Peter Adamson

is Professor of Late Ancient and Arabic Philosophy at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. Duanne Ribeiro chats with him about the history of ideas, and the meaning and methods of philosophy.

The History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps podcast has reached its 400th episode, after almost twelve years of steady publication. Written and presented by Peter Adamson, the podcast has made its way philosopher by philosopher, movement by movement, from Thales of Miletus, considered the first Western philosopher, to (as I write) Marguerite of Navarre, a sponsor of French humanism. It has gone through twenty centuries of metaphysical, political, scientific, ethical, and aesthetical debates in Europe and the Islamic world, and has sprouted two spin-offs, dedicated to philosophy in India and Africana philosophy. "My project", Peter told me, "is inherently about expanding our sense of what the history of philosophy is about."

The first episode of The History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps was uploaded in December 2010. In December 2022, you complete twelve years of steady work. The main podcast now has spin-offs, and has turned into a growing series of books. Did you imagine from the beginning where this project would take you?