Forum for Philosophy

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 … Continued

Carys Afoko/ Dawn Foster/ Sridhar Venkatapuram Listen to the recording here or on YouTube Many people see themselves as allies, not themselves marginalized but nonetheless standing alongside members of marginalized groups in their struggle for social justice. The role of more powerful groups can be important, but some attempts at solidarity can also badly fail the very people they intend […]

Carys Afoko/ Dawn Foster/ Sridhar Venkatapuram Listen to the recording here or on YouTube Many people see themselves as allies, not themselves marginalized but nonetheless standing alongside members of marginalized groups in their struggle for social justice. The role of more powerful groups can be important, but some attempts at solidarity can also badly fail … Continued

Lisa Conlan/ Jean Khalfa/ Stella Sandford/ Alistair Stewart Listen to the recording here or on YouTube Mental disorders are widely held to have a chemical basis best treated with medication, and contemporary psychiatry is more closely allied with the neuro- and behavioural sciences than with philosophy. So what, if anything, does philosophy have to offer psychiatry today? Exploring both historical […]

Michelle Codrington-Rogers/ Margaret O’Callaghan/ Rahul Rao Listen to the recording here or on YouTube Memorials have been fiercely debated in recent times. What roles do memorials play in a society and how do these acts of remembering contribute to a community’s sense of identity? What gets remembered and what forgotten, and who decides? When, if ever, should memorials be removed? We […]

Liam Kofi Bright/ Brian Kelly/ Meera Sabaratnam Listen to the recording here or on YouTube W. E. B. Du Bois is usually remembered as a sociologist and civil rights campaigner, and his analysis of race and racism continues to shape the way social scientists think about these issues today. But a genuine polymath, he was also a skilled philosopher and […]

Susanne Burri/ Michael Muthukrishna/ Michael Robillard/ Joseph Maiolo Listen to the recording here or on YouTube War scars human history and continues to mar lives across the globe. Is war part of human nature? Is it ever morally justified? And with the development of advanced weapon technologies, will future wars be more destructive than ever before? Bringing together philosophy, history, […]

Sacha Golob/ Robert Montgomery/ Stephanie Schwartz Listen to the recording here or on YouTube What is protest art? What are its limits and what are its possibilities? Might there be a unique role for art in protest or does the political statement diminish the art? And once a piece of art becomes popular in the art world, can it still […]

Emma Byrne/ John Gallagher/ Rebecca Roache Listen to the recording here or on YouTube Language allows us to communicate. It also allows us to charm, shock, delight, and offend. It is political and we can use it to harm and manipulate. And some words are just not okay in polite company. Should there ever be restraints on what can be […]

Claire Jones/ Fiona Kumari Campbell/ Hannah Thompson Listen to the recording here or on YouTube What is disability and how has it been understood through history and across different cultures? How is disability presented in the arts and in our changing idea of what it means to be human? Is the term ‘disability’ useful for the development of disability rights […]