Faculty of Philosophy

Oxford is one of the world's great centres for philosophy. More than one hundred and fifty professional philosophers work in the University and its colleges, between them covering a vast range of subjects within philosophy. Many are international leaders in their fields. The Faculty of Philosophy is one of the largest departments of philosophy in the world, and is widely recognized to be amongst the best. Its reputation draws many distinguished visiting philosophers; each year around fifty philosophers from around the world give lectures or seminars in Oxford. Almost every major philosopher speaks in Oxford at some time. Each year, more than five hundred undergraduates are admitted to study philosophy in Oxford, always in combination with another subject. The Faculty also has more than a hundred graduate students, who are either taking a taught graduate degree or working for a doctorate. Oxford is a collegiate university, and every registered student becomes a member of one of the colleges. In this way, he or she has access, not only to the very extensive libraries and facilities of the University, but also to the varied and more intimate life of a college. Colleges offer their students excellent libraries and facilities of their own. Teaching at Oxford is by lectures and seminars, and by tutorials or supervisions. Courses of lectures and seminars are offered on a very large range of topics, for both undergraduates and graduates. Tutorials are a special feature of Oxford; undergraduates receive regular and frequent tutorials either individually or in pairs from members of the Faculty. All graduate students also receive frequent individual supervisions. Oxford University dates from the 12th Century or before. The first colleges were founded in the 13th Century. The ancient buildings remain, mingled with magnificent architecture from subsequent centuries, to make Oxford one of the most inspiring and beautiful cities in the world. Within this setting, Oxford remains at the forefront of philosophy.

Series in this collection

All episodes

Title	Description	People	Date
General Philosophy Lecture 8	PDF slides from Peter Millican's General Philosophy lecture 8.	Peter Millican	1 December, 2010
8.4 Persons, Humans and Brains	Part 8.4. The final part of this series. Explores the distinction between mind and body and whether this makes a difference to the idea of personal identity.	Peter Millican	1 December, 2010
8.3 Problems for Locke's View of Personal Identity	Part 8.3. Criticisms of Locke's view of personal identity; if personal identity is dependent on memory then how does forgetting personal history and the concept of false memory change Locke's view of personal identity.	Peter Millican	1 December, 2010
8.2 John Locke on Personal Identity	Part 8.2. Looks at John Locke's view of personal identity; how consciousness and 'personal history' distinguish personal identity and the idea of memory as crucial for personal identity.	Peter Millican	1 December, 2010
8.1 Introduction to Personal Identity	Part 8.1. Introduces the concept of personal identity, what is it to be a person, whether someone is the same person over time and Leibniz's law of sameness.	Peter Millican	1 December, 2010
General Philosophy Lecture 7	PDF slides from Peter Millican's General Philosophy lecture 7.	Peter Millican	1 December, 2010
7.4 Making Sense of Free Will and Moral Responsibility	Part 7.4. A brief explanation of Hume's argument for sentimentalism and Robert Kane's views on free will and determinism.	Peter Millican	1 December, 2010
7.3 Hume on Liberty and Necessity	Part 7.3. Looks at Hume's views on liberty and its relationship to causal necessity; that we have free will but it is causally determined.	Peter Millican	1 December, 2010
7.2 Different Concepts of Freedom	Part 7.2. Looks at Hobbes' and Hume's views of free will and the three concepts of freedom, and considers the idea of moral responsibility as dependent on free will.	Peter Millican	1 December, 2010
7.1 Free Will, Determinism and Choice	Part 7.1. Explores the problem of free will and the ideas of moral responsibility, determinism and choice; the need for a concept of freedom to allow free choice, the problems associated with this and asking whether we really have freedom of choice.	Peter Millican	1 December, 2010
6.4 Making Sense of Perception	Part 6.4. A brief overview of contemporary accounts of perception; including phenomenalism (that objects are logical constructions from sense data) and direct realism (that we perceive objects and the external world directly).	Peter Millican	30 November, 2010
General Philosophy Lecture 6	PDF slides from Peter Millican's General Philosophy lecture 6.	Peter Millican	30 November, 2010
6.3 Abstraction and Idealism	Part 6.3. Criticisms of the resemblance theory of perception and an introduction to idealism - that perceptions of the external world are all within the mind as ideas.	Peter Millican	30 November, 2010
6.2 Problems with Resemblance	Part 6.2. Explores Berkeley's and Locke's arguments concerning the resemblance of qualities and objects; that the perceived qualities of objects exist only in the mind or whether secondary qualities are intrinsically part of the object.	Peter Millican	30 November, 2010
6.1 Introduction to Primary and Secondary Qualities	Part 6.1. Introduces the problem of perception (and the distinction between the world and what we perceive), along with the concepts of primary and secondary qualities.	Peter Millican	30 November, 2010
General Philosophy Lecture 5	PDF slides from Peter Millican's General Philosophy lecture 5.	Peter Millican	29 November, 2010
5.4 Scepticism, Externalism and the Ethics of Belief	Part 5.4. Looks at the role the concept of knowledge plays in life, the different levels of knowledge we require in certain contexts and the return of scepticism over knowledge.	Peter Millican	29 November, 2010
5.3 Gettier and Other Complications	Part 5.3. The difference between internalist and externalist accounts of knowledge; whether we need external factors to justify knowledge or whether internal accounts are sufficient, and the Gettier cases.	Peter Millican	29 November, 2010
5.2 The Traditional Analysis of Knowledge	Part 5.2. Explores the idea of conscious and unconscious knowledge (should a person know that they know something or does it not matter?) and the theory of justification of propositions and beliefs.	Peter Millican	29 November, 2010
5.1 Introduction to Knowledge	Part 5.1. Looks at the problem of knowledge; how can we know what we know, three types of knowledge and A J Ayer's two conditions for knowledge.	Peter Millican	29 November, 2010
A Tale of Two Churches	Professor Ben Kaplan (University College London) gives a talk for the 2010 Science and Religious Conflict Conference. Dr Mark Sheehan (Oxford) is the discussant.	Ben Kaplan, Mark Sheehan	22 June, 2010
Religious Toleration and Political Liberalism	Professor Susan Mendus (York) gives a talk for the Science and Religious Conflict Conference 2010. Dr Nick Southwood (Oxford) is the commentator.	Susan Mendus, Nick Southwood	14 June, 2010
Concluding Remarks	Professor Richard Dawkins gives a few concluding thoughts on the Science and Religious Conflict Conference.	Richard Dawkins	8 June, 2010
Social psychological aspects of religion and prejudice	Professor Miles Hewstone (Oxford) gives a talk entitled Social psychological aspects of religion and prejudice: evidence from experimental and survey research. The commentator is Professor Ingmar Persson (Gothenburg University).	Miles Hewstone, Ingmar Persson	7 June, 2010
The relation between the neurobiology of morality and religion	Professor Patricia Churchland (University of California San Diego) gives a talk for the Science and Religious Conflict Conference.The commentator is Professor Julian Savulescu (Oxford).	Patricia Churchland, Julian Savulescu	7 June, 2010
The view from the East pole: Buddhist and Confucian soteriologies and tolerance	Professor Owen Flanagan (Duke University) gives a talk for the Science and Religious Conflict Conference. The commentator is Dr Guy Kahane (Oxford).	Owen Flanagan, Guy Kahane	7 June, 2010
Personal religion, tolerance, and universal compassion	Professor Dan Batson (University of Kansas) gives a talk for the Science and Religious Conflict Conference. The commentator is Dr Steve Clarke (Oxford).	Dan Batson, Steve Clarke	7 June, 2010
Religious disagreement and religious accommodation	Professor Tony Coady (University of Melbourne) gives a talk for the Science and Religious Conflict Conference. The commentator is Reverend Dr Liz Carmichael (University of Oxford).	Tony Coady, Liz Carmichael	7 June, 2010
Religion and compromise	Professor Walter Sinnott-Armstrong (Duke University) gives a talk for the Science and Religious Conflict Conference. The discussant is Dr Nick Shackel (Cardiff).	Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, Nick Shackel	7 June, 2010
Religious Toleration, Religious Freedom and Human Nature	Professor Roger Trigg (Oxford) gives a talk for the Science and Religious Conflict Conference. The commentator is Dr John Perry (Oxford).	Roger Trigg, John Perry	7 June, 2010
Religion, Cohesion and Hostility	Professor Harvey Whitehouse (Oxford) gives a talk for the Science and Religious Conflict Conference. The commentator is Professor Michael Wong (Monash University).	Harvey Whitehouse, Michael Wong	7 June, 2010
Religion as Parochial Altruism	Professor Ara Norenzayan (University of British Columbia) gives a talk for the Science and Religious Conflict Conference. The commentator is Professor John Wilkins (Bond University).	Ara Norenzayen, John Wilkins	7 June, 2010
Is Religion an Adaptation for Inter-Group Conflict?	Dominic Johnson (Edinburgh) gives a talk for the Science and Religious Conflict Conference. The commentator is Dr Russell Powell (Oxford).	Dominic Johnson, Russell Powell	7 June, 2010
Is Religion Adaptive? Integrating Cognition and Function	Professor Robin Dunbar (Oxford) gives the first presentation for the Science and Religious Conflict Conference. The commentator is Professor Janet Radcliffe-Richards (Oxford).	Robin Dunbar, Janet Radcliffe-Richards	7 June, 2010
Some Fundamental Facts about the Infinite	Professor Adrian Moore delivers a lecture on the concept of the infinite, a concept with deep philosophical implications. This lecture was given in St Hugh's College as part of the St Hugh's Special Lecture Series.	Adrian Moore	14 May, 2010
Ethics, Hospitality and Radical Atheism: A Dialogue	Dialogue between Martin Hägglund and Derek Attridge in Wadham College discussing Philosopher Jacques Derrida's ideas on hospitality and the challenge of Radical Atheism.	Martin Hägglund, Derek Attridge	16 April, 2010
General Philosophy Lecture 4	PDF slides from Peter Millican's General Philosophy lecture 4.	Peter Millican	8 April, 2010
4.4 The Mind-Body Problem	Part 4.4. Looks at some of the modern responses to Cartesian Dualism including Gilbert Ryle's and G. Strawson's responses to the idea.	Peter Millican	8 April, 2010
4.3 Cartesian Dualism	Part 4.3. Introduces Descartes' idea of dualism, that there is a separation between the mind and the body, as well as some of the philosophical issues surrounding this idea.	Peter Millican	8 April, 2010
4.2 Possible Answers to External World Scepticism	Part 4.2. Investigates some of the possible solutions to Descartes' sceptical problem of the external world, looking at G.E Moore's response, among others, to the problem.	Peter Millican	8 April, 2010
4.1 Scepticism about the External World	Part 4.1. Introduces the problem of how do we have knowledge of the world, how do we know what we perceive is in fact what is there?	Peter Millican	8 April, 2010
3.2 Responses to Hume's Famous Argument	Part 3.2. Responses to and justifications of Hume's argument concerning the problem of induction.	Peter Millican	8 April, 2010
General Philosophy Lecture 3	PDF slides from Peter Millican's General Philosophy lecture 3.	Peter Millican	8 April, 2010
3.1 Hume's Argument Concerning Induction	Part 3.1. Briefly introduces the problem of induction: that is, the problem that it is difficult to justify claims to knowledge of the world through pure reason, i.e. without experience.	Peter Millican	8 April, 2010
2.7 Overview: Kant and Modern Science	Part 2.7. Concludes a historical survey of philosophy with Immanuel Kant, who thought Hume was wrong in his idea of human nature and how we gain knowledge of the world.	Peter Millican	8 April, 2010
General Philosophy Lecture 2	PDF slides from Peter Millican's General Philosophy lecture 2.	Peter Millican	8 April, 2010
2.6 David Hume	Part 2.6. Introduces 18th Century Scottish philosopher David Hume, 'The Great Infidel', including his life, works and a brief look at his philosophical thoughts.	Peter Millican	16 March, 2010
2.5 Nicolas Malebranche and George Berkeley	Part 2.5. Focuses on Malebranche, a lesser-known French Philosopher, and his ideas on idealism and the influence they had on English philosopher George Berkeley.	Peter Millican	16 March, 2010
2.4 John Locke	Part 2.4. Introduction to the philosophy of John Locke, 'England's first Empiricist', he also gives a very simplistic definition of Empiricism; we obtain knowledge through experience of the world, through sensory data (what we see, hear, etc).	Peter Millican	16 March, 2010
2.3 Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton	Part 2.3. An introduction to Robert Boyle's theory of corpuscularianism and Isaac Newton's ideas on mathematics and the universe.	Peter Millican	16 March, 2010
2.2 Thomas Hobbes: The Monster of Malmesbury	Part 2.2. A brief introduction to Thomas Hobbes, 'The Monster of Malmsbury', his views on a mechanistic universe, his strong ideas on determinism and his pessimistic view of human nature: 'The life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short'.	Peter Millican	16 March, 2010
2.1 Recap of General Philosophy Lecture 1	Part 2.1. A brief recap on the first lecture describing how Aristotle's view of the universe, dominant throughout the middle ages in Europe, came to be gradually phased out by a modern, mechanistic view of the universe.	Peter Millican	16 March, 2010
1.4 From Galileo to Descartes	Part 1.4. Outlines Galileo's revolutionary theories of astronomy and mechanical science and introduces Descartes' (the father of modern philosophy) ideas of philosophical scepticism.	Peter Millican	19 February, 2010
General Philosophy Lecture 1	PDF slides from Peter Millican's General Philosophy lecture 1.	Peter Millican	19 February, 2010
1.3 Science from Aristotle to Galileo	Part 1.3. Describes briefly the Aristotelian view of the universe; the basis for natural science in Europe until the 15th century and its conflict Galileo's theories.	Peter Millican	19 February, 2010
1.2 The Background of Early Modern Philosophy	Part 1.2. Gives a very brief history of philosophy from the 'birth of philosophy' in Ancient Greece through the rise of Christianity in Europe in the Middle Ages through to the Renaissance, the Reformation and the birth of the Modern Period.	Peter Millican	19 February, 2010
1.1 An Introduction to General Philosophy	Part 1.1. Outlines the General Philosophy course, the various topics that will be discussed, and also, more importantly, the philosophical method that this course introduces to students.	Peter Millican	19 February, 2010
Nietzsche Source. Scholarly Nietzsche editions on the web	Introduction to the scholarly editions of Nietzsche Source: the digital critical edition based on Colli/Montinary, the digital edition of the Nietzsche estate including works, manuscripts and letters and the future genetic edition of Nietzsche's works.	Paolo D’Iorio	23 December, 2009
Nietzsche's Value Monism - Saying Yes to Everything	Lecture on Nietzsche's attack on Value Dualism, as well as the view he offers instead and whether Nietzsche can sustain his Value Monism-the view that everything is good-given the pressures that pull him back into saying no as well as yes.	John Richardson	23 December, 2009
Nietzsche's Metaphysics	Nietzsche rejects a persisting self; real distinctions of objects and properties, categorical and dispositional properties, causes and effects; free will. He holds that determinism is true, reality is one and fundamentally experiential.	Galen Strawson	22 December, 2009
Consciousness, Language and Nature: Nietzsche's Philosophy of Mind and Nature	On the triangulation between consciousness, language and nature in Nietzsche's philosophy and contemporary philosophy of mind and proposes a philosophy of signs and interpretation as a basis for a philosophy of mind, language and nature.	Gunter Abel	22 December, 2009
Who is the 'Sovereign Individual?' Nietzsche on Freedom	Nietzsche's Sovereign Individual (SI) argues that 1. Nietzsche denies free will and moral responsibility. 2. SI in no way supports a denial of 1. 3. Nietzsche engages in a 'persuasive definition' of the language of Freedom and Free Will.	Brian Leiter	22 December, 2009
Nietzsche on Soul in Nature	This keynote speech examines if, according to Nietzsche, experience of nature is inevitably conditioned by some archetypal phantasm or cultural construction process or if unmediated apprehension of nature is possible.	Graham Parkes	22 December, 2009
The Genealogy of Guilt	Nietzsche's objective is not to challenge the Christian non-naturalistic account of guilt but to show that Christian representation of guilt is a product of the exploitation of human susceptibility to guilt as instrument of self-directed cruelty.	Bernard Reginster	22 December, 2009
2008 Lecture 6: The Revisability Puzzle Revisited.	This is the sixth lecture in the 2008 John Locke Lecture series entitled 'Logic, Normativity, and Rational Revisability'.	Hartry Field	24 July, 2008
2008 Lecture 5: Epistemology without Metaphysics	This is the fifth lecture in the 2008 John Locke Lecture series entitled 'Logic, Normativity, and Rational Revisability'.	Hartry Field	24 July, 2008
2008 Lecture 4: Is that Really Revising Logic?	This is the fourth lecture in the 2008 John Locke Lecture series entitled 'Logic, Normativity, and Rational Revisability'.	Hartry Field	24 July, 2008
2008 Lecture 3: A Case for the Rational Revisability of Logic.	This is the third lecture in the 2008 John Locke Lecture series entitled 'Logic, Normativity, and Rational Revisability'.	Hartry Field	24 July, 2008
2008 Lecture 2: What is the Normative Role of Logic?	This is the second lecture in the 2008 John Locke Lecture series entitled 'Logic, Normativity, and Rational Revisability'.	Hartry Field	24 July, 2008
2008 Lecture 1: A Puzzle about Rational Revisability	This is the first lecture in the 2008 John Locke Lecture series entitled 'Logic, Normativity, and Rational Revisability'.	Hartry Field	24 July, 2008
2007 Lecture 6: Knowing what we are thinking	The sixth lecture will try to resolve a familiar tension between externalism about mental content and the assumption that we have some kind of privileged knowledge of the contents of our own thoughts.	Robert Stalnaker	10 July, 2008
2007 Lecture 5: Acquaintance and essence	Russell held that we must be acquainted with the constituents of the contents of our thoughts, and remnants of this doctrine persist in the work of a number of more recent philosophers.	Robert Stalnaker	10 July, 2008
2007 Lecture 4: Phenomenal and epistemic indistinguishability	The fourth lecture will begin with a variation on the thought experiment about Mary that is the focus of the knowledge argument, using it to develop the analogy between self-locating knowledge and knowledge of phenomenal experience.	Robert Stalnaker	10 July, 2008
2007 Lecture 3: Locating ourselves in the world	One strategy for responding to the knowledge argument exploits an analogy between knowledge of phenomenal experience and essentially indexical or self-locating knowledge.	Robert Stalnaker	10 July, 2008
2007 Lecture 2: Epistemic possibilities and the knowledge argument	The second lecture will begin with Frank Jackson's knowledge argument. The argument and the responses to it turn on assumptions about the nature of the contents of belief and the objects of knowledge.	Robert Stalnaker	10 July, 2008
2007 Lecture 1: Starting in the middle	Our topic is a subject's knowledge of his own phenomenal experience and of the content of his thought, but I will approach the topic from the outside, treating the subject as an object in the world.	Robert Stalnaker	26 June, 2008

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