World Briefing & World Have Your Say - BBC World Service

Yesterday I was on World Briefing talking about Science, meaning and values in the wake of the latest Higgs boson findings. The interview is at the end of the 13 December podcast, available here for a week.

I also took part in Word Have Your Say on the same channel later in the day. That programme is here.

Sunday - BBC Radio Four

I was on this morning's programme talking about "the luxury of being selfish" with Jamie Whyte and presenter Samira Ahmed. Listen again available here for a week.

The Forum - BBC World Service

I was a guest on a programme about how we make judgements alongside Nobel Prize winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman and economist Ngaire Woods. The programme is available here as an MP3 download indefinitely. First broadcast Sat 19 November.

The Culture Show - BBC Two

I presented a video essay on 1984 for Friday's show (21 October). Available to watch again here until Friday.

Brian Taylor's Big Debate - BBC Radio Scotland

I was on the panel for this Question Time style programme, broadcast live from the Wigtown Book Festival on 30 September

Today - BBC Radio Four

There were a few words from me on this report on whether Anders Breivik is 'evil' on Saturday's (30 July) programme. You can listen to the report here.

The Politics Show - BBC One

I was discussing the Royal Family on the South West region's segment of this programme on Sunday 10 July. You can watch it on the BBC iPlayer for one week here. (Starts about 45 minutes in.)

Night Waves - BBC Radio Three

"Matthew Sweet and guests, the business psychologist David de Cremer, philosopher Julian Baggini and the canon chancellor of St Paul's Cathedral, Giles Fraser, discuss the moral questions thrown up by the current phone-hacking scandal."

More information and listen again available here. Broadcast 12 July.

BBC Radio Four & World Service

I made two appearances on BBC news programmes yesterday, both on the same subject: why are we interested in the private lives of others? The first was BBC Radio Four's Today programme, and you can listen to the short discussion here. The second was on BBC World Service's Newshour and you can listen to that interview here.

Start the Week - BBC Radio Four

"Andrew Marr explores how far empathy, or the lack of it, can explain cruelty. Simon Baron-Cohen proposes turning the focus away from evil or specific personality disorders, and to understand human behaviour by studying the 'empathy circuit' in the brain. Gwen Adshead, a forensic psychotherapist at Broadmoor Hospital and the crime writer Val McDermid question whether this would help in their line of work, and the philosopher Julian Baggini tries to pin down what we mean when we talk about the self."

Broadcast 2 May. Available to listen again here.

The Review Show - BBC Two

I was on this week's programme (live on Friday 15 April) discussing, among other things, David Foster Wallace's posthumous novel The Pale King and the new exhibition of Joan Miro at Tate Modern. On iPlayer until Friday here.

Guardian science podcast

Talking on Alok Jha's programme about science and the self, as featured in my new book, The Ego Trick. More details and download here.

Night Waves - BBC Radio 3

I was on Thursday's programme (24 March) talking about my new book, The Ego Trick, and also with a few words on the census. You can listen to it here.

In Pursuit of Happiness - BBC Radio Four

I'm one of the interviewees on this programme, which is available to listen to online until Thursday.

The Infinite Monkey Cage - BBC Radio Four

Podcast is available indefinitely of this BBC Radio Four Programme, broadcast yesterday, on which I appeared with other guests Ray Tallis and Alexei Sayle, with hosts Robin Ince and Brian Cox, discussing the question, “Is philosophy dead?” Click here for show’s website and podcast link.

Nightwaves - BBC Radio Three

I offered up a seven-minute potted version of happiness in the history of philosophy on last night's programme, which you can listen to here until next Monday, 8 November.

Politics UK - BBC World Service

I was on this programme talking about happiness and economic growth with Ed Stourton, and you can listen again here for the rest of the week.

Should we listen to philosophers? - BBC Radio Four, 27/10

"In a barrel, in a think tank or in a cave? We have lots of different ideas about the right place for a philosopher to be but do we listen to philosophers enough, too much, or in the right way? Julian Baggini, Editor in Chief of the Philosopher Magazine, asks 'Should we listen to philosophers?'."

To be broadcast at 20:45 on Wednesday 27 October. Programme page here.

The Music Group - BBC Radio Four

with PR man Mark Borkowski, Head of Cheltenham Ladies' College, Vicky Tuck and host Dr Phil Hammond. Recrded at the Cheltenham Literature Festival, broadcast 14/10/2010. Available to listen again until 21 October.

Thought for the Day - BBC Radio Bristol

Text of this morning's thought, and below that, the thought for the week before. You can listen to this week's here, at 2h 50m 48s, where I am introduced, not for the first time, as Julian Baggiani...

Is the search for the Christmas No1 Album over already? We now know that one of the hottest releases of the season is set to be Voice: Chant From Avignon, by the The Nuns of the Abbaye de Notre-Dame de l'Annonciation, the follow up to the million-selling Chant: Music For Paradise by the Cistercian Monks of Stift Heiligenkreuz.

The nuns were the winners of a reality-TV style international star search, in which 70 convent choirs around the world were auditioned. Religious music, it seems, has the X-Factor.

This might all seem a bit tacky, but in a sense, religion has always been involved in popularity contests. All belief systems are: either they attract enough followers or they die out. And the competition is relentless. Over the centuries, religions and philosophies have risen and fallen in popularity, generating new off-shoots all the time.

The problem with popularity contests is that the winners aren't always the best. Indeed, although the most popular version of anything – beers, songs, television programmes – can be excellent, it often appeals to the lowest common denominator. Success only requires being as appealing as possible to as many people as possible.

Given that, a worrying question arises for all of us: do we believe what we believe because it is the most appealing option in front of us, the one that pushes the right buttons; or do we believe it because it is actually most likely to be true? Take your time before you answer. Phone a friend. The answer matters: this is not just about casting a vote in a reality TV show, this is about casting our lot in the real world.

* * * * * * * * * *

Bed-blocking and lack of capacity has been an issue in the NHS for many years. Now, however, the same problems are being encountered by some of our furry friends in St Phillips. The RSPCA there is at “bursting point”. A backlog of healthy strays – which all need to be thoroughly checked before being re-homed – has left no room for the sick and injured.

This is the kind of story which tugs at the heartstrings, in this nation of animal lovers. But do we worry too much about animal welfare, and not enough about the sick, poor and starving human beings that surround is?

Some of the statistics suggest we might. Every years. Britons give the same amount to animals charities as they do to the disabled. We give only three-quarters this amount to the elderly and half to the homeless.

In our defence, this still amounts to just one pound in twelve of annual charitable giving. I'm not sure if this proportion is exactly right, but the fact that we do worry about the welfare of other creatures does reflect well on us. Cynics may say we're only nice to our fellow humans on the principle that only by scratching other backs will we get our own itches dealt with, but when we help animals, we do so knowing that we are going to get nothing in return: Tiddles won't take you to hospital; when you fall ill.

By caring for creatures simply because we recognise their suffering and want to do something to relieve it, we show ourselves to be species that is, uniquely, capable of pure, unselfish love. And if we can show that to animals, then there's no reason why we can't show it to our fellow human beings as well.