Category Archives: philosophy

Is morality relative?

Joshua Knobe writes that, if you think it’s objective, you should examine the evidence.

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Is Sam Harris just a crank about morality?

Josh Rosenau finds scientific method purloined for political use in Sam Harris’ book The Moral Landscape, and argues that, as it is a piece of philosophy, Harris did this work a disservice by failing to preview it in respected philosophy … Continue reading

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Truth in fiction

Tamar Szabó Gendler asks what it means for something to be true within a story. I’m a little unconvinced, as the first claim she accepts is actually quite a controversial one – surely one should consider the author’s culture, personal … Continue reading

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Two Russell Blackford interviews on moral theory…

…which he links to and talks about here.

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What’s wrong with astrology?

Paul Newall examines the attitudes of Popper, Kuhn and Feyerabend to astrology and the limits of science.

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Ethics as biography

Continuing his amoralist manifesto, Joel Marks argues that moral positions are unjustifiable, but instead caused by one’s personal history. Could he be correct?

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How many kinds of experimental philosophy are there?

Joshua Knobe explores the ideas of positive and negative experimental philosophy.

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What do you think about classical logic?

Martin C Clarke presents his slightly sceptical views about its usefulness and accuracy compared with informal, “real” logic.

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Dworkin on leading a good life for ourselves and others

Ronald Dworkin reflects on the complexity of ethics and art, and on what it might take for a life to have meaning.

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Spinoza’s life and thought

Clare Carlisle introduces the Guardian’s serialised exploration of Spinoza’s thought with a (very) short precis of some of the main ideas of his philosophy, and a tiny summary of his life.

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