Philosophy & Ethics

Plagiarism, Lack Of Diversity; Humanities Journal Editors Criticize Humanities Academia

Humanities academics have so long signaled toward progressivism- even when progressives were eugenicists- that it is harm to imagine that they wouldn't become more inclusive without having it called out, but perhaps that is the nature of truly lacking ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 3 2019 - 2:54pm

Bruce Springsteen: An American Aristotle

In the recently released film Blinded by the Light, Pakistani teenager Javed discovers commitment and courage through the music of Bruce Springsteen. Based on journalist Sarfraz Manzoor’s 1980s memoir, the dreams and frustrations of a working-class boy fr ...

Article - The Conversation - Sep 13 2019 - 5:00am

How National Stereotypes Killed The Dream Of 19th Century Philosophers

Nationalist politics continue to gain support across the European continent, from the UK to Italy, France, Hungary and Poland. Meanwhile, the concept of “Europe” has become a rallying cry for those who want to resist what they see as a constraining, inade ...

Article - The Conversation - Sep 15 2019 - 2:01pm

We Know We're Going To Die, So Why Don't We Really Believe It?

In the novella The Death of Ivan Ilyich (1886), Leo Tolstoy presents a man who is shocked by suddenly realising that his death is inevitable. While we can easily appreciate that the diagnosis of a terminal illness came as an unpleasant surprise, how could ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 8 2019 - 7:00am

For World Philosophy Day, Here Are 3 Women You’ve Probably Never Heard Of In The Field Of Big Consciousness

Ask anyone to name a philosopher and they’ll likely name a man. So, let’s turn the spotlight on three women: Mary Calkins, May Sinclair, and Hilda Oakeley. They each defended “ idealism ” – the idea that consciousness composes, or somehow pervades, the un ...

Article - The Conversation - Nov 21 2019 - 9:05am

Death Anxiety Seems To Be Universal- Do We Also Suffer Birth Anxiety?

Many people feel anxious about the prospect of their death. Indeed, some philosophers have argued that death anxiety is universal and that this anxiety bounds and organizes human existence. But do we also suffer from birth anxiety? Perhaps. After all, we ...

Article - News Staff - Nov 22 2019 - 4:31am

Citizen Scientists Should Be Included As Authors On Journal Papers

Though the largest telescopes are controlled by governments, a large part of the time new discoveries are made by amateur astronomers. "Amateur" is a negative word now but at the turn of the 20th century it wasn't. Sherlock Holmes was an ama ...

Article - News Staff - Dec 4 2019 - 11:18am

What Virtues, And Why?

Here comes another post on ethics! This one is, I must admit, somewhat meta-ethical, despite my recent post about the limited value of meta-ethical discussions when it comes to debates in first-order ethics. As I pointed out in the discussion that followed ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Jan 3 2020 - 1:58pm

Is It Immoral To Oppose The Use Of Pesticides?

If you were to ask a group of medical professionals to name the most significant public health achievements of the past century, antibiotics and widespread vaccination against infectious diseases would almost certainly top the list. ...

Article - Henry I. Miller - Jan 6 2020 - 10:15am

True Health Initiative: How Epidemiologists Walter Willett And Frank Hu Use Targeted Harassment To Prevent Criticism

The True Health Initiative (THI) describes itself as a nonprofit devoted to “fighting fake facts and combating false doubts to create a world free of preventable diseases, using the time-honored, evidence-based, fundamentals of lifestyle and medicine.”  Th ...

Article - Hank Campbell - Jan 17 2020 - 4:22pm