There are many themes: science, philosophy, art, and more. I've only listened to about 12 episodes of philosophy and science. It is hosted by Melvyn Bragg. The guests are a selection of academics with deep subject matter expertise. Bragg is a seasoned radio broadcaster and is brilliant at moderating the programme. I agree with this description Bragg's hosting by an English journalist:
"Bragg gives short shrift to pretension of any kind, while remaining stalwart in his search for knowledge. His methodology in In Our Time is... not unlike that of a man throwing a stick for a dog: he chucks his questions ahead, and if the chosen academic fails to bring it right back, he chides them. He retains enough of his bluff Cumbrian origins not to be taken in by gambolling and tweedy high spirits."
As a sampling, listen to this episode[2], Photosynthesis. (I was pleasantly surprised to hear Nick Lane, a molecular biologist and an excellent science writer.)
Another episode (from 2016) I recently heard, and enjoyed, was the Epic of Gilgamesh[3].
I listen to a lot of podcasts, in alphabetical order:
A Million Little Gods <- Serious but accessible philosophy discussions, Season 2 was an absolutely mind-blowing discussion of "race"
Bundyville <- Limited series about the far-right movement in the western USA
Fandible <- Personal favourite actual-play RPG podcast, geeky but I love it
Freakonomics Radio <- I resisted at first because of the brand name, but the general content is so good.
Functional Design in Clojure <- Exactly what it says, works surprisingly well as a podcast. I really appreciate that it's "intermediate-level", and really focused on "how do you build real software"
Lexicon Valley <- Incredible and well-presented linguistics topics w/ some idiosyncratic music choices thrown in
JS Party <- from the same folks that make changelog. I honestly don't listen to every episode after the change in format after the incredible Season 1, but I stay subscribed and listen when the topic grabs my attention.
Sinica <- I came for the China content, but I stayed because these are the smartest conversations I hear about any topic anywhere.
Software Engineering Radio <- I don't listen to every episode, but it's good when it's good, mentioned by a few other commenters.
Stuff You Missed in History Class <- well worth an archive binge, there's a LOT of fascinating content deep inside.
This American Life <- I still listen even though I don't live in America anymore. :-)
EconTalk is my current favorite. Around 700 episodes since 2006 on a variety of subjects: education, healthcare, public debt, etc. The host dives quite deep into each subject and asks the interviewees tough questions. I always feel like I've learnt something from each episode.
I want to second EconTalk. Fantastic podcast. He is very much a free-market economist tho. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I think he is of Austrian school of economics?
Nonetheless, humanity shines through in his conversations. I'd say this podcast is more about human condition through economics. Cannot recommend it enough. Some of my favs
Yes he's a little more free-market than I am. But I like that he's at least willing to consider the other side's position and invites guests who don't agree with his positions often.
Lex Fridman Podcast: He has interesting guests and a good vibe. Some don't like his monotone voice, I love it, each to their own.
Psychiatry and Psychotherapy (with David Puder) : He's a fantastically empathetic and inquisitive Pyschiatrist who provides a fascinating window into his field. I think there is a lot the layperson can learn about empathy, communication and insight from listening to the experiences of the pros. However as a layperson you may want to skip the ones that go into different pharmaceuticals. I would say his podcast is intended for the medical community but they are very accessible to you and me as well.
Sinica : If you are interested in China from the perspective of people who are intimate with the actual perspectives of the Chinese (and not those of the western idea of what China is) then this is the podcast for you. After spending a little time in China, I found the mainstream western media portrayal did not match up with the reality on the ground.
Love and Radio (With Nick Van Der Kolk): If you love exploring the fringe, the weird and the exceptional then this one is for you.
The Hamish and Andy Podcast: Australian mainstream, but amazing all the same. I hope it exports to you well.
I listen to Sleep With Me sporadically - it’s great for some funny, surreal stories while winding down away from screens before bed.
Pod Save America is pretty funny with high production value if you’re like-minded with their politics. Former Obama staff members, so it’s very much an echo chamber, but still an entertaining way to stay on top of recent events. Also by Crooked Media is a daily 15min show What A Day, mostly very lighthearted and fun.
Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield’s podcasts are cool if you’re interested in guided meditations with Buddhist philosophy/dharma talks, as opposed to “just” guided meditations from Headspace etc. More rooted in American/Vipassana secular-ish Buddhism.
My gf pursuing psychiatry turned me on to Psychology In Seattle, which is really eye opening to me to hear about clinical work. Learned a lot about empathy from that one.
The Lyft Mobile podcast is also a great peek into what it’s like to work on their amazing team (I left recently).
A lot of good ones in this thread. I try to get out of the tech head frame with about 50% of my listening. Super niche but one of the best pods for a sports team I follow https://www.redandwhitepodcast.com
Lately I’ve been listening to the back catalog of Balaji Srinivasan interviews, which is spread across multiple feeds but which is available on https://balajis.com/content-archive/
Mostly politics, law and science
Lawfare
Rational Security
National Security Law
Deep State Radio
The Bulwark
The Dispatch
Science Vs
Science Friday
Fake Doctors Real Friends
Two business consultants to creative design firms, with rules that should be applicable to tech.
Topics: positioning, pricing, negotiating, managing the form, etc
I just started to listen to "Science VS" a podcast which tries to see what science says about different topics. For example anti-vaccination, what does science say about what kind of harm vaccine can cause what's the pros of vaccines. And in the end of each episode they present the number of citations used to create each episode.
There are many themes: science, philosophy, art, and more. I've only listened to about 12 episodes of philosophy and science. It is hosted by Melvyn Bragg. The guests are a selection of academics with deep subject matter expertise. Bragg is a seasoned radio broadcaster and is brilliant at moderating the programme. I agree with this description Bragg's hosting by an English journalist:
"Bragg gives short shrift to pretension of any kind, while remaining stalwart in his search for knowledge. His methodology in In Our Time is... not unlike that of a man throwing a stick for a dog: he chucks his questions ahead, and if the chosen academic fails to bring it right back, he chides them. He retains enough of his bluff Cumbrian origins not to be taken in by gambolling and tweedy high spirits."
As a sampling, listen to this episode[2], Photosynthesis. (I was pleasantly surprised to hear Nick Lane, a molecular biologist and an excellent science writer.)
Another episode (from 2016) I recently heard, and enjoyed, was the Epic of Gilgamesh[3].
[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qykl
[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0435jyv
[3] https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b080wbrq