Microphilosophy

In 2021 I facilitated a lengthy discussion between two philosophers who take different views on the best way to advance trans rights about why the debate is such a fraught one, Catarina Dutilh Novaes and Mary Leng. I will shortly be releasing the interview as a three-part podcast. Here is an exclusive preview of the almost final edit of part one.

In many ways medieval Islamic philosophy and the works of Friedrich Neitzsche couldn’t be more different. But as we see in this podcast, both provide interesting, rich challenges to modern western egalitarian ideals. Guests are Carlos Fraenkel (McGill University) and Mathias Risse (Harvard Kennedy School of Government). Produced in association with the Berggruen Institute’s Philosophy and Culture Centre.

Harmony is as core a value in classical Chinese thought as Freedom is in the modern west and it is often thought that the two conflict, with major political implications. However, the three broadly Confucian scholars in this episode deny there is a fundamental conflict between freedom and harmony. They are Chenyang Li, Anna Sun and David B. Wong. Produced in association with the Berggruen Institute’s Philosophy and Culture Centre.

Rethinking hierarchy through the lenses of history, economics, feminism, daoism, mathematics and artificial intelligence with Jiang Qian, Robin R. Wang and Taisu Zhang. Produced in association with the Berggruen Philosophy and Culture Centre.

This is the second podcast in a series examining the theme of the relationship and tensions between hierarchy and equality. This episode looks at Confucian perspectives on the issues. Produced in association with the Berggruen Philosophy and Culture Centre.

This is the second podcast in a series examining the theme of the relationship and tensions between harmony and freedom. This episode approaches this issue from the intimate to the global. My guests are Philip Pettit, L.S. Rockefeller University Professor of Politics and Human Values at Princeton University; Sigridur Thorgeirsdottir, professor of philosophy at the University of Iceland; and Leif Wenar, Chair of Philosophy and Law at King's College London. Produced in association with the Berggruen Philosophy and Culture Centre.

Are freedom and harmony political goals that complement or compete with each other? Joining me are Rajeev Bhargava, Director of the Institute of Indian Thought at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies; Anton Koch, professor of philosophy at the University of Heidelberg; and Thaddeus Metz, Distinguished Professor at the University of Johannesburg. Produced in association with the Berggruen Philosophy and Culture Centre.

In a culture that values equality, what is the role and function of hierarchy in America today? With Kwame Anthony Appiah,[...]

The last of three podcasts on conceptions of self, East and West, asks whether the West suffers from "too much self". With Rebecca Goldstein, Peter Herschock, Pico Iyer, Jay Ogilvy and David Wong. Produced in association with the Berggruen Institute's Philosophy and Culture Centre.

The second of three podcasts on conceptions of self, East and West, looks at the idea of the relational self. With Roger Ames, Daniel Bell and Jin Lee. Produced in association with the Berggruen Institute's Philosophy and Culture Centre.

The first of three podcasts on conceptions of self, East and West, looks at how the self needs to be cultivated.

In the latest microphilosophy podcast I talk to the author of The Virtues of Our Vices Emrys Westacott about how the moral importance of everyday actions and the rightness of wrongness. The discussion was recorded live at Foyles bookshop in association with the Bristol Festival of Ideas.

In the latest microphilosophy podcast I talk to the author of The Atheist's Guide to Reality, philosopher of Science Alex Rosenberg, about what science has to tell us about how we should live. We're also joined by Samir Okasha, author of Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction. The discussion was recorded live at Foyles bookshop in association with the Bristol Festival of Ideas.

To coincide with the publication of The Shrink and The Sage, Julian Baggini and Antonia Macaro, authors of the book and the FT Weekend Magazine column of the same name, talk to philosopher John Sellars about the relationship between ancient Stoic philosophy and modern psychotherapy.

In the latest microphilosophy podcast I talk to Richard Lloyd Parry, author of People Who Eat Darkness, and Tobias Jones, author of Blood on the Altar about how the experience of writing about true, gruesome crimes has affected their understanding of evil and human nature.

In the latest microphilosophy podcast I talk to Mary Warnock about her latest book, Dishonest to God: On Keeping Religion out of Politics. The interview was recorded live at the Arnolfini Centre as part of the Bristol Festival of Ideas.

In his book, In Defence of Dogs, John Bradshaw provides a fascinating insight into the inner life of dogs, raising issues of consciousness and animal ethics.

As homo sapiens develops more and more technologies for changing itself, what will, and should, the humans of the future look like? (Photo: (CC) Nat Ireland)

Do we suffer from a lust for certainty? This is an edited version of a talk given to a Sea of Faith Network conference in London earlier this year.

In this programme I talk to John Gray about some of the ideas that emerge from his latest book, The[...]