philosophy bites

Anne Phillips on Political Representation

Participatory democracy is impractical, so most democracies are representative democracies. But should the representatives reflect the variety of those they represent? In particular, should there be roughly half women in a representative democracy? Anne Phillips of the LSE believes that there should be far more women acting as political representatives than there are at present. In this interview for Philosophy Bites she explains why.

Listen to Anne Phillips on Political Representation

Listen to Anne Phillips on Multiculturalism (an earlier Philosophy Bites interview)

Raymond Geuss on Real Politics

Raymond Geuss wants political philosophers to focus on real politics. In this interview  for Philosophy Bites  he explains why he believes philosophers such as Robert Nozick and John Rawls were fundamentally misguided in the way they approached political philosophy. Geuss is in conversation with Nigel Warburton. The introduction is by David Edmonds.

Listen to Raymond Geuss on Real Politics

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Quentin Skinner on Machiavelli's The Prince

In this episode of the podcast Philosophy Bites Quentin Skinner discusses Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince, one of the most notorious works of political philosophy. Skinner sets the book in its historical context and explains its key themes.

Listen to Quentin Skinner on Machiavelli's The Prince

Matthew Kramer on Legal Rights

What precisely is a legal right. Matthew Kramer of Churchill College, Cambridge, addresses this question in conversation with Nigel Warburton in this episode of Philosophy Bites.

Listen to Matthew Kramer on Legal Rights

Melissa Lane on Rousseau on Civilization

Civilization is synonymous with progress, isn't it? Not according to the eighteenth century philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. He argued that civilization is for the most part morally corrupting. Melissa Lane explains his position in this episode of Philosophy Bites.

Listen to Melissa Lane on Rousseau on Civilization

John Broome on Weighing Lives

How can human lives be weighed one against each other? Is this even possible? John Broome who has a background in economics as well as in philosophy, discusses how governments should allocate scarce resources or make life and death decisions in this episode of Philosophy Bites.

Listen to John Broome on Weighing Lives

Will Kymlicka on Minority Rights

Should minority groups such as recent immigrants be given rights that other citizens don't have? Will Kymlicka believes that they should. The difficulty of reconciling apparently preferential treatment with a policy of equality is a central one for anyone committed to multiculturalism. He addresses this important issue in this episode of Philosophy Bites.

Listen to Will Kymlicka on Minority Rights

Previously on Philosophy Bites:

Anne Phillips on Multiculturalism

Kwame Anthony Appiah on Cosmopolitanism

Tim Scanlon on Free Speech

What are the limits of expression in a civilized society? T. M. Scanlon addresses this question in this bonus episode which was produced in association with The Open University and originally appeared on Ethics Bites. A transcript of this interview is available from www.open2.net/ethicsbites/.

Listen to Tim Scanlon on Free Speech

Details of a  54 minute video podcast with T.M.Scanlon

Jonathan Wolff on Marx on Alienation

Jonathan Wolff, author of Why Read Marx Today? and the very popular An Introduction to Political Philosophy, explains what Karl Marx meant by alienated labour. He also sheds light on Marx's controversial vision of what non-alienated labour would be like.

Listen to Jonathan Wolff on Marx on Alienation

Chandran Kukathas on Hayek's Liberalism

Friedrich Hayek, though much admired by Margaret Thatcher, distanced himself from conservativism. He was a liberal philosopher. In this episode of Philosophy Bites, Chandran Kukathas of the London School of Economics, explains the key features of Hayek's liberalism.

Listen to Chandran Kukathas on Hayek's Liberalism