Welcome to Bitesize Ethics 2026: Life, death and difficult decisions
This 8-week online programme provides a short introduction to some of the ethical issues affecting decisions taken around the beginning and end of life of living things, based on current research from academics at the Uehiro Oxford Institute. Prof Dominic Wilkinson provides a general introduction in week one, and the series continues with a different specialist each Wednesday, addressing themes such as conscience and conscientious objection, age-based decision-making, AI and life extension, the ‘badness’ of death, and difficult decisions in healthcare. The series will finish with a wrap-up discussion looking back at the topics covered, led by Dr Jonathan Pugh.
Registration is free and no prior experience or study is necessary. Each 45-minute class will take place online via Zoom on Wednesday lunchtimes (BST) and participation in the informal Q&As and discussion sessions following each week’s presentations is warmly encouraged.
If you would like to catch up on last year's Summer programme (Ethics in the Age of AI) you can find all of the videos and summaries on the Bitesize 2025 page, and on our YouTube channel.
This online programme provides a short introduction to 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.
Beginning with a general introduction to practical ethics, also known as applied philosophy, the series continues each Wednesday looking at the themes of ethics in public health policy, extinction, digital persuasion, emerging technologies, consciousness, direct climate action, procreation and neurocorrection, finishing with a wrap-up discussion asking what is next for practical ethics.
Registration is free and no prior experience or study is necessary. Each 45-minute class will take place online via Zoom on Wednesday lunchtimes, and participation in the informal Q&As and discussion sessions following each week’s presentations is warmly encouraged.
Videos of the sessions are uploaded to our YouTube channel and posted on each programme's webpage once the series has concluded.
