Philosophy in the News
- Black Is Beautiful
Philosopher Paul C. Taylor discusses themes from his recent book Black is Beautiful: A Philosophy of Black Aesthetics. The book examines issues in racialism from the perspective of aesthetic culture. Tackling such issues as black invisibility, expressive culture and politics, and the problem of authenticity and cultural appropriation. Taylor offers analytic philosophical tools to be brought more widely to bear on scholarly discussion of issues related to race and racialism. (audio)
- What Is Laughter? Ha! Glad You Asked
What is laughter? What roles does it serve? Philosopher Nigel Warburton talks with neuroscientist Sophie Scott. (audio)
- Is ‘post-truth’ New?
It appears many people are quite indifferent to some pretty outrageous claims. Are these people really indifferent to the truth?
- Golden Age of Female Philosophy
Distinguished British philosopher Mary Midgely lived and worked through a period she has termed the ‘golden age of female philosophy'. Now in her 90s, Mary is the last surviving member of a remarkable group of women thinkers. (audio)
- One Box, Two Box, Newcomb’s Shoebox.
Newcomb's problem has split the world of philosophy into two opposing camps. Two philosophers explain - then take the test yourself.
- Sleep, Sex, and Fairy Tales
Sleep is the new sex—we're worried about it but everyone else is getting more and of better quality. That's the verdict of Cressida Heyes, who's ventured into an area left relatively unexplored—the nature and meaning of sleep. But the inspiration for her work came from a deeply personal event rather than a market gap in academia: the birth of her child. Along the way she's come to consider issues of health, gender and sexuality. (audio)
- Ipsa Dixit: Philosophy-Opera
Kate Soper's "Ipsa Dixit" is a tour de force in which the ideas of Aristotle, Wittgenstein, Lydia Davis, and others assume sound and form.
- Will Democracy Survive Big Data?
We are in the middle of a technological upheaval that will transform the way society is organized. We must make the right decisions now. So far, that's not really going so well.
- Jumping to Conclusions
Philosopher Kent Bach talks about beliefs, reasoning, and self-deception. (audio)
- Bertrand Russell Society Writes to the President
The Bertrand Russell Society and others have sent an open letter to the US and Russian presidents calling on them to work to bring an end to nuclear weapons. Bertrand Russell, a renowned mathematician, philosopher, and Nobel Prize laureate, worked tirelessly to reduce the nuclear threat during the Cold War until his death in 1970 at age of 98. Russell together with Albert Einstein, issued their famous Russell–Einstein Manifesto in 1955 to highlight the dangers posed by nuclear weapons, calling for world leaders to seek peaceful resolutions to international conflict.
- What Do We Owe the Dead?
Philosopher Dennis Schmidt asks "What do we owe the dead?" —and how can philosophy and literature help us? Finding the answer might reveal what matters most in life. (audio)
- Those Amazing Human Animals!
In a thousand ways we distinguish people from the rest of nature, and build our life accordingly. We are, in important ways, a special kind of thing. So what kind is that? Do any other beings, animal or otherwise, belong to it?
- Ethics Debate Over Self-driving Cars
Apple is urging the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to pursue three specific ethical issues concerning self-driving cars.
- You Are Not Entitled to Your Opinion
When Mike Pence had to defend Trump's ungrounded claim that millions of people voted illegally, his primary defense was that Trump was "entitled to express his opinions." Philosopher Patrick Stokes explains that using this as a defense works for, for example, matters of personal taste, but it is no defense at all in matters for which there are facts on the ground and good evidence available.
- What Is It Like to Be Sally Haslanger?
A biographical interview with philosopher Sally Haslanger.
- I Second That Emotion
How should we treat the emotions we feel towards fictional characters? Philosopher Kathleen Stock discusses the question. (audio)
- What Is the Aztec Good Life?
Philosopher Sebastian Purcell discusses the good life and Aztec philosophy.
- How to Restore Your Faith in Democracy
As individuals, we derive our sense of selfhood from shared values that are, in turn, embodied in public institutions. When those institutions change, those changes reverberate within us: they can seem to endanger the very meanings of our lives. It's partly for this reason that events in the political world can devastate us so intimately, striking us with the force of a breakup or a death. In dark times, it's tempting to give up on politics. Philosopher Charles Taylor explains why we shouldn't.
- What Makes You Think You’re Special When You Smile?
Happiness can be viewed in different ways and presents a serious conceptual challenge. It is often seen as a personal matter, a spiritual quest, a psychological battle, and mostly a private affair. But maybe it's not all about you—those pesky critics of the Frankfurt School of critical theory certainly thought that it wasn't. (audio)
- Abortion: Where the Moral Dilemma Lies
Bioethicist Glenn Cohen says that behind the political vitriol surrounding abortion in the US, there lies a genuinely complex moral issue. (video)