philosophy bites

Ray Monk on Philosophy and Biography

Ray Monk discusses the relationship between philosophy and a philosopher's life in this interview with Nigel Warburton for the Philosophy Bites podcast. Can understanding the biographical context of a philosopher and the type of person that they were help us understand their philosophical writing? Is there anything that philosophers might learn from biography? Monk as an award-winning biographer of Ludwig Wittgenstein and Bertrand Russell is well-placed to address these questions.

Listen to Ray Monk on Philosophy and Biography

Barry Smith on Wittgenstein's Conception of Philosophy

Ludwig Wittgenstein was one of the great thinkers of the 20th Century. Part of his originality lay in his view of what Philosophy was and how it ought to be done. For this episode of Philosophy Bites Barry Smith of Birkbeck College London gives a lucid account of Wittgenstein's conception of Philosophy.

Listen to Barry Smith on Wittgenstein's Conception of Philosophy

[You can also listen to an episode of BBC Radio 4's In Our Time on Wittgenstein to which Barry Smith contributed here. This programme was originally broadcast on 4th Dec. 2003.]

David Edmonds, who introduces this podcast, is co-author of the book Wittgenstein's Poker.