Yes, we have tender feelings towards fluffy companion animals, gambolling lambs and alpacas under threat of involuntary euthanasia. But these feelings are only directed towards animals when and if they are pleasing to us. Whenever protecting or enhancing an animal’s welfare brings costs to ourselves, our so-called love mysteriously vanishes.
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Bryan van Norden and Jin Y. Park are two of the world’s leading philosophers working at the intersection of east and west. In discussion with Julian Baggini they talk about what we can learn from Asian thought and the obstacles to genuine core-cultural philosophising.
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My 12 February newsletter on the pitfalls of supposedly precise language
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Philosophy deprives itself of valuable resources when it turns its back on history, and so also history is of limited use if we don’t apply its lessons to philosophy. The humanities are always stronger when they work together, not in hermetically sealed departments.
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Michael Schur, the creator of The Good Place, distills what he has learned about ethics into “How to Be Perfect,” an enjoyable next step for anyone who watched the series and for anyone else who wants to learn about moral philosophy while avoiding the usual dry earnestness.
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