Philosophy & Ethics

Plantinga’s Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism

As is well known to readers of this blog, I do not have much sympathy for philosophers like Alvin Plantinga. That’s not because the guy’s not smart (he certainly is), nor because he hasn’t published interesting philosophical arguments (he certainly has). B ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Aug 7 2013 - 7:30am

Philosophy Not In The Business Of Producing Theories: The Case Of The Computational “Theory” Of Mind

Readers of this blog are familiar with my criticism of some scientists or scientific practices, from evolutionary psychology to claims concerning the supernatural. But, especially given my dual background in science and philosophy, I pride myself in being ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Aug 14 2013 - 6:30am

Computation, Church-Turing And All That Jazz

I recently examined (and found wanting) the so-called computational theory of mind, albeit in the context of a broader post about the difference between scientific theories and what I think are best referred to as philosophical accounts (such as the above ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Aug 15 2013 - 5:30am

Evolutionary Psychology, Jerry Coyne, Robert Kurzban And The So-Called Creationism Of The Mind

Time to take a break from philosophy of mind and get back to evolutionary psychology. ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Aug 20 2013 - 1:16pm

Steven Pinker Embraces Scientism. Bad Move, I Think

Steven Pinker has written a long essay in The New Republic embracing scientism. That's really too bad, because this way Pinker joins a disturbingly long list of scientists (and a few philosophers) who confuse a defense of good science with a knee-jerk ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Aug 12 2013 - 9:09am

Women Still Lag Behind Men In The Corporate World In One Key Way

Though women work in corporations and serve at higher levels of organizations more than at any time in world history, sociologists note that they still lag behind men in one high-profile way; fraud. Obviously cultural critics can argue that women are bein ...

Article - News Staff - Aug 13 2013 - 5:17pm

Undermine Science By Redefining It

A common technique of activists and people who generally distrust science and want to undermine it is to clog up the discourse with sophistry, like "it depends on how you define X", or they claim that their personal belief means science is not sc ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Jan 26 2014 - 11:19pm

Does Philosophy Have A Sexual Harassment Problem?

Jennifer Saul, a philosopher at the University of Sheffield, published an article in Salon entitled  “ Philosophy has a sexual harassment problem.” While there is much substance and nuance in the body of the article, I sincerely hope that Prof. Saul did no ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Aug 29 2013 - 5:30am

Time To Talk About Islamophobia

There is almost no way I’m not going to get in trouble with this one, and my name isn’t even Carlos Danger! But I’ve been asked several times by readers to comment on accusations of “Islamophobia” aimed at prominent New Atheists (henceforth, NA) — particul ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Sep 2 2013 - 10:33am

Perspectivism And Power I: Thieves To The Right Beggars To The Left

The beggar's cup is empty. Hardly anybody cares about him. Despising side glances hurt, still hurt every time. A squirrel runs up the tree and goes for the best nut. Suddenly a calm understanding replaces the beggar’s bitterness. He walks into the ma ...

Article - Sascha Vongehr - Sep 30 2013 - 6:34am