Back when we started out, we mentioned a radio show — and now podcast — coming out of Stanford that offers a “down-to-earth and no-nonsense approach” to philosophy that’s engaging, if not entertaining. It’s called Philosophy Talk, and you can catch some of the old programs on iTunes.
Now, about 6,000 miles and eight time zones away, another philosophy podcast, Philosophy Bites (iTunes – Feed – Web Site), has been launched in England by David Edmonds and Nigel Warburton (see bios here). Interviewing top philosophers, the two delve into some essential philosophical questions — what is the meaning of life? what is the nature of reality? what is evil?, etc. And then they get into some other good questions: Can philosophers contribute to public life, and is wine tasting subjective?
The latest podcast (which can be accessed via the feed, but not yet via iTunes) features an interview with Alain de Botton, who has managed to write snappy bestsellers that tackle philosophical questions. It takes a rare writer to pull that off, and his books are definitely worth a look. After launching his career with How Proust Can Change Your Life, he has more recently published The Consolations of Philosophy and The Architecture of Happiness. And it is this last book that the latest podcast revolves around.
As a final note, Nigel Warburton has also put out another podcast, Philosophy: The Classics (iTunes) in which he reads from a recently published book with the same title. You may want to give it a listen.
For more podcasts along these lines, see our Arts & Culture podcast collection.
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