Why Democracy?
Philosopher Michael Sandel poses the question “Why democracy?” and discusses it with a live audience in the Palace of Westminster. [video]
Why? Radio
A piece on philosopher Jack Russell Weinstein whose Why? Radio program is now in its seventh year.
Wolff on Political Philosophy
An interview with philosopher Jonathan Wolff and his recommendation of five books in political philosophy.
The Ethics of the ‘Singularity’
Some people argue that we will one day reach a point when our machines, which will have become smarter than us, will be able themselves to make machines that are smarter than them. The result? Superintelligent machines we cannot even imagine. Fantasy or nightmare, perhaps. Now, Nick Bostrom has been urging that we need to take steps to ensure that these superintelligent machines will be given our values, but philosopher Alva Noe argues that cannot stand. No, the ethical waters at the deep end of the pool are much scarier than that.
Can Torture Ever Be Moral?
An absolute ban on torture does not distinguish between the torture of wrongdoers and the torture of the innocent.
Philosopher Launches Global Health Impact Initiative
Philosopher Nicole Hassoun launched a Global Health Impact Initiative before the World Health Organization. In addition to tracking the global outreach of various medicines in relation to need, her Index has the correlative aim of helping to incentivize phamaceutical companies who increase access to fundamental medicines worldwide.
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Philosopher Proposes New Theory of Time!
Slap-dash reporting and lots of hyperbole, but we always like to see philosophy in the headlines.
Interactive Democracy
Contemporary advances in technology have in many ways made the world smaller. It is now possible for vast numbers of geographically disparate people to interact, communicate, coordinate, and plan. These advances potentially bring considerable benefits to democracy, such as greater participation, more inclusion, easier dissemination of information, and so on. Yet they also raise unique challenges, as the same technology that facilitates interaction also enables surveillance, as well as new forms of exclusion. Philosopher Carol Gould discusses themes from her recent book, Interactive Democracy: The Social Roots of Global Justice. [audio]
A Philosophy Degree Earns More Than A Degree in Accounting
We talk a lot about the need for good jobs, … [but] you don’t necessarily need to major in software development or computer science to go far in this world. You can make a good living with a philosophy degree.
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Birmingham, January 29th, 1998
Philosopher Gregory Pence reflects back on the first fatal bombing of an abortion clinic in America.
How to Be A Stoic
“I’ve recently become a Stoic.… Practicing Stoicism is not really that different from, say, practicing Buddhism (or even certain forms of modern Christianity): it is a mix of reflecting on theoretical precepts, reading inspirational texts, and engaging in meditation, mindfulness, and the like.”
Philosophy Beyond Academia
A conversation with philosopher José Zalabardo on philosophy and its social role beyond the university. [video]
Philosopher Aerialist
A piece on philosopher Meg Wallace and her other passion: performance on aerial silk. “Aerials and philosophy both require a lot of intellectual energy, confidence, and courage. Also, I find that being in front of a bunch of smart philosophers, presenting my ideas, takes as much steel guts as hanging on to mere fabric with your bare hands 20 feet in the air.” [video]
The Bear As An End in Itself
Philosopher Christine Korsgaard defends a Kantian account of the status of animals. She argues that we should treat animals as ends in themselves and spells out what that means in practice. [audio]
Where Have All the Philosophers Gone?
A review of Richard Marshall’s recent collection, Philosophy at 3:AM.
Race, Gender and the Metaphysics of Personal Identity
Would that still have been you, if that embryo had made a boy instead of a girl, or as a girl instead of a boy? Or if born a boy but raised a girl or vice versa? Or if born and raised one way or another, but underwent sex reassignment? Or if born and raised with one racial identity, but then had any “morphological markers” of it erased? A critical discussion of Anthony Appiah’s “But Would That Still Be Me?”
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What is Truth?
“Truth, like knowledge, is surprisingly difficult to define.” An overview discussion of some philosophical views on truth.
The Evil of Other Possible Worlds
Does belief in the existence of other possible worlds undermine our morality? Gasp!
The Ethics of Information
Luciano Floridi, Oxford professor of philosophy and ethics of information, says methods for discussing the ethics of information technology have been latent in philosophy from its origins.
Executing Them Softly
Is there a moral logic to wanting to minimize the pain of the person you are about to put to death?
Extremist Ideas
Discussion of an unsettling provision in a newly baked UK law which requires schools and universities to conduct surveillance on students and “to uncover ‘where and how’ their students might be drawn to extremist ideology, including ‘non-violent extremism’.… And if they find anyone who appears ‘vulnerable to being drawn into extremism’, refer them to local anti-terrorism panels for ‘support’.”
Oh, To Be in Love!
Philosopher Berit Brogaard has written a book about romantic love, using philosophy, psychology and neuroscience to examine what many consider an irrational passion.
Philosophy and Science: Double Or Nothing
Can science continue to ignore philosophy? Or are the two inextricably intertwined? (Clue: intertwined.)
Seeing Things As They Are
Esteemed philosopher John Searle discusses themes from his recent book, Seeing Things As They Are. “A few really disastrous mistakes have dominated Western philosophy for the past several centuries. The worst mistake of all is the idea that the universe divides into two kinds of entities, the mental and the physical (mind and body, soul and matter). A related mistake, almost as bad, is in our understanding of perception.”
Activism and #Activism
Whether it’s making donations and signing petitions online, or using social media to highlight political causes, cyber-activism has never been easier. With a few clicks, we can make our voices heard around the globe. But who’s listening, and is anything actually changing? Does cyber-activism mobilize real-world action on the ground, or does it reduce political engagement to simple mouse-clicking and ultimately threaten the subversive nature of change? Philosophers John Perry and Ken Taylor get active with Lucy Bernolz from the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society. [audio]
Out of Our Minds With Belief
Philosopher Brie Gertler argues that if there is a profound divide between mind and world, only your occurant beliefs belong to the mind. And this most of your beliefs are not of the mind.
Heraclitus and the Flux Capacity
From everyday objects to the stars, the world of things appears stable and fixed. Yet for quantum physics and the ancient philosopher Heraclitus nothing remains the same. Rather than a framework of things might the world be essentially fluid?
You Can Trick Someone into Loving You
Philosopher Berit Brogaard tells us how — and five other thingsabout love you might not know.
Love is a Syndrome
When we want to know what it feels like to be in love, we turn to the poets. When we want to know how ridiculous our conception of love actually is, we turn to the philosophers. An interview with philosopher Ronald de Sousa on themes from his recent book, Love: A Very Short Introduction.
Hegel’s Influence on Martin Luther King, Jr.
We are generally well aware of King’s debt to Gandhi and the Satyagraha movement that won Indian independence in 1947, yet we know little of his debt to the same thinker who inspired Marx and his contemporaries—G.W.F. Hegel.
Redefining Marriage
When women received the right to vote, that did not redefine ‘voting’: it was just expanding the same institution to include more people. But marriage isn’t like that.
Anarchism
Anarchy. Sounds like lawlessness. And lawlessness indeed sounds pretty terrifying. But philosopher Mark Lance argues that anarchism isn’t at all about lawlessness. [audio]