Edinburgh International Book Festival
THE FREEDOM TO DECIDE – EDINBURGH, 16 AUGUST. My Edinburgh International Book Festival has already sold out. Info on returns here.
ReadAuthor: Julian Baggini
A crash course in philosophy that kids will get first
I’ve written a PhD thesis on the self and later a book, and whenever I talk about it I go on about how the most credible and widely accepted theory (among philosophers, at least) is counter-intuitive and hard to grasp. Then some cartoon comes along which makes the key points intelligible to children. Inside Out has turned my world upside down.
ReadDoes philosophy have a problem with women?
Philosophers have tended to have an inflated sense of their ability to “follow the argument wherever it leads”, as Plato’s old saw has it. What matters is the argument, not the arguer, which means there is no need even to think about gender or ethnicity. Philosophers have thus felt immune to the distorting effects of gender bias. Logic is gender-neutral, philosophy is logical, ergo philosophy is gender-neutral. I suspect this has led to complacency, a blindness towards all the ways in which, in fact, gender bias does creep in.
ReadDo lefties lack self-control?
It’s official. “Left-wingers can’t control themselves as well as conservatives.” It’s not the first headline like this appear in the Daily Mail, but this time they have proper scientific research to prove it. This is uncomfortable reading for many on the left, who generally attribute lack of success in life more to social forces than weakness of will. But if you look at the source research more carefully, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a credible progressive response to the conclusions begins to emerge.
ReadWhat animals euthanasia can teach us about humans
As always happens when we think carefully about other animals, we are reminded both of the many things that we have in common, but also the significant ways in which we differ.
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