Next Talk: 'Jeremy Bentham and Sex' by Professor Paul Kelly on 10 May 2016

Abstract:
"​Throughout the nineteenth century Utilitarians such a John Stuart Mill had sought to rebut Carlyle's charge that psychological hedonism was no more than a philosophy for swine. Jeremy Bentham, JS Mill's intellectual godfather, was unconcerned by such high mindedness and in a series of unpublished works written between 1814-1817 he addressed the issue the regulation of sexual behaviour. My talk will address those works and set them in the context of Bentham's broader utilitarian philosophy and provide an assessment of whether the philosophy of swine criticism was merited. The talk will be of interest to those interested in ethics and moral philosophy, utilitarianism and the history of nineteenth century English philosophy. I cannot guarantee that it will be of great interest to those whose primary interest is sex! "

Next talk is 'Liberty and Harm: can utilitarianism save us from each other?' Tuesday 12 April 2016

Abstract:

You can't keep all the people happy all the time, but it seems plausible to aim to keep as many people as happy as possible. From Epicurus through to Mill, many philosophers have identified "the good" as whatever causes pleasure, or reduces pain. But where does this leave justice and integrity, and can pleasure really be a noble enough foundation for our ethics and politics? 

I will explore various criticisms of utilitarianism - that it's impossible in practice, leads to absurd conclusions, fails to explain some fundamental aspects of human morality, and in some situations could even prove dangerous. As we seek to shore up and defend utilitarianism, it tends to retreat to the sidelines, providing less practical assistance than we might hope.

'Friends and Friendship' - a talk by Dr Sean Cordell - Tuesday 8 March 2016

Abstract:

Two friends, Tina and Selina, have some obligations to each other that are not specified or agreed just by Tina or Selina themselves but also by the social structure, the institution, of friendship. That is, there is a sense in which ‘friend’ can be said to be a kind of social role: a set of expectations that pre-exist and endure particular individuals in particular relationships. Thus Tina’s angry rebuke to Selina “but I thought we were friends!” can make perfect sense without their having made any specific agreements about how they behave towards each other.

Or at least that’s what I think….Interestingly, philosophical accounts of friendship have tended to overlook, play down or in some cases explicitly doubt, this institutional dimension. Contrarily, I will argue that proper consideration should significantly inform our understanding of friendship, particularly in light of some longstanding arguments about friendship’s value and place in moral theory. 

Philosopher Queens: On Being a Philosopher in Practical Politics" a talk by Prof Beverly Clack 9 February 2016, Bull's Head. Barnes, 7.30pm - 9pm

Abstract:

In the Republic, Plato suggests that the best ruler for his ideal society would be a philosopher: or, as countless translations have put it, he advocates placing power in the hands of the ‘Philosopher King’. In this talk, I will be examining his claim in two ways: both draw upon my experience of being a philosopher of religion who was elected in May 2012 as a City Councillor in Oxford.  First, I will consider the effect of my philosophical training on the experience of being a practical politician, as well as the effect being a practical politician had on my philosophical interests. Second, I will consider the experience of being a woman in practical politics.

Updated schedule for the rest of Season 6