Rinrigaku and Our Broken Web of Trust
The relations of trust between us are so foundational to everyday life that they remain largely invisible until they begin to break down.
Making Choices, Living Differences
We’re all keen on diversity these days—as long as it stays within proper boundaries. When it comes to moral values though, diverse perspectives can make us uncomfortable. As globalisation brings people ever closer together, human societies have become more accommodating—so how do we manage it, and how can we do better? (audio)
Statement on Liberal Arts Education
The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AAC&U) has issued a statement on the value of liberal arts education and urgingr resistance to moves which would revision college as narrowly vocational or restrict liberal arts education to those with privilege.
What’s Your (Epistemic) Relationship to Science?
Research on public understanding of science often conflates knowledge and understanding.
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Moral Injury in War
Moral injury is trauma which results from being ordered to do something in a “high-stakes situation” that violates an individual’s deeply held beliefs about what is right. In the heat of battle, soldiers are often ordered to do things that are unspeakable in civil society and suffer the psychological consequences. When you have a physical injury, go to the doctor. A psychological injury? Get thee to a psychiatrist. But what can be done if you suffer from a “moral injury?
Philosophers Gone Wildly Wrong
Four philosophers who realized they were completely wrong about things.
The Justification of Refugee Policies
This essay pertains in the first instance to Australian policies of detention of asylum seekers, but the discussion by Australian philosopher Tony Coady can be a starting point for thinking about what does or does not justify any state’s policies about refugees.
Martin Luther King: Political Philosopher
We don’t routinely think of political figures as philosophers, but when but comes to Martin Luther King—maybe we should. More than a civil rights leader, more than a great orator, King was a deep thinker with a remarkably coherent vision of the moral life and a bracing take on some of the fundamental questions of political philosophy. (audio)
Why Watching Westworld Matters.
The pleasure of entertainment aside, the makers of the series have produced a powerful work of philosophy. But not because of any theorizing. Actually watching “Westworld” matters.
The Myth of Perfect Rationality
“There is more to be said for stupidity than people imagine. Personally I have great admiration for stupidity.” –Oscar Wilde
Just How Many Pet Monkeys Did Thomas Kuhn Have?
And then Walker remarks ‘while feeding his pet monkeys in Princeton, Thomas Kuhn remarked how social scientists regularly misappropriated his idea of paradigms.’ Pet monkeys? I had to know: How many pet monkeys did Kuhn have?
Techno-wisdom Now!
Technology isn’t value-neutral. Unless we understand the ethical assumptions behind our technology, we can’t trust the solutions it offers.
Further Challenges to Incentivization
William Butchard [UF alum] & Robert D’Amico (UF). “Reply to Further Defenses of Incentivization”. Philosophy of the Social Sciences 47 (6):463-471 (2017).
Philosopher Runs for Congress
“My philosophical investigations have established the theoretical basis of my campaign.”
Is Muffins Your Friend?
The philosophy of animals has traditionally focussed on rights: asking whether they have property rights over habitats, or rights to not be killed for food. Animal ethicist John Hadley investigates a new frontier: can you be “friends” with your pet? If the philosophy of friendship can’t make room for animals, where does that leave some humans we know? (audio)
The Virtue of Frugality
Philosopher Emrys Westacott discusses the virtues of simple living in a complex time (audio)
How the Light Goes to London
The 2018 How the Light Gets In festival of philosophy and music has just wrapped up, but festival organizers have announced, the event is also going to London this Fall!
Meaning, Publicity and Knowledge
Marija Jankovic (UF alum) & Greg Ray (UF). “Meaning, Publicity and Knowledge”. ProtoSociology 34:98-115 (2017).
How Morally to Morally Educate
Reasonable disagreement about morality presents educators with a problem. Education does and should include some form of moral education. But, if there is reasonable disagreement about morality, it looks as though any attempt to persuade children of the authority of a particular moral code will be tantamount to indoctrination.
Justice: Then and Now
Everybody seems to like justice. Nearly every culture that has left us a written record of its thinking and way of life has elevated justice to the status of a cardinal virtue. The question of what justice is, however, has troubled leading minds for the last 3,000 years. Over time, the shift in what we consider justice to be is rather fascinating.
Frog and Toad Attend Philosophy Class
Three philosophers take to the philosophy journals to argue about the cookies in Frog and Toad Together.
Morals and the Market
Neoliberalism and human rights are often portrayed as standing in opposition to each other, with the fat cats at the big end of town pulling the economic levers that keep the poor and homeless on the streets. But on closer inspection, neoliberalism and the discourse of modern human rights can actually be seen as close philosophical cousins. (audio)
Ethics Transplants for a New Era
Arthur Caplan & Duncan Purves [UF]. “A quiet revolution in organ transplant ethics”. Journal of Medical Ethics 43 (11):797-800 (2017).
Philosophers on Repeal of the Fetal Rights Amendment (Ireland)
In a public statement, a group of over 40+ philosophers from Ireland and beyond urged repeal of the amendment. (UPDATE: Irish voters voted overwhelmingly to repeal the amendment.)
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Philosophical Clothing
Did you put your Trolley T-shirt on backwards today? Is this party really ready for your Begriffsschrift Shift? Philosopher Maureen Eckert has a line of philosophy clothes.
The Reformation: What’s Not to Like?
Luther’s handiwork has been credited with igniting individualism, liberalism—even capitalism—in the world as we find it today. But does that mean he also has to take the rap for the decline of universities, the rise of stage-managed politics, and even Brexit? For theologian and political philosopher John Milbank, the answer might just be ‘yes’. (audio)
Virtual Reality: You Can’t Touch This
Through virtual reality you can now explore a sunken ship, suspend weightless in space, or visit Angkor Wat. So why is the real experience still better?
On Parental Happiness
In The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas writes “Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next.” He might as well have been writing about being a parent—and the nature of parental happiness. Parents often form a unique and powerful love for their children—it’s equal parts life-affirming and heartbreaking. But the heartbreak can be handled in different ways. We could choose to fear it, embrace it, or overcome it. (audio)
Philosophy as Ballast
Vulnerable youth can be radicalized by recruitment techniques that the internet has given a greatly increased reach and sophistication. Can philosophy for children play a role in helping young people know their own mind and be less of a target for “radicalization”?
The Value of Value Transparency
Science isn’t cold, hard facts uncovered by emotionless workers. Acknowledging how and where values play a role promotes a more realistic view and can advance science’s reputation for reliability.
The Triumph of Iteration Over Intellect
If you could do anything 4.9 million times, you’d probably be master at it too.
The Right to Exclude
Do states have a moral right to exclude people from their territory? It might seem obvious to you that they do (or don’t). Philosopher Sarah Fine discusses the issues. (audio)
A Walk Through the Extended Mind of Andy Clark
Andy Clark has long argued that technology is part of us—literally. He believes that viewing the mind as a closed computer system does not reflect how we cognitively juggle the world, and that the arrival of the smartphone proves his thesis of the extended mind. But if our inner life is partly outer, legal and moral challenges arise. What we’ve traditionally thought of as an untouchable inner life might need to be re-imagined—to a place where messing with your phone means messing with your mind. (audio)
The Ethics of Parenting
Every parent knows the guilt that comes from being a ‘bad parent’—after you’ve lost your temper, given in to a tantrum and spoiled your precious little angel! It might affect how the child grows up, but how to work that out now? Perhaps the most important philosophical questions parents ask are the ethical ones about the right way to raise a child, and what it means to be a ‘good’ parent. Self-help books, web sites and apps proliferate but still no clear-cut answers. Matt Beard wades further in to the goods and bads of modern parenting. (audio)