philosophy bites

Melissa Lane on Plato and Sustainability

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 to Melissa Lane on Plato and Sustainability

Listen to an earlier Philosophy Bites interview with Melissa Lane on Rousseau and Modern Society

Listen to an earlier Philosophy Bites interview with Melissa Lane on Plato and Totalitarianism

Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy.

Sean Kelly on Homer on Philosophy

Is Homer, the great poet of antiquity, relevant to philosophy? If so how? Sean Dorrance Kelly (co-author with Hubert Dreyfus of All Things Shining) addresses these questions in conversation with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast series. 

Listen to Sean Dorrance Kelly on Homer on Philosophy

Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy

 

Paul Boghossian on Moral Relativism

Is moral relativism a tenable position? Does it matter? Paul Boghossian argues that it isn't and that it does matter in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast.

Listen to Paul Boghossian on Moral Relativism

Read an article 'The Maze of Moral Relativism' by Paul Boghossian from the New York Times. Read Stanely Fish's response. Read Paul Boghossian's response to Fish 'Does Philosophy Matter - It Would Appear So'.

Philosophy Bites is made in association with The Institute of Philosophy

Jonathan Glover on Systems of Belief

Beliefs are important. Wars are fought over them. How can and should we deal with conflicting belief systems? Jonathan Glover discusses this question with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. 

Listen to Jonthan Glover on Systems of Belief

Listen to an earlier Philosophy Bites interview with Jonathan Glover on Personality Disorder

Philosophy Bites is made in association with The Institue of Philosophy

Philip Pettit on Consequentialism

Is consequentialism in ethics a form of moral opportunism? Is torture always wrong? What about punishing the innocent? Philip Pettit, who recently gave the 2011 Uehiro Lectures on 'Robustly Demanding Values', discusses some common criticisms of consequentialism in conversation with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast

Listen to Philip Pettit on Consequentialism

Listen to an earlier Philosophy Bites interview with Philip Pettit on Group Agency

Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy

Luc Bovens on Catholicism and HIV

Luc Bovens of the London School of Economics, maintains that the Catholic church should permit condom use for discordant heterosexual couples (those where one partner has HIV and the other doesn't) on grounds of consistency with other doctrines, such as that of Double Effect.

Listen to Luc Bovens on Catholicism and HIV

Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy

Peter Singer on Henry Sidgwick's Ethics

In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Peter Singer explains why the Victorian philosopher Henry Sidgwick, who died in 1900, is so important to the utilitarian tradition.

Listen to Peter Singer on Henry Sidgwick's Ethics

Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy

 

Victor Tadros on Punishment

Why should people be punished for their crimes? Is it bad that those punished suffer? Victor Tadros explores these questions in discussion with Nigel Warburton in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. 

Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy

Listen to Victor Tadros on Punishment

John Mikhail on Universal Moral Grammar

Do children have an innate pre-disposition to make certain sorts of moral judgement? Is there such a think as a universal moral grammar? John Mikhail of Georgetown University suspects that there is an innate basis to our morality analogous to Noam Chomsky's Language Acquisition Device. He explains why in conversation with David Edmonds.

Philosophy Bites is made in association with the Institute of Philosophy

Listen to John Mikhail on Universal Moral Grammar

Bio-Ethics Bites series launched

A new 10-part podcast series, Bio-Ethics Bites, funded by the Wellcome Institute and made in association with the Oxford University Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics has just launched, made by the Philosophy Bites team Daivd Edmonds and Nigel Warburton. Interviews with Jeff McMahan and Julian Savulescu are already available, with Peter Singer, Nick Bostrom,  Onora O'Neill and others in the pipeline. Episodes will be released monthly.

Find out more about Bio-Ethics Bites

Listen to Jeff McMahan on Moral Status

Listen to Julian Savulescu on Designer Babies