The Philosopher's Arms: Where ideas meet beer
Post categories: beer,Ìýphilosophy
10:30, Wednesday, 7 September 2011
Two nights ago, in a pub not too far from Broadcasting House, Matthew Sweet asked whether people would hook themselves up to a machine guaranteeing a fulfilled life. Among the guests were philosopher Jo Wolf and David Willets MP. (You can hear the debate online.)
Our panellists: (left to right) Jo Wolff, David Willetts and David Geaney
This is The Philosopher's Arms - a place where philosophical ideas meet the real world in the company of beer. The evening's subsequent conversation ranged over mental health drugs, government happiness policy and prozac in the water supply.
Each week in The Philosopher's Arms Matthew Sweet takes a dilemma with real philosophical pedigree and sees how it matters in the everyday world. He'll be joined by a cast of thinkers and experts to show how the dilemma's we face in real life connect us to some of the trickiest philosophical problems ever thought up.
Paul Murphy is the editor of the Radio 4 blog
- The first episode of the Philosopher's Arms is available to listen to online now, and is repeated today, Wednesday 7 September at 4.30pm.
- The next episode of The Philosopher's Arms where the panel ask "Can machines be conscious?" is on Radio 4 on Tuesday 13 September at 9pm and again on Wednesday 14 September at 4.30pm.
Comment number 1.
At 7th Sep 2011, philthehombre wrote:Add your comment.
And with a drink in hand so perfectly suited to the towering fundamentals of the eternal day, and a Broadcasting House not too far away so as to not cast its shadow, one can be sure that despite the enfeebling compliance of the me-full glass tap, tap, tapers, their everyman expertise and beery light will not have them a-thinking-among much else, that a question mark must always mark a bona fide question, and not that thing methodically conceived, allusively couched, and juxtapositionly staged to subvert the rationalistic spirit of threatening ones.
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Comment number 2.
At 7th Sep 2011, newlach wrote:Thinking about the question of life too much can have have its drawbacks, as David Willets pointed out with regard to Mill and his mental breakdown. Perhaps there is something is this idea of "flow" - people being involved in things and not always thinking about the pluses and minuses - but I think any attempt by government to find out if our lives are worthwhile will interrupt the flow. Perhaps Aristotle is right: "Don't call a man happy until he is dead"; but if you are wanting to get acquainted with someone it is probably best to make a careful assessment beforehand!
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Comment number 3.
At 14th Sep 2011, Cassius wrote:Will this be available on a podcast? Perfect to get my brain going on the commute...
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