Philosophy Bites

Lani Watson on the Power of Questions

What is a question? It seems obvious, but perhaps it isn't. Lani Watson has just published a book on the topic. She thinks that true questions can be identified by their

Peter Singer on Ending Innocent Lives

The utilitarian philosopher Peter Singer has controversial views about when it is acceptable to end a human life. In conversation with David Edmonds he explains his appro

Jing Hu on Songzi on Insults and Shame

The Chinese philosopher Songzi (382 BCE – 305 BCE) maintained that the appropriate response to insults was indifference, not aggression. Jing Hu, a philosopher at Concord

Rebecca Newberger Goldstein on Mattering

We are the kind of creature that cares whether or not we matter and how. What follows from this? Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of Mattering, discuses this with Davi

Monima Chadha on Responsibility Without Selves

Buddhist philosophy rejects the idea of the self. How then can there be any moral responsibility? Monima Chadha, Professor of Indian Philosophy at Oxford University, expl

Carissa Veliz on Prophecy

Predictions aren't quite what they seem to be, according to Carissa Véliz, author of the book Prophecy. They often are intended to persuade you of the inevitability of a

Chike Jeffers on Douglass and Du Bois

Frederick Douglass and W.E.B Du Bois were two prominent African-Americans who made a significant impact on the civil rights movement in the US. Douglass is particularly a

Alexander Guerrero on Lottocracy

Democracy isn't working so well, so why not use a lottery system to choose representatives instead? Alexander Guerrero discusses his version of this old idea in this epis

Tarun Khaitan on Decolonising Institutions

Narendra Modi has spoken of "decolonising" India including its post-colonial constitution Are philosophical criticisms of this constitution well-founded? Tarun Khaitan of

Janet Radcliffe Richards on What is Philosophy?

Philosophers argue endlessly about what philosophy is. Janet Radcliffe Richards suggests that a simple way to approach this question is to examine what we think about inc

Chike Jeffers on Africana Philosophy

David Edmonds talks to Chike Jeffers of Dalhousie University about Africana Philosophy. This episode was supported by the Ideas Workshop, part of the Open Society Found

Angie Hobbs on Plato on Power

Samuel Scheffler on Grief and Time

Grief is affected by the passage of time in a way that some attitudes and emotions aren't. Samuel Scheffler explores why this might be so in this episode of the Philosoph

Edouard Machery on Variations in Responses to Thought Experiments

Philosophers who use thought experiments often believe their own intutions in response to them are unviersal. But that's not always so. In this episode of the Philosophy

Lewis Gordon on Frantz Fanon

Frantz Fanon, who was born in Martinique, died aged 36. He nevertheless made very significant contributions to the discussion of racism and colonialism, influenced strong

David Edmonds on Peter Singer's Shallow Pond Thought Experiment

In this interview of the Philosophy Bites podcast Nigel Warburton interviews David Edmonds about Peter Singer's famous thought experient about what you would do if you sa

Carlos Alberto Sánchez on Mexican Philosophy

What is distinctive about Mexican philosophy? How much is it linked to its geopolitical  context? Carlos Alberto Sanchez, author of Blooming in the Ruins, a book about ma

Ellie Robson on Mary Midgley on Animals

Mary Midgley didn't begin publishing until she was 59 years old, but nevertheless made a significant impact and had a distinctive approach. In this episode of Philosophy

Sari Nusseibeh on Philosophy and Conflict

Many people think philosophical discucssion is a luxury in times of conflict, but the Palestinian philosopher Sari Nusseibeh is more optimistic. In this episode of Philos

Robert Talisse on Civic Solitude

Democracy is about acting as a group, but, surprisingly, Robert Talisse argues that what it needs to function well is a degree of solitude for citizens. In-group and out-