Forum for Philosophy

Jo Applin/ Tina Chanter/ Sophie Russell Listen here or on YouTube Disgust is deceptively simple: physical repulsion to something revolting or potentially contagious. Behind this straightforward exterior, however, lies the ‘rich universe of the disgusting’ (William Ian Miller). Within this universe dwell questions about ugliness and beauty, the animal and the civilized, even life and death. … Continued

Ben Highmore/ Carolyn Pedwell/ Anil Sebastian Listen to the recording here or on YouTube Mood is an ephemeral thing, changing with the seasons and eluding our control. Why are our moods so susceptible to drugs, the weather, and music alike? Hegel wrote of Geist and Heidegger rhapsodized over Stimmung, so can an age have a mood too? And if so, […]

Ben Highmore/ Carolyn Pedwell/ Anil Sebastian Listen to the recording here or on YouTube Mood is an ephemeral thing, changing with the seasons and eluding our control. Why are our moods so susceptible to drugs, the weather, and music alike? Hegel wrote of Geist and Heidegger rhapsodized over Stimmung, so can an age have a … Continued

Ian McBride/ Katherine O’Donnell/ Tom Stoneham Listen to the recording here or on YouTube Though often overlooked in discussions of the Enlightenment, Ireland was a vibrant centre for intellectuals of many stripes. Jonathan Swift, Edmund Burke, George Berkeley, and many others made lasting contributions to literature, philosophy, politics, and science. How did the turbulent political times of eighteenth-century Ireland affect […]

Ian McBride/ Katherine O’Donnell/ Tom Stoneham Listen to the recording here or on YouTube Though often overlooked in discussions of the Enlightenment, Ireland was a vibrant centre for intellectuals of many stripes. Jonathan Swift, Edmund Burke, George Berkeley, and many others made lasting contributions to literature, philosophy, politics, and science. How did the turbulent political … Continued

Richard Ashcroft/ David Healy/ Emily Jackson Listen to the recording here or on YouTube In this age of utopian technologies, we can design mechanical limbs for amputees and chemically engineer happiness for depressives. From the fluoride in our water to genetically modified babies, scientific advances pose complex new ethical questions. We explore the major bioethical issues of our time. Is philosophy braced for […]

Richard Ashcroft/ David Healy/ Emily Jackson Listen to the recording here or on YouTube In this age of utopian technologies, we can design mechanical limbs for amputees and chemically engineer happiness for depressives. From the fluoride in our water to genetically modified babies, scientific advances pose complex new ethical questions. We explore the major bioethical issues of our … Continued

Robert Eaglestone/ Simon Glendinning/ Maja Zehfuss Listen to the recording here or on YouTube Marx famously wrote in the nineteenth century of the spectre of communism haunting Europe, and the end of the Cold War might be considered to mark its exorcism. But has communism really been laid to rest? Despite the fall of the Berlin Wall, Derrida certainly thought not. […]

Robert Eaglestone/ Simon Glendinning/ Maja Zehfuss Listen to the recording here or on YouTube Marx famously wrote in the nineteenth century of the spectre of communism haunting Europe, and the end of the Cold War might be considered to mark its exorcism. But has communism really been laid to rest? Despite the fall of the Berlin … Continued

John William Devine/ Vanessa Heggie/ David Papineau Listen to the recording here or on YouTube World-class athletes push themselves beyond normal limits and transform their bodies through training and diet. But in the wake of various scandals across the world of sport, we know pharmaceuticals can also play a role. Doping is considered a form of cheating, but should it […]