Spotted: Alumni in the Public Eye

The second Volume of Jerry Cohen's Collected Papers Finding Oneself in the Other have been published by Princeton University Press. The collection has been edited by Professor Michael Otsuka.

Highlight include an account of his trip to India in the early 1990's an essay from the 80s in support of the academic boycott of apartheid South Africa; a tribute to Isaiah Berlin; his valedictory lecture at Oxford and an unfinished paper on regarding people as equals.

[Posted October 2009]

Mogbolahan Koya-Oyagbola (BA Philosophy 1995) has published a collection of short stories to follow on from his success of the short story Seafood Pasta which appeared in the anthology – Weaverbird Collection: New Fiction from Nigeria 2008.

The contributions in his new collection titled - Some White English Women I've Almost Known: Fourteen Short Stories, Five Poems About Exile - deal with themes such as poignant nostalgia, alienation, longing and collective trauma. The book is available exclusively from: www.amazon.com

[Posted October 2009]

Peter Cave (BA Philosophy 1972) has a new book published. 'This Sentence is False' offers a lively and accessible introduction to philosophical paradoxes - ideal for anyone coming to this fascinating subject for the first time. Put your neurons through their paces with this lively and engaging introduction to paradoxes. From "Buridan's Ass" and the "Surprise Examination" to "The Liar" and "Sleeping Beauty", "This Sentence is False" introduces all the key philosophical paradoxes. This fascinating guide to logic and reasoning is packed with puzzles and thought experiments to actively engage the reader in critical thinking. As well as paradoxes that occur in our everyday lives, topics also include God, ethics, political philosophy, space and time.

[Posted August 2009]

Julian Baggini (PhD 1996) has been appointed philosopher in residence at Wellington College in Berkshire. You can read the BBC and Independent articles via the links below or click on the photo (left) to read Julian Baggini's blog.

Link to BBC News story - 'Programme teaches pupils to think.'

Link to Independent article - 'Top school hires 'mind gurus' to teach its pupils how to think.'

[Posted May 2009]

Richard Wilson (BA Philosophy 1997) has written 'Don't Get Fooled Again - A Sceptic's Handbook' which Richard describes "is a book about expensive delusions, and how to avoid them. It looks at the myriad ways in which we can deceive ourselves - and be deceived by others. We've all been fooled at one time or another - be it in love or in business, by the media or by the promise of politicians. There are no solid guarantees that can protect us in the future. But by learning more about the human weakness for wishful thinking, the mechanisms of psychological manipulation, and the tools that we can use to separate fact from fantasy, we can at least go some way towards inoculating ourselves."

[Posted May 2009]

Peter Cave (BA Philosophy 1972) has a new book published. 'Humanism: A Beginner's Guide' was released in February 2009.
Why should we believe in God without any evidence? How can there be meaning in life when death is final? With historical adherents including such thinkers as Einstein, Freud, Philip Pullman, and Frank Zappa, Humanism's central quest is to make sense of such questions, explaining the ethical and metaphysical by appealing to shared human values, rationality, and tolerance. Essential reading for atheists, agnostics, ignostics, freethinkers, rationalists, sceptics, and believers too, this Beginner's Guide will explain all aspects of the Humanist philosophy whilst providing an alternative and valuable conception of life without religion.

[Posted May 2009]

Elizabeth Cotton (BA Philosophy 1992, MA 1993) is Lecturer at Middlesex University Business School and has co-authored 'Global Unions, Global Business' with Richard Croucher (Middlesex University Press). The book takes a unique approach to the topic of Global Unions. It looks at a little-understood aspect of globalization: the role of the Global Union Federations in international employment relations. The book outlines the way that trade unions at international level relate to multinational companies using detailed and up-to-date illustrations of their activities.

[Posted February 2009]

Dimitris Lyacos (MA Philosophy 1993) is one of the most prominent (and bestselling) contemporary greek poets. His trilogy Poena Damni (Z213: Exit, Nyctivoe, The First Death), written over the course of seventeen years, has been translated into English, Spanish, Italian and German and has been performed extensively across Europe and the USA. A sound and sculpture installation of Nyctivoe opened in London and toured Europe in 2004-2005. A contemporary theatre-dance version of the same book was showing in Greece in 2006-2007. Lyacos' work has been the subject of lectures and research at various universities, including Miami, Amsterdam, Trieste and Oxford. Various extracts from the trilogy have appeared in literary journals around the world. Z213: Exit will be published in Greece next spring by Ypsilon/books. For more information on Dimitris' work visit www.lyacos.net.

[Posted February 2009]

Peter Cave (BA Philosophy 1972) has a new book published by one world publications. 'What's wrong with Eating People?' is his stunning sequel to last Christmas's bestselling philosophy hit, 'Can a Robot be Human?' In this new book Peter once again engages the reader in a romp through the best bits of philosophical thought. With the aid of tall stories, jokes, common sense and bizarre insights, he tackles some of life's most important questions and introduces the puzzles that will keep you pondering throughout the night. What's Wrong with Eating People? is a smorgasbord, ranging from logic to ethics, art to politics to religion.

[Posted November 2008]

Donald Franklin (PhD 2000) has a new book published by the University of Wales Press. 'Groups in Conflict: Equality versus Community' investigates the respect in which humans are equal, the obligations that equality impose upon us, and how the tension between obligations of equality and community are to be balanced in theory and in practice.

Professor Jo Wolff has described the book as "... a plausible and novel thesis, setting out both the justification of, and the limits to, partiality. It is a significant, striking and refreshing contribution to the developing debate about the possible justification of partiality."

[Posted June 2008]

Diana Janney (BA Philosophy 1991, MA 1992) has published the novel 'The Infinite Wisdom of Harriet Rose'. This tells the story of a naive, overconfident teenager who always felt she has something important to say. However, unlike most of her peers, her hero is Marcus Aurelius, in imitation of whom she has been composing philosophical reflections on life for some time. Her mother and grandmother publish her meditations as a birthday gift and Harriet is plunged into a whirlwind of launch parties, newspaper coverage and television appearances. But is all this attention exactly what she thinks? And, more importantly, can her happiness -- or her naiveté - last?

[Posted February 2008]

James Garvey (MPhil 2000) has published a new book 'The Ethics of Climate Change'. The book considers both climate science and moral philosophy, ultimately finding a way into the many possible positions associated with climate change. It is also a call for action, for doing something about the moral demands placed on both governments and individuals by the fact of climate change. It is a book about choices, responsibility, and where the moral weight falls on our warming world.

[Posted January 2008]

Peter Worley (BA Philosophy 2000) has been in the news recently about his Philosophy in Schools programme. Peter has been teaching philosophy to primary school children in South East London for the last 5 years. His sessions give the children an insight into the history of philosophy as well as a chance to do philosophy with some of the big questions. He has seen first hand how philosophy increases confidence, communication and cognitive skills. His company is training specialist consultant philosophers to develop the extent to which the subject of philosophy is brought to the children. He argues for specialist knowledge from the facilitator to properly do philosophy with children, i.e. being able to identify logical aspects to discussions and to link discussions with philosophers and philosophical ideas etc.

You can read about a session in work on the BBC website interview with Hannah Goff.

[Posted November 2007]

Jesse Norman (PhD 2003) is running as the Conservative candidate for Hereford.

[Posted November 2007]

Noreena Hertz (BA Philosophy & Economics 1987) has been raising thousands of pounds for nurses with her May Day for Nurses campaign. Read More on the UCL news webpage here.

[Posted November 2007]

Peter Cave (BA Philosophy 1972) has a new book published by one world publications. The book introduces some of life's most important questions with tales and tall stories, reasons and arguments, common sense and bizarre conclusions.
Read more about the book at: http://www.oneworld-publications.com/robot/

[Posted October 2007]

Tabitha Jackson (BA Philosophy 1992) won an Emmy, in the category 'Outstanding Informational Programming', for co-producing the documentary series 'Rx for Survival: A Global Health Challenge', for PBS in the United States.
[Posted November 2006]

Carl Whitley (BA Philosophy 2001) is director of 'Transmediate', an established translation company which offers professional translation services in European languages, Arabic, Chinese and Japanese. They specialise in documents with academic, legal, commercial, IT and literary themes.
More information about services provided can be seen at: www.transmediate.com
[Posted May 2006]

Peter Cave (BA Philosophy 1972) returned to BBC Radio 4 to present 'John Stuart Mill: The Utility Man' on 17 May 2006.

The programme was aired to mark the 200th anniversary of John Stuart Mills' birthday (20 May 1806) and featured Professor Jo Wolff.

An archive of the programme can be found at http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/history/pip/pns53/
[Posted May 2006]

Jesse Norman (PhD 2003) is co-author of ' Direct Democracy '. The book launches a campaign by 23 Conservative MP's, MEP's, candidates and activists for a new agenda for Conservative politics in Great Britain. Jesse is also spokesperson for the group. More information at:
www.direct-democracy.co.uk

Newspaper links: Guardian and Telegraph
[Posted June 2005]

Noreena Hertz (BA Philosophy & Economics 1987) is included on the Guardian's recent list of:
'Britains Top 101 Female Public Intellectuals '.
She has a new book IOU: The Story of the Debt forthcoming in September 2004.
[posted July 2004]

Ricky Gervais (BA Philosophy 1983) has recently completed a very successful week of stand-up comedy at the Bloomsbury Theatre.
[posted June 2004]

Comedian 1 Scud stud 0 in Style Wars
...Article from Caroline Davis, 'The Times', 24 October 2003:

What is it that UCL graduates such as comedian Ricky Gervais, the members of pop group Coldplay and Alex Comfort, the author of 'Joy of Sex', have that Oxford University graduates such as Cardinal Newman, Monty Python star Michael Palin and prime minister Tony Blair lack?

The answer is style, according to a new league that ranks UK universities by the celebrity 'cool factor' of their alumni. UCL came joint top of the league with Manchester University.