There is a strong moral argument for returning the Parthenon sculptures to Athens. For the 13th anniversary of the Acropolis Museum, I interviewed Classicist Edith Hall about this: Edith Hall on Parthenon Sculptures     ..read more

I asked Peter Singer, recent winner of the Berggruen Prize, about writing clearly.  Peter Singer on Writing Clearly ..read more

The philosopher Peter Singer recently one the million dollar Berggruen Prize. Consistent with what he has argued in The Live You Can Save and elsewhere he has given it all away. Listen to what he did with the money: Peter Singer on Giving Away a Million Dollars   ..read more

We are living in a Golden Age for public philosophy, philosophy presented to a general audience rather than a specialised academic one. The Internet has opened everything up, and philosophers have responded well. From free online courses http to magazines, blogs, podcasts, animations, and videos, there is a rich variety of philosophical thought available to anyone who knows how to use Google. Since it launched in 2012, Aeon has been at the vanguard, and has published writing by leading figures in the field such as Martha Nussbaum, Philip Pettit, Galen Strawson, and Roger Scruton; but also, and ..read more

Imagine a heap of sand. You carefully remove one grain. Is there still a heap? The obvious answer is: yes. Removing one grain doesn’t turn a heap into no heap. That principle can be applied again as you remove another grain, and then another… After each removal, there’s still a heap, according to the principle. But there were only finitely many grains to start with, so eventually you get down to a heap with just three grains, then a heap with just two grains, a heap with just one grain, and finally a heap with no grains at all. But that’s ridiculous. There must be something wrong with the prin ..read more

Philosophy Sites has just launched. This is a podcast series focusing on places linked to philosophers. The first episode, available from www.philosophysites.com and on iTunes, is an interview with the award-winning biographer of Wittgenstein, Ray Monk, on the topic of Wittgenstein's grave. The discussion ranges across issues of aesthetics, culture, and death. Future episodes will include interviews about Jeremy Bentham's Auto Icon, and Karl Marx's flat in Soho, London... Photo by Nigel Warburton please feel free to use this ..read more

Do you think racial stereotypes are false? Are you sure? I’m not asking if you’re sure whether or not the stereotypes are false, but if you’re sure whether or not you think that they are. That might seem like a strange question. We all know what we think, don’t we? Most philosophers of mind would agree, holding that we have privileged access to our own thoughts, which is largely immune from error. Some argue that we have a faculty of ‘inner sense’, which monitors the mind just as the outer senses monitor the world. There have been exceptions, however. The mid-20th-century behaviourist philosop ..read more

Events Philosophy in the Bookshop (Blackwell's bookshop, Oxford) Nigel Warburton is interviewing a number of philosophers at Blackwell's bookshop in Oxford for the series Philosophy in the Bookshop. All events are free and no booking is required. Forthcoming interviews: Saturday 10th September 11am Blackwell's Bookshop, Oxford (free) Nigel interviews Marcus du Sautoy Saturday 17th September 11am Blackwell's Bookshop, Oxford (free) Nigel interviews Anthony Gottlieb  Saturday 1st October 11am Blackwell's Bookshop, Oxford (free): Nigel interviews Philosophy Bites interviewee Cécile Fabr ..read more

Just published: Big Ideas in Social Science (SAGE publishing) edited by David Edmonds and Nigel Warburton - this is based on the podcast series Social Science Bites and consists of modified transcripts of 18 interviews with social scientists, including Kate Pickett, Jonathan Haidt, Stephen Pinker, Ann Oakley, Robert J. Shiller, Bruce Hood, Robin Dunbar, David Goldblatt and others. Read the interview with Rom Harré on 'What is Social Science?' from Big Ideas in Social Science.   ..read more

There is a discount if you decide to take both courses - details at end of this post. NB Courses begin 26th Oct. 2015. Monday evenings. If you have previously taken any of my Philosophy courses, are a full-time student, unemployed, or an OAP,  you are entitled to the concession rate (click on arrow on PayPal button for drop-down menu) Philosophy: the Basics A 4-part course led by Nigel Warburton held at Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4 RL (a short walk from Holborn tube station, also near Chancery Lane, and Russell Square). No prior knowledge of Philosop ..read more