Nozick May Host T.V. Philosophy Show

Professor of Philosophy Robert Nozick is working with the Public Broadcasting Service to develop a talk show on morals and ethics which he would host. Nozick said last week.

The half-hour show, which will begin filming next fall pending government funding, will feature interviews with prominent figures in a wide variety of fields, "probing moral and ethical questions from a practical point of view," according to the show's executive producer.

After completing two pilot episodes, the still untitled show will begin production if it receives financial backing from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Executive Producer Glenn Litton said last week that Nozick's interviews will "communicate a very open and practical way of looking at philosophy, not necessarily for the classroom but for the public marketplace."

The series will be filmed on location at the homes and offices of its guests in order to engender an "informal and lively setting." Litton added

Producer Ann Peck '66 recommended Nozick as the host after attending several of his lectures at Harvard and reading his book Philosophical Explanations.

Despite initial misgivings that the show would "simply convey what I already knew." Nozick said last week the project had become a learning experience.

Instead of acting like the polite host he feels he has acquired a knack for "pressing" his formidable guests and has become more "comfortable probing people with questions to which they might not even know the answers."

Nozick, who comes from Brooklyn, N.Y. said he never aspired to work in television and was excited about interviewing some of his favorite celebrities. He cited Woody Allen and Red Auerbach, general manager of the Boston Celtics, as examples of possible guests.