David Edmonds (philosopher)
David Edmonds is a British philosopher, and a radio feature maker at the BBC World Service. He studied at Oxford University, has a PhD in philosophy from the Open University, and has held fellowships at the University of Chicago and the University of Michigan. Edmonds is the author of Caste Wars: A Philosophy of Discrimination and co-author with John Eidinow of Wittgenstein's Poker: [The Story of a Ten-Minute Argument Between Two Great Philosophers] and Bobby Fischer Goes to War: How the Soviets Lost the Most Extraordinary Chess Match of All Time.
With Nigel Warburton he produces the popular podcast series, Philosophy Bites.
He also presents the Philosophy 24/7 podcast series produced by Hugh Fraser of the Storynory podcast, and consults with Michael Chaplin on the BBC radio plays The Ferryhill Philosophers.
He has also written a book on the trolley problem, entitled Would You Kill the Fat Man?, whereby he outlines the problem and several of its variations, providing a rounded view on the trolley problem whilst analysing many ethical theories and how they would respond to the trolley problem.
Selected works
- Wittgenstein's Poker: The Story of a Ten-Minute Argument Between Two Great Philosophers, Faber & Faber, 2001.
- Bobby Fischer Goes to War: How the Soviets Lost the Most Extraordinary Chess Match of All Time. 2004. HarperCollins Publishers.
- Rousseau's Dog: Two Great Thinkers at War in the Age of Enlightenment. 2006.
- Caste Wars: A Philosophy of Discrimination, Routledge, 2006.
- Would You Kill the Fat Man? The Trolley Problem and What Your Answer Tells Us about Right and Wrong, Princeton University Press, 2013.
- Undercover Robot, My First Year as a Human with Bertie Fraser, Walker Books, 2020.
- The Murder of Professor Schlick: The Rise and Fall of the Vienna Circle, Princeton University Press, 2020.
- Parfit: A Philosopher and His Mission to Save Morality, Princeton University Press, 2023.
- Death in a Shallow Pond: A Philosopher, a Drowning Child, and Strangers in Need, Princeton University Press, 2025.