This online programme provides a short introduction to different aspects of practical ethics, looking at some of the issues that concern philosophers and the public alike today, and offering an insight in to the current research of academics at the Uehiro Oxford Institute.
The summer programme
Each summer the programme begins with a general introduction to the season's topic, and continues each Wednesday with a different speaker, examining themes such as AI ethics, ethics of life and death, and neuroethics. Each programme finishes with a wrap-up discussion summarising the key discussion points and asking what is next for practical ethics in the topic area.
Registration is free and no prior experience or study is necessary. Each 45-minute class takes place online via Zoom on Wednesday lunchtimes (UK time) during the summer months, and participation in the informal Q&As and discussion sessions following each week’s presentations is warmly encouraged. The 2026 summer programme has now ended but you can catch up on this year's topic - Life, death and difficult decisions - via our YouTube channel. Registration opens in the spring.
The Christmas programme
A festive mini-series runs in December, providing a light-hearted look at the ethics of the season. Registration opens in the autumn.
Videos of the programmes are uploaded to our YouTube channel and posted on each programme's webpage once the series has concluded.
