Headspace

Critic and novelist Susan Sontag commanded postwar American intellectual life, capturing many minds with her sharp insights on photography, cinema, philosophy, literature, and more. A new biography by Benjamin Moser maps the life of the leading public intellectual. But does it focus on the right things?Prize-winning writer Lisa Appignanesi OBE joins the Prospect podcast’s 100th episode to talk about the life and work of Susan Sontag—as well as her own experiences meeting the commanding intellectual.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller joins this week’s Prospect podcast to discuss what he calls “narrative economics”: the process of stories driving economic events. We often think our narratives – recessions, difficult jobs, bringing back jobs – come as a result of our economic realities. What if they also drove them?Robert Shiller’s Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events is Out with Princeton University Press: https://press.princeton.edu/titles/14225.htmlPlus: Tom Clark and Sameer Rahim in today’s stagnated growth  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What's happening with Brexit, and what should we make of Scotland's Court of Session ruling the prorogation of parliament unlawful? Jolyon Maugham QC joins for a special edition of the Prospect podcast to explain everything going on in the courts in relation to Brexit, what he expects will happen in a no-deal Brexit and whether Boris Johnson's prorogation was unlawful.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Citizen journalist Waad al-Kateab was twenty-six years old when she picked up a camera to document the everyday violence of the Syrian war. She was also, at the time, juggling motherhood. Her work comes together in For Sama, an award-winning documentary that looks at the intimacy of familial love and the ravages of war. She joins the Prospect Podcast to talk about life in Aleppo, what the West forgets about the war, and settling into life in the UK. For Sama arrives in cinemas this week.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the new issue of Prospect, Europe editor for the Daily Telegraph Peter Foster writes a sprawling longread on the inside story behind what went wrong with Brexit, from Theresa May’s initial leadership speech to failed attempts to tackle the backstop head-on.Foster joins the Prospect podcast this week to talk about the short, failed history of Brexit thus far, and what might be expected under Boris Johnson’s leadership. Have the Brexit talks under the new prime minister been, as some of Foster’s sources have said, a mere “sham”?You can read Peter Foster’s story on the behind-the-scenes maneuvers of the Brexit talks here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/peter-foster-brexit-longreadPlus: Tom Clark and Stephanie Boland on what Boris Johnson does next  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Known as the philosopher who wrote The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir’s life has been the subject of much attention and intrigue. But her storied relationship with fellow existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre only scratches the surface of her vibrant and influential mind. King’s College philosopher Kate Kirkpatrick joins the Prospect Podcast to discuss Beauvoir’s philosophy and ethics, and her little-known work on the politics of ageing. Kate Kirkpatrick’s Becoming Beauvoir is available with Bloomsbury: https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/becoming-beauvoir-9781350047174/  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

David Cameron and Theresa May both came into power with ambitious visions for reforming Britain. Both, it is widely argued, failed to achieve their aims. Will Boris under Britain see the same fate? Conservative blogger and commentator Tim Montgomerie joins the Prospect Podcast this week to discuss the unfashionable, but important question of what the Conservative Party stands for beyond Brexit. You can read Tim Montgomerie’s feature on the future of Conservatism here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/tim-montgomerie-future-conservative-partyPlus: Tom Clark and Steve Bloomfield on why the Tories have turned away from economics  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What, if anything, could parliament do to stop a no-deal Brexit? Two legal experts join the Prospect Podcast this week to play out the options as they stand. EU law expert David Anderson and senior fellow at UCL’s UK in a Changing Europe programme Meg Russell join us to discuss where parliament stands today, and whether we should expect a vote of no confidence the grace Westminster soon.Plus: Alex Dean on what insiders in the World Trade Organisation make of Britain’s post-Brexit trade prospects  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

#93: The battle over bread, with Dan Hancox“Bread is something that everyone has an opinion on, often quite a strident opinion.” It is an everyday staple—and the site of a curious political battle. Do you know your sourdough from your sourfaux? Writer Dan Hancox joins us on the Prospect podcast this week and takes us behind the “bread wars.” Who are the bakers and campaigners taking on the big chains to get "fake sourdough" off the streets? You can read Dan Hancox’s feature on the battle over bread here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/the-battle-over-breadThe story on the Aperol spritz discussed in the introduction is available here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/britain-italy-aperol-spritz-london-pricePlus: Stephanie Boland and Rebecca Liu on the misfortunes behind the Aperol spritz  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What does Tony Blair himself make of the Blair doctrine? When the former prime minister outlined his case for intervening in Kosovo in 1999 at the Chicago Economic Club, he unveiled a bold new internationalist doctrine—one that sought to meld liberal values with a strong interventionist arm.Twenty years on, deputy editor Steve Bloomfield met Tony Blair to discuss the contested legacy of the Blair doctrine. What, if anything, has the former prime minister learned from his adventures abroad, and should we expect Boris Johnson to dig liberal interventionism out from its grave?You can read Steve Bloomfield’s profile of Tony Blair and review of the Blair doctrine here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/tony-blair-second-thoughts-war-iraq-liberal-interventionism  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Has inequality gotten worse? And where have all the good jobs gone? In this special bumper edition of the Prospect podcast, we talk to economist David Blanchflower at our inequality crisis, and why tackling the unemployment rate may not be the best way to improve things.Plus, we present clips from Nobel prize winner Angus Deaton’s event with Prospect and the British Academy, where the ‘deaths of despair’ economist talks about the difference between inequality and unfairness, and which presidential candidate he thinks will measure up to Trump in 2020. Blanchflower’s new book, Not Working: Where Have All the Good Jobs Gone is now out with Princeton University Press: https://press.princeton.edu/titles/13485.html  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

#90: Demystifying the food industry, with Marion NestleFrom miracle foods to fad diets, and nutritional studies backed by murky science and shadowy sponsors, it seems like we might never quite know the truth behind what we eat. We talk to Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition and public health at New York University, on demystifying our diets and the tricky politics of food studies. Nestle’s new book, Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat is available from Hachette.Plus: Tom Clark and Steve Bloomfield on children’s diets  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

What do we mean when we talk about schizophrenia—and how do we diagnose mental illness, anyway? Former nurse and now author Nathan Filer joins Prospect to talk about his new book, The Heartland: Finding and Losing Schizophrenia.Plus: Tom and Steph talk about the—sorry, "our"—NHS; and make their predictions for a Johnson cabinet.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Our headlines are full of stories about benighted millennials and over-pensioned baby boomers, but what’s behind this new generational divide? Sociologist Jennie Bristow joins us to talk about why the “generation war” obscures more than it clarifies.Plus: Tom Clark and Stephanie Boland on the fate of generation X  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From London’s many skyscrapers to the wars over brutalism, many of us know what it’s like to either complain about an unsightly building. But these conversations hardly ever go beyond an initial judgment to consider what such ‘ugliness’ can tell us about ourselves. We talk to MIT architectural historian Timothy Hyde about his new book, Ugliness and JudgmentOn Architecture in the Public Eye. Our strong reactions to ugly buildings, he notes, can indeed tell us a lot about our own social worlds. Plus: Tom Clark and Stephanie Boland on the ideology of the modern building  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Though we often talk about the impending climate crisis, the truth is that the effects of climate change are already here. Ed Miliband joins us to talk about his radical green programme, his past work as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, and why he thinks our climate crisis is tied to our economic crisis. You can read Ed Miliband’s cover story, "How to Save the Planet" here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/features/ed-miliband-climate-change-economy-save-planetPlus: Steve Bloomfield and Tom Clark offer a short history of our current climate change crisis.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The Ten Commandments is one of the most well-known pieces of scripture. It may also embody everything wrong with how we read these texts today. Karen Armstrong joins us to talk about her new book, The Art of Scripture, and why there should be more to read more creatively beyond literalism. You can read Reverend Lucy Winkett's review of The Art of Scripture here: https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/arts-and-books/in-scripture-we-find-not-just-religious-thought-and-theory-but-a-challenge-to-how-we-readPlus: Sameer Rahim and Tom Clark on our modern-day scriptures, and the function of the shibboleth.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Prospect’s editors went up to Hay-on-Wye last week for the annual Hay Festival of Literature & Arts. We joined Steven Pinker, Elif Shafak and poets from London’s Roundhouse Poetry Collective to talk about what they’re reading right now, and the biggest problems facing the world today.Plus: Sameer Rahim and Stephanie Boland on the literary festival circuit and how a writer’s job today often extends beyond writing.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tom Shakespeare joins the Prospect team to discuss a new BFI film collection about disability.We might like to think things are always getting better—but these films show a more nuanced, complex history.Plus: Sameer Rahim and Tom Clark discuss representation.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In the past 100 years, a total of 491 women have been elected to Parliament.We talk to Rachel Reeves, Labour MP for Leeds West about her new book, “Women of Westminster: The MPs Who Changed Politics”. How have women MPs changed the UK over the past century? Where do we go next?Plus: Tom Clark and Stephanie Boland on the challenges of being an MP  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.