Cultural historian Joe Moran joins Joseph Dweck to discuss the overlooked beauty of the mundane.

From queuing to scrolling, he reveals how the routines and rituals we ignore are actually the scaffolding of human life. Together they reflect on shyness, language, and how studying motorways or meetings can illuminate deep truths about society, identity, and history.

Joe explains why ordinary moments deserve our attention, why he resists generational stereotypes, and what Gen Z gets right about the modern condition.

Joe Moran is Professor of English and Cultural History at Liverpool John Moores University. His acclaimed books include Queuing for Beginners, Armchair Nation, and If You Should Fail. His work focuses on the cultural and historical significance of the everyday.

Supported by: The Sephardi Centre

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Science journalist Caroline Williams joins Joseph Dweck to explore the powerful connection between body and mind.

They delve into how movement can reshape our mental health through neuroplasticity, why we’ve become so sedentary, and how even simple physical habits can rewire our brains and reduce anxiety. Drawing from her books Override and Move, Caroline shares insights from her personal experiments with brain training and neuroscience labs around the world.

Whether it’s building strength, dancing with others, or walking in the fresh air, she explains how physical activity can be a form of self-knowledge and mental resilience.

Caroline Williams is a journalist and author focused on human biology, the brain, and the mind-body connection. Her books include Override: My Plastic Brain and Move: The New Science of Body Over Mind. She writes for New Scientist, BBC Future, and The Guardian.

Supported by: The Sephardi Centre

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Joseph Dweck speaks with robotics and AI pioneer Professor Hod Lipson about machine creativity and what it reveals about being human.

From robot artists to self-aware machines, they explore the philosophical and practical boundaries of artificial intelligence. Can machines ever truly feel? What does it mean to be conscious? And how should we prepare for a future shared with AI that is exponentially more capable than us?

Hod unpacks how AI works by ‘filling in blanks,’ how imagination might be the root of consciousness, and why he believes we’re on an inevitable path to meeting a new intelligent species - one we’re building ourselves.

Hod Lipson is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Columbia University and a world-renowned expert in AI and robotics. His work on evolutionary robotics, machine learning, and autonomous systems has shaped the future of human-machine interaction.

Supported by: The Sephardi Centre and Mr Louis Ades

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