Some have traced the origins of our “post-truth” era back to post-modernism and relativism. Could a look at Richard Rorty’s philosophy help us understand the “post-truth” phenomenon?
Bojack Horseman and Aristotelian Self-Love
The popular Netflix show is rife with philosophical questions. “Can Aristotle teach Bojack a thing or two about self-love?” is one of them.
What Is It Like to Be Ourselves? A Debate on Consciousness and the Mind
Although we spend most of our lives in a state of consciousness, as soon as we subject it to more careful scrutiny we realize that we know very little about it—how does it actually happen? And how does conscious experience fit into our scientific picture of the world?
On Childhood, Motherhood, and Being Ahead of Your Time: Shulamith Firestone and The Dialectic of Sex
Almost fifty years ago there was an influential woman who called pregnancy “barbaric,” described childhood as “hell,” and said giving birth was “like shitting a pumpkin.” Shulamith Firestone was a radical activist and remarkably prescient thinker who helped define feminism as we know it. Yet today she remains largely—and unfairly—unknown.
Rhythm 0, Marina Abramović, and Freudian Ambivalence
“If you leave decisions to the public, you can be killed.” A 1974 performance art piece by Marina Abramović explores our deepest human instincts.
Facing the Other: Performance Art and Emmanuel Levinas
A look at performance artist Marina Abramović might shed some light on the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas.
Humor and Infinite Responsibility: Can Levinas Use a Little Stand-Up Comedy?
What is infinite responsibility? And can we live with it?
How Moral Is the Moral Machine?
Researchers at MIT are pooling our moral intuitions, and we need to talk about it.
The Hubris of Transhumanism
Is transhumanism just dangerous over-confidence in technology?
Martha Nussbaum on Emotions, Ethics, and Literature
When it comes to ethics and human choice, there is “a serious candidate for truth” that we haven’t considered properly.
Deinotes: Dread, Wonder, and the Art of Persuasion
How a single Greek word can explain why we don’t like the Sophists, why Socrates was accused of being one of them, and what makes rhetoric successful.
Were the Sophists Really All That Bad?
Were Sophists really the immoral truth-benders that Plato portrayed them to be? Classical scholars don’t seem to think so.
What Do Existentialists Think about Love?
Given the existentialist emphasis on concrete personal experience, freedom, authenticity, responsibility, awareness of death, and personal determination of values, it is not surprising that existentialist philosophers should also consider the question of romantic love.
How Plato’s “Phaedrus” Influenced Thomas Mann’s “Death in Venice”
This beautiful novella draws heavily from Plato’s conception of love, but to what extent?
Two Short Philosophical Videos on the EU Referendum
In the light of recent EU developments, check out two videos analyzing Brexit from a philosophical perspective.
Virtual Reality: Do We Need an Ethical Code?
With the launch of Oculus Rift and Steam VR, it seems like virtual reality will soon be an ordinary part of our lives. But are there any ethical concerns around the use of virtual reality? And can philosophy help us make sense of this cutting-edge technology?
Truth and Authenticity in Michael Haneke’s Caché
The films of Austrian director Michael Haneke seem to start out “normally” and then slowly descend into an abyss—but what if that abyss is in fact living authentically? Could we see Haneke’s award-winning Caché (2005) as an exemplification of Sartrean existentialism? And what are some other philosophical influences in his work?
Beauvoir, Freedom, and Feminism
What’s the connection between existentialism and feminism in Simone de Beauvoir’s work?