Spencer Case - Quillette

‘Dissident Philosophers’—A Review

A review of Dissident Philosophers: Voices Against the Political Current of the Academy, edited by T. Allan Hillman and Tully Borland. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 320 pages (November, 2021) Dissident Philosophers, edited by T. Allan Hillman of the University of South Alabama and independent scholar Tully Borland, is a compilation

Spencer Case

30 Mar 2022 · 10 min read

The Journal of Controversial Ideas Is Here

Minerva says that the frequency with which the journal will release issues isn’t yet known—it will depend on the rate at which the editors receive quality submissions.

Spencer Case

28 Apr 2021 · 11 min read

Beyond the Hypatia Affair: Philosophers Blocking the Way of Inquiry

If some faction of philosophers are able to declare an issue decided—over screams of dissent from other philosophers—then we can expect others to follow the same playbook.

Spencer Case

6 Sep 2019 · 12 min read

Bearing Witness: My Journey Out of Mormonism

Integrity requires each of us to bear witness with honest hearts.

Spencer Case

13 May 2019 · 15 min read

Moral Zealotry and the Seductive Nature of Evil

It would be nice if evil always announced itself and evil people always looked malevolent. Evil, alas, sometimes wears a nicer face. Otherwise it could be fearsome, but not seductive.

Spencer Case

10 Mar 2019 · 8 min read

The Boy Who Inflated the Concept of 'Wolf'

Concept inflation is a lot like lying. Immanuel Kant observed that lying couldn’t be effective in a world where everybody lied, since no one would be believed.

Spencer Case

14 Feb 2019 · 10 min read

A World Without Animal Farming

Consumption decreases when people abandon animal products for aesthetic reasons, and aesthetic converts might become moral converts later.

Spencer Case

7 Nov 2018 · 8 min read

Is Service-Learning a Disservice to Philosophy?

The anti-theoretical tone of the service-learning movement, implicit even in the rhetoric of moderates, makes this worry reasonable.

Spencer Case

18 Jul 2018 · 11 min read

The Real Gender Trouble

Although they don’t usually acknowledge it, transgender activists make philosophical claims, which are susceptible to philosophical critique.

Spencer Case

7 Feb 2018 · 12 min read

Sarah Haider on Normalizing Dissent: A Conversation

The effects of that particular stance – it’s not so visible how harmful it can be. But you’re lying about the reality of hundreds of millions of people across the world.

Spencer Case

16 Oct 2017 · 15 min read

The Rage Against Selective Outrage

Sometimes people use it to mean pretend outrage, in which people cry “crocodile tears” over things that don’t really upset them.

Spencer Case

21 Sep 2017 · 7 min read

Is it Wrong to Blame Islam?

During his 2015 speech at a Boston mosque, U.S. President Barack Obama said: “And we can’t suggest that Islam itself is at the root of the problem. That betrays our values.”

Spencer Case

19 Aug 2017 · 11 min read