Philosophy Bites
Philosophy Podcasts
David Edmonds (Uehiro Centre, Oxford University) and Nigel Warburton (freelance philosopher/writer) interview top philosophers on a wide range of topics. Two books based on the series have been published by Oxford University Press. We are currently self-funding - donations very welcome via our website http://www.philosophybites.com
Location:
London, United Kingdom
Description:
David Edmonds (Uehiro Centre, Oxford University) and Nigel Warburton (freelance philosopher/writer) interview top philosophers on a wide range of topics. Two books based on the series have been published by Oxford University Press. We are currently self-funding - donations very welcome via our website http://www.philosophybites.com
Twitter:
@philosophybites
Language:
English
Contact:
c/o Institute of Philosophy University of London Senate House Malet Street London WC1E 7HU United Kingdom +44 (0)20 7862 8738
Website:
http://www.philosophybites.com
Email:
nigelwarburton@aol.com
Episodes
Tarun Khaitan on Decolonising Institutions
2/26/2026
Narendra Modi has spoken of "decolonising" India including its post-colonial constitution Are philosophical criticisms of this constitution well-founded? Tarun Khaitan of the London School of Economics discusses.
This episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast was supported by the Ideas Workshop, part of the Open Society Foundations.
Duration:00:21:55
Janet Radcliffe Richards on What is Philosophy?
1/23/2026
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 inconsistencies. She uses an example from medical ethics, the question of whether selling of organs should be permitted, to make her point.
Duration:00:15:29
Chike Jeffers on Afrikana Philosphy
1/1/2026
David Edmonds talks to Chike Jeffers of Dalhousie Universtity about Afrikana Philosophy.
This episode was supported by the Ideas Workshop, part of the Open Society Foundations.
Duration:00:15:33
Angie Hobbs on Plato on Power
12/11/2025
Duration:00:23:50
Samuel Scheffler on Grief and Time
11/21/2025
Grief is affected by the passage of time in a way that some attitudes and emotions aren't. Samuel Sheffler explores why this might be so in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast.
Duration:00:21:02
Edouard Machery on Variations in Responses to Thought Experiments
11/2/2025
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 Bites podcast Edouard Machery discusses his research on this topic, and some of his surprising conclusions.
This episode was made in association with the Institute of Philosophy and supported by the Ideas Workshop which is part of the Open Society Foundations
Duration:00:21:36
Lewis Gordon on Frantz Fanon
10/17/2025
Frantz Fanon, who was born in Martinique, died aged 36. He nevertheless made very significant contributions to the discussion of racism and colonialism, influenced strongly by the existentialist tradition. In this episode of the Philosphy Bites podcast David Edmonds discusses Fanon, his ideas, his cultural background, and his impact, with Lewis Gordon, author of What Fanon Said.
Duration:00:23:11
David Edmonds on Peter Singer's Shallow Pond Thought Experiment
10/5/2025
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 saw a child at risk of drowning in a shallow pond, and what the moral implications of that. David has recently published a book about this thought experiment called Death in a Shallow Pond.
Duration:00:19:12
Carlos Alberto Sánchez on Mexican Philosophy
9/2/2025
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 major themes in 20th century Mexican philosophy discusses this topic in conversation with David Edmonds.
This episode was supported by the Ideas Workshop, part of Open Society Foundations.
Duration:00:21:22
Ellie Robson on Mary Midgley on Animals
8/17/2025
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 Bites Ellie Robson discusses some of her key ideas about our relationship with other animals.
Duration:00:16:05
Sari Nusseibeh on Philosophy and Conflict
8/17/2025
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 Philosophy Bites, recorded in early 2025, he explains why.
Duration:00:24:23
Robert Talisse on Civic Solitude
7/30/2025
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-group dynamics mean that individuals become vulnerable to being pushed towards more extreme views than they would otherwise hold. There is, Talisse, maintains, a need to balance times of thinking together with times of thinking alone, at a distance from the fray.
Duration:00:17:42
Hanno Sauer on The World History of Morality
7/11/2025
How did morality evolve? Why do different cultures have such a similar set of moral norms and values? Hanno Sauer gives an evolutionary story that explains the genealogy of morality through human co-operation.
Duration:00:24:33
Takeshi Morisato on Japanese Philosophy
7/4/2025
Most Western philosophers are deeply ignorant of Japanese philosopher. Takeshi Morisato who was brought up in Japan, and who has studied both continental and analytic Western traditions provides and introduction to some of the key strands in Japanese philosophy.
Duration:00:18:05
Melissa Lane on Plato, Rule, and Office
6/13/2025
Duration:00:15:04
Agnes Callard on Lessons from Socrates
4/15/2025
Does Socrates still have something to teach us? Agnes Callard thinks he has. Here she discusses the great Athenian and his continuing relevance with David Edmonds.
Duration:00:22:14
Emily Herring on Henri Bergson
3/12/2025
Henri Bergson was once one of the most living famous philosophers. Now he is less well known. Emily Herring, his biographer, discusses this and some of his key ideas in this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Nigel Warburton is the interviewer.
Duration:00:18:00
Lyndsey Stonebridge on the Life and Mind of Hannah Arendt
1/29/2025
For this episode in the Bio Bites strand of the Philosphy Bites podcast Nigel Warburton interviews Lyndsey Stonebridge, author of a recent book about Hannah Arendt, We Are Free To Change the World, about how her thought was affected by her circumstances as an emigré fleeing Nazism.
Duration:00:22:21
Ofra Magidor on Epistemicism and Moral Vagueness
1/8/2025
Sometimes, there is vagueness about whether it is morally permissible (or even in some situations required) to perform a certain act—moral vagueness. What is the source of moral vagueness? Ofra Magidor discusses this topic with Nigel Warburton.
This episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast has been made in association with Vagueness & Ethics, a research project funded by the European Commission (grant agreement number 101028625 — H2020-MSCA-IF-2020) and led by Miguel Dos Santos at Uppsala University.
Duration:00:29:57
Robert Williams on Decision Making Under Indeterminacy
1/8/2025
How can we make decisions under conditions of indeterminacy? Robert Williams discusses this challenging issue with Nigel Warburton.
This episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast has been made in association with Vagueness & Ethics, a research project funded by the European Commission (grant agreement number 101028625 — H2020-MSCA-IF-2020) and led by Miguel Dos Santos at Uppsala University.
Duration:00:16:25