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,...
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,...
A University Goes into Exile
What do you do if the government threatens to close your university in the city in which it is currently located? And what does...
Two Ancient and Unpersuasive Arguments about Death
Two ancient arguments—one of Greek origin, the other Roman—are intended to demonstrate that we should be undisturbed by death. I want to suggest that...
Should Companies Hire Chief Ethics Officers?
Recode Co-founder and Editor Kara Swisher recently argued in a New York Times op-ed that perhaps companies in Silicon Valley should install “chief ethics...
The Ethics of #DeleteFacebook
Facebook’s foibles keep stacking up. It’s well known that the platform enabled Russian trolls to peddle propaganda and sow division before the 2016 election,...
The Dawn of AI Philosophy
There is more to artificial intelligence and philosophy than the questions we’re asking.
The philosophical study of artificial intelligence (AI) remains in its infancy. Among...
Happiness and Ignorance
In Sense and Sensibilia, J. L. Austin warned philosophers against the “constant obsessive repetition of the same small range of jejune ‘examples.’ ” We place...
Philosophizing in the Streets
One of the big discussions of our time centers on the nature of what is often called “public philosophy.” What is it? How do...
Philosophy in the Contemporary World: Wittgenstein in the Digital Age of Communication
In 2014, Sue Shellenbarger, writing for The Wall Street Journal, described the frustration and stress we often feel when trying to decipher a cryptic...