Is Philosophy Dead (Again)?
At a recent debate held at the British Academy of Sciences, leading philosophers took up the challenge of Stephen Hawking’s infamous claim that “philosophy is dead.”
Outing Your A.I.
The idea that an advanced artificial intelligence should be able to “pass” as humanlike is self-defeating, unethical and perhaps even dangerous.
The Philosophy of Digital Art
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a new entry on the philosophy of digital art — the study of the nature and appreciative grounds of all those kinds of art whose production and presentation crucially involves computer processing.
The Metaphysics of Love?
An interview with philosopher Carrie Ichikawa Jenkins about her work on the metaphysics of love.
On Implicit Bias
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a new entry on implicit bias — the relatively unconscious and relatively automatic features of prejudiced judgment and social behavior.
How Liberalism Downplays Racism
Philosopher Falungi Sheth argues that a functioning political liberalism, which promises equality and universal protection for ‘all,’ depends on people to fundamentally believe in a basic framework of these goods, with the predictable result that racial discrimination, brutality, violence, dehumanization, will be written off as accidental.
On the Shoulders of Giants
The controversial role of Chartres in the philosophical Renaissance of the twelfth century. [audio]
“Why, You Lying Miscreant!”
It is generally accepted that lying is morally prohibited. But theorists divide over the nature of lying’s wrongness, and thus there is disagreement over when the prohibition might be outweighed by competing moral norms. There is also widespread agreement over the idea that promises made under conditions of coercion or duress lack the moral force to create obligations. Finally, although free speech is widely seen as a primary value and right, there is an ongoing debate over the kind of good that free speech is. Philosopher Seana Shiffrin discusses themes from her recent book, Speech Matters: On Lying, Morality, and the Law. [audio]
In a Word, Deception
Lying is one way of deceiving with words, but it’s not the only way. Philosopher Jonathan Webber explores the morality of deception with words. [audio]
Formal Epistemology
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a new entry on formal epistemology. Formal epistemology explores knowledge and reasoning using “formal” tools, tools from math and logic. For example, a formal epistemologist might use probability theory to explain how scientific reasoning works. Or she might use modal logic to defend a particular theory of knowledge.
Living With Depression
One philosopher who shared his very personal struggle with the academic community.
My Father, the Philosopher
Emily Adler, daughter of the late Jonathan Adler, has written a fond, anecdote-rich remembrance of her father. “If your father is a philosopher, then you should expect to lose many arguments. You will never lose “because life isn’t fair,” or because your dad “says so.” You will always lose on strict logical grounds.… If your father is a philosopher, your premises must support your conclusion. Then, maybe once or twice in a childhood filled with lost arguments, you will win. When you win, you win big.”
I’m Right, You’re Wrong
Philosopher Catarina Dutilh Novaes reviews Timothy Williamson’s recent book, Tetralogue: I’m Right, You’re Wrong, an investigation of the merits and limits of rational debate.
Alone Together
“Alone Together: Why “Incentivization” Fails as an Account of Institutional Facts.” Bill Butchard(UF alumus) and Robert D’Amico (UF). Philosophy of Social Science (2015): 1-16.
Philosophy of Street Art
Hyperallergic talks to the organizers of a conference on the philosophy of graffiti being held — where else? — New York City.
And What I Really Want Is Some Justice
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a new entry on global justice. With the exception of some special topics, such as matters of just conduct in war, political philosophy has typically focused when theorizing about justice almost exclusively with matters of justice within the state, but the last twenty years or so has seen a marked extension to the global sphere, with a huge expansion in the array of topics covered.
1,000 Years of Exposure
An interview with conceptual artist (and self-described experimental philosopher) Jonathon Keats at the site of his millennium camera installation which hopes to document 1,000 years of change. [audio]
Star Trek and the Nature of Persons
Philosopher Alva Noe reflects on the nature of persons in the world of Star Trek with all its Vulcans, Klingons, Ferengi, and Betazoids.
Unraveling the Church Ban on Gay Sex
Unlike many religions, Catholicism insists that its moral teachings are based not just on faith but also on human reason. For example, the church claims that its moral condemnation of homosexual acts can be established by rigorous philosophical argument, independent of anything in the Bible. Christian philosopher Gary Gutting thinks the time has come for the Roman Catholic Church to rethink its claim that homosexual behavior is immoral, because in the end natural-law theory is going to support rather than reject the morality of homosexual behavior.
Personal Identity and the Unity of Life
What is it to be the same person over time? The 17th-century British philosopher John Locke approached this question from a forensic standpoint: persons are identified over time with an appropriately related series of psychological states, in particular a chain of memories, and our interest in identifying persons in this way is forensic: it stems from our interest in holding people responsible for their actions. Locke’s psychological account of persons remains highly influential today, but his forensic approach is more contentious. In her recent book Staying Alive: Personal Identity, Practical Concerns, and the Unity of a Life, philosopher Marya Schechtman builds on the Lockean idea of persons as forensic units. [audio]
Should Philosophers Be Loners?
Isn’t philosophizing for yourself like keeping your own score in tennis, according to your own judgments of what was in or out? Here, in dialogic form, philosopher Timothy Williamson considers the interpersonal side of the conduct of philosophy.
An Hour with John Searle
Spend a full hour with renowned philosopher John Searle in this interview on WFIU, Indiana Public Radio. [audio]
Why God is a Moral Issue
Philosopher Michael Ruse tries to make sense of the righteous anger of the New Atheists and to understand why they think the question of God’s existence is a moral question not just a factual one.
Philosophy of Swearing and Cussing
What, if anything, is wrong with swearing? Philosopher Rebecca Roache discusses the philosophy of swearing. Quite a lot of cussing ensues. [audio]
Descartes in the Classroom and Beyond
Philosophers answer questions about how they use Descartes in their classes and in their own philosophical work.
Equality for Inegalitarians
Philosopher George Sher discusses themes from his recent book, Equality for Inegalitarians. There is a longstanding debate in political philosophy regarding the fundamental point or aim of justice. According to one prominent view, the point of justice is to neutralize the influence of luck over individuals’ shares of basic social goods. This view is known as luck egalitarianism. It holds, roughly, that inequality is consistent with justice only if it is due to individuals’ choices rather than their luck. In his book, Sher offers a sustained critique of luck egalitarianism and develops an alternative view of distributive justice. [audio]
Metaphysics in Chinese Philosophy
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a new entry on metaphysics in Chinese philosophy. While there was no word corresponding precisely to the term ‘metaphysics’, China has a long tradition of philosophical inquiry concerned with the ultimate nature of reality—its being, origins, components, ways of changing, and so on. In this sense, we can speak of metaphysics in Chinese Philosophy. In Chinese cosmogonies all things are interconnected and constantly changing. They arise spontaneously from an ultimate source (dao). …The most central problems in Chinese metaphysics are around the status of individualized things, the relationship between the patterns of nature and specifically human values, and how to understand the ultimate ground of the world in a way that avoids either reification or nihilism.
My Dream Philosophy…
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a new entry on dreams and dreaming. Dreams and dreaming have been topics of philosophical inquiry since antiquity — and made use of most famously in the modern period by Descartes. Wwhat exactly does it mean to say that dreams are conscious experiences during sleep? Do dreams have duration, or are they the product of instantaneous memory insertion at the moment of awakening? Should dreams be described as hallucinations or illusions occurring in sleep, or should they rather be described as imaginative experiences? Do dreams involve real beliefs? And what is the relationship between dreaming and self-consciousness?
Trade it Forward
Philosophy major, Matt Wage, has gone on to be a highly-paid trader on Wall Street. Having studied ethics with Peter Singer, he figured that getting a high-paying job was the best way to contribute — by giving half his income away to charity. And so he does.
Human Reason and Technology
At the crossroads of human reason and technology is, well, just us. A profile piece about philosophy major and Rhodes Scholar, Maya Krishnan — who is interested in how philosophical theories about human reason can inform us about contemporary advancements in math, computer science and technology.
Death and the Self (Not Necessarily in That Order)
How do our views about the self affect our views about death? Philosopher Shaun Nichols discusses. [audio]
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Human Enhancement
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a new entry on human enhancement. The new entry focusses on a cluster of debates in practical ethics that is conventionally labeled as “the ethics of human enhancement”. These debates include clinicians’ concerns about the limits of legitimate health care, parents’ worries about their reproductive and rearing obligations, and the efforts of competitive institutions like sports to combat cheating, as well as more general questions about distributive justice, science policy, and the public regulation of medical technologies.
May I Have Your Attention, Please
Philosopher Wayne Wu discusses themes from his recent book, Attention. The mental phenomenon of attention is often thought of metaphorically as a kind of spotlight: we focus our attention on a particular item or task, our attention is divided or diffused when we try to text and drive at the same time, and our attention is captured when we suddenly hear our name pop out from the conversational hubbub of a noisy party. But what is attention? How seriously should we take this or other metaphors as giving us insight into the nature of attention? [audio]
The Complexities of Black Folk
An interview with renowned philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah on issues about black identity. “Black identity in America brings with it a whole host of contradictory forces, which are not easily parsed either as American or as black. And how they play out for you depends on other things about who you are.” The interview is tenth in a series being conducted by philosopher George Yancy.
What Is It Like To Be a Philosopher?
Or more specifically, what is it like to be the philosopher Berit Bogaard. An interview with Bogaard.