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podcast1990–present

The Moral Maze

Disciplines:
ethics
philosophy/public philosophy

Summary

The Moral Maze is a long-running BBC Radio 4 discussion program that examines the ethical dimensions of current affairs through debate between panelists and witnesses.

Core Contribution

The Moral Maze has provided a weekly forum for philosophical debate on ethics in public life since 1990, featuring panelists ranging from Michael Portillo to Anne McElvoy in adversarial exchanges about the moral dimensions of contemporary issues.

Key Spikes & Highlights

  • 30+ year run (one of the longest-running ethics programs in any medium)
  • Adversarial format (panelists grill witnesses — academics, activists, politicians — confrontationally, unlike more genteel academic panels)
  • Michael Buerk hosting (hosted by Michael Buerk since 1998 — his dry skepticism defines the show's tone)
  • BBC Radio 4 institution (airs weekly during prime Radio 4 time, reaching several million listeners)

Historical Influences

BBC Radio 4 producers

Intellectual Lineage

BBC public affairs broadcastingBritish philosophical debate tradition

Allied Works

Philosophy Bites Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do?

Contemporaries & Peers

Philosophy Bites Justice: What's The Right Thing To Do?

Minds Influenced

No recorded minds influenced.

Intellectual Posterity

Current affairs ethics debate format

Discussing

The Moral Maze

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