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Harry Reis – How to Feel Loved

    The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most

    The Dissenter | 17 August 2026 | 1h 15m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify

    Interview with Harry Reis about his book How to Feel Loved: The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most, co-authored with Sonja Lyubomirsky. Discusses what love is, and what it is like to feel loved; the consequences of not feeling loved; whether there really is a loneliness epidemic, and what constitutes real connection; five misconceptions about what makes one feel loved; what it means to “be yourself”, and the importance of reciprocity; the five mindsets to help us get the love we crave; opening, undersharing, and oversharing; the influence of culture and gender differences; whether we can find real connection with AI chatbots; polyamory and other consensual non-monogamous relationships.

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    Amy McPhie Allebest – Breaking Down Patriarchy

      The Dissenter | 14 August 2026 | 1h 29m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify

      Interview with Amy McPhie Allebest about Breaking Down Patriarchy. Defines feminism and the different types of feminism and discusses what patriarchy is, and how it originated and spread across the globe; the role of religion and capitalism; how patriarchy also affects men, and the rise and spread of the manosphere; and whether men can be feminists themselves, and how to reconcile the genders.

      Helen Pearson – Beyond Belief

        How Evidence Shows What Really Works

        The Dissenter | 29 June 2026 | 0h 53m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify

        Interview with Helen Pearson about her book Beyond Belief: How Evidence Shows What Really Works. Explores why evidence – especially scientific – is vital in an age of misinformation, examining its historical development through pioneers like Ian Chalmers and Archie Cochrane, and the evolution of methodologies like randomised controlled trials and meta-analyses. Highlights how rigorous evidence can inform decision-making across medicine, social policy, policing, education, and parenting, offering practical insights into what truly works. Also addresses the challenges of distinguishing credible information, combating bias, and fostering trust in science amidst political polarisation and the spread of pseudoscience.

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        Steve Stewart-Williams – A Billion Years of Sex Differences

          The Dissenter | 8 June 2026 | 1h 54m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
          Interview with Steve Stewart-Williams about his book A Billion Years of Sex Differences. Argues for the reality of sex differences, cautioning against ‘gender’s’ ambiguity. Highlights five lines of evidence – developmental timing, cross-cultural consistency, persistence against social pressures, prenatal hormones, and cross-species patterns – to show differences are neither solely nature nor nurture. Critiques ‘minimiser’ and ‘exaggerator’ biases, emphasising that most differences are modest but real. The evolutionary rationale centres on reproductive variance, driving divergent mate preferences (men’s for youthfulness, women’s for resources/status) and behaviours like aggression. Advocates for gender role individualism, prioritising individual freedom and well-being over prescribed norms.


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          See also other episodes about his earlier book The Ape that Understood the Universe: How the Mind and Culture Evolve. Stewart-Williams is a great follow on Twitter, in part, for his curation and retweeting of other excellent content.

          Serene Khader – Faux Feminism

            The Dissenter | 17 April 2026 | 1h 07m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
            Interview with Serene Khader about her book Faux Feminism: Why We Fall for White Feminism and How We Can Stop. Discusses what feminism is, if it makes sense to talk about “waves” of feminism, and the idea of white feminism; myths regarding feminism, including the Freedom Myth, the Individualism Myth, the Culture Myth, the Restriction Myth, and the Judgment Myth; the idea of “girlbosses”, and capitalism and neoliberal feminism; intersectional feminism, and whether tradition is the enemy of feminism; and the current state of women’s rights in the US.

            Teresa Baron – The Artificial Womb on Trial

              The Dissenter | 2 March 2026 | 0h 55m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
              Interview with Teresa Baron about her book The Artificial Womb on Trial. Discusses what artificial womb technology is and the ethical questions it raises; arguments for and against developing this kind of technology; the Convergence Argument; trials with animals, partial and complete ectogenesis, and how it compares to technologies like in vitro fertilization and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) transfer; whether it would ever be ethical to bring children into the world for research purposes, and the ethics of procreation.

              Paul Eastwick – Bonded by Evolution: The New Science of Love and Connection

                The Dissenter | 12 February 2026 | 1h 07m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
                Interview with Paul Eastwick about his book Bonded by Evolution: The New Science of Love and Connection. Discusses the science of close relationships, and common misconceptions about attraction and relationships; how we have evolved to bond, what makes relationships successful, and short-term and long-term mating; compatibility, and compatibility-driven bonding; whether dating apps are realistic; the toxicity and misogyny of the red pill community and the manosphere; and dating and relationships in the 21st century.

                Mark Wicclair – Conscientious Objection in Medicine

                  The Dissenter | 2 January 2026 | 1h 11m | Listen Later | Podcasts | Spotify
                  Interview with Mark Wicclair about his book Conscientious Objection in Medicine. Discusses what conscientious objection is, and the concepts of conscientious provision, conscience, moral complicity, and moral integrity; ethical controversies surrounding conscientious objection in medicine, with a focus on whether conscientious objection is compatible with physicians’ professional obligations, requirements to inform and refer patients, and an asymmetry between responses to conscientious objectors and conscientious providers; what happens when there is conflict between patients’ interests or wellbeing and physicians’ self-interest; and how we should evaluate ethically the beliefs and reasons of objectors, and the implications of these debates for institutions and society more widely.