philosophy - Quillette (Page 4)

Stephen Kershnar and the Importance of Unaskable Questions

Unpopular, unorthodox and extreme opinions no less than any others need their spokesmen, in order that our chances of discovering truths and making wise decisions be increased. ~Joel Feinberg In January of this year, SUNY Fredonia ethicist Stephen Kershnar appeared on an episode of our philosophy podcast, Brain in a

Mark Oppenheimer and Jason Werbeloff

26 Mar 2022 · 8 min read

Five Lessons from Julia Galef’s ‘The Scout Mindset’

Respect for reason has waxed and waned throughout history. Today, its tide is receding. University professors resign in frustration from what were once our bastions of rationality. Increasingly, the barbarians are not merely at the gates, but running the show in a vast swathe of humanities departments. After decades of

Jon Hersey

4 Feb 2022 · 11 min read

Should Philosophers Censor Kevin MacDonald?

According to the mainstream narrative about race, “white supremacy” is an all-controlling social force responsible for bad outcomes such as racial disparities. According to an alternative narrative popular on the far-Right, Jewish influence is a similarly powerful force, which explains outcomes disliked by those on the Right, such as multiculturalism

Nathan Cofnas

13 Jan 2022 · 6 min read

The Need for a Culture of Achievement

Rand’s style often caused her to be misunderstood and dismissed as some kind of Nietzschean.

Robert Tracinski

5 Jan 2022 · 12 min read

The Aristocracy of Talent—A Review

Wooldridge argues that meritocracy can only survive if it is infused with an ethos that prioritizes virtue, applying talent to ends that ennoble rather than enrich.

Razib Khan

14 Dec 2021 · 12 min read

The Eyes Have It

For the “new intellectual,” ultimately, the way forward has to be paved with nuance and understanding.

David Cohen

10 Dec 2021 · 10 min read

On Pleasurable Beliefs

This erosion of trust has created an epistemic crisis that makes it difficult to defend a position, because one’s sources of information can always be called into question.

Thomas Harper

19 Nov 2021 · 12 min read

The Cold War’s Morbid Sage: Theodor W. Adorno and the Philosophy of 'Post-Existence'

Adorno was smuggling a work of social analysis full of difficult philosophical references into his readers’ reach by disguising it as literature.

Philipp Felsch

17 Nov 2021 · 10 min read

What Is Diversity? And Why Is It Valuable?

People differ from one another in many different ways.

Justin P. McBrayer

6 Oct 2021 · 11 min read

In Defense of Good Power

Power has to be allocated. If this is done in a truly meritocratic fashion, it is not only accepted by those who become subordinated, but also met with their approval.

Magnus Henrekson

2 Oct 2021 · 15 min read

Be Rational

When we apply reason to reason itself, we find that it is not just an inarticulate gut impulse, a mysterious oracle that whispers truths into our ear.

Steven Pinker

28 Sep 2021 · 12 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

Splendid Triviality: Philosophy, Art, and Sport in a Time of Crisis

They are necessary because without them none of the things that are noble can flourish.

Craig Clifford

14 Apr 2021 · 9 min read

Remembering Karl Popper

Politically speaking, Popper had lived through much. He had seen the dissolution of the old Austro-Hungarian monarchy.

David Cohen

22 Feb 2021 · 12 min read

Scott Alexander, Philosopher King of the Weird People

Rationalists, in short, are a group of people who picked up the liberal, academic, philosophical traditions of Western civilization when institutions like the New York Times decided to abandon them.

Kenneth R. Pike

14 Feb 2021 · 8 min read