Yearly Archives: 2019

Public Philosophy, “Dumbing Down,” and the Demands of Justice

When an academic philosopher takes her first steps into public philosophy, she quickly confronts a challenge: We are used to writing in a slow,...

The Journal of Controversial Ideas: An Interview with Jeff McMahan and Francesca Minerva

Recently, Jeff McMahan, Francesca Minerva, and Peter Singer created a new Journal of Controversial Ideas where scholars concerned about possible reactions to their work...

APA Member Interview: Ann Cahill

Ann J. Cahill is a professor of philosophy at Elon University in Elon, North Carolina. Her research areas focus on feminist philosophy and philosophy...

David Foster Wallace and the Challenge of Fatalism

Recently I had occasion to consult major reference works to compare their accounts of fatalism. What I found was disappointing. The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy,...

What It’s Like to be a Philosopher: Oliver Thorn

The APA blog is working with Cliff Sosis of What is it Like to Be a Philosopher? in publishing advance excerpts from Cliff’s long-form interviews with...

Examples of Aporia Questions Using Picture Books

The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and...

The Middle Way Society Podcast: Philosophy Outside Academia

The Middle Way Society is an international society, hitherto based in the UK, to develop understanding of the Middle Way and support its practice....

Reflections on the Art of Teaching Philosophy: A Participant’s Experience at an AAPT Seminar

If you’re not familiar with the American Association of Philosophy Teachers (AAPT), the organization’s self-description as “dedicated to the advancement of the art of...

Interview with Louise Antony about the Mentoring Program for Early-Career Women in Philosophy

Update: Mentoring Workshop Application Deadline Extended The Mentoring Program for Early-Career Women Philosophers still has openings for the 2019 Mentoring Workshop, and so we are extending...

Black Issues in Philosophy: Stain Removal’s Metaethical and Metaphilosophical Implications

Reid Miller’s Stain Removal: Ethics and Race is a philosophical examination guided by the task of troubling ethics through an examination of its relation...

Philosophy in the Contemporary World: Facts and Our Stubborn Attitude Towards Them

Facts, as the old saying goes, are “stubborn things.” But what about our attitude towards facts? When one’s feelings about facts drive a decision,...

What Are You Reading…On Spinoza

If one wanted to summarize the life of Baruch Spinoza in just one word, “controversial” might do it. He was attacked so often, including...

APA Member Interview: Virginia Held

by Sabrina D. MisirHiralall Virginia Held is a professor emerita of philosophy at the City University of New York, Graduate School and Hunter College. Among...

Eliminating Footnotes Makes Philosophy More Accessible

It's 2019. Computers can drive cars, operate stores, and outperform humans in sophisticated games. However, computers cannot correctly read a PDF with footnotes. Alas, many...

Women in Philosophy: Why the Decolonial Imaginary Matters for Women in Philosophy

by Emma Velez This essay reflects on my recent experience visiting two liberal arts universities in Texas with the goal of recruiting undergraduate students of...