Sun, 30 December 2007
What is friendship? Is it a suitable subject for Philosophy? Mark Vernon, author of The Philosophy of Friendship, explores these questions in conversation with Nigel Warburton in this episode of Philosophy Bites.
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Sun, 23 December 2007
Can differences in income be morally justified? Should we expect rich people to give their money to the poor? G.A. Cohen, author of a book with the provocative title If You're An Egalitarian, How Come You're So Rich? addresses these questions in this episode of Philosophy Bites.
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Sun, 16 December 2007
Can I trust my senses? Can I tell that I'm not now dreaming? Some
philosophical sceptics have maintained that we can't know anything for
certain. Barry Stroud discusses the challenge posed by such sceptics in this episode of Philosophy Bites.
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Sun, 9 December 2007
Philosophers often use elaborate thought experiments in their writing. Are these anything more than rhetorical flourishes? Or do they reveal important aspects of the questions under discussion. Julian Baggini, editor of The Philosophers' Magazine and author of a book which surveys some of the most interesting and imaginative thought experiments philosophers have used discusses thought experiments with Nigel Warburton for this episode of Philosophy Bites. David Edmonds introduces the interview.
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Sun, 2 December 2007
What are the passions and what role do they play in human life? These fundamental questions fascinated Baruch de Spinoza who in his book Ethics gave a highly original account of what it is to be human. In this episode of Philosophy Bites, Susan James explains Spinoza's thought in conversation with Nigel Warburton. David Edmonds introduces the discussion.
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Sun, 25 November 2007
Is there a common currency in which we can compare the various ways in which people choose to live? Isaiah Berlin thought not. He argued that fundamental values may be incommensurable. In this episode of Philosophy Bites Henry Hardy in conversation with Nigel Warburton explains what Berlin meant by this. He also reveals in passing that Tony Blair once wrote to Berlin hoping to find an intellectual ally..
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Sun, 18 November 2007
What is happiness? Is it a matter of blissful mental states subjectively experienced, or is it, as Aristotle believed, more about a successful life? In this episode of Philosophy Bites Myles Burnyeat in conversation with Nigel Warburton gives a lucid explanation of how he reads Aristotle on happiness.
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Sun, 11 November 2007
What is philosophy? Does academic philosophy squeeze the life out of some of the most important questions we can ask? Alain de Botton, author of the bestseller The Consolations of Philosophy, discusses his conception of philosophy and the importance of literary style with Nigel Warburton in this episode of Philosophy Bites.
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Sun, 4 November 2007
Plato's Symposium is the most famous philosophical discussion of love, its joys, risks and pleasures. In this episode of Philosophy Bites Angie Hobbs gives a lively account of what Plato thought about erotic love.
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Sun, 28 October 2007
Is there evidence of intelligent design in the Universe? In the Eighteenth Century David Hume presented a series of powerful arguments against the Argument from Design. In this interview for Philosophy Bites Stewart Sutherland outlines these arguments and demonstrates their continuing relevance.
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Sun, 21 October 2007
What do we mean by 'consent' in a medical context? Is it reasonable to ask for informed consent before performing medical procedures? Is consent even the most important issue. Onora O'Neill challenges some widely-held assumptions in this area in this interview for Philosophy Bites.
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Mon, 15 October 2007
What is the state? How do individuals combine to lend legitimate authority to those who act on the state's behalf? These are fundamental questions in political philosophy that Thomas Hobbes addressed in the seventeenth century. In this interview Quentin Skinner gives a fascinating account of Hobbes' ideas about the state.
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Mon, 8 October 2007
Anthony Kenny has recently published a major new four-volume history of philosophy. Nigel Warburton interviews him about this project for this episode of Philosophy Bites.
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Sun, 30 September 2007
What is the mind and how does it relate to our bodies? How can something physical think? These are fundamental questions in the philosophy of mind. Tim Crane addresses these difficult issues in this interview for Philosophy Bites.
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Sun, 23 September 2007
Some people see Philosophy as close to science. In this episode of the podcast Philosophy Bites Jonathan Rée explores the idea that Philosophy is an art.
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Mon, 17 September 2007
What is existentialism? Is it still relevant to us? Sartre believed that we are free to choose what we make of our lives. Was he right? In this interview for Philosophy Bites Mary Warnock gives her views on Jean-Paul Sartre's existentialism.
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Mon, 10 September 2007
In this week's episode of Philosophy Bites Nigel Warburton interviews Peter Adamson about Avicenna (born in 973) whom he describes as the greatest philosopher in the history of Islamic thought. The discussion focusses on Avicenna's argument for God's existence.
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Mon, 3 September 2007
What makes an action a good one? According to consequentialists this question is decided by the action's actual or likely consequences. In this episode of Philosophy Bites the moral philosopher Brad Hooker explains what consequentialism is and defends it against possible criticism.
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Mon, 27 August 2007
Are moral choices simply relative, a matter of culture or taste? Are genuine moral disagreements possible? Should we just tolerate different ways that people choose to live? Nigel Warburton interviews Simon Blackburn on these important questions. In the course of the discussion Blackburn outlines his own quasi-realist position.
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Sun, 19 August 2007
What is disadvantage? How can we identify the most disadvantaged in society and what should we or governments do about it? Jonathan Wolff, co-author of a new book on the topic, outlines his answers to these questions in this interview for Philosophy Bites.
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Mon, 13 August 2007
Philosopher Timothy Williamson explains how we can make sense of such vague concepts as 'heap' or 'red' or 'bald' in the process outlining his own solution to what are usually known as Sorites Paradoxes. Williamson gives a precise account of what 'vagueness' means, how it differs from ambiguity, and why this matters.
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Tue, 7 August 2007
Are all our thoughts simply physical events in our bodies? Can we give a purely physical account of the conscious human mind? David Papineau believes that we can. In this interview for Philosophy Bites he explains what physicalism is, why he believes it to be true, and how it can be defended against a range of criticisms.
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Mon, 30 July 2007
Is belief in the existence of a God or gods the equivalent of believing that there are fairies at the bottom of the garden? Or can it be defended on the basis of reason or evidence? In this interview for Philosophy Bites Anthony Grayling gives a philosophical defence of atheism and explains why he believes it to be a well-grounded and ultimately life-affirming position to hold.
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Tue, 24 July 2007
Infinity is a difficult concept to grasp and one that introduces several paradoxes. In this interview for Philosophy Bites, Adrian Moore, author of an important book on the subject, gives a clear and stimulating introduction to the philosophy of infinity.
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Mon, 16 July 2007
How should we live? John Stuart Mill, one of the great thinkers of the nineteenth century thought that we should maximise happiness. Here Roger Crisp, author of an acclaimed book on Mill, explains Mill's utilitarian ethical theory.
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Tue, 10 July 2007
Edward Craig, editor of the Routledge Encylopedia of Philosophy and author of Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction gives an interesting angle on the nature of philosophy, how it relates to other kinds of thinking, and what makes good philosophy good.
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Tue, 3 July 2007
Should members of a minority group be left to lead their lives as they see fit, even where their values differ from those of the majority? Anne Phillips, author of a recent book on multiculturalism, addresses the difficult question of how people from different cultures can live together without conflict.
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Wed, 27 June 2007
How important is beauty in architecture? Is a concern with beauty mere asetheticism? Alain de Botton, author of The Architecture of Happiness, discusses the nature and value of architectural beauty in this episode of Philosophy Bites.
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Thu, 21 June 2007
Is wine tasting a purely subjective matter? Why should we value the experience of drinking wine? Philosopher Barry Smith, editor of a new book on the philosophy of wine, Questions of Taste, explores these and related issues in this interview.
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Sat, 16 June 2007
Testimonial injustice occurs when others fail to treat you seriously as a source of knowledge. In this interview Miranda Fricker, author of a recent book on the topic, explains this concept which lies at the intersection between epistemology and political philosophy.
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Tue, 12 June 2007
What is the meaning of life? This is a basic question for all of us. There is also the possibility that life has no meaning whatsoever. In this interview John Cottingham explains his vision of the kinds of meaning that we can find in our lives.
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Sat, 9 June 2007
What is evil? Is it consistent with the existence of a benevolent God? In this interview Stephen Law gives an original take on this traditional philosophical problem.
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Sat, 2 June 2007
What can philosophers contribute to public life? Mary Warnock who sits in the House of Lords and has chaired two important commissions discusses how her training in philosophy prepared her for these roles.
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Sat, 2 June 2007
What is the nature of reality? Is the world as it appears, or is there something timeless behind the world of appearances? Simon Blackburn discusses one of the most famous images in Philosophy: Plato's cave.
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