Philosophy in the News
- The Force of Non-violence
An interview with philosopher Judith Butler about her recent book The Force of Non-Violence.
- When the Clique Clicks and How
Philosopher Katherine Ritchie discusses the ontology of social groups. (audio)
- A Brief History of Free Speech
What is free speech and how entitled to it are we?
- Green Ideas Still Furious
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a new entry on category mistakes. Category mistakes are sentences such as ‘The number two is blue' or ‘Green ideas sleep furiously'. Such sentences are infelicitous in a distinctive sort of way.
- Post-Cartesian Stress
Mind-body dualism getting you down? You bet it is! We continue to think of mental and physical health as clearly distinct and isolated domains.
- What’s Your Excuse?
Philosopher Pauline Silwa explains the difference between a good excuse and a bad one.
- Tolerance and Its Limits
What should we do with people with whom we radically disagree: tolerate, shun, or persuade? (audio)
- $188 Million for AI Ethics Institute and Humanities Hub
The gift from entrepreneur Stephen Schwarzman will go to Oxford University. It will create a humanities hub for interdisciplinary research and an AI Ethics Institute housed under the department of philosophy.
- Humans: The Irrational Animal
Philosopher Bence Nanay argues that our complex imagination makes us more irrational (not less) than other creatures.
- A Crisis of Health in the Open Society
Karl Popper's idea of "the open society" was developed in response to mid-20th-century totalitarianism, and it promoted values of inclusivity, transparency and democratic freedom. Today, some fear that the open society is under threat, with negative consequences for a lot of things we've come to take for granted - including public health. (audio)
- Glaucon’s True Fate
Socrates attempted to turn Plato's brother Glaucon from the path of tyranny. But did he really succeed?
- Do the Right Thing, Inc.
Companies are putting more explicit emphasis on their ethical standards both publicly and internally. So what do ethics officers actually do?
- Life with Robbie
A review of Dumouchel and Damiano's recent book Living with Robots.
- Why Free Will Is Real
An interview with philosopher Christian List on the subject of his recent book Why Free Will is Real.
- When We Should Ban Human Car Drivers
Philosopher Jonathan Webber argues that once we have driverless cars, we need to prohibit human drivers.
- No Theology Without Philosophy
A basic understanding of philosophy is needed in order to really understand theology.
- Causation and the Return of Free Will
An interview with philosopher Carolina Sartorio. "When we act freely we are sensitive to reasons in the appropriate way."
- What’s an Ai Ethicist to Do?
A look at what a corporate AI ethicist does. Article is based on an interview with Microsoft's head of AI Policy and Ethics. (Sadly, the person who holds this position has no training in ethics.)
- Grist for the Conflicted Mill
Is it better to choose a life of suffering or live happily in somebody else's vision? Discussion of an essential tension in the thought of John Stuart Mill. (audio)
- Fellow Creatures Great and Small
An interview with philosophy Christine Korsgaard about her recent book Fellow Creatues: Our Obligations to Other Animals.