Nigel Warburton
02 September 2026
The complicated legacy of John Locke
The man who helped to invent modern liberalism also had some distinctly illiberal ideas – including on slavery
Read the full article19 August 2026
This is why Andy Burnham seems so authentic
The best political performers are the ones who convince us there’s no performance at all
Read the full article12 August 2026
The philosopher who couldn't save Boris Johnson
Anthony Kenny saw the future PM’s flaws close-up at Oxford University
Read the full article05 August 2026
You’re decent and tolerant – but how tolerant should you be towards fascists?
Karl Popper identified the problem of how tolerant we should be towards intolerant people. Where do you draw the line?
Read the full article29 July 2026
An eye for an eye can never be justice
Both Immanuel Kant and Ann Widdecombe believed in capital punishment – but it is barbarous and absurd
Read the full article22 July 2026
Why philosophers can’t explain the power of music
The Proms is a reminder that the stirring quality of organised sound defies all reason
Read the full article15 July 2026
Artificial intelligence and artificial philosophy
AI firms have been hiring philosophers to deal with the moral questions thrown up by their platforms. But are they just window-dressing?
Read the full article08 July 2026
There is a moral argument for paying reparations over slavery
If your country caused suffering and if identifiable victims are still alive, then apologetic statements may not be enough
Read the full article01 July 2026
Will AI kill off the writer?
It would be a cruel twist – but Silicon Valley doesn’t care about copyright and trains its AI systems using the work of writers who see no benefit. If that continues, the role of the writer may cease to exist
Read the full article09 June 2026
The Argentinian who hated the World Cup
Philosophical writer Jorge Luis Borges loathed international football. He was wrong about the sport, but right about the nationalism it engenders
Read the full article03 June 2026
Calling it a “tradition” is no defence
Every year, in the Faroe Islands, pods of whales are trapped and hacked to pieces in the water. Just because it has been done for centuries does not mean it has to continue
Read the full article27 May 2026
When tech bros predict the future, boo loudly
The bosses of Nvidia and Google think their companies are building the future. The trouble is, if they keep saying it and we keep believing it, one day it might actually come true
Read the full article20 May 2026
The strange phenomenon of “an agreeable kind of horror”
In a new book, Cal Flyn describes the competing feelings she has on approaching the edge of a live volcano. It is a reminder of the power and mystery of the sublime
Read the full article13 May 2026
Can Reform really call themselves Christians?
Nigel Farage’s party waves the Bible but opposes loving thy neighbour and helping those in need
Read the full article06 May 2026
Wittgenstein’s intellectual experiment that went wrong
Wittgenstein designed a house thinking it would be something of deep significance. It turns out that it wasn’t
Read the full article29 April 2026
Living with the ghost of Paul Auster
A beautiful new memoir by novelist Siri Hustvedt, the writer’s widow, is full of philosophical insights
Read the full article22 April 2026
This man tried never lying for a year - it went about as well as expected
Philosopher Immanuel Kant said you should always tell the truth no matter the consequences. It’s too much to expect that from politicians
Read the full article15 April 2026
Are plants conscious?
You’ll never have a two-sided conversation with a cherry tree – but it probably has a far simpler sentience of its own
Read the full article01 April 2026
Do we need more philosophers in public life? It’s complicated - and this is why
You can be an expert in logic and still espouse the worst values
Read the full article25 March 2026
You're on your own, Nick Timothy
The Tory claims a Muslim ceremony was about ‘domination and division’. Is his intervention really about British values, or something darker?
Read the full article18 March 2026
Jürgen Habermas – brilliant, influential and stupefyingly tedious
He argued for the importance of communication within society, but his works were relentlessly inaccessible. Despite this, he was central to Germany’s post-war moral recovery
Read the full article11 March 2026
The moral minefield of water cremation
For thousands of years, philosophers have disagreed over what to do with mortal remains. Some wanted a solemn burial, others to be eaten by dogs, while others jumped into a volcano. What would they have made of a modern, water-based method?
Read the full article04 March 2026
The photographs worth far more than a thousand words
Thinkers have suggested that we see through photographs, back to the reality that they depict. But really their power is symbolic
Read the full article25 February 2026
The Epstein scandal will create a wave of conspiracy theories
The problem is that the secret international network of powerful men that Epstein created around himself will only convince the paranoid fantasists they were on to something
Read the full article11 February 2026
Ai Wewei wants you to know that the west censors too
The dissident artist has been targeted by China – but On Censorship reveals a wider world of control
Read the full article04 February 2026
Karma is the world’s worst policeman
Sorry, but leaving the universe to right itself is just misguided wishful thinking
Read the full article28 January 2026
Can philosophy be funny?
It Wittgenstein had written a Tractatus Logico Humurous, would we have learned anything from it?
Read the full article21 January 2026
How do ordinary people become evil?
Dehumanisation, obedience and lack of empathy: what drives people to commit the worst acts imaginable
Read the full article14 January 2026
How to stop AI slop from killing the internet
Legislation or an unexpected saviour could help – but the tech giants will try to crush them
Read the full article13 January 2026
The philosophy behind the BBC’s Waiting for the Out
Andy West, the man who inspired the hit new drama, on nature, change and the ‘terrible, dehumanising’ life behind bars
Read the full article07 January 2026
Why I don't have a favourite philosopher
I'm an admirer of John Stuart Mill, David Hume and Diogenes the Cynic. The problem is, I cannot endorse any one of them without reservation
Read the full article31 December 2025
Why New Year’s resolutions are the hardest promises to keep
Promises to ourselves have a superficially similar structure to promises to other people – but with a kind of double lock
Read the full article