a nationalist who isn’t a blood-&-soil bigot but a pluralistic liberal? How can multicultural societies like ours sustain strong national identities? Could we actually reinvigorate democracy with a big ole dose of chest-thumping and flag-flying? David Moscrop, is a Canadian writer, academic and public intellectual. He has a PhD in Political Science and was a regular contributor for The Washington Post. He joined Josh ahead of a trip to Australia to discuss national identity on a dog-eat-dog planet, the left’s overreach in the culture wars, Canadian truckers, right-wing anti-vaxxers, multiculturalism, jingoism, how all of us can be more coherent as a democratic unit, and most importantly, why Love Actually is a terrible film. David Moscrop appears at Melbourne Writers Festival (7-10 May) and Sydney Writers' Festival (17-24 May).
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    54 mins
  • Josh vs the News: Trump Cancels "Project Freedom!"

    Josh vs the News: Trump Cancels "Project Freedom!"
    May 6 2026
    The latest chaotic development under “Operation Epic Fury” has continued to show the catastrophic strategic position the United States has found itself in. But it could be worse! It’s not like the Iranians know about the midterms, and the impending electoral annihilation coming for Trump if this latest oil shock isn’t resolved. Oh wait… Josh breaks down the the failure of “Project Freedom”, how Iran has discovered an asset even more valuable than nuclear weapons, and why the rest of the world is about to pay a tremendous price for America's miscalculation.
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    37 mins
  • JIMMY CARR RETURNS!

    JIMMY CARR RETURNS!
    May 4 2026
    Jimmy Carr is one of the most successful stand-up comics on earth (and one of our most recurring guests). His hilarious, brutal crowd work is a viral sensation, and his television credits include hosting some of the UK’s longest running panel shows such as 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Big Fat Quiz Of The Year and his smash-hit Netflix specials, Natural Born Killer, and His Dark Material. Whilst touring Australia for his latest live show, JIMMY CARR: LAUGHS FUNNY, he joined Josh in the flesh at the Uncomfortable Conversations studio to discuss revolution, A.I, fame, hair transplants, and why some things just can’t be fixed. His new podcast is ‘Jimmy Carr: Crowd Work’ (https://open.spotify.com/show/72DxXJcIZGKEjX5hOoE2hk?si=e216f378b7b84f3f).
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    1 hr and 24 mins
  • Why Smart People Make Dumb Choices

    Why Smart People Make Dumb Choices
    Apr 30 2026
    Life’s biggest decisions are always the most Uncomfortable. Should you have a baby? Should you quit your job? Should you move to a new country? Should you drop acid? Anytime you’re faced with a decision that is likely to change who you are, you’re faced with a unique conundrum: The person you’ll be - who’ll judge whether you made the right call or the wrong one - is future you. They’re a different person than Future You would be if present-day You had made the opposite decision. Still with me? How are we supposed to decide how to lead a good life, if we can only ever know what we know right now (but we need to make decisions now that will affect who we become in the future)? Laurie Paul is a professor of philosophy and cognitive science at Yale University who’s a leading expert on the counterfactual analysis of causation and the concept of transformative experience. She joins Josh to discuss how we judge whether to become a parent, how your preferences get scrambled by addiction, why atheists and religious people are secretly terrified of each other’s epiphanies, what cochlear implants tell us about identity, A.I., psychedelics, and what it means to make a choice in a state of radical ignorance… about who you’ll be once you’ve made it.
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    1 hr and 16 mins
  • 'Truth' in an Age of A.I.

    'Truth' in an Age of A.I.
    Apr 28 2026
    What will reality feel like when we receive most of it via all-knowing machines? Our shared understanding of the world has been fractured by social media’s echo chambers of news, entertainment, misinformation, and distraction. Could A.I. help re-establish common facts? Or will it only make the truth even slippier? Steve Rosenbaum is an Emmy-winning former television news producer, TED Resident and boss of the NYC Media Lab. He joins Josh to explore the death of traditional news, why TikTok is so addictive, how young people think about trustworthiness... and how to fortify facts in a world of slop. Steve's new book is "The Future of Truth: How AI Reshapes Reality".
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    2 hrs and 5 mins
  • Josh vs the Anti-Abortion Activist

    Josh vs the Anti-Abortion Activist
    Apr 20 2026
    For an issue we don’t normally know how to talk constructively about, can Josh and one of the most outspoken anti-abortion activists model what a genuine, but respectful, disagreement can actually look like? Joanna Howe is best-known for her viral videos on YouTube and social media debating people in the street about abortion, confronting politicians outside their offices, and smacking down pro-life politicians for not being pro-life enough. She's a law professor and a Catholic whose hundreds of thousands of followers cheer her on as she owns the libs and argues for abortion to be illegal because it is murder from the moment of fertilisation. She joins Josh to have a rational debate about an emotional topic, and try in some small way, to help you have less toxic and more constructive conversations of your own. You can find Josh’s previous conversation with the American family-values anti-surrogacy activist Katie Faust, here.
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    1 hr and 51 mins
  • BLOCKADE COUNTDOWN: What's the End Game?

    BLOCKADE COUNTDOWN: What's the End Game?
    Apr 16 2026
    What is the end game in Iran? What is the blockade achieving? What cards does Iran still hold? Last week, the end was in sight with a two-week ceasefire. Then talks in Pakistan between the US vice president and the Iranians went nowhere, and Trump suddenly imposed a blockade. Since Monday, U.S. forces say they’ve now completely halted all economic trade leaving Iran’s ports. Iran say they’ll retaliate if the blockade continues. Where does the escalation lead? Does Trump have anything left up his sleeve? What exit ramps are there for either side? Steven Simon served in the US State Department, where he specialised in the Middle East and counter-terrorism on President Clinton’s National Security Council. President Obama brought him back into the White House to serve as the NSC’s Senior Director for the Middle East and North Africa. He’s a leading world expert on Iran and co-wrote a book in 2011 called “The sixth crisis: Iran, Israel, America and the rumors of war.” His most recent book is “Grand Delusion: The Rise and Fall of American Ambition in the Middle East.” Steven joined Josh to explain the logic (or illogic) of Trump’s blockade... and what thirty years of shaping US policy in the Middle East has taught him about how this conflict is likely to end.
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    47 mins
  • Philosopher A.C. Grayling in the Most Mind-Expanding Episode of the Year

    Philosopher A.C. Grayling in the Most Mind-Expanding Episode of the Year
    Apr 23 2026
    Today, a delightful and scintillating and inspiring and disconcerting and thought-provoking and discombobulating and many-other-multi-syllabic words-ing romp with one of the most celebrated philosophers in the English-speaking world. A.C. Grayling is a British philosopher who has written more than thirty books on everything from the nature of consciousness to the history of freedom to what it means to live well. Now, he is warning about the fragility of liberal democracy and on a speaking tour to Australia he joined Josh to discuss the crisis of meaning in the West, the rise of authoritarianism, and what remains of the self when the machines get smart too.
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    52 mins