Philosophy in the News
- Working from Within
An interview with philosopher Sander Verhaegh on Quinean naturalism.
- Are We Getting Anywhere?
Seriously. (audio)
- What Does Retributive Justice Look Like?
Retributivism contends that it is wrong to punish people who are innocent and to inflict greater punishment than is proportionate to the offense. In their recent book legal philosopher Kimberly Kessler Ferzan and Larry Alexander explore the underpinnings of retributive justice — uncovering and tackling the conundrums to which it gives rise. In their just-previous book, Ferzan and Alexander argued for the controversial views that attempted crimes are as culpable as completed crimes and that negligence is not culpable and should not be within the sphere of criminal law.
- The Vice of Fear
Is fear such a bad thing? Nobody likes to experience it, but fear can be a spur to virtuous action, and overcoming fear is the essence of courage. But not everyone takes such a benign view. this discussion explores the Stoic idea that fear is actually a vice, and one that needs to be expunged from our emotional repertoire. (audio)
- Philosophy Through Cartoons
An interview with Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein about their recent book I Think, Therefore I Draw: Understanding Philosophy Through Cartoons (audio)
- What If There Was No One?
Would human extinction be a tragedy? It may seem a strange question to ask, but we may learn something about ourselves by confronting this question.
- Ethics of Policing Through Family Dna
A high-profile arrest in California showed how the long arm of the law can now extend into DNA databases to check for relatives.
- “Who’s a Good Dog?”
Can there be a "very good dog"?
- The Wrench in the Moral Machine
The Moral Machine experiment aimed to gather data on what a driverless car should do when faced with a runaway-trolley-type problem. But the answers we need here cannot be obtained by just gathering more data -- for several reasons.
- American Philosophy: A Love Story
In this recent book, philosopher John Kaag tells of his personal journey to philosophy through his quest to save the personal library of Harvard philosopher William Ernest Hocking.
- Blackburn on the So-Called Post-Truth Era
Our distress over "post-truth" discourse is in itself an indication that truth lives on, philosopher Simon Blackburn tells us.
- Who Wears Bentham’s Rings?
Famed utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham — whose mummified body is permanently on display at University College London — is missing some rings. Twenty, to be exact.
- Are Codes of Ethics Inert?
New research suggests having a professional code of ethics does not effect the decisions made by software developers. This should not surprise us. Tech sorely needs ethics, not just codes of ethics. UPDATE: See also this coverage in Forbes magazine.
- 40 Million Runaway Trolleys
In 2014 researchers at the MIT Media Lab designed an experiment called Moral Machine. The idea was to create a game-like platform that would crowdsource people's decisions on how self-driving cars should prioritize lives in different variations of the “trolley problem.” Forty million have now tried their hands at the switch. What did we learn?
- Between the Moon and Evil
What makes a rocket safe? Are you sure—really, really sure? To answer this question to NASA's exacting standards, you'll need not just a grasp of engineering, but an understanding of metaphysics and the epistemology of space travel. To truly answer this question, you'll need to be a philosopher… of safety engineering.
- On Reparation
Historical injustice presents a complex problem for descendants of the original victims and perpetrators. When individuals and communities today still suffer the consequences of past wrongs — slavery, dispossession, invasion, the theft of land and resources — what exactly is owed to them, and who should pay? (audio)
- Becoming Responsible
Responsibility and accountability in the digital era: Do collective and artificial intelligences change the deal?
- Rethinking Education
An interview with philosopher of education John White.
- What Is the Point of Philosophy?
Does it have one? Does it need one?
- How to Respect Your Enemies
A review of philosopher Martha C. Nussbaum's book The Monarchy of Fear: A Philosopher Looks at Our Political Crisis.