Interviewer
Nigel Warburton
Interviews by Nigel Warburton
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1
The Inheritors
by William Golding, with a foreword by Ben Okri -
2
The Clan of the Cave Bear
by Jean Auel -
3
The Last Neanderthal
by Claire Cameron -
4
The Naked Neanderthal: A New Understanding of the Human Creature
by Ludovic Slimak and translated by David Watson -
5
The Seventh Son
by Sebastian Faulks
Five Books Imagining Neanderthals, recommended by Rebecca Wragg Sykes
Five Books Imagining Neanderthals, recommended by Rebecca Wragg Sykes
All archaeologists have to do some imagining because the data they work with is so partial and fragmentary, says Rebecca Wragg Sykes, author of Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art. She picks five books that help bring to life our closest relations, from a historical novel by a Nobel Prize-winning writer to a work of sci-fi about a hybrid Neanderthal child.
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1
Mind & Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature is Almost Certainly False
by Thomas Nagel -
2
A Fortunate Universe: Life in a Finely Tuned Cosmos
by Geraint Lewis & Luke Barnes -
3
Purpose in the Universe: The moral and metaphysical case for Ananthropocentric Purposivism
by Tim Mulgan -
4
God, Purpose, and Reality: A Euteleological Understanding of Theism
by John Bishop & Ken Perszyk -
5
Universes
by John Leslie
The best books on Cosmic Purpose, recommended by Philip Goff
The best books on Cosmic Purpose, recommended by Philip Goff
The likelihood that intelligent life would come to exist on Earth is so improbable, it’s time to re-explore the idea of cosmic purpose, argues Philip Goff, a professor of philosophy at the University of Durham and the author of Why? The Purpose of the Universe. He recommends five books that cast doubt on our post-Darwinian worldview and help us consider the latest findings of science and philosophy more fully.
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1
Atlas of AI: Power, Politics, and the Planetary Costs of Artificial Intelligence
by Kate Crawford -
2
The Ethical Algorithm: The Science of Socially Aware Algorithm Design
by Aaron Roth & Michael Kearns -
3
Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control
by Stuart Russell -
4
The Technological Singularity
by Murray Shanahan -
5
Moral Machines: Teaching Robots Right From Wrong
by Wendell Wallach and Colin Allen -
6
2001: A Space Odyssey
by Arthur C. Clarke
Ethics for Artificial Intelligence Books, recommended by Paula Boddington
Ethics for Artificial Intelligence Books, recommended by Paula Boddington
Advances in artificial intelligence pose a myriad of ethical questions, but the most incisive thinking on this subject says more about humans than it does about machines, says Paula Boddington, philosopher and author of a recent AI ethics textbook. We first spoke to Paula in 2017—a long time ago in a fast-moving field. This week we caught up with her to find out what’s happened since then and which new books have taken the conversation over ethics and AI further.
Favorite Books, recommended by Daniel Dennett
Daniel Dennett is not only one of the most distinguished philosophers of mind working today, he also writes great books. As he publishes his memoir, I’ve Been Thinking, he talks us through some of the books that most influenced him, including two by evolutionary biologists.
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1
Family Values: The Ethics of Parent-Child Relationships
by Adam Swift & Harry Brighouse -
2
Wish We Knew What to Say: Talking with Children About Race
by Pragya Agarwal -
3
Raising Feminist Boys: How to Talk with Your Child about Gender, Consent, and Empathy
by Bobbi Wegner -
4
How to Raise Kids Who Aren't Assholes: Science-Based Strategies for Better Parenting, from Tots to Teens
by Melinda Wenner Moyer -
5
How to Talk to Your Kids About Climate Change: Turning Angst into Action
by Harriet Shugarman
The best books on The Ethics of Parenting, recommended by Elizabeth Cripps
The best books on The Ethics of Parenting, recommended by Elizabeth Cripps
What does it mean to be a good parent and what influence do we have on children as they navigate the challenges of the 21st century? Philosopher Elizabeth Cripps, a senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh, recommends books that shed light on some of the ethics of parenting, including one on how to raise kids who aren’t assholes.
The best books on Prison Abolition, recommended by Tommie Shelby
With almost two million people in prison in the US on any given day, it’s clear that something is going badly wrong. The question is what to do about it. Harvard philosopher Tommie Shelby talks us through five books by thinkers of the past 150 years who have argued that abolishing prisons is the only solution.
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1
Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking
by Daniel Dennett -
2
Natural Goodness
by Philippa Foot -
3
A Question of Trust
by Onora O’Neill -
4
Intimacy or Integrity: Philosophy and Cultural Difference
by Thomas Kasulis -
5
Daily Rituals: How Great Minds Make Time, Find Inspiration, and Get to Work
by Mason Currey
The best books on How To Think (Like a Philosopher), recommended by Julian Baggini
The best books on How To Think (Like a Philosopher), recommended by Julian Baggini
We all have opinions about things and sometimes quite strong ones. When it comes to our values and politics we also tend to think we’re right. That’s why examining how we think is so important, argues philosopher Julian Baggini. That’s something philosophy can help with, if it’s done well. Here he recommends five books that shed some light on how philosophers think, when they’re thinking at their best.
The Best Cycling Books, recommended by James Hibbard
As a professional cyclist, James Hibbard looked to philosophy to provide some of the answers he was looking for. He describes that quest in his book, The Art of Cycling. Here, he shares some of his own favourite cycling books, from the best cycling novel to the true story of cyclists who aim to ride the entire length of the United Kingdom in 40 hours. These are books that you don’t need to be a professional cyclist or die-hard fan to appreciate.
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1
Plotinus: An Introduction to the Enneads
by Dominic O’Meara -
2
Neoplatonism
by Pauliina Remes -
3
Ennead VI.8: On the Voluntary and on the Free Will of the One
by Plotinus, Kevin Corrigan, and John D. Turner -
4
On Abstinence from Killing Animals
Porphyry and Gillian Clark (translator) -
5
On Providence
by Proclus and Carlos Steel (translator)
The best books on Neoplatonism, recommended by Ursula Coope
The best books on Neoplatonism, recommended by Ursula Coope
To the modern reader, Neoplatonist thinkers can seem quite alien, but engaging with them helps us to understand ourselves and modern philosophy better, says Ursula Coope, Professor of Ancient Philosophy at the University of Oxford. She recommends five books to introduce readers to Neoplatonist philosophy, starting with Plotinus in the 3rd century.
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1
Zed: A Novel
by Joanna Kavenna -
2
Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy
by Cathy O'Neil -
3
Mindf*ck: Inside Cambridge Analytica’s Plot to Break the World
by Christopher Wylie -
4
Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism
by Safiya Umoja Noble -
5
AI Ethics
by Mark Coeckelbergh
The best books on Digital Ethics, recommended by Carissa Véliz
The best books on Digital Ethics, recommended by Carissa Véliz
Philosophers have a lot to add to debates about digital technology and the moral issues raised by its rapid rise, argues Carissa Véliz, a professor at the University of Oxford’s Institute for Ethics in AI. Here she talks us through books for the general reader that introduce some of the challenges of digital ethics, from concerns about privacy and bias to the threat to democracy and the future of humanity.