Philosophy & Ethics

Does Philosophy Have A Sexual Harassment Problem?

Jennifer Saul, a philosopher at the University of Sheffield, published an article in Salon entitled  “ Philosophy has a sexual harassment problem.” While there is much substance and nuance in the body of the article, I sincerely hope that Prof. Saul did no ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Aug 29 2013 - 5:30am

Time To Talk About Islamophobia

There is almost no way I’m not going to get in trouble with this one, and my name isn’t even Carlos Danger! But I’ve been asked several times by readers to comment on accusations of “Islamophobia” aimed at prominent New Atheists (henceforth, NA) — particul ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Sep 2 2013 - 10:33am

Perspectivism And Power I: Thieves To The Right Beggars To The Left

The beggar's cup is empty. Hardly anybody cares about him. Despising side glances hurt, still hurt every time. A squirrel runs up the tree and goes for the best nut. Suddenly a calm understanding replaces the beggar’s bitterness. He walks into the ma ...

Article - Sascha Vongehr - Sep 30 2013 - 6:34am

Self-Medication Is Key Reason Doctors Abuse Prescription Drugs

Doctors who abuse prescription drugs often "self-medicate" for physical or emotional pain or stress relief, according to a new paper. Based on focus groups with physicians in treatment for substance abuse, the findings lend insight into the reas ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 4 2013 - 6:16pm

Doing Philosophy Of Science, An Example

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Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Oct 6 2013 - 8:16pm

Three And A Half Thought Experiments In Philosophy Of Mind

You can tell I've had philosophy of mind on my mind lately. I've written about the Computational Theory of Mind (albeit within the broadest context of a post on the difference between scientific theories and philosophical accounts), about computa ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Oct 16 2013 - 7:30am

The Metaphysics Wars

I am not a metaphysician (or a metaphysicist, as some call themselves), but I've been fascinated for a while by what I've come to think of as the metaphysics wars. Let me explain. Metaphysics is, of course, one of the classic branches of philosop ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Oct 22 2013 - 7:30am

Why Not Pay People To Become Kidney Donors?

When organ donations after death are a topic, the altruism argument is easily made. But during life, it is more complex. Kidney transplantation is the best treatment for patients with kidney failure. Unfortunately, there's a shortage of kidneys avail ...

Article - News Staff - Oct 25 2013 - 5:30am

Is The Perverse Antisocial The Price For Peace?

A young woman, a student it seems from the looks of it, shuffles in bursts behind me, in small steps one foot just in front of the other, staring down, then she wiggles her head at the sky, then she shuffles on, stops, wiggles her head. The light turns gre ...

Article - Sascha Vongehr - May 30 2014 - 12:28am

Are There Natural Laws?

I recently attended a talk by Daniel Garber (Princeton University) on the topic of “God, Laws and the Order of Nature in the Scientific Revolution.” While Garber’s talk was mostly historical in nature, it raised some interesting points about why and how we ...

Article - Massimo Pigliucci - Oct 29 2013 - 7:30am