Philosophy Bites

John Locke, writing in the Seventeenth Century, argued for religious toleration, though stopped short of toleration of atheists. In this episode of the podcast Philosophy Bites , Nigel Warburton interviews Locke expert John Dunn on this topic.

Should minority groups such as recent immigrants or those who have suffered historic injustice be given rights that other citizens don't have? Will Kymlicka believes they should. Listen to his arguments in defence of this position in this episode of Philosophy Bites .

What goes on when someone does something deliberately? Jennifer Hornsby discusses this difficult philosophical question with Nigel Warburton in this episode of Philosophy Bites.

In this bonus episode produced in association with the Open University, Tim Scanlon discusses the limits of free speech with Nigel Warburton. A transcript of this episode is available from www.open2.net/ethicsbites/

Do you own your body? If not, who does? These are important questions in an age in which there is extensive trade in body parts. Donna Dickenson, author of Body Shopping , discusses this issue with Nigel Warburton in this episode of Philosophy Bites .

In this bonus episode produced in association with The Open University, Mary Warnock, a philosopher who also sits in the House of Lords, addresses the question 'Do we have a right to have babies?' A transcript of this episode is available at http://www.open2.net/ethicsbites/right-have-babies.html

Thomas Aquinas, the thirteenth century Dominican is the subject of this episode of Philosophy Bites . Anthony Kenny explains the key features of Aquinas'  ethics in conversation with Nigel Warburton.

In this bonus episode of Philosophy Bites made in association with the Open University, Michael Sandel addresses the question of whether we should allow genetic enhancement of athletes. Drawing on themes from his recent book, The Case Against Perfection , he discusses the ethical issues at stake. A transcript of this episode is available at www.open2.net/ethicsbites/

Karl Marx's theory of alienated labour is the topic of this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast. Jonathan Wolff, author of Why Read Marx Today? explains what Marx meant by alienation. He also sheds light on Marx's controversial description of what non-alienated labour would be like.

In this bonus episode produced in association with the Open University as part of the Ethics Bites series, Peter Singer, perhaps the world's best known living philosopher, discusses how we treat animals. A transcript of this episode is available from www.open2.net/ethicsbites/

Friedrich Hayek was a major figure in Twentieth Century economics and political philosophy, but his ideas are sometimes caricatured, not least because Margaret Thatcher approved of his work. Chandran Kukathas explains the key features of his liberalism in this episode of Philosophy Bites .

In this episode of Philosophy Bites Richard Reeves, author of a recent biography of John Stuart Mill sheds light on Mill's classic defence of individual freedom, On Liberty .

Can a nation be collectively responsible for actions? And how should apologies and reparations be handled when the perpetrators of injustice may be dead? David Miller, author of a recent book on this topic, explores the kinds of responsibility that nations can have.

David Hume is probably the greatest English-speaking philosopher to date. In this interview for Philosophy Bites. Peter Millican, a Hume specialist, explains why his philosophy was so important.

Are men and women different by nature? And if so, what follows? Janet Radcliffe Richards, author of The Sceptical Feminist and Human Nature After Darwin, examines questions about human nature, focusing on John Stuart Mill's important book The Subjection of Women . David Edmonds is the interviewer for this episode of Philosophy Bites .

Is it immoral even to consider the use of torture in some circumstances? If the State is threatened, should we be prepared to shelve human rights for an end we consider worthwhile? Raimond Gaita discusses a range of arguments about torture in this episode of Philosophy Bites .

What is art? Can anything be a work of art? Derek Matravers, author of Art and Emotion , explores these questions in conversation with Nigel Warburton in this episode of Philosophy Bites ( www.philosophybites.com ).

Was Plato's ideal state a totalitarian one? Karl Popper, thought so, and made his case in The Open Society and Its Enemies . Melissa Lane, author of Plato's Progeny , reassesses Popper's critique of Plato in this episode of Philosophy Bites .

We often blame people for what they do or fail to do. But that implies that they were free to choose whether or not to act in the way they did. At the same time science seems to reveal prior causes of all our actions. There seems little or no room for free will.  In this episode of Philosophy Bites Thomas Pink, author of Free Will: A Very Short Introduction, discusses the Free Will Problem and out...

Is it possible to be a citizen of the world while maintaining your own distinctive identity? Anthony Appiah defends the ethical position he dubs cosmopolitanism (which for him is universalism combined with a recognition and celebration of diversity) in conversation with Nigel Warburton in this episode of Philosophy Bites .

A.C. Grayling, author of a recent biography of René Descartes, explores Descartes' Cogito argument, the pivotal argument of the Meditations , in conversation with Nigel Warburton in this episode of Philosophy Bites .

Events happen in time. And time is essentially tensed: there is past, present, future. D.H. Mellor, author of Real Time (and Real Time 2 ) suggests otherwise. In this podcast for Philosophy Bites he explains why time isn't tensed.

If what I do has only a negligible impact on events, why should I bother doing it at all? Why not 'free ride' on other people's contributions? Richard Tuck explores these questions in this episode of Philosophy Bites .

Most philosophers who consider the movies focus on the nature of the cinematic medium. Stephen Mulhall argues for a different approach. He thinks that a film such as Bladerunner can actually be philosophy.

How can non-believers make sense of the world? How can there be morality without God? In this episode of Philosophy Bites philosopher Richard Norman explains how it is possible to lead a good life without religion.