Microphilosophy with Julian Baggini

Julian Baggini and guests Myisha Cherry and Catarina Dutilh Novaes explore how the exemplary habits and principles of the best philosophers can help us to think better. Their focus today is on the role of anger in thinking and the need to defer to others. They take as their cue Baggini’s new book How to Think Like a Philosopher, in which he offers 12 key principles for a more humane, balanced and rational approach to thinking.

Julian Baggini and guests Simon Kirchin and Anil Seth explore how the exemplary habits and principles of the best philosophers can help us to think better. Their focus today is on the problems of "reification" – thinking of concepts as though they were things – and anthropomorphism, and finding the balance between confidence and humility in your own ideas, practices and arguments. They take as their cue Baggini’s new book How to Think Like a Philosopher, in which he offers 12 key principles for a more humane, balanced and rational approach to thinking.

Julian Baggini and guests Nilanjan Das and Leah Kalmanson explore how the exemplary habits and principles of the best philosophers can help us to think better. Their focus today is on the value of contemplative practices, and shifting the burden of proof. They take as their cue Baggini’s new book How to Think Like a Philosopher, in which he offers 12 key principles for a more humane, balanced and rational approach to thinking.

We’re at the midpoint of series five of Microphilosophy, in which I’ve been discussing the habits and virtues of highly effective thinkers with guest philosophers. We’ll be resuming these episodes after the easter break. For now, here’s a recording of an experimental live stand up philosophy performance that has been sitting in my archive for several years. Whereas the series so far has been about how to think like a good philosopher, this one explores what happens if you apply philosophical methods in wildly inappropriate and opportunistic ways.. 

Julian Baggini and guests Clare Chambers and Lucy O'Brien explore how the exemplary habits and principles of the best philosophers can help us to think better. Their focus today is on the principles of charity and sincerity, and the need to abide in uncertainty. They take as their cue Baggini’s new book How to Think Like a Philosopher, in which he offers 12 key principles for a more humane, balanced and rational approach to thinking.

Julian Baggini and guests Peter Adamson and Tom Kasulis explore how the exemplary habits and principles of the best philosophers can help us to think better. Their focus today is on how to use thought experiments and being misled by concepts. They take as their cue Baggini’s new book How to Think Like a Philosopher, in which he offers 12 key principles for a more humane, balanced and rational approach to thinking.

Julian Baggini and guests Patricia Churchland and Owen Flanagan explore how the exemplary habits and principles of the best philosophers can help us to think better. Their focus today is on following the facts, without assuming they speak for themselves. They take as their cue Baggini’s new book How to Think Like a Philosopher, in which he offers 12 key principles for a more humane, balanced and rational approach to thinking.

In this discussion recorded live at St Georges, Bristol, philosopher Julian Baggini and guests Lisa Bortolotti and Rebecca Buxton explore how the exemplary habits and principles of the best philosophers can help us to think better. They took as their cue Baggini’s new book How to Think Like a Philosopher, in which he offers 12 key principles for a more humane, balanced and rational approach to thinking. Event produced by Bristol Ideas.

This edition was dropped the week that the legendary guitarist Wilko Johnson died, aged 75. Back in February 2014 I interviewed Wilko at the Giants of Rock Festival in Minehead. We talked about getting old but continuing to rock, a life-affirming choice Wilko and his mostly middle-aged audience both made with glee. The interview wasn’t recorded for broadcast so its backstage, rough-and-ready aesthetic is by accident not design. But I think the informality of the conversation makes a welcome change and gives a good sense of the man himself.Johnson rose to fame with the band Dr Feelgood in the 1970s. He continued to play with various bands after leaving the Feelgoods in 1977. In January 2013 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given less than a year to live. He threw himself into touring and a year later when we spoke he was still going strong. At the Giants of Rock Festival he was playing with his long-term sidekick, bass legend Norman Watt-Roy and drummer Dylan Howe. Listen to this and tell me Wilko’s not a philosopher.