Different Matters Season 2
Dr Peter Boghossian on Different Matters, and God
Peter Gregory Boghossian is an American philosopher and college professor. His main focus is bringing the tools of professional philosophers to people in a wide variety of contexts. Peter has a teaching pedigree spanning more than 25 years and 30 thousand students.
Peter's primary research areas are critical thinking and moral reasoning. His doctoral research studies, funded by the State of Oregon and supported by the Oregon Department of Corrections, consisted of using the Socratic method to help prison inmates to increase their critical thinking and moral reasoning abilities and to increase their desistance to criminal behavior.
Peter has written two books, A Manual for Creating Atheists, and How to Have Impossible Conversations: A Very Practical Guide.
Professor Nigel Biggar on Different Matters and Colonialism
Nigel Biggar CBE is Emeritus Regius Professor of Moral Theology at the University of Oxford and Distinguished Scholar in Residence at Pusey House, Oxford.
In his recent book, Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning Nigel Biggar addresses the crucial questions in eight chapters: Was the British Empire driven primarily by greed and the lust to dominate? Should we speak of ‘colonialism and slavery’ in the same breath, as if they were identical? Was the Empire essentially racist? How far was it based on the theft of land? Did it involve genocide? Was it driven fundamentally by the motive of economic exploitation? Was undemocratic colonial government necessarily illegitimate? and, was the Empire essentially violent, and its violence pervasively racist and terroristic?
Biggar makes clear that, like any other long-standing state, the British Empire involved elements of injustice, sometimes appalling. On occasions it was culpably incompetent and presided over moments of dreadful tragedy.
Roger Partridge on Different Matters and his report on 'Reining in the Supreme Court'
Roger Partridge is chairman and a co-founder of The New Zealand Initiative and is a senior member of its research team. He led law firm Bell Gully as executive chairman from 2007 to 2014, after 16 years as a commercial litigation partner.
Roger recently published a report titled, Who Makes the Law? Reining in the Supreme Court, in which he warns of a looming constitutional crisis in New Zealand, as the Supreme Court increasingly oversteps its bounds, threatening the balance of power between the courts and Parliament.
Martin van Beynen on Different Matters, and the Bain Family Murders
Martin van Beynen was born in Christchurch, and lived in West Auckland from the age of 11, where he attended St Peter's College. He later graduated from University of Auckland where he studied law and wrote for Craccum.
He also completed a Diploma in Journalism at the University of Canterbury in 1989, and began working with the Otago Daily Times in Dunedin and joined The Press in Christchurch in 1991. After several roles, he was appointed senior writer in 2004 and was a leading columnist on The Press for 17 years until 2021.
In 2020 Van Beynen published Black Hands, a gripping account of New Zealand's most controversial criminal case.
Join me, Damien Grant, as I interview Martin Van Beynen about Black Hands, the victims, and whether David Bain was infact guilty.
Deborah Hart on Different Matters, and her mother, Inge Woolf
The book Resilience, written by the late Inge Woolf, covers her remarkable life story. Born in Vienna before the war, her story tells of fleeing from Nazi oppression and genocide, establishing a tenuous life in England, her arrival in New Zealand, marriage, tragedy and children.
Join me Damien Grant, as I talk to lawyer, director, adviser, independent reviewer, chief executive, advocate, community volunteer and daughter of Inge Woolf, Deborah Hart.
Dr Oliver Hartwich on Different Matters
Dr Oliver Hartwich is the Executive Director of the NZ Initiative; New Zealand’s premier free-market think tank.
Before joining the Initiative, he was a Research Fellow at the Centre for Independent Studies in Sydney, the Chief Economist at Policy Exchange in London, and an advisor in the UK House of Lords. Oliver holds a Master’s degree in Economics and Business administration and a PhD in Law from Bochum University in Germany.
Join myself, Damien Grant, and Dr Hartwich as we discuss the book Autocracy, Inc, and Twilight of Democracy, both written by Anne Applebaum.
Dr Eric Crampton on Different Matters
Dr Eric Crampton is the chief economist at The New Zealand Initiative, New Zealand's leading private think-tank. He previously served for over a decade as lecturer and senior lecturer in economics at the University of Canterbury.
In this second interview with Dr Eric Crampton we discuss Paul H. Ruben's book, Darwinian Politics: The Evolutionary Origin of Freedom.
Join me and Dr Eric Crampton as we discuss the environment of evolutionary adaptiveness (EEA), the origin of preferences, inheritibility and more.
Marilyn Waring on Different Matters
Marilyn Waring is a New Zealand feminist, former politician, author of multiple books, academic, and activist for female human rights and environmental issues.
She is best known for her 1988 book If Women Counted, and she obtained a D.Phil in political economy in 1989. Through her research and writing she is known as the principal founder of the discipline of feminist economics.
Join me, Damien Grant as I interviews Marilyn Waring about her career in politics, her relationship with her father, attending Bob Marley's funeral in Jamaica, and femisim.
Toby Young on Different Matters - Free speech and redemption from cancel culture
Toby Young is a British social commentator and the founder and director of the Free Speech Union in the United Kingdom, an associate editor of The Spectator, and a former associate editor at Quillette.
Toby recently visited New Zealand on invitation from the NZ Free Speech Union. In this Episode we talk about his book, How to lose friends and alienate people, his magnificently chaotic years in Manhattan, working for Vanity Fair, his redemption, his marriage, his brief period of abstinence from alcohol. We also briefly talk about the problems facing the United Kingdom before the upcoming elections.
Professor Paul Moon on Different Matters -
Ans Westra's Life
Evan Paul Moon is a New Zealand historian, a professor and author of New Zealand history and biography.
Moon is widely recognised for his study of the Treaty of Waitangi, and has published two books on the topic. More recently he published Ans Westra: A Life in Photography, the story of the photographer Ans Westra, who died in 2023.
Join me, Damien Grant as he interviews Dr Paul Moon, about the life, success and family of Ans. We also discuss what I got from the book. Something Dr Moon perhaps did not intend.
Jonathan Rauch on Different Matters
Jonathan Rauch is an American journalist, philosopher and author of eight books and many articles on public policy, culture, and government.
He has also written on topics as widely varied as adultery, agriculture, economics, gay marriage, height discrimination, biological rhythms, number inflation, and animal rights.
Join Damien Grant as he interviews Jonathan Rauch, who is currently in New Zealand on behalf of the Free Speech Union. The discussion starts with Plato, later progresses to Cancel Culture and even takes a turn to Donald Trump.
Christopher Finlayson on Different Matters
The Honourable Christopher Francis Finlayson is a New Zealand lawyer and former Member of Parliament, representing the National Party.
He practiced law in Wellington as a solicitor before going to the Bar in 2002. He was elected to Parliament in 2005 and became Attorney-General and Minister for Treaty of Waitangi Negotiations in 2008.
During his Ministerial career he also held a number of other portfolios. He was chair of the Privileges Committee of Parliament from 2011-2017.
Together with James Christmas, Christopher authored He Kupu Taurangi: Treaty Settlements and the Future of Aotearoa New Zealand.
Join Damien Grant as he interviews Christopher Finlayson about He Kupu Taurangi, the treaty settlement process and his views of the law in these matters.
Steve Braunias on Different Matters
Steven Braunias is a New Zealand author, columnist, journalist and editor. He is the author of 13 books.
In his book, Missing Persons, which was winner of the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Non-Fiction, Braunias tells Twelve extraordinary tales of disappearance including former journalist Murray Mason, found dead in the Auckland Domain; the mysterious death of Socksay Chansy, found dead in a graveyard by the sea; the tragic disappearance of backpacker Grace Millane; the enduring mystery of the Lundy family murders.
Join Damien Grant as he interviews Steven about his book, delve into more details of the missing persons cases and and shed some light on the inclusion of Kim Dotcom and Colin Craig.
Professor Alex Calder on Different Matters
Alex Calder is a professor at the Faculty of Arts, English and Drama, New Zealand of Auckland University. He also edited the book, Gallipoli to the Somme, written by Alexander Aitken.
Aitken began to write about his experiences in 1917 as a wounded out-patient in Dunedin Hospital. Every few years, when the war trauma caught up with him, he revisited the manuscript, which was eventually published as Gallipoli to the Somme in 1963.
Join Damien Grant as he interviews professor Alex Calder about the life and times of Alexander Aitken, the book, Gallipoli to the Somme, and why he put his time into reviving it.
Graham Linehan on Different Matters
Graham Linehan is an Irish comedy writer and anti-transgender activist. He created or co-created the sitcoms Father Ted (1995–1998), Black Books (2000–2004) and The IT Crowd (2006–2013), and he has written for shows including Count Arthur Strong, Brass Eye and The Fast Show.
Early in his career, he partnered with the writer Arthur Mathews. Linehan has won five BAFTA awards, including Best Writer, Comedy, for The IT Crowd in 2014.
Tune in as controversial writer and podcast host, Damien Grant, interviews Graham to discuss his early career, as well as his more recent emersion in the trans-gender debate.
Associate Professor James Hollings on Different Matters
- The Crew Murders
James Hollings is Programme Leader, Journalism, for Massey Niversity. He has worked in senior roles in news organisations, including as production editor and as a senior correspondent in health, agriculture, industry and the arts. His doctoral dissertation was on the decision-making processes of reluctant witnesses.
James Hollings, together with Kirsty Johnston, recently published The Crewe Murders
Inside New Zealand’s most infamous cold case.
The murder of Harvey and Jeannette Crewe in their Pukekawa farmhouse in 1970 remains New Zealand’s most infamous cold case. It spawned two trials, two appeals, several books, a film, and eventually a royal commission finding of police corruption.
Dr Eric Crampton on Different Matters
Dr Eric Crampton is the Chief Economist at The New Zealand Initiative and previously served for over a decade as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer in Economics at the University of Canterbury.
In this episode Eric and Damien discuss the book, How the Dismal Science Got Its Name, by David M. Levy.
Philip Matthews on Different Matters
Philip Matthews is a senior journalist, reviewer and editorial writer whose work has appeared in the NZ Listener, Metro, Sunday Star-Times, Landfall, The Press, The Wire, The Spinoff and a host of other publications during his 25 years in the business.
For more than 10 years he was an award-winning film reviewer for the NZ Listener, with two stints as the magazine’s arts and books editor.
Damien interviewed Philip Mattews about his book, The Quiet Hero: Andrew Bagshaw.
Genetic scientist Andrew Bagshaw put his life on hold to help the people of Ukraine. His selfless actions would save some 500 lives, but cost him his life.
Joe Bennett on Different Matter
Joe Bennett is one of New Zealands most highly decorated columnists and has won the New Zealand Colomnist Award of the Year multiple times. Born in England, Joe Bennett has lived in New Zealand since 1987.
His novel, King Rich, is set in the ruins of Christchurch after the 2011 quakes, and spent five weeks at #1 on the NZ Fiction Best Seller list. His memoir From There to Here was published by Harper Collins in May 2023.
New Episodes to follow
Different Matters took off with a bang in 2023 and delivered 16 Episodes from August to December.
Different Matters currently features in the top 25% of Buzzsprout podcasts and have listeners from 40 different countries.
Ample new interviews are lined up for Season 2 of Different Matters with Damien Grant. Check back soon for all new episodes.
