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 · 9 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 · 8 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 · 11 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
Philosophy Is Being Hijacked by Woke Twitter Mobs Van Leeuwen and Herschbach wrote a statement on Facebook reiterating that the review process had been carried out properly, and declaring, “Efforts to silence unwelcome opinion… are doing a disservice to the community.” Nathan Cofnas 21 Oct 2020 · 6 min read
COVID-19 Betrays America’s Curdled Cult of Optimism A philosophy of optimism was central to the flourishing of the American project. But it’s also useful to consider whether insisting that success and greatness lie around every corner can become a maladaptive response to problems that are complex and brutal. Daphne Merkin 27 Apr 2020 · 5 min read
My Former Life as a Radical They believe in the perfectibility of man in their own image: a combination of unscrupulous optimism and narcissism. Gerfried Ambrosch 11 Feb 2020 · 11 min read
The Futility of Guilt-Based Advocacy Your accountability is just your portion of the mob’s. Steven D. Hales 23 Nov 2019 · 10 min read
Religious Progressivism It is not only religious “zealots” who get obsessed about good and evil. All human beings do. Colin Turfus 20 Nov 2019 · 7 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
Is Liberal Immigration Anti-Democratic?—A Reply to Gadi Taub Immigration restrictions, like tariffs and other restrictions on trade, affect the activities of citizens above all. Sam Kiss 5 Aug 2019 · 12 min read