Alan Saunders died last June. He hosted The Philosopher's Zone, a philosophy radio show in Australia. A philosophy radio show? I had never heard of such a thing. Here in Canada, the very idea of a radio broadcast devoted to philosophy is, well, merely an idea. I was avid follower of Mr. Saunders' broadcasts.
He was born in London in 1954. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, 'Saunders studied philosophy at the University of Leicester, and went on to achieve a master's of science in logic and scientific method from the London School of Economics. He came to Australia in 1981 to research at the history of ideas unit at the Australian National University. In 1989, he was awarded a PhD for a thesis on the 18th century scientist Joseph Priestley.' Here is his obituary in the The Independent.
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation hosted a tribute to Alan Saunders on 24 June, and they're replaying some of his shows, including his interview with Martha Nussbaum, 'The Therapy of Desire: Epicureans and Stoics on the good life' and an interview with William A. Drumin called 'A rear view of Alfred Hitchcock.' Here's Saunders hosting a broadcast about Melbourne trams:
