Is philosophy becoming irrelevant? | Mary Midgley

Is philosophy becoming irrelevant? | Mary Midgley

From Philosophy For Our Times by IAI

May 26, 2026 · 28 min

About this episode

Mary Midgley discusses the declining interest in philosophy among young people and its importance in understanding the world.

Does philosophy still matter in today's world? If so, why are students less and less interested in studying in it? In a special episode from the IAI archives, Mary Midgley addresses the declining interest in philosophy among young people. Instead of an outdated discipline for old people with too much time on their hands, Midgley argues that philosophy is more important than ever if we wish to understand the world around us, beyond the narrow spheres of the traditional sciences. Don't hesitate to email us at  podcast@iai.tv  with your thoughts or questions on the episode! To witness such talks live, check out our philosophy festivals:  https://howthelightgetsin.org/festivals/ And visit our website for many more articles, videos, and podcasts like this one:  https://iai.tv/ You can find everything we referenced here:  https://linktr.ee/philosophyforourtimes See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .

People in this episode

Guest: Mary Midgley

Topics covered

  • philosophy
  • education
  • relevance
  • youth interest
  • understanding the world

Keywords

  • philosophy
  • relevance
  • education
  • youth
  • Mary Midgley
  • IAI
  • society

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: IAI

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