Media stuff

Here's are the two first salvos in my vain attempt to become the Professor Brian Cox of ancient philosophy:

An In Our Time episode on Heraclitus here.

And an interview for Peter Adamson's History of Philosophy with no Gaps on Epicureanism.

Coming soon: a 12 part TV series in HD on early Milesian cosmology...

Christmas music

There are some good Christmassy songs. I like the sad ones. Some of them are good bad songs. Like this one (it's a bit quiet, but it's important that you watch the excellent video):

And then there are some good good songs. Here is Galaxie 500 singing about snow.

Thanatology

I spent yesterday down at KCL for a day seminar on death organised by the Philosophy and Medicine project.  I had only to talk for a few minutes to introduce the Epicurean arguments against death being a harm, but I think it was of some interest.  But for me the highlights were listening to some of the medical practitioners there who had some profound and humane things to say about the end of people's lives - times that are often distressing, painful, unwanted, and difficult.  To spend time and to dedicate yourself to the care of people at the end of their lives, and then to be able to reflect critically and with humour and sensitivity about the proper demands of such circumstances seemed to me to be extremely impressive.  The discussion then ranged across law, anaesthetics (something I had thought very little about), literature, general practice, and palliative care, as well as philosophy.

I had some indirect experience recently of how the NHS might medicalise the end of someone's life and it did seem to me that it is something that needs attention.  Perhaps, as someone remarked yesterday, doctors have reluctantly and without all the necessary preparation assumed a role as the closest attenders of the dying that used to be filled by priests or by a more extended family.  It was sometimes difficult to turn attention away from tests and treatments and pain regimes and focus on the profound truth of someone ending a life.  But I think it can be done.

Hot topics

The Leiter blog would like to know what the 'hot topics' are in Greek and Roman philosophy these days.  Are there any?  If you have any ideas you can tell everyone about them here.