Philosophy for All

Send us Fan Mail The meaning of life is one of the major questions in life, indeed, alongside God and the good, it is one of the ultimate questions. Would you be surprised in realising that this is a lesser discussed field in analytic philosophy? In this interview, I am joined by Dr. Tim Mawson to talk about the meaning of life and the varying questions in this debate!  If you are interested in le...

Send us Fan Mail Religious art and iconography has always been one of the contentious areas of Christian thought. In this video, I am joined by fellow Oxford student Alina to discuss the varying aspects of religious art, its related doctrine and practice.  Support the show -------------------------- If you would want to support the channel and what I am doing, please follow me on Patreon: www.patr...

Send us Fan Mail Aesthetics and the philosophy of art is one of those fields which everyone thinks about, but few people formalise, dismissing it as something subjective and up to personal opinion. In this video, Dr. Darren Hick joins us to discuss this topic and the varying questions relating to it! Support the show -------------------------- If you would want to support the channel and what I am...

Send us Fan Mail Open theism is a controversial but growing position in philosophical theology. Open theism refers to a broad tradition, but it is an approach to the question about the relationship between God's foreknowledge, human free will, and God's providence. We are privileged to be joined by Dr. John Sanders, one of the leading voices in this debate, to introduce this topic. Check...

Send us Fan Mail Baha'i religions are often misrepresented or misunderstood. In this interview, I am joined by Joshua Hall to discuss Baha'i history, philosophy and theology. I discuss the startling similarities between Baha'i and other Abrahamic traditions, their understanding of God, belief in revelation and more! I hope you enjoy this introduction to the Baha'i religion! Sup...

Send us Fan Mail A deep dive into many important aspects of the Pope's new encyclical Magnifica Humanitas. We explore its motivation, its core themes, and how it can be applied to contemporary society. I focus not only on the theoretical implications of this encyclical, but also the practical implications and concerns regarding this publication. If you are interested in the Pope's work,...

Send us Fan Mail The problem of dirty hands arises when you have conflicting, but equally motivating, moral obligations. When these occur, is it possible to do wrong? Is it possible to do right? What does it mean to fulfil one's moral obligations in these circumstances? Dr Stephen de Wijze from University of Manchester introduces this problem and varying perspectives of approaching it. Suppor...

Send us Fan Mail The Russian people and their destiny played an important role in Dostoevsky's works, but in the contemporary context, what does this mean for Slavophilism and other nationalistic movements?  In this video, I am joined by Dr. George Pattison to discuss this question. Support the show -------------------------- If you would want to support the channel and what I am doing, pleas...

Send us Fan Mail Fyodor Dostoevsky is one of the most influential writers of all time. In this brief video, I introduce you to some of his key ideas and his life. I give an overview of his methodology, his writing, and his books, and hopefully, getting you excited about this series. Support the show -------------------------- If you would want to support the channel and what I am doing, please fol...

Send us Fan Mail Liturgy wars have become a major subject of debate in Catholic discussion spheres online. In this video, I give three reasons for why they are significantly overrated and distract Catholics from truly focusing on what is important in the Catholic spiritual life.  Support the show -------------------------- If you would want to support the channel and what I am doing, please follow...

Send us Fan Mail The SSPX are a popular group of Catholics who have raised significant concerns with the Catholic Church and the post-Vatican 2 reforms. More recently, they have become even more influential with developments over the Latin Mass and their attempt to consecrate new bishops which may lead to excommunication. Despite a very large online presence, many people may be confused as to what...

Send us Fan Mail Hegel is known for his dialectics of achieving a synthesis from a thesis and an anti-thesis. However, this may not be an accurate understanding of Hegel's work. Dr. Sebastian Ostritsch tells us about what Hegel really means with his dialectics and how the view of thesis, anti-thesis and synthesis would fundamentally undermine his position in science of logic. Support the show...

Send us Fan Mail Evangelical Christianity has long defined the landscape of American political consciousness, especially in the Republican right. In this episode, I am joined by prominent Christian theologian Prof. David Gushee to talk about post-Evangelical Christianity, a movement which pushes back against many of the trends in Evangelical Christianity, yet also sharing many sympathies with it....

Send us Fan Mail Prof. Charles Taliaferro joins us to talk about the philosophy of religion and its development. We talk about how it distinguishes itself from theology, how it is developing on a global stage, and its relation to and potential reliance on metaphysics. This interview is for anyone interested in the philosophy of religion as well as anyone interested in getting to know more about th...

Send us Fan Mail Divine hiddenness presented by JL Schellenberg has been one of the more recent challenges to the existence of God. In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Max Baker-Hytch, one of the prominent voices in the philosophy of religion to discuss this challenge and how it can be approached.  Support the show -------------------------- If you would want to support the channel and what I am d...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of PhilThe Talks, I am joined by Miles Donahue to talk about his journey in the philosophy of religion. How it started, how he got interested in it academically, what motivates him to publish, and more. If you are interested in studying philosophy at Oxford, then this is the episode for you. We break down how it is like studying at this wonderful institution and ho...

Send us Fan Mail Veganism is often discussed in popular level discourse with numerous different perspectives. In this video, I examine the variety of different debates that veganism brings into the picture and how asking ourselves these important questions may lead us to discover internal inconsistencies. This video is not aimed at convincing you of veganism or of meat-eating. Rather, to give you...

Send us Fan Mail One of the great contributions to Dostoevsky and literary scholarship was Mikhail Bakhtin's work The Problem of Dostoevsky's Poetics. In this video, I build on this book showing how to understand Dostoevsky through a polyphonic lens and what this means for readers of his works. Understanding polyphony prevents simple oversimplifications of Dostoevsky's views. Suppor...

Send us Fan Mail With the appointment of Sarah Mullally as Archbishop of Canterbury, debates around “liberal Christianity” have reignited—but most people misunderstand what the term actually means. In this video, I trace the roots of liberal Christianity back to nineteenth-century thinkers like Schleiermacher, who, inspired by Kant, reimagined faith as an inner moral and spiritual experience rathe...

Send us Fan Mail In this interview, Joshua Yen speaks with Dr. Jensen Suther (Harvard Society of Fellows) about his new book True Materialism (Stanford University Press). The conversation explores how Hegel and Marx can help us rethink the meaning of materialism, freedom, and modern life. Dr. Suther argues that a “true materialism” must unite Hegel’s conception of rational agency with Marx’s criti...

Send us Fan Mail This video explains how to write a strong philosophy personal statement for UK university applications through UCAS . It breaks down the new UCAS three-question format and shows how to approach each section: why you want to study philosophy, how your studies and experiences have prepared you, and what additional skills or activities strengthen your application. You’ll learn what a...

Send us Fan Mail Applying to study philosophy at university in the UK? In this video, Joshua Yen — host of Philosophy for All and a master’s student in Philosophical Theology at the University of Oxford — explains everything you need to know about applying through UCAS. You’ll learn how to choose your five universities (reach, match, and safety), decide between single and joint honours courses suc...

Send us Fan Mail Are scholars the only people who should discuss theology, or should all people be able to engage with these topics? Does engaging these on YouTube change something? Does it make it better? Does it make it worse? Who should lead theological discussions online? Is a scholars only approach to esoteric. I discuss these topics in this video! Support the show --------------------------...

Send us Fan Mail Indulgences are an important part of the Protestant-Catholic disagreement and can radically transform your faith and relation with God. In this video, Fr. James Dominic Rooney joins us to describe what indulgences are, arguments for indulgences, and how Christians can approach them.  Fr. James Dominic Rooney is an assistant professor of philosophy at Hong Kong Baptist University,...

Send us Fan Mail Pragmatism is a prominent position in 19th century philosophy. In this interview, Dr. Sami Pihlström guides us from Peirce, William James, and Dewey to neopragmatists like Rorty and Putnam, asking hard questions about truth, realism, meaning, and the problem of evil. We compare analytic philosophy of religion with Wittgensteinian approaches, explore whether pragmatism is compatibl...