Adina Roskies on Neuroscience and Free Will

Sun, 20 May 2012 13:16:08 +0100

Recent research in neuroscience following on from the pioneering work of Benjamin Libet seems to point to the disconcerting conclusion that free will is an illusion. Adina Roskies of Dartmouth College is not convinced that this conclusion follows. In this...

Nick Bostrom on the Status Quo Bias

Mon, 14 May 2012 08:35:31 +0100

Do we want things to remain the same, and does that stop us making rational judgements in the area of cognitive enhancement? Nick Bostrom discusses these questions with Nigel Warburton. This episode was made as part of Bioethics Bites in...

Galen Strawson on Panpsychism

Sat, 05 May 2012 12:58:48 +0100

Is there something that it is like to be an electron? That sounds implausible. Yet Galen Strawson believes this is the best explanation of how things are. Find out why. Listen to Galen Strawson on Panpsychism Listen to an earlier...

Peter Singer on Life and Death Decision-Making

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 09:08:29 +0100

How should doctors, patients and families make end of life decisions? In this episode, originally recorded as part of Bioethics Bites, Peter Singer addresses this question from a utilitarian perspective, stressing the importance individual autonomy. Bioethics Bites is made in...

Philip Pettit on Republicanism

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 10:05:09 +0100

What is republicanism? Philip Pettit discusses this important political tradition in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast, emphasizing the centrality of a principle of non-domination. Listen to Philip Pettit on Republicanism Listen to an earlier Philosophy Bites interview: Philip...

Jeff McMahan on Moral Status

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 17:59:08 +0100

Many questions in practical ethics turn on questions of moral status. In this bonus episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast (originally released on Bioethics Bites), Jeff McMahan explores the issues surrounding the moral status of foetuses, those in persistent vegetative...

Adrian Moore on Philosophy and Its History

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 11:05:43 +0100

Why isn't studying the history of philosophy like a visit to a museum of outmoded ideas? The history of early science doesn't usually inform contemporary science? Why is philosophy so different in this respect? Adrian Moore, author of a new...

Julian Savulescu on Designer Babies

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:03:22 +0100

Should we select advantageous genes and deselect disadvantageous ones when having children? Julian Savulescu believes that we should. Find out why in this bonus episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast (originally released on Bioethics Bites and made in association with...

Neil Levy on Moral Responsibility and Consciousness

Fri, 23 Mar 2012 21:39:35 +0000

Does recent neuroscience undermine the idea that we can reasonably be held morally responsible for our actions? Neil Levy discusses the relationship between responsibility and consciousness in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Listen to Neil Levy on Moral...

Philosophy Bites - Links to the First 176 Episodes

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 22:19:14 +0000

1. Simon Blackburn on Plato's Cave 2. Mary Warnock on Philosophy in Public Life 3. Stephen Law on The Problem of Evil 4. John Cottingham on The Meaning of Life 5. Miranda Fricker on Epistemic Injustice 6. Barry Smith on...

Ronald Dworkin on the Unity of Value

Fri, 09 Mar 2012 21:07:09 +0000

Are values such as liberty and equality ultimately compatible? Ronald Dworkin believes they are. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast he explains why he thinks that philosophers such as Isaiah Berlin were wrong to opt for pluralism. There...

Guy Longworth on J.L. Austin and Ordinary Language

Sat, 25 Feb 2012 19:04:14 +0000

J.L. Austin believed that we could make philosopical progress through precise scrutiny of ordinary language: the words we use, the contexts in which we utter them, and what actions we perform in the process. In this episode of the Philosophy...

Philip Schofield on Jeremy Bentham's Utilitarianism

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 12:51:51 +0000

Jeremy Bentham was one of the earliest Utilitarians as well as a dynamic law reformer. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Philip Schofield, head of the Bentham Project, discusses Bentham's contribution to moral theory. Philosophy Bites is made...

Nicola Lacey on Criminal Responsibility

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:05:48 +0000

What is criminal responsibility? How does the criminal law relate to morality? Is criminal responsibility a timeless concept, or is it tied to historical circumstances, part of a social practice? Nicola Lacey addresses these questions in this episode of the...

Alain de Botton on Atheism 2.0

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 16:21:49 +0000

Is religion ridiculous? Many atheists think that it is. Alain de Botton is an atheist, but he believes there is much that atheists can learn from religion. Listen to Alain de Botton Atheism 2.0 Philosophy Bites is made in association...

Kit Fine on What is Metaphysics?

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 22:30:12 +0000

Metaphysics is the philosophical study of reality. But what does that mean? Philosopher Kit Fine explains what metaphysics is and what it can tell us in conversation with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Listen to...

Michael Dummett (1925 - 2011)

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 00:00:26 +0000

Michael Dummett, whom we interviewed for Philosophy Bites in 2010, died yesterday. Read Adrian Moore's obituary of Michael Dummett Listen to Michael Dummet on Frege (and on meeting Wittgenstein)

Brian Leiter on the Analytic/Continental Distinction

Sun, 18 Dec 2011 13:45:12 +0000

Many philosophers self-identify as 'analytic' or 'continental' philosophers. But does this sort of label make sense? Brian Leiter, who, amongst other things, is an expert on Nietzsche, is sceptical of the value of the terms as typically used. In this...

Philosophy Bites: Links to the First 168 Interviews

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:27:35 +0000

1. Simon Blackburn on Plato's Cave 2. Mary Warnock on Philosophy in Public Life 3. Stephen Law on The Problem of Evil 4. John Cottingham on The Meaning of Life 5. Miranda Fricker on Epistemic Injustice 6. Barry Smith on...

Melissa Lane on Plato and Sustainability

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 15:58:38 +0000

What can the ancients teach us about sustainability? According to Melissa Lane of Princeton University, author of Eco-Republic, quite a lot. She discusses the relevance of Plato to modern environmental problems in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Listen...