Philosophy Bites

top philosophers interviewed on bite-sized topics

Richard Bourke on Hegel's Philosophy of History 12/02/2024

Richard Bourke on Hegel's Philosophy of History Hegel is a notoriously difficult philosopher to understand. Here Richard Bourke gives a clear route through his key ideas about history and how it unfolds in conversation with Nigel Warburton. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/34232360

Jonathan Birch on the Edge of Sentience 10/21/2024

Jonathan Birch on the Edge of Sentience Recent zoological research has shown us that a wide range of animals are likely to have sentience. We don't know for sure. There is sufficient evidence to think that it is likely that, for example, lobsters can feel pain. What should we do in the light of this? Jonathan Birch of the LSE, author of The Edge of Sentience, discusses this important question with Nigel Warburton. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/33549137

Cheryl Misak on Frank Ramsey's Life and Thought 09/24/2024

Cheryl Misak on Frank Ramsey's Life and Thought The Cambridge philosopher Frank Ramsey died aged 26, but in a short brilliant life he made significant contributions to philosphy and economics. Here in the Bio Bites strand of Philosophy Bites David Edmonds discusses Ramsey's life and thought with his biographer Cheryl Misak. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/33184682

Elizabeth Harman on Moral Heroes 08/04/2024

Elizabeth Harman on Moral Heroes Moral heroes are usually thought of as people who go beyond what is obligatory. Elizabeth Harman discusses whether sometimes we ought to act as moral heroes. She is in conversation with David Edmonds for this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/32428517

Walter Sinnott Armstrong on AI and Morality 06/14/2024

Walter Sinnott Armstrong on AI and Morality Can AI help us make difficult moral decisions? Walter Sinnott Armstrong explores this idea in conversation with David Edmonds in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/31745212

David Edmonds on the Life and Philosophy of Derek Parfit 04/10/2024

David Edmonds on the Life and Philosophy of Derek Parfit David Edmonds discusses the life and work of Derek Parfit who died in 2017 in this episode of the Bio Bites strand of Philosophy. David is the author of a recent biography of Parfit. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/30767508

Yascha Mounk on the Identity Trap 04/10/2024

Yascha Mounk on the Identity Trap Yascha Mounk discusses some of the ways in which focussing on gender, racial, and sexual identities can distort political argument and be counterproductive for oppressed minorities. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/30767378

Mark Rowe on J.L.Austin 03/14/2024

Mark Rowe on J.L.Austin J.L.Austin was the best known exponent of what came to be known as Ordinary Language Philosophy. He was also a war hero. In this episode of the Bio Bites strand of the Philosophy Bites podcast David Edmonds discusses Austin's life and work with his biographer Mark Rowe. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/30370693

James Klagge on Wittgenstein 02/19/2024

James Klagge on Wittgenstein In this episode James Klagge discusses the life and times of Ludwig Wittgenstein with David Edmonds. This is part of our mini series on the biographies of philosophers, Bio Bites. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/30013613

David Chalmers on Technophiloosphy and the Extended Mind 01/22/2024

David Chalmers on Technophiloosphy and the Extended Mind /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/29589153

Agnes Callard on Sex 11/27/2023

Agnes Callard on Sex What happens when people have sexual desires for one another? from the University of Chicago discusses sex, eroticism, and much more in conversation with Nigel Warburton. Not surprisingly, this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast involves mention of sex. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/28808223

Michael Lamb on Augustine on Hope 10/16/2023

Michael Lamb on Augustine on Hope Augustine is usually described as a pessimist with a bleak view of human evil and corruption. Michael Lamb thinks that is a simplistic reading. Augustine has interesting things to say about hope as a virtue. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/28332881

Seth Lazar on Political Philosophy in the Age of AI 09/27/2023

Seth Lazar on Political Philosophy in the Age of AI AI has changed our lives already and looks set to have a huge impact. How should we adapt our thinking about political philosophy in the light of this? The philosopher Seth Lazar explores this question in conversation with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/28158818

Hannah Dawson on Mary Wollstonecraft 09/27/2023

Hannah Dawson on Mary Wollstonecraft In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Nigel Warburton interviews Hannah Dawson (editor of The Penguin Book of Feminist Writing) on Mary Wollstonecraft and her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792). /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/28156694

Scott Hershovitz on Law and Morality 08/16/2023

Scott Hershovitz on Law and Morality What is the relationship between law and morality? How do they differ? Scott Hershovitz discusses these questions with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/27768402

Carissa Veliz on Digital Ethics 06/20/2023

Carissa Veliz on Digital Ethics Digital ethics is a new field. But what is it, what is its scope? In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast , author of Privacy is Power and editor of The Oxford Handbook of Digital Ethics, discusses these topics with Nigel Warburton. Philosophy Bites is brought to you by the team of David Edmonds and Nigel Warburton. We've been running since 2007. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/27204690

Theron Pummer on the Rules of Rescue 05/08/2023

Theron Pummer on the Rules of Rescue You might not have an obligation to risk your life saving other people, but if you do, you should go for saving the greatest number. That's more or less what Theon Pummer believes. Listen to him discussing the morality of rescue with David Edmonds in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/26773062

William MacAskill on Longtermism 03/09/2023

William MacAskill on Longtermism In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast David Edmonds interviews Will MacAskill on the controversial idea that we ought to give the interests of future people substantial weight when deciding what we ought to do now. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/26176011

Kieran Setiya on Loneliness 03/09/2023

Kieran Setiya on Loneliness What is loneliness and why is it harmful? How does it differ from just being on your own? In the latest episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast, Kieran Setiya discusses this important topic with Nigel Warburton. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/26175987

Edith Hall on Aristotle's Way 11/27/2022

Edith Hall on Aristotle's Way How should we live? This is the basic question for all of us. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Edith Hall, author of the book Aristotle's Way, gives a sympathetic answer to Aristotle's take on this question. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/25139412

L.A. Paul on Transformative Experience 10/08/2022

L.A. Paul on Transformative Experience We have all had transformative experiences. But do they have philosophical relevance? Laurie Paul believes they do. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast she discusses this fascinating topic with Nigel Warburton. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/24627348

Josiah Ober on the Civic Bargain 09/08/2022

Josiah Ober on the Civic Bargain How do you solve the question of collective self-government by citizens? discusses a fundamental problem of democratic societies: how we come to agree on courses of action when we commit to living within a democracy. His argument is that we need to become civic friends, a concept he explains in the conversation. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/24311931

Skye Cleary on Authenticity 08/01/2022

Skye Cleary on Authenticity Skye Cleary approaches questions of human authenticity throught he lens of French Existentialism, and particularly through Simone de Beauvoir's thought. She is in conversation with Nigel Warburton. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/23919498

Peter Railton on AI and Ethics 07/01/2022

Peter Railton on AI and Ethics Developments in AI are coming very quickly. But it's not easy to work out how to deal with the ethical questions that AI generates. Peter Railton discusses AI and Ethics with Nigel Warburton for this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/23602496

Clare Chambers on the Unmodified Body 06/20/2022

Clare Chambers on the Unmodified Body We all make some modifications to our bodies. But often this is in response to social pressures. So is there something to say for the largely unmodified body? thinks so. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast she spells out why. The interviewer is David Edmonds. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/23488886

Peter Singer on Consequentialism 05/19/2022

Peter Singer on Consequentialism Peter Singer is probably the most famous living philosopher. He recently won the million-dollar Berggruen Prize and promptly gave all that money to charity. His positions on this, on animals, poverty, altruism, and much else besides are underpinned by his consequentialism. Here, in conversation with Nigel Warburton he explains his consequentialism and its implications. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/23171588

Cecile Fabre on the Ethics of Spying 04/20/2022

Cecile Fabre on the Ethics of Spying Spying raises many ethical issues, but these are rarely discussed - at least by philosophers. Cécile Fabre, author of a recent book on the topic, Spying Through a Glass Darkly, discusses some of these issues with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. This episode is sponsored by The New European newspaper. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/22858469

Ro Khanna on Digital Dignity 03/18/2022

Ro Khanna on Digital Dignity In this digital age, how can we organise society and the public sphere in ways that will preserve the sense of individual dignity? Ro Khanna, Congressman for Silicon Valley, and author of Dignity in a Digital Age, discusses this important topic with Nigel Warburton. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/22489811

Benjamin Lipscomb on 4 Women Philosophers 01/22/2022

Benjamin Lipscomb on 4 Women Philosophers In Oxford during the Second World War four women philosophers came to prominence. Elizabeth Anscombe, Philippa Foot, Iris Murdoch, and Mary Midgley were friends and met to discuss their ideas, particulary about ethics. Benjamin Lipscomb, author of a recent book about them, The Women Are Up To Something, speaks to David Edmonds in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/21858905

Paul Bloom on Psychological Hedonism, 12/19/2021

Paul Bloom on Psychological Hedonism, Do we seek pleasure and avoid pain? The moral psychologist Paul Bloom believes psychological hedonism gives an inaccurate picture of what motivates us. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast he discusses pain and pleasure with Nigel Warburton. /episode/index/show/philosophybites/id/21537110

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