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Normative Entanglement in Public Discourse (Part 1)

Normative Entanglement in Public Discourse (Part 1)

Posted on 5 April 2021 by

In an episode of The West Wing, a comment is made to the press that the fictional US President, Josiah Bartlett, is not particularly fond of green beans. On the […]

The Ethics of Belief: It’s not just Trump supporters who believe wrongly—it’s all of us

The Ethics of Belief: It’s not just Trump supporters who believe wrongly—it’s all of us

Posted on 22 March 2021 by

As the dust settles on the Trump presidency, we are left to reflect on its many themes. One of its most fundamental was this: believing without adequate evidence. Many aspects […]

Think Before You Push the “Share” Button

Think Before You Push the “Share” Button

Posted on 8 March 2021 by

You’ve just run across a hilarious satire on a comedic news site and can’t wait to re-post it so your friends can get a chuckle. Or you’ve found an over-the-top […]

Modeling Sex as a Joint Activity

Modeling Sex as a Joint Activity

Posted on 22 February 2021 by

There has been an ongoing philosophical discussion over the last three decades on consent and refusal of sex qua speech acts – that is, acts performed in the uttering of […]

Emotional Imperialism in Public Discourse

Posted on 8 February 2021 by ,

        Alfred Archer                                                  […]

Honesty and Radically Opposing Views: Flat-Earthers, Apocalyptic Preachers, and 2020 American Election-Deniers

Honesty and Radically Opposing Views: Flat-Earthers, Apocalyptic Preachers, and 2020 American Election-Deniers

Posted on 25 January 2021 by

One of the common labels used to condemn the other side is ‘dishonest.’ They are a bunch of liars. Or cheaters. Or deceivers. Don’t trust anything they say. We see […]

Why Twitter is (Epistemically) Better Than Facebook

Why Twitter is (Epistemically) Better Than Facebook

Posted on 11 January 2021 by

Online Environments Social media has the potential to expand our epistemic horizons, connecting us with a wider range of people and more information and analysis than ever before. But it […]

The Lies They Tell Us: Facing Up to the UK’s Ignorance of Racial Oppression

The Lies They Tell Us: Facing Up to the UK’s Ignorance of Racial Oppression

Posted on 28 December 2020 by

In May 2019, I travelled to UWE Bristol, to speak at the Critical Theory and Feminism Conference. Having arrived a day before I was scheduled to give my paper, I […]

Not so Ignorant After All: Metaknowledge Matters More than Knowledge

Not so Ignorant After All: Metaknowledge Matters More than Knowledge

Posted on 14 December 2020 by

In one way or another, democracies put political power in the hands of the people.  A perennial worry about democracy, voiced almost as soon as it was invented, is that […]

Is JK Rowling transphobic?

Is JK Rowling transphobic?

Posted on 30 November 2020 by

Is JK Rowling transphobic? According to many transgender activists and their supporters, including Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, and Eddie Redmayne she is. The LGBTQ+ organisation […]

III: Be kind

III: Be kind

Posted on 16 November 2020 by

I think there’s something rude and unkind, or can be depending on the pragmatics, in the assertion that you often hear, that “Trans women are men really.” It’s rude and […]

II: Bodily threats

II: Bodily threats

Posted on 8 November 2020 by

It is the bodily difference between males and females that explains most of the other differences in the roles of men and women in any given society—both in Homeric society […]

Getting the question right: reflections on transgender and “the transgender question”

Getting the question right: reflections on transgender and “the transgender question”

Posted on 2 November 2020 by

I: From “the transgender question” to the transphobia question  There is no such thing as “the transgender question”. No more than there was any such thing as “the Jewish question” […]

Online illusions of understanding

Online illusions of understanding

Posted on 19 October 2020 by

An online intellectual paradise? The internet and social media provide us with plenty of opportunities to educate ourselves, to learn new things, and to deepen our understanding. A world of […]

Responsibilities of the Media: Are Journalists Responsible for Publishing the Truth?

Responsibilities of the Media: Are Journalists Responsible for Publishing the Truth?

Posted on 5 October 2020 by

In 2016, a Daily Mail journalist who broke the scandalous story that David Cameron had placed his private parts in the mouth of a dead pig (aka ‘Piggate’), made the […]

With a little help from our civic friends?

With a little help from our civic friends?

Posted on 21 September 2020 by ,

Nebojša Zelič                               Ana Gavran Miloš To speak of friendship in a political context is not particularly […]

Why are we so polarized, and how can we move forward? A perspective from social epistemology.

Why are we so polarized, and how can we move forward? A perspective from social epistemology.

Posted on 7 September 2020 by

Contemporary academic philosophy has recently taken a “social turn” regarding the way it thinks about knowledge and related issues.  Put differently, philosophy has turned away from the traditional ideal of […]

What’s to ban: social media policies on hate speech and reclamation

What’s to ban: social media policies on hate speech and reclamation

Posted on 24 August 2020 by

Social media policies on hate speech are very controversial and have recently ignited a lively debate. For one thing, social media have both the right and the responsibility to police […]

Socializing Intellectual Autonomy

Socializing Intellectual Autonomy

Posted on 10 August 2020 by

Two key ideas which frame our thinking about autonomy are self-governance and self-reliance. The problem with using these arguably modern ideas to frame our thinking about autonomy is that it […]

Have we lost the idea of a critical friend?

Have we lost the idea of a critical friend?

Posted on 27 July 2020 by

I sometimes wonder, in the age of online and offline echochambers and Facebook friendship bubbles, whether we have lost the ancient idea of a critical friend. I am as guilty […]