Motherhood is revered as a state of almost saintly self-sacrifice. According to the popular picture, a mother is willing to do anything for her child and always puts her child first and her own needs last. But real mothers often fail to live up to this ideal and are harshly criticised for this. So might the way we talk about motherhood involve philosophical mistakes? And are these mistakes harmful to mothers?

Philosophy

Philosophy café: Mistakes about Motherhood- Fiona Woolard

These regular, informal lunchtime discussions are held between 1-2pm and open to all (no booking required). They aim to bring together those with an interest in philosophy - from both within the University and the wider local community.

Philosophy Café. Lee Walters - Is Time Travel Possible?

The latest in the popular Philosophy cafe series at the John Hansard Gallery saw Dr Alex Gregory talking about self interest. Alex researches the relationship between what we want and what we think is good, and has published on these issues. "It's clear that people sometimes do things for their own benefit: you might push ahead of other people to ensure you get a good seat on the train. Some philosophers have made the bolder claim that we always act out of self-interest. But is that true? What are the arguments for it? It might seem obvious that sometimes people act for the sake of others: for example, someone might offer to donate blood for the benefit of a complete stranger. But can such examples be explained away as ultimately self-interested?".

Philosophy Cafe podcast: Are people always selfish?

The philosopher Descartes famously held that the mind is an immaterial, thinking substance entirely distinct from the body. If he is right, it is hard to see how mind and body could ever interact - for how can something immaterial causally affect something physical? Most contemporary philosophers would reject this Cartesian dualism but the problem of what the mind is, and how it relates to the body, or brain, remains pressing today. Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, Dr Genia Schonbaumsfeld, discussed this issue at the University of Southampton's Philosophy Cafe at the John Hansard Gallery; an event organised by Lifelong Learning in Humanities. Philosophy Cafe talks are scheduled each month and cover a wide range of topics.

Philosophy Café – What is the ‘Mind/Body Problem’? by Dr Genia Schonbaumsfeld

Every day many people die from lack of food. It is in our power to prevent a large number of these deaths. Philosophers such as Peter Singer and Peter Unger have argued that, given these facts, a typical member of an affluent country is morally required to give away most of their assets to famine relief. But does morality really demand that we sacrifice so much to save the lives of strangers? Philosophy Cafe talks are scheduled each month and cover a wide range of topics, for more information on future Philosophy Cafes please visit the Philosophy website.

Philosophy Café – How much must we give to famine relief?

Ray Monk, Professor of Philosophy, has spoken about mathematical truth at the University of Southampton’s popular Philosophy Cafe at the John Hansard Gallery on campus. From the time of Plato onwards, philosophers have regarded mathematical truth as an ideal. Unlike ordinary, empirical truth, it is held, mathematical truth is eternal, incorrigible and certain. This talk looked at the ways in which philosophers have tried to account for the special nature of mathematical truth, concentrating on Bertrand Russell who ended up denying there was such a thing. Ray, the author of biographies of Wittgenstein and Russell, wrote a well-received book about atomic scientist J Robert Oppenheimer in 2012. Philosophy Cafe talks are scheduled each month and cover a wide range of topics.

Philosophy Café – New ways of looking at mathematics by Prof Ray Monk.

The University of Southampton’s popular Philosophy Cafe series has considered the differences between rationality and morality. Dr Jonathan Way has argued that we ordinarily assume that it is rational to be moral - that we are not foolish for doing what's right. However, on reflection it can be hard to see why this is so. After all, it certainly seems as if there can be occasions on which immorality pays. Nor is it obvious that immorality must involve any kind of inconsistency or confusion. His talk explored these challenges and considered how some philosophers have tried to vindicate the rationality of morality. For further information on the University of Southampton’s Philosophy Café’s visit http://www.southampton.ac.uk/lifelonglearning/philosophy/public_events/cafe.page?

Philosophy Café – Is it rational to be moral? By Dr Jonathan Way.

The notion of ‘free thought' is fundamental to many of our deeply cherished liberal ideals. Universities, books, and people are often celebrated (or feared) for their power to encourage it, and many liberal institutions exist to protect it. However, it is surprisingly difficult to say what free thought is, and why it's worth having. Lecturer Dr Sasha Mudd explored the meaning and significance of ‘free thought' in a popular Philosophy Cafe session at the John Hansard Gallery on campus. She drew on insights from two of its greatest champions: Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill.

Philosophy Café – What’s so good about free thinking? By Dr Sasha Mudd.

Lecturer Dr Conor McHugh challenged the audience at the University of Southampton Philosophy Cafe to consider what makes a person. He asked them to ponder what would happen if scientists swapped individual’s brains from one person to another: “Which, if either, of the resulting people is you? What if the scientists erase all of my memories and scan them into your brain? In that case, it will seem to you that it was you who, for example, wrote these words. Is this impression illusory?” Conor’s lively session, encouraging people to think about such questions, was aimed at helping us to get clearer on personal identity and on our concern for our own futures.

Philosophy Café – What am I? by Dr Conor McHugh

Subjectively we view ourselves as in control of most of our actions, and we think that other people are largely responsible for theirs. But objectively, we can see that what we do is caused by many events and circumstances stretching back into the past, which has suggested to some people that free will is an illusion. Which view should win out? Or is there no real conflict between them? Professor Chris Janaway discussed these issues at the latest session of the Philosophy Cafe.

Philosophy Café – Free will: a necessary illusion?

The anxiety that we are, in some way, not being ourselves can seem both puzzling and all too familiar. This worry is also an anxiety that has been explored by many of the great philosophers and became in the twentieth century a central theme in existentialism, as the worry that our lives are 'inauthentic'. But what is authenticity? What is to be oneself? And if one isn't oneself, what can one do about it? Dr Denis McManus has addressed these issues at the University of Southampton's Philosophy cafe.

Philosophy Café – Authenticity: what is it to be oneself?

In the film 'The Matrix', the main character discovers that his life is an illusion - all of his experiences have come from a perfect computer simulation fed into his brain. This is a modern version of thought-experiments employed by philosophers for hundreds of years. Dr Conor McHugh discussed whether the seeming fact that we can't tell that we're not in the Matrix shows that we don't know anything about the world around us in this session of the Philosophy cafe? He also posed the question - if you 'are' in the Matrix, exactly what difference does it make? You can listen to a podcast of the talk in the right hand section of this page. Philosophers at the University of Southampton give regular talks at the Philosophy Café, held at the John Hansard Gallery, as part of the Humanities Lifelong Learning programme. These highly successful free events provide food for thought in a relaxed atmosphere for like-minded individuals - no previous philosophical experience is necessary. To find out more about forthcoming Philosophy Cafes please visit the Humanities Lifelong Learning website.

Philosophy Cafe - External World Scepticism, or What If You're In The Matrix? by Dr Conor McHugh

Can conceptual art be truly described as 'art'? Professor Aaron Ridley considers the issues raised by the twentieth century's most important philosopher of art, R.G. Collingwood. He discusses whether an unmade bed, or a woolly teapot, 'really' count as art in this session of the University's Philosophy Cafe. Click here to listen to the podcast

Philosophy Café – Conceptual art – a contradiction in terms?

Dr Jonathan Way discusses; what is the nature of morality? Is it merely subjective or relative, subject to change according to the customary behaviour of a society? You can listen to a podcast of the talk in the right hand section of this page.

Philosophy Café podcast - Is morality objective?

Professor Ray Monk discussed the relevance of biography to philosophical study with reference to Wittgenstein in the latest Philosophy Cafe at the John Hansard Gallery at the University of Southampton. Wittgenstein the philosopher has had a huge influence within philosophy and other academic disciplines. Outside academic life, Wittgenstein the man has inspired artists, poets, film-makers, novelists and dramatists to attempt to capture the fascination of his uniquely intense and austere personality. Ray, who has written a biography of the philosopher and the man attracted a large audience keen to find out more:

Relevance of biography to philosophical study

Philosophy at Southampton has an interdisciplinary approach informed by a broad range of research interests that includes: aesthetics, language and epistemology, ethics and philosophy of mind. This series introduces the Philosophy Café series of informal talks and enquiry on themes of choice and reason connected with the human situation. Thinking about studying philosophy? Watch our student experience video for insight into the diversity of the subject area and the learning culture at Humanities.

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Philosophy

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