Tabla de contenidos para December 2024 - January 2025 en Philosophy Now

‘More songs about Buildings and Food’ was the title of a 1978 album by the rock band Talking Heads. It was about all the things rock stars normally don’t sing about. Pop songs are usually about variations on the theme of love; tracks like Rose Royce’s 1976 hit ‘Car Wash’ are the exception. Philosophers, likewise, tend to have a narrow focus on epistemology, metaphysics and trifles like the meaning of life. But occasionally great minds stray from their turf and write about other matters, for example buildings (Martin Heidegger), food (Hobbes), tomato juice (Robert Nozick), and the weather (Lucretius and Aristotle). This series of Shorts is about these unfamiliar themes; about the things philosophers also write about. Philosophers on Dance “Every day is wasted if you do not dance at…

The ‘Allegory of the Cave’ is a Socratic argument recorded by the Greek philosopher Plato, a student of Socrates, and the writer of The Republic (c.375 BCE), which contains a dialogue between Socrates and Plato’s brother Glaucon. The Allegory is a metaphorical story in which prisoners are chained up in a cave, facing a wall. There is a bright fire behind them, so the prisoners can see the shadows of people and objects that pass behind them that are cast on the wall. These shadows are the only reality they know, until one of the prisoners escapes to the outside, real world. Socrates argues that the freed prisoner would return and try to liberate his fellow prisoners, now knowing what exists outside the cave and how their reality is distorted.…

Robert Stern FBA (1962-2024) was a British philosopher who served as a professor of philosophy at the University of Sheffield. He sadly passed away from brain cancer on 21 August 2024 at the age of 62. We publish this interview as a tribute to his work, especially in the field of German philosophy in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Professor Stern, in your opinion, what is the need to study the philosophy of German idealism in the modern world? Can this philosophy have a lesson for us? Perhaps we first have to be clear what is meant by German Idealism here. In particular, is Kant included as a ‘German Idealist’, or do we mean primarily Fichte, Schelling and Hegel? [‘Idealism’ is the idea that the only things that ultimately exist…

Thoughts on Thoughts on Thoughts DEAR EDITOR: As highlighted by Jonathan Moens (‘From Birds to Brains’, PN 164), starling murmuration provides a striking example of ‘emergence’. However, emergence is not a distinct mystery in its own right, but an illustration of that remarkable power of mathematical relationships to generate close approximations to far more complex relationships. Thus, the exact behaviour of a flock of starlings at a particular instant is simply the sum of the responses of each individual starling to the changing positions of its neighbours. However, the sum turns out to approximate closely to that apparently inexhaustible repertoire of continually changing patterns that our brains extract from visual input. So it is with all emergent phenomena. The paradox is that apparently new information (the emergent behaviour) is really…

ISBN 978-1-3999-7381-6 This book is a work of joyful wonder inspired by the encounter between Philosophy Now columnist Prof. Raymond Tallis and one of the world’s most beautiful cities. The memoir is anchored in the enchanting 22 tram journey linking the author’s flat in Prague with the Castle. Prague is unpacked in a torrent of sharp-eyed observations, reflections, and speculations, seasoned with mischievous humour. An attempt to encompass the magic, history, culture, and tragedy of the city is interwoven with reflections on the enigmas of the human mind, of memory and forgetfulness, of knowledge and ignorance, and our strange nature as embodied subjects. The story of the meeting of a mind and a city widens and deepens into a celebration of the mystery of the world and of the human…

philosophynow.org/shop 6 IDEA-PACKED ISSUES FOR £27/US$42 By subscribing to the print edition of Philosophy Now you can save money off the newsstand price, have your copies delivered to your door, enjoy unrestricted access to the thousands of past articles in our website archive and (NEW!) get a PDF copy of the mag too. Subscribe at philosophynow.org/shop or send us the coupon below. Subscription inquiries: subscriptions@philosophynow.org or phone +44 1959 534171 To tell us about a change of address, please email addresschange@philosophynow.org Back Issues in Print Issue 164 Thoughts on Thought: Emergence, Mary’s Room, McGilChrist, the unconscious, mind evolution/being right/freedom/what makes a philosopher?/Bakewell interview Issue 163 The Politics of Freedom: pluralism, state intervention, punishment and power/Stoics & anger/authenticity & absurdity donut economics/Brian Leiter interview We also still have copies of these…

Becky Lee Meadows Becky Lee Meadows is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Galen College of Nursing. She earned a PhD in Humanities from the University of Louisville in 2008 and has been teaching higher education for 27 years. Her primary goal is to open minds and help create a new generation of critical and creative thinkers. Philip Goff Philip Goff is Professor of Philosophy at Durham University. His research focuses on consciousness and the ultimate nature of reality. Goff is best known for defending panpsychism, the view that consciousness pervades the universe and is a fundamental feature of it. Rosemary Twome Rosemary Twomey is an assistant professor of philosophy at Queens College CUNY. She works in ancient philosophy, mainly writing on Aristotle’s theory of perception. She also has research…

Atheism, defined as belief in the absence of any God or gods, has long been a topic of philosophical inquiry. In recent years, amidst a backdrop of growing secularization and cultural diversity, atheism has emerged as an prominent worldview that rejects non-secular norms and doctrines. But as individuals and societies continue to grapple with questions of life, morality, and meaning, atheism itself has come under scrutiny. Here I will endeavour to map out the multidimensional facets of atheism, including its philosophical foundations, ethical implications, and societal ramifications. My intention is to navigate its complexities, unravel its intricacies and interrogate its implications both for individuals and for society at large. The question that guides this inquiry is: What are the philosophical, ethical, and societal implications of atheism in contemporary discourse? Rebuttals…

These are the philosophical arguments for God mentioned in the article: The Moral Argument This argues that God is the only viable explanation for objective morality. It goes like this: (1) Without God there are no grounds for objective morality, or for moral obligation; (2) But morality is objective – rape, murder, torture, etc are really (that is, objectively) wrong; (3) Therefore there is a God. This argument depends on morality being objectively true, which many now dispute. It also has to show why or how God is the grounds for morality. Further, it depends on there being no other viable grounds for moral objectivity. The role could be fulfilled by Platonic idealism instead, for example – which is the idea of the independent existence of moral concepts. But Platonic…

We are all familiar with the problem of evil for traditional theism: a perfectly benevolent God would evidently desire the greatest good, and want the best for every human being, yet we find ourselves in a world that seems nothing like that. Thousands of people lose their lives in earthquakes, or because someone in power decides to start a war. Thousands of others lose their faith because of seeing such incidents. It seems reasonable to think that a caring God would intervene at least when his soul-making plans turn out to be soul-breaking, and when his beloved the freedom for humanity is undermined. So what is the theist to say? Of course, God may have reasons for allowing horrendous instances of evil, and the reasons may be far beyond our…

You come across this comment on a Yankees sub-reddit: “The Yankees would be winning if not for horrible Aaron Judge. He brings down the team! Worst Captain EVER!!” You try to engage this person, pointing out Judge’s positive demeanor, how well liked he is by his teammates, and his offensive and defensive prowess. At every turn they repeat essentially the same remark. Eventually, you realize this person is trolling you: they’re pretending to be a Yankees fan, engaging you in conversation as though they’re expressing sincerely-held beliefs, but in fact they just enjoy annoying other people and wasting their time. As is well-known, some skeptics in philosophy have asked: “How can you know you’re not a brain in a vat being artificially stimulated through electrodes to experience as if you’re…

Side note: The philosophers in this episode are Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) and John Stuart Mill (1806-1873). They were two of the leading figures in the school of ethical thought called Utilitarianism, which says that we should act so as to maximize the overall happiness. We don’t know the name of the dog. Each week, Corey Mohler draws a new Existential Comics strip and posts it at existentialcomics.com…

GILLIAN RUSSELL IS Professor of Philosophy at the Australian National University. In her new book Barriers to Entailment: Hume’s Law and Other Limits on Logical Consequence, she ventures into the intricate terrain of obstacles to logical entailment, particularly focusing on Hume’s Law (‘You can’t derive an ought from an is’). According to Russell, a barrier to entailment exists when it is logically illicit to derive a conclusion of one logical type from premises of a different logical type. Philosophy is replete with such violations, and in this intense and ground-breaking book, Russell makes it her aim to expose the principal felons. Her exploration is not just academically rigorous but also timely, addressing core issues in contemporary philosophical discourse and inviting readers to reconsider fundamental aspects of logic and reasoning. Her…

• Lost Hegel lecture notes now being digitized • Professor Ted Honderich dead at 91 • AI successfully models individuals’ behaviour Ted Honderich We’re sad to report that Professor Ted Honderich died on 12th October 2024, at the age of 91. Born in Ontario, after studying at the University of Toronto he moved to Britain to take his PhD under the supervision of the famous A.J. Ayer at University College London. After teaching at the University of Sussex he returned to UCL, where for many years he was Grote Professor of the Philosophy of Mind & Logic. He also became a prominent public intellectual. Honderich edited a widely-used reference work: the Oxford Companion to Philosophy. He was Chair of the Royal Institute of Philosophy. His own philosophical work was…

In a glade, where old trees sway,Four foes met one fateful day:Two were sure of no divine essence,But could not agree on the consequence;Two others believed in a world beyond,But their morality could not correspond. Nietzsche’s Nutkin twirled an acorn spear,It proclaimed ‘God had disappeared’.Eager to defend the scientific critique.Hoarding nuts, evolution’s selfish streak,Void of faith, it jabbed in absurd dance,A lonely beast that relied on chance. From the shadows Parmenides’ puss came,Whiskers twitching, it yowled a refrain,That spoke of nine lives. Metaphysical existence?Confusing the squirrel with intangible resistance.Puss lashed out with unity of being,Unchanging, imperishable, and never no-thing. Entered Anscombe’s ants, so many, so small,Completely convinced in a great purpose for all.To the heavens above, they lifted their gaze,Antennae quivering in hymns of praise.Together they marched, an organised force,Absolute…

The problem of evil is one of the most profound philosophical challenges to the belief in an omnipotent God. How can the existence of evil and suffering be reconciled with an all-powerful good God? Epicurus is said to have provided a thought-provoking formulation of the problem at around the turn of the third century BCE, which can be summarised: “Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?” These inquiries encapsulate the crux of ‘the problem of evil’ (also called ‘theodicy’): if God allows evil’s existence, does this not cast doubt upon either his…

The Enlightenment thinker known as Volney remains an overlooked figure in the history of political philosophy despite his significant contributions. His influence on Enlightenment thought, particularly during the formative years of the United States, underscores the importance of his work. Volney emerged as a prominent leader in the materialistic wing of the deist movement, challenging traditional religious and political structures. Constantin-François Chassebœuf, later called the Comte de Volney, was born on February 3, 1757, in Craon, a town in the French province of Maine. He was the son of Jacques-René Chassebœuf de Boisgirais, a prominent lawyer, and Jeanne Gigault de la Giraudais, who tragically passed away in 1759 when Volney was only two. This early loss contributed to a troubled childhood, marked by a joyless home environment and abusive experiences…

IN ORDER TO change humanity’s fate, to avoid catastrophe, we must perceive the future differently, redefining its trajectory; only if we make a radical change within ourselves can this be achieved. This is the premise of Too Late To Awaken, the latest work by the ever-controversial Slavoj Žižek, which at times reads more like a political manifesto than a philosophy book. When considering the future, we often perceive in it humanity’s annihilation, whether through ecological disaster or nuclear warfare. But for Žižek, this is not inevitable. His provocative books are known to sometimes confuse, contradict, or enrage their readers, and Too Late is no different. While the main theme pivots around the question of Why aren’t we doing anything when we know we need to do something?, Žižek tries to…

Frank Capra’s 1946 masterpiece It’s A Wonderful Life is regularly included in lists of the best-ever Christmas films. Though its ending is heart-warming and life-affirming, it nonetheless deals with weighty issues of injustice, dishonesty and self-sacrifice. Viewers of the film often regard Old Man Potter (played by Lionel Barrymore) with disgust as he listens to George Bailey (James Stewart) falsely confess to mishandling funds. After all, George is a good man who has spent his life aiding others, often to the detriment of his own dreams. And yet, even as we watch George’s friends line up at the end of the movie to help him out, we see the quintessentially evil Potter get away with the same $8,000, which had actually been mishandled by George’s Uncle Billy (Thomas Mitchell). We’re…

A computer is essentially an information processing device. The human brain can also be seen as an information processor, with a complex network of about 86 billion neurons: it encodes and decodes information, and the neurons are organized into brain areas dedicated to different functions. We know which parts of the brain play which roles in producing consciousness. For example, the frontal lobe processes many of the higher or more complex cognitive functions, such as attention or decision-making. The occipital lobe is important for processing visual information. How the relevant parts create consciousness is still unknown, but we can say that the human brain is a necessary condition for human consciousness. To answer the question of how to make a computer conscious, then, it is necessary to implement a suitable…