Dr Michael Lacewing

Michael Lacewing is consultant on A level philosophy to the British Philosophical Association, the association for philosophy in British higher education, and the Philosophy and Religious Studies Subject Centre of the Learning and Teaching Support Network. A report overseen and substantially written by him on the AQA philosophy A level, prepared at the request of the British Philosophical Association, was submitted to the AQA in November 2004 for their consideration.

He is a lecturer and degree tutor at Heythrop College, University of London, where he teaches Ethics, Philosophy of Mind, and Philosophy of Psychology. He teaches occasionally for the Oxford University Department of Continuing Education. He is a co-author, with other members of the Heythrop philosophy department, of the Routledge textbook Philosophy for AS and A2 (June 2004), for which he wrote the introduction and the chapters on ethics and on exam revision and technique.

Michael's interests lie in the overlap between ethics and mind, in particular, psychoanalysis. His current research is on the relationship between how we feel and what we think, and on psychoanalytic accounts of the origins of our minds and our values.

Michael studied at Manchester, Oxford, and Reading universities, before joining Heythrop in 2001.

Dr Julian Baggini

Julian Baggini has written two complementary books specifically related to the AQA A level philosophy syllabus: Philosophy: Key Themes and Philosophy: Key Texts. He is author, co-author or co-editor of several other books on philosophy: Making Sense: Philosophy Behind the Headlines, New British Philosophy, What Philosophers Think, and The Philosopher's Toolkit. His most recent book is Atheism: A Very Short Introduction, published in June 2003. He is also the editor and co-publisher of The Philosophers' Magazine, which he co-founded in 1997. He has published as a freelance journalist, with reviews and comment pieces appearing in publications such as the Independent, Independent on Sunday, Times Educational Supplement, and Prospect. He is also on the editorial board of New Humanist and has a regular column in The Skeptic.

Julian is interested in bringing philosophy to a wider audience in exciting and innovative new ways. He works with The Philosophers' Magazine Online's new media editor to produce interactive philosophy games and activities for the website and to develop a web-based critical thinking course for business, Thinking Tools.

His homepage is www.julianbaggini.com.

Dr Chris Horner

Chris Horner has been reading and arguing philosophy for more years than he cares to say. For the last ten years, he has taught at Cambridge Regional College. His writings include an A-level introduction to philosophy Thinking Through Philosophy (with E. Westacott), and articles in publications as diverse as Think and The Journal of Nietzsche Studies. His main areas of interest in philosophy are ethics, politics, and aesthetics. He is currently doing research at Goldsmith's College, London on the influence of Kant's Critique of Judgement on modern political philosophers.

Chris is committed to the idea that philosophy can be taught and written about in a way that is clear and accessible to both students and the wider public. Thinking Through Philosophy was conceived in that spirit, and it seeks to challenge and stimulate the reader to think beyond conventional answers to fundamental questions. Philosophy is too important to be left to the academics.

Dr Stephen Law

Stephen Law is lecturer in philosophy at Heythrop College, University of London. He is also the editor of Think, the Royal Institute of Philosophy's new popular journal aimed at the general public. He is the author of The Philosophy Files, an illustrated children's/adult introduction to philosophy, and The Philosophy Gym, an adult introduction to philosophical thinking that tackles twenty-five key questions. The Philosophy Files was The Guardian's number two best-selling book for the year 2000. It has now been translated into nine languages. The sequel, The Outer Limits, was published in July 2003.

Stephen has varied research interests. He has papers on dualism and on Wittgenstein and Kripke forthcoming in the journal Ratio, and is writing further articles on Wittgenstein and on animal rights. He is also co-editor of the Routledge textbook Philosophy for AS and A2 (June 2004).

Stephen studied at City University, London, and Trinity College, Oxford, and was a Junior Research Fellow at The Queen's Colege, Oxford. He lives in Oxford with his wife and daughter.

Dr Marianne Talbot

Marianne Talbot is Director of Studies in Philosophy at Oxford University's Department for Continuing Education. She was Lecturer in Philosophy at Pembroke College, Oxford from 1987 to 1991, and then at Brasenose College, Oxford until 2000.

Marianne has been heavily involved in the development of philosophical education at schools. From 1996 to 2001, as Chair of the National Forum for Values in Education and the Community, she was in charge of promoting pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development for the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. She was a member of the syllabus approval panel for the General Studies and Philosophy A levels, and a member of the Government's advisory groups on Citizenship, PSHE, and Preparation for Adult Life. She is on the Council of the Girls' Day School trust.