Wise Woman: Mary Midgley

Mary Midgley became one of the best known public intellectuals in the UK, and was one of the first philosophers to talk about climate change. Though she didn’t publish her first book, Beast and Man, until she was 59, she wrote many influential works on science, ethics, and animal rights. So, why did Midgley argue that the climate crisis was ultimately a conceptual problem? What was her criticism of scientism, the view that only science can provide knowledge about the world around us? And why did she think the work of the philosopher is a bit like that of the plumber?  Josh and Ray explore her life and thought with Clare Mac Cumhaill from Durham University, co-author of Metaphysical Animals: How Four Women Brought Philosophy Back to Life. Part of our Wise Women series, generously supported by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.