In aesthetic matters, saying that it is only a matter of opinion that Gustav Mahler is better than Bob Marley is at least democratic and non-elitist. But when you take that to its logical conclusion and say that Prokofiev is objectively no better than David Hasselhoff, the eye of the beholder is exposed for the unreliable organ that it is.
ReadWHY PHILOSOPHY MATTERS – LONDON, 20 SEPTEMBER. Talking at the Bishopsgate Institute at 19:30. Full details here.
ReadPHILOSOPHY: ALL THAT MATTERS – LONDON, 4 SEPTEMBER Talking about my new introduction to philosophy (hopefully not the same old[…]
ReadTHE BEAUTIFUL AND THE DAMNED – MANCHESTER, 31 AUGUST. A panel discussion with Scottee (artist, performer, director and write) and[…]
ReadInfractions of personal liberty can be justified when they improve the welfare of individuals on the whole, even when they on occasion diminish the welfare and freedoms of particular people. The argument against assisted suicide on these grounds is not that your doing it directly harms others, but that your having the right to do it requires changing the social ecology in such a way as to diminish the ability of all individuals to thrive in it.
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