Philosophy in the News
- Do Your Friends Actually Like You?
Not as obvious as you might think. A discussion with Princeton philosopher Alexander Nehamas, author of On Friendship, who explains that we like are friends a little bit like we sometimes like art -- in spite of the fact that, for example, it might go against your moral beliefs or commitments. (audio)
- Philosopher-Hero of the Enlightenment
This French philosopher's admirers included Frederick the Great, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Voltaire. They revered him for his defence of religious liberty and his genius for undermining conventional ideas. Voltaire said that he was the greatest reasoner who ever set pen to paper. But this 18th century hero of the Enlightenment is now all but forgotten. This is in part because of the success of his ideas. As Rebecca Goldstein says, when philosophy aids in human progress it becomes invisible.
- Philosophy of Immigration
A review of philosopher David Miller's recent book Strangers in Our Midst: The Political Philosophy of Immigration.
- Against ‘Sustainability’
Philosophy graduate student Jeremy Butman argues that our sustainability initiatives are merely self-serving.
- America’s Problem with Social Insurance
Uniquely among the world's rich countries, the United States lacks a comprehensive, universal social insurance system. This is largely due to ideological opposition rooted in a historical confusion. Philosopher Elizabeth Anderson works through the historical roots of America's hang-up about social insurance.
- How to Take on the Gods with Just a Philosopher and an Angry Mob
In video game Okhlos from Coffee Powered Machine, you control your philosopher (and so an angry mob) to take on the gods of Olympus. "You take control of one of a number of philosophers,... Aristotle or Plato, for instance, to lead your characters into battle. Each philosopher has different perks which give you perks or buffs to use on your mob... The crowd does the rest."
- Politics and Emotions
Strong emotions can divide us, so it seems right to banish them from the public square. Not so fast, says Martha Nussbaum, for whom politics and emotions do go together. From the beginning of her critical work, Nussbaum has sought to understand powerful emotions like love, fear, guilt, disgust, and hope. Her project now is to unite politics and emotions to enrich ethical and political life. In a two-part conversation she addresses the need to feel. (audio)
- What We Owe Each Other
An interview with philosopher Tim Scanlon.
- Why Camus Was Not an Existentialist
In an interview in Les Nouvelles Littéraires, 15 November, 1945, Camus said point-blank: “I am not an existentialist.” He went on to say, “Sartre and I are always surprised to see our names linked." So what is existentialism, and why does Camus not qualify?
- The Problem of Time in Cosmology
At the Time in Cosmology conference physicists and philosophers such as David Albert and Jenann Ismael, to debate the reality of time and the appropriate place of time in cosmology. Those in attendance wrestled with several questions: the distinction between past, present, and future; why time appears to move in only one direction; and whether time is fundamental or emergent.
- Philosophy of the Joker
With the help of the views of some philosophers, this video offers an analysis of what really makes supervillain The Joker tick -- and why he is badass for all time. (video)
- The Case of the Female Orgasm
A discussion of philosopher Elisabeth Lloyd's The Case of the Female Orgasm in the light of new empirical research.
- Ibn Sina’s Natural Philosophy
The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy has a new entry on /Ibn Sina's Natural Philosophy. Ibn Sina (980–1037)—the Avicenna of Latin fame—is arguably the most important representative of falsafa, the Graeco-Arabic philosophical tradition beginning with Plato and Aristotle, extending through the Neoplatonic commentary tradition and continuing among philosophers and scientists in the medieval Arabic world.
- The Tyranny of the Ideal
An interview with philosopher Jerry Gaus. "Morality is, in my view, the crowning achievement of humanity...What an incredible species we are to invent this way of living together! "
- Spinning the Scientific Revolution
The scientific revolution conjures a vision of a perfect overthrow of an archaic worldview, and the dethroning of devious medievalists determined to keep control. But can we trust the hype? There is another view: that what occurred in that roiling period between Copernicus and Newton was more mess than method; and no two philosophers could agree on anything. A pivotal character of the time was René Descartes, whose ideas challenged the existing Aristotelian conceptions. We revisit a Cartesian classic. (audio)
- What Justifies Segregation By Gender?
It is a remarkable fact that we treat men and women, boys and girls, differently in ways we would never find unconscionable along, say, racial, ethnic, religious lines. What is with that?
- Love in Revision
Our cultural idealization of love could use a revision. An interview with philosophy student Moira Weigel, author of Labor of Love: the Invention of Dating.
- The Limits of Anger
Anyone can get angry, that's easy. But hitting the right target with the right amount—that's devilishly hard, or so thought Aristotle. And is it worth bother? Some political philosophers see anger as a sign of moral seriousness, yet appealing to people's sense of outrage can be a serious political misstep. Martha Nussbaum is on the case of anger—its uses and abuses—and her conclusion is rather startling, not the least for its elegant simplicity. (audio)
- The Origins of All Things…
...according to Anaximander.
- What Is Extremist Belief?
What is extremist belief? Philosopher Anthony Booth discusses an answer drawn from medieval Islamic philosophy where Abu Nasr al-Farabi has soemthign to teach us about the thinking behind radicalisation, and offers a warning to terrorists guilty of 'over-belief'.