Forum for Philosophy

Alison Fairbrass/ Craig French Listen here or on YouTube Are bats conscious, and how can we tell? What is it like to use sound to navigate? In a classic paper called ‘What Is It Like to Be a Bat?’, Thomas Nagel used the bat’s capacity for echolocation to introduce philosophical problems concerning conscious experience. But the example is usually discussed […]

Alison Fairbrass/ Craig French Listen here or on YouTube Are bats conscious, and how can we tell? What is it like to use sound to navigate? In a classic paper called ‘What Is It Like to Be a Bat?’, Thomas Nagel used the bat’s capacity for echolocation to introduce philosophical problems concerning conscious experience. But … Continued

Philip Hoare/ Luke Rendell Listen to the podcast here or on YouTube What is it like to be a whale? How do they think and what do they feel? How are their social groups structured, and how do whale ‘cultures’ arise? And how has human thought and human culture been influenced by interaction with whales? In this dialogue, two internationally […]

Philip Hoare/ Luke Rendell Listen to the podcast here or on YouTube What is it like to be a whale? How do they think and what do they feel? How are their social groups structured, and how do whale ‘cultures’ arise? And how has human thought and human culture been influenced by interaction with whales? … Continued

Björn Brembs/ Chris Frith/ Eva Jablonka/ David Papineau Listen to the podcast here or on YouTube Other than humans, which animal species are conscious? When did consciousness first evolve, and what is its function? What brain structures are required for consciousness? Recent developments in the neuroscience and evolutionary biology of consciousness promise to shed new light on these tantalising puzzles. In this panel […]

Björn Brembs/ Chris Frith/ Eva Jablonka/ David Papineau Listen to the podcast here or on YouTube Other than humans, which animal species are conscious? When did consciousness first evolve, and what is its function? What brain structures are required for consciousness? Recent developments in the neuroscience and evolutionary biology of consciousness promise to shed new light on these … Continued

Nicky Clayton/ Mark Cocker Listen to the recording here or on YouTube What is it like to be a bird? What do they think and how do they feel? What can comparative psychology tell us about the intelligence of birds? And what can we learn about birds, and about ourselves, from our encounters with them? … Continued

Chandrika Kaul/ Sue Mendus/ Peter Oborne Listen here or on YouTube A free press is a fundamental pillar of a healthy democracy. It is a vehicle for free expression, informs public debate, and holds government to account. Is there a right to a free press and is this distinct from the freedom of speech of citizens in a democracy? Given the press […]

Chandrika Kaul/ Sue Mendus/ Peter Oborne Listen here or on YouTube A free press is a fundamental pillar of a healthy democracy. It is a vehicle for free expression, informs public debate, and holds government to account. Is there a right to a free press and is this distinct from the freedom of speech of citizens in … Continued

Tom Dickins/ Eva Jablonka/ Sophie von Stumm Listen here or on YouTube Scientists agree that nature and nurture are essential ingredients in human development. But if both the blank slate and genetic determinism have been rejected, why do researchers still disagree and what is it that they disagree about? Join us as we’ll explore the issues at stake, taking a […]