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politics

Philosophizing about Terrorism

Philosophizing about Terrorism

Posted on 28 November 2022 by

One evening almost exactly fifty years ago, a group of men and women in balaclavas abducted Mrs Jean McConville from her home in West Belfast. McConville, whose husband had died […]

Two Types of Civility

Two Types of Civility

Posted on 3 October 2022 by

What is civility? It sounds fancy, but if we start with incivility we may get a better idea: incivility is obnoxiousness, rudeness, and generally a lot of what we would […]

The ambivalence of cynicism

The ambivalence of cynicism

Posted on 19 September 2022 by

Cynicism seems to have an ambivalent status. On the one hand, ‘being cynical’ might mean dogmatic scepticism about people’s moral character. A cynic can be arrogant – too smart, too […]

Normative Entanglement in Public Discourse (Part 2)

Normative Entanglement in Public Discourse (Part 2)

Posted on 19 April 2021 by

To read Part 1 of this series, click here. Let’s start simple. ‘I’m hurt.’ Taken by itself, this tiny phrase has an obvious meaning. Without any context, however, it is […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Which crisis of trust?

Which crisis of trust?

Posted on 24 February 2020 by

The UK Labour Party’s leadership contest is well underway after heavy defeat in the 2019 General Election. There is nothing close to consensus within the Party about why things went […]

Political Debate in the Digital Age

Political Debate in the Digital Age

Posted on 10 February 2020 by

In an ideal democratic world, all citizens are invited to debate political necessities and possibilities to the best of their knowledge and to forge their country’s future in this way. […]

Moralism wins, morality loses. Moralism as a vice in the public debate

Moralism wins, morality loses. Moralism as a vice in the public debate

Posted on 27 January 2020 by

Federico Zuolo         Back in the 20th century, it was not uncommon to hear a leftist accusing a conservative of being “moralist”. Indeed, conservatives were attacked for […]

Is Gay Marriage a Genuinely Progressive Social Transformation?

Is Gay Marriage a Genuinely Progressive Social Transformation?

Posted on 16 December 2019 by

On 22nd May 2015, many referendum voters in the Republic of Ireland made history: 62.07 % of them stated that they were in favour of legalising same-sex marriage. Yep, 62.07 […]

Normalization—Practices Make It So

Normalization—Practices Make It So

Posted on 23 September 2019 by

Rising nationalism and nativism around the world generate a toxic brew of arrogance and xenophobia that pits people against one another in often frightening ways. Understanding some discursive mechanisms that […]

How to vote well

How to vote well

Posted on 26 August 2019 by

It seems elections are everywhere at the moment. Following on the heels of EU elections that for the first time saw turnout increase, the US is gearing up for a […]

SHOULD WE PUBLICLY EXPRESS ANGER?

SHOULD WE PUBLICLY EXPRESS ANGER?

Posted on 15 July 2019 by

Anger is a red mist, which blinds us. It blinds us to the good in other human beings, and to the danger in violent or uncompromising action. Accordingly, expressing anger […]

What Polarization Does to Us

What Polarization Does to Us

Posted on 30 May 2019 by

Commentators from across the political spectrum warn us that extreme partisan polarization is dissolving all bases for political cooperation, thereby undermining our democracy.  The near total consensus on this point […]

On Silencing Conservatives on Campus: Some Possibilities

On Silencing Conservatives on Campus: Some Possibilities

Posted on 25 March 2019 by

There has been a lot of talk lately about silencing.  In particular, some claim that conservative voices are silenced on university campuses, the very place where a diversity of thought […]

Empathetic Understanding in Politics

Empathetic Understanding in Politics

Posted on 25 February 2019 by

What is the goal of political conversation? Why should we deliberate with others about politics? Democratic deliberation is said to benefit people in many ways. For example, it has been […]

Intellectual humility: from views of knowledge to views of people

Intellectual humility: from views of knowledge to views of people

Posted on 28 January 2019 by

Researchers have taken a number of approaches to defining intellectual humility. I tend to view intellectual humility as rooted in a healthy independence between intellect and ego (Krumrei-Mancuso & Rouse, […]

The Empathy Defense: Emmett Till, “Open Casket,” and ‘White Empathy’

The Empathy Defense: Emmett Till, “Open Casket,” and ‘White Empathy’

Posted on 19 November 2018 by

“A painting of a dead black boy by a white artist.” This is British artist Hannah Black's description of Dana Schutz's Open Casket, a painting included in the 2017 Whitney […]

Why even bother with political debate?

Why even bother with political debate?

Posted on 8 October 2018 by

Debates about politics, whether in public forums or in private conversations, often seem to go nowhere. This is particularly true when the participants have diametrically opposed perspectives on how the […]