We asked our lecturers what they would recommend for budding philosophers to get stuck into over the festive season, and here’s a great list of what they came up with:
Simon Kirchin, Professor of Philosophy says, “If you are into podcasts then one of the best around is Philosophy Bites. It is extensive, so here is the arrangement by theme. If you want to find out about any topic, such as obligations to the needy, paradoxes, time, God and belief, free will, inequality….or just want to know what philosophy is, listen to this.
I also recommend The Pig that Wants to be Eaten, and How the World Thinks: A Global History of Philosophy, both by Julian Baggini. These are three very readable and engaging introductions to the study of philosophy. Julian is a honorary research fellow of the department!
The best novel I have read this year is The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. It tells the story of twin sisters growing up in mid-twentieth century America. As well as being a great read, it is a meditation on different forms of identity. As adults, the sisters adopt different racial identities and live apart. Then, they and their daughters eventually meet again…
One final recommendation is In Our Time, which has been going for about 20 years now. Every episode sees Melvyn Bragg and three guests discuss a topic of interest. The topics range from matters of science and maths, to history and English, from the ancient worlds to the solar system. And, of course, there is plenty of philosophy.”
Dr Michael Wilde, Lecturer in Philosophy, says, “I’d recommend a recent book by Timothy Williamson, Doing Philosophy. It is a fun and accessible introduction to how philosophy works and what it can achieve, complete with loads of examples. Good news for anyone wanting to explain the point of studying philosophy to sceptical family and friends over the dinner table at Christmas. Also, for a taster of all that’s to come studying philosophy at university, a gentle and fun introduction to various philosophical problems is given in the Crash Course in Philosophy on YouTube.”
Dr Lauren Ware, Lecturer, says, “I would recommend the podcast The Lockdown, hosted by Oonagh Ryder and Sam Swann. The podcast is all about prisons and the ethics of Britain’s criminal justice system, with engaging and compelling discussions and interviews on a host of philosophical topics including gender and racial discrimination in punishment, guilt and rehabilitation, surveillance, consent, and abolition. The podcast also has a feature called “argument ammo” which philosophers may find interesting!”
Reader in Philosophy, Dr Edward Kanterian, recommends: “Arthur Koestler, Darkness at Noon. This is a short and very engaging novel about the political system of communism – not as we would like it to be, but as it actually existed. Koestler was a British-Hungarian journalist, philosopher, writer and also a sort of spy. He initially fell in love with the communist idea of equality, and joined the Communist Party in 1931. But after coming to know the party from inside and travellling through the Soviet Union, he grew disillusioned with communism, indeed became its outspoken opponent. Darkness at Noon tells the gripping story of a communist who falls prey to the murderous machinations of the political system he himself has helped establish. The novel is ranked as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.
Other books by Koestler warmly recommended are The Invisible Writing, Scum of the Earth, Dialogue with Death, and The God that Failed. They deal with the false promises of totalitarian ideologies left and right, and help us better understand and appreciate the liberal-democratic society in which we live, imperfect as it is.”