Nigel Warburton

Rare fossils belong in museums, not billionaires’ mansions

I recall as a four-year-old in the mid-1960s being taken to a studio in a department store and given a ball to play with. This was captured by a professional photographer using a Polyfoto camera,…

Humans have been slaughtering each other for millennia. One philosopher thinks now is the best time to be alive – but there are reasons to doubt him

The philosopher held vile elitist views – but his sister distorted his legacy towards fascism

There are con artists everywhere online. The only option is relentless, exhausting suspicion. But be careful not to fall into paranoia

Should we judge someone on the intention of their action, or its consequences?

Physicist Carlo Rovelli’s new book says quantum mechanics has demolished one of our most basic assumptions about the world we live in

Wisdom is a word that features in book titles in the ‘Self-help’ section of bookshops, but not so much in the ‘Philosophy’ section (where that still exists). Wisdom is different from evidence-based knowledge, because it…

Once, people wondered whether they should believe in God – now they wonder whether to believe in AI. Sadly, this time, the bargain on offer is much worse

He’s remembered for a single phrase, “the end of history”. But it didn’t mean what everyone thought. It was a much more perceptive comment than it appeared

The man who helped to invent modern liberalism also had some distinctly illiberal ideas – including on slavery

The best political performers are the ones who convince us there’s no performance at all

Anthony Kenny saw the future PM’s flaws close-up at Oxford University

Karl Popper identified the problem of how tolerant we should be towards intolerant people. Where do you draw the line?

Both Immanuel Kant and Ann Widdecombe believed in capital punishment – but it is barbarous and absurd

The Proms is a reminder that the stirring quality of organised sound defies all reason

AI firms have been hiring philosophers to deal with the moral questions thrown up by their platforms. But are they just window-dressing?

If your country caused suffering and if identifiable victims are still alive, then apologetic statements may not be enough

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

Philosophical writer Jorge Luis Borges loathed international football. He was wrong about the sport, but right about the nationalism it engenders