Thu, 30 December 2010
Must it be? Do I really have a choice about what I do? I seem to be able to reason about what I will do, but do I have a choice about how I weight the different choices available? And where does luck come in? Paul Russell discusses the thorny question of whether or not we have control over our lives for this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy. |
Fri, 24 December 2010
Why bother studying the Humanities? Surely when resources are limited we should be concentrating on subjects that have clear economic benefits, shouldn't we? Not necessarily. Martha Nussbaum, author of Not For Profit, argues for the continuing importance of Humanities subjects, particularly Philosophy, in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy.
Direct download: Martha_Nussbaum_on_the_Value_of_the_Humanities.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 5:19pm GMT |
Sat, 18 December 2010
When a group of people acts together we can hold that group morally and legally responsible. But how does the group decide to act? Is a decision of the group simply the majoritarian sum of individual group members' views? Princeton philosopher Philip Pettit, who has written a book about this topic with Christian List of the LSE, discusses these issues with Nigel Warburton for the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy. |
Sun, 5 December 2010
What is a law of nature? Is it merely a generalisation about how things behave? Or does it have a different status? Helen Beebee investigates these questions in conversation with Nigel Warburton for this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy. |
Sat, 20 November 2010
Adam Smith, the great thinker of the Scottish Enlightenment, is best known as an economist. But much of his work was philosophical, and even his economic thinking is probably best understood as part of a larger project of attempting a science of humanity. Nick Phillipson, author of an acclaimed biography of Adam Smith, discusses Smith's philosophical agenda in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy. |
Sun, 14 November 2010
What is Philosophy? We asked some of our contributors this question for this bonus episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy. |
Sun, 7 November 2010
What is moral responsibility? Are there ever grounds for saying that we have diminished responsibility? Gideon Rosen addresses these questions in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy |
Mon, 25 October 2010
Does inequality really matter? Or should we be more concerned with raising the standards of the least well off than any disparity between those who have and those who have not? Alex Voorhoeve of the London School of Economics discusses these questions with David Edmonds in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy. |
Thu, 7 October 2010
Gottlob Frege was one of the founders of the movement known as analytic philosophy. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Michael Dummett explains why his ideas about how language relates to the world have been so important. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy. |
Sat, 25 September 2010
Since John Locke declared the child's mind a blank slate, philosophers have long debated the degree to which language-learning is innate. Are there are universal grammatical features that all languages share? Daniel Everett, who has spent many years among the Piraha, an Amazonian people who have a highly unusual language, believes that some of Noam Chomsky's claims about language acquisition are mistaken. Listen to him discussing the nature of language with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in association with The Institute of Philosophy
Direct download: Daniel_Everett_on_the_Nature_of_Language.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 8:18pm GMT |
Sat, 11 September 2010
What is a portrait? What can it reveal? Cynthia Freeland explores the nature of portraits in this interview with Nigel Warburton for the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy. A book, Philosophy Bites, based on 25 interviews, is now available from Oxford University Press. |
Sat, 28 August 2010
Many people think that the idea of experiments in philosophy is a contradiction. Joshua Knobe disagrees. He is at the forefront of a new movement known as Experimental Philosophy. David Edmonds interviews him in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy. There is now a Philosophy Bites book published by Oxford University Press - further details are available on www.philosophybites.com
Direct download: Joshua_Knobe_on_Experimental_Philosophy.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 10:23pm GMT |
Sun, 15 August 2010
If you saw a child drowning in a shallow pond would you save that child? If you would, why don't you give the small amount of money necessary to save a child from starvation or disease in parts of Africa? Peter Singer argues that the differences between the two cases are not as great as they first appear in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy - http://www.philosophy.sas.ac.uk
Direct download: Peter_Singer_on_the_Life_You_Can_Save.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 2:03pm GMT |
Mon, 9 August 2010
What is exploitation? Hillel Steiner discusses this question with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in association with The Institute of Philosophy www.philosophy.sas.ac.uk
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Sun, 18 July 2010
We interpret each others' words all the time. How do we do this? What part do intentions play? Does this have any implications for interpreting laws? Stephen Neale discusses these issues in conversation with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in assocation with the Institute of Philosophy - for further information about the Institute see www.philosophy.sas.ac.uk
Direct download: Stephen_Neale_on_Meaning_and_Interpretation.mp3
Category:general -- posted at: 9:00pm GMT |
Sun, 4 July 2010
What gives meaning to a life? Susan Wolf discusses this question with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy. |
Sat, 19 June 2010
Pat Churchland argues that we may need to modify our concepts in the light of recent brain research in this episode of the podcast Philosophy Bites. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy (www.sas.philosophy.ac.uk).
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Fri, 4 June 2010
Why shouldn't you eat meat? Jeff McMahan argues that there are no good reasons not to be a vegetarianism (and many good reasons for being one) in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast.
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Sat, 22 May 2010
In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast David Chalmers discusses the philosophical implications of the artificial intelligence of the future - an imaginable time when machines are more intelligent and more powerful than humans.
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Sat, 8 May 2010
Is it possible to be both utopian and realistic in political philosophy? In his second interview for the Philosophy Bites podcast Raymond Geuss argues that utopianism and realism need not be incompatible.
Direct download: Raymond_Geuss_on_Realism_in_Political_Philosophy.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:02am GMT |
Sun, 25 April 2010
Hegel's philosophy is notoriously difficult to grasp. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Robert Stern gives a lucid account of Hegel's notion of dialectic, the fundamental methodology in his philosophy. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy. |
Sat, 10 April 2010
Ned Block talks to Nigel Warburton about some phenomena of consciousness in the latest episode of the podcast Philosophy Bites. Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy (www.philosophy.sas.ac.uk).
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Sat, 27 March 2010
How should we live now? This is the basic question that Susan Neiman addresses in conversation with Nigel Warburton for this episode of the podcast Philosophy Bites. Her answer draws on Enlightenment thinking. If you enjoy Philosophy Bites, you might also like Ethics Bites which can be found on iTunesU.
Direct download: Susan_Neiman_on_Morality_in_the_21st_Century.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:34am GMT |
Sat, 13 March 2010
Does everyone have a sense of self? What is it? Galen Strawson grapples with these questions in conversation with Nigel Warburton in the latest episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. |
Sun, 28 February 2010
John Rawls' A Theory of Justice is probably the most important work of political philosophy of the 20th Century. In this Philosophy Bites podcast Jonathan Wolff outlines the key features of that book and explores some of its limitations.
Direct download: Jonathan_Wolff_on_John_Rawls_A_Theory_of_Justice.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:58pm GMT |
Mon, 15 February 2010
Jerrold Levinson examines analogies between music an eros in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. |
Sun, 7 February 2010
In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Robert B. Talisse in discussion with Nigel Warburton explains what the philosphical movement of Pragmatism was, and some of the differences between the ideas of its founders Pierce, Dewey and James. |
Sat, 23 January 2010
In this interview for the Philosophy Bites podcast Thomas Pogge, Professor of Philosophy at Yale University, explores the difficult issue of how we can achieve greater justice in the distribution of pharmaceutical products to countries which can't afford to pay the high prices sometimes demanded by manufacturers.
Direct download: Thomas_Pogge_on_Global_Justice_and_Health.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 5:04pm GMT |
Sun, 10 January 2010
Tzvetan Todorov defends Englightenment values as important for us today in this episode of the philosophy podcast Philosophy Bites.
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