Human animals

"We all accept we're animals now, don't we? But even those who would agree often find that a residual desire to deny our animality remains. They imagine a future in which we leave behind all that is beastly in us and live more rationally, no longer slaves to our primitive emotions."

Short article in Gravity Guide.

La ciudad de las Ideas, Mexico - 6 November

Speaking at this three day conference in Puebla, on a programme that flatters me. Other speakers include Dan Dennett, Philip Zimbardo, Francis Fukuyama, among others.Full details here.

Why all deaths are not equal

These two facts – that we can assign all lives the same value, yet value some lives more than others – can look like a paradox. But there is no contradiction, merely a difference between the value of lives when viewed objectively and subjectively. This creates ethical conundrums only when you assume that the moral person must always take the objective view.

Latest post at Comment is Free

Good Morning Scotland - BBC Radio Scotland

Talked about train drivers reading out quotes and aphorisms on BBC Radio Scotland this morning. More on the story here. Listen again available here for a week, at 2:45:10

New podcast

In this special extra edition of Baggini’s Philosophy Monthly, I’m chairing a discussion between five shortlisted authors for the 2009 Bristol Festival of Ideas book prize. This £10,000 prize is for the best book of ideas published in Britain in 2008. Taking part are Nick Davies (Flat Earth News), Misha Glenny (McMafia: Seriously Organised Crime), Richard Holmes (The Age of Wonder), Mark Leonard (What Does China Think?) and Sara Maitland (A Book of Silence). Also shortlisted was Susan Faludi (The Terror Dream). More information on the prize and the books is here.

The discussion was recorded live at the award ceremony at the Arnolfini Centre, Bristol.

Listen or download here or download from iTunes.

BPM is produced by Julian Baggini in association with The Philosophers’ Magazine. If you enjoy the podcasts, please support our work.