Erratic Thinking was a radio show and podcast that each week discussed contemporary philosophical issues with prominent philosophers. It was broadcast in 2010, but there are plans to update the website and do a new series of the show in the future.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Aristotelian and Modern Virtue Ethics

"How should I live my life?" This is a question that many of us think to ourselves at some point. It was a question that the Ancient Greeks were obsessed with, and the field of Ethics has built up around it.

Aristotle thought an ethical life that of a virtuous person; this runs counter to our modern conception of ethics as centering on actions. Joining me this week to discuss Aristotelian Ethics and its modern form Virtue Ethics was Lecturer of Philosophy at Edinburgh and the Open Universities Dr Stephen Watt. You can download the episode here:

Virtue Ethics Show

If you would like to read any more about Virtue Ethics you can find Rosalind Hursthouse's Stanford Encyclopedia article on the subject here:

Virtue Ethics - Stanford Encyclopedia

And Richard Kraut's Stanford Encyclopedia article on Aristotle's Ethics here:

Aristotle's Ethics - Stanford Encyclopedia

Next week I will be talking to Dr Tillmann Vierkant about free will and the implications of modern neuroscience on how we conceive of it, if you have any questions for Dr Vierkant leave them below, if not you can listen live next Friday at 12 30 (freshair.org.uk) or download it as always from here.

Friday, February 19, 2010

Extended Mind

Can the mind extend beyond the brain? Can our minds extend into some of the tools we use? The Extended Mind thesis thinks that in some cases it can.

With me to discuss the Extended Mind thesis this week was Prof Mike Wheeler (Stirling) and Dr Tom Roberts (Edinburgh). The show can be downloaded here:

The Extended Mind Show

Also if you would like any more information about the Extended Mind Mike has written brilliant paper "Defending Extended Functionalism":

Mike Wheeler - Defending Extended Functionalism

And a book, "Reconstructing the Cognitive World":

Mike Wheeler - Reconstructing the Cognitive World

Next week I will be talking to Dr Stephen Watt about ancient and modern virtue ethics, if you have any questions for Dr Watt leave them below, if not you can listen live next Friday at 12 30 (freshair.org.uk) or download it as always from here.

Friday, February 12, 2010

Podcast Feed

If you click on the title to this post you'll go to the podcast feed that freshair have loving set up for us:

You can also click on the links above to go to the freshair websites of any of the episodes at any time.

Or you can go to the bottom this page and there you will find all the episodes.

Time Travel

Is time travel logically, ontologically and metaphysically possible. Is is some thing that scientists take seriously and is it something that we should take seriously.

For the first episode of Erratic Thinking I am joined by Dr Alasdair Richmond of Edinburgh University to discuss the philosophical implications of time travel. Click on the link below or the title of this post to download the episode.
Erratic Thinking - Time Travel

Thank you very much to Alasdair

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Ready to go!

Erratic Thinking has a broadcast time!

It will be available live at freshair.org.uk every Friday from 12 30 to 1, starting on Friday the 12th of February. After the show has been broadcast live a version will also become available here to download here and keep for ever and ever.

The first show will be at 12 30 on the 12th of February and it will be Dr Alasdair Richmond (University of Edinburgh) talking about the paradoxes and possibilities of time travel, don't miss it.