Philosophy Briefings
Perfect for A-level philosophy students, or anyone with an interest in philosophy, the Philosophy Briefings series brings you accessible overviews of 30 philosophical topics from eminent philosophers.
Topics include identity, Berkeley, property dualism, perception, knowledge, ethics and more.
These videos follow the A-level Philosophy syllabus and are therefore suitable for those studying at that level. However they are also designed to be a useful and engaging resource for anyone desiring to know more about these problems in philosophy.
Many thanks to the Jacobsen Trust for their generous support of this project!
Episodes
26 episodes
Do We Perceive the Physical World Directly? Bill Brewer for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
Professor Bill Brewer, Susan Stebbing Professor of Philosophy, King’s College London, asks whether we perceive the physical world directly.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings, a series in whi...
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13:41
Does All Knowledge Come From Experience? Michael Lacewing for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
Michael Lacewing, Senior Head of Department and Head of Psychology at Christ’s Hospital School, asks whether all knowledge comes from experience.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings, a series ...
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14:05
Mind and Body: Eliminative Materialism Anil Gomes for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
Anil Gomes, Professor of Philosophy at Oxford University and Fellow of Trinity College, Oxford, looks at a central topic in the philosophy of mind: eliminative materialism.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Phil...
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17:32
Kant’s Ethics: The Categorical Imperative Robert Stern (1962-2024)
Robert Stern (1962-2024), late Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield, asks how Kant identifies the supreme principle of morality.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings, a series...
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17:06
Kant’s Ethics: The Idea of a Good Will Robert Stern (1962-2024)
Robert Stern (1962-2024), late Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield, asks how Kant identifies the supreme principle of morality.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings, a series...
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15:35
What is Knowledge? Part 2: Steph Rennick for The Royal Institute of Philosophy
Dr Steph Rennick, Lecturer in Interactive Media at the University of Stirling, looks at what is involved in knowing something. This video is the second part.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefing...
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14:52
What is Knowledge? Part 1: Steph Rennick for The Royal Institute of Philosophy
Dr Steph Rennick, Lecturer in Interactive Media at the University of Stirling, looks at what is involved in knowing something. This is Part One of her talk.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings...
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4:20
The Rights and Wrongs of Utilitarianism Kwame Anthony Appiah for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
Kwame Anthony Appiah, Professor of Philosophy and Law at New York University, presents some of the key arguments for and against utilitarianism.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings, a series i...
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17:43
Mind and Body: Cartesian Dualism Emily Thomas for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
Dr Emily Thomas, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Durham University, asks whether we should be Cartesian dualists.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings, a series in which eminent philosophe...
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14:22
Perception: Locke and Indirect Realism Emily Thomas for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
Dr Emily Thomas, Associate Professor of Philosophy at Durham University, looks at John Locke and how perception works.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings, a series in which eminent philosophe...
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18:43
The Limits of Knowledge: What Can I Know? Glenn Skelhorn for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
Glenn Skelhorn, Philosophy in Schools Tutor for the Royal Institute of Philosophy and Member of Council, looks at the limits of knowledge.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings, a series in whic...
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15:07
The Theory of Knowledge: The Basics Sarah Sawyer for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
Sarah Sawyer, Professor of Philosophy, University of Sussex, answers the question 'what is epistemology?'.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings, a series in which eminent philosophers provide t...
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12:32
Can Philosophy Prove the Existence of God? Yujin Nagasawa - Royal Institute of Philosophy
Yujin Nagasawa, Professor of Philosophy and Kingfisher College Chair of the Philosophy of Religion and Ethics at the University of Oklahoma., looks at the evidence for the existence of God.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy...
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13:40
The Problem of Evil Stephen Law, for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
Stephen Law, Director of Certificate of Higher Education, University of Oxford, looks at the problem of evil.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings, a series in which eminent philosophers provid...
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17:30
Mind and Body: Functionalism Kwame Anthony Appiah for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
Kwame Anthony Appiah, Professor of Philosophy and Law at New York University, asks 'what is functionalism?'.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings, a series in which eminent philosophers provide...
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14:30
Aristotle: Human Nature and the Good Life Angie Hobbs for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield, looks at Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics.This episode is one of a pair of videos on Virtue Ethics, although both can be viewed independently. The ...
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14:33
Aristotle: Ethics and the Virtues Angie Hobbs for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
Angie Hobbs, Professor of the Public Understanding of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield, looks at Aristotle’s Virtue Ethics.This episode is one of a pair of videos on Virtue Ethics, although both can be viewed independently. The ...
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14:09
Mind and Body: Is the Mental Identical with the Physical? Mihretu P. Guta
Mihretu P. Guta, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Apologetics at Biola University, looks at mind-body identity.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings, a series in which eminent philosophers...
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17:44
Is There Anything Outside the Mind? Arif Ahmed for The Royal Institute of Philosophy
Arif Ahmed, Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom of the Office for Students, and formerly Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge, introduces the idealism of George Berkeley.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s ...
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15:41
The Cosmological Argument Julian Baggini for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
Julian Baggini, philosopher, writer and co-founder of The Philosophers’ Magazine, talks about the cosmological argument for the existence of God.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings, a series ...
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16:31
Materialism and Consciousness: The Case of Philosophical Zombies David Chalmers
David Chalmers, Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science at New York University and co-director of NYU’s Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness, looks at whether there exist philosophical zombies.This is one of the Royal Institute o...
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14:45
Mind and Body: Property Dualism David Chalmers for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
David Chalmers, Professor of Philosophy and Neural Science at New York University and co-director of NYU’s Center for Mind, Brain, and Consciousness, looks at property dualism.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute ...
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12:33
Materialism and Consciousness: The ‘Mary’ Argument Patricia Churchland
In this video Patricia Churchland, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, University of California, San Diego, looks at Frank Jackson's "Mary Argument".This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings, a serie...
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16:18
From Self to God: John Cottingham for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
John Cottingham, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Reading and Honorary Fellow at St. John’s College, Oxford, looks at Descartes’ journey from Self to God.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute P...
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16:09
Is Anything Really Wrong? Part One. Robert Cowan for the Royal Institute of Philosophy
In the first part of his talk, Dr Robert Cowan, Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of Glasgow, asks if anything is really wrong.This is one of the Royal Institute of Philosophy’s 15-minute Philosophy Briefings, a series in which e...
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15:23