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New Books in Philosophy

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  New Books Network  

Interview with Philosophers about their New Books Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy

Interview with Philosophers about their New Books Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy

 

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#367

Emily S. Lee, "A Phenomenology for Women of Color: Merleau-Ponty and Identity-In-Difference" (Lexing...

How can we understand the changing power of race and gender to shape our reality? How shared is reality? Can narratives of experience help us develop these analyses? What role does embodiment play in shaping experience? In  [A Phenomenology for Women of Color: Merleau-Ponty and Identity-in-Difference] (https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781666916720/A-Phenomenology-for-Women-of-Color-Merleau-Ponty-and-Identity-in-Difference)  (Lexington Books, 2024), Emily S. Lee uses the tools of critical phenomenology to deeply engage with the theoretical work of women of color to approach these questions. Through reconstructing phenomenological approaches, particularly as developed by Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Lee helps us see past a naturalization of the identity group “women of color” to understand more deeply the coalitional struggle its articulation involves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

20 Apr 2024

1 HR 09 MINS

1:09:14

20 Apr 2024

#366

Eric Schwitzgebel, "The Weirdness of the World" (Princeton UP, 2024)

"What's life for if there's no time to play and explore?" In  [The Weirdness of the World] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780691215679)  (Princeton UP, 2024), Eric Schwitzgebel invites the reader to a walk on the wilder side of philosophical speculation about the cosmos and consciousness. Is consciousness entirely a material phenomenon? How much credence should we have in the existence of a world outside our minds? Are there multiple parallel universes? Schwitzgebel, a professor of philosophy at the University of California-Riverside, constructs chains of conditional probabilities to explore the zone just beyond the edge of what we can understand, however imperfectly, given current scientific theory. He distinguishes hypothetical scenarios that are not worth taking seriously – like being a brain in a vat – from those that are just plausible enough to deserve playful, yet motivated, consideration. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

10 Apr 2024

1 HR 02 MINS

1:02:20

10 Apr 2024

#365

Stephen Phillips, "The Metaphysics of Meditation: Sri Aurobindo and Adi-Sakara on the Isa Upanisad" ...

In  [The Metaphysics of Meditation: Sri Aurobindo and Ādi Śaṅkara on the Īśā Upaniṣad] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9781350412415)  (Bloomsbury 2024), Stephen Phillips argues that the two titular Vedānta philosophers are not as opposed as commonly thought. His book is structured as a series of essays on Aurobindo and Śaṅkara’s analysis of the early, important, and brief Īśā Upaniṣad, also including a new English translation of the text along with a translation of Śaṅkara’s commentary thereupon. Philosophically, the book investigates questions about what is metaphysically fundamental, the epistemology of mystical, meditative practices such as yoga, the limitations of human language in expressing the ineffable—and the role of poetry in these efforts, and the problem of evil facing even panentheistic monists such as Advaita Vedāntins. In many ways an introduction to Advaita Vedānta, The Metaphysics of Meditation also includes new translations of Śaṅkara’s theodicy from his Brahmasūtra commentary and his discussion of the disciplines (yogas) of meditation and action in his Bhagavad Gītā commentary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

20 Mar 2024

1 HR 03 MINS

1:03:35

20 Mar 2024

#364

Jon Robson, "Aesthetic Testimony: An Optimistic Approach" (Oxford UP, 2022)

A lot of what we claim to know we learn from other people's testimony: they tell us, and in many ordinary contexts that is enough to gain knowledge. But for many philosophers, aesthetics is different. Such pessimists about aesthetic testimony hold that facts about aesthetic properties – such as Shakespeare's Hamlet being a tragedy, or Picasso's Guernica being anti-war – can't be transmitted by testimony, and can only be learned through first-person experience.  In  [Aesthetic Testimony: An Optimistic Approach] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780192862952)  (Oxford UP, 2022), Jon Robson argues that aesthetic testimony should be treated on a par with testimony in other domains; our deference to others in aesthetic matters is about the same as it is in other areas of knowledge. Robson, who is assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Nottingham, defends a view called contextualist optimism, in which, just as with testimony in other domains, whether we obtain aesthetic knowledge depends on the context in which aesthetic judgments are transmitted.  [Carrie Figdor] (https://clas.uiowa.edu/philosophy/people/carrie-figdor)  is professor of philosophy at the University of Iowa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

10 Mar 2024

1 HR 00 MINS

1:00:02

10 Mar 2024

#363

Charlotte Witt, "Social Goodness: The Ontology of Social Norms" (Oxford UP, 2023)

In our day-to-day lives, we are subject to normative requirements, obligations, and expectations that originate in the social roles we occupy. For example, professors ought to pursue the truth, while parents ought to be supportive of their children. What’s interesting is that these role-specific requirements seem to befall us. We do not choose them. This raises the puzzle of what accounts for their normativity. In  [Social Goodness: The Ontology of Social Norms] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780197574799)  (Oxford University Press 2023),  [Charlotte Witt] (https://cola.unh.edu/person/charlotte-witt)  proposes a novel and intriguing conception of the nature of social norms and the source of their normativity. The centerpiece of her account is the idea that we must look to various examples of artisanal practices, dispositions, and techniques to understand social norms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

05 Mar 2024

1 HR 07 MINS

1:07:46

05 Mar 2024

#362

Rebecca Roache, "For F*ck's Sake: Why Swearing Is Shocking, Rude, and Fun" (Oxford UP, 2023)

Swearing can be a powerful communicative act, for good or ill. The same word can incite violence or increase intimacy. How is swearing so multivalent in its power? Is it just all those harsh “c” and “k” sounds? Does swearing take its power from taboo meaning? Why is swearing sometimes so funny? In  [For F*ck’s Sake: Why Swearing Is Shocking, Rude, and Fun] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780190665067)  (Oxford University Press, 2023), Rebecca Roache, host of the podcast The Academic Imperfectionist, offers us rich insights into the complex importance of swearing to help us understand who gets judged too harshly for doing it, why it’s important to be able to offend with swearing, why we might need to advocate for some swear words, and so much more. [Sarah Tyson] (https://clas.ucdenver.edu/philosophy/sarah-tyson)  is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado, Denver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

20 Feb 2024

1 HR 00 MINS

1:00:50

20 Feb 2024

#361

Michael Devitt, "Biological Essentialism" (Oxford UP, 2023)

What makes a species a species? Aristotle answered the species question by positing unchanging essences, properties that all and only members of a species shared. Individuals belonged to a species by possessing this essence. Biologists and philosophers of biology today are either not essentialists at all, or if they are think there are essences they are relational, historical properties.  In his provocative book  [Biological Essentialism] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780198840282)  (Oxford UP, 2023), Michael Devitt argues for a new form of biological essentialism in which intrinsic essences, probably largely genetic properties, are part of what tie species together and that the actual explanatory practices of biologists commit them to this view. Devitt, who is distinguished professor of philosophy, emeritus, at CUNY Graduate Center, responds to many philosophers critical of his position, and applies his essentialism to debates about race realism and anti-realism.  [Carrie Figdor] (https://clas.uiowa.edu/philosophy/people/carrie-figdor)  is professor of philosophy at the University of Iowa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

10 Feb 2024

1 HR 07 MINS

1:07:05

10 Feb 2024

#360

Lisa Herzog, "Citizen Knowledge: Markets, Experts, and the Infrastructure of Democracy" (Oxford UP, ...

For better or worse, democracy and epistemology are intertwined. For one thing, politics is partly a matter of gathering, assessing, and applying information. And this can be done responsibly or incompetently. At least since Plato, a leading critique of democracy has focused on the ignorance of ordinary citizens. Historically, this kind of critique has supplied the basis for several nondemocratic proposals. Yet it has also worked in the background of a range of views within democratic theory. Among these are views that have relied on markets as mechanisms for sharing and distributing information. But there are hazards to market-based thinking about democracy. In  [Citizen Knowledge: Markets, Experts, and the Infrastructure of Democracy] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780197681718)  (Oxford UP, 2023),  [Lisa Herzog] (https://www.rug.nl/staff/l.m.herzog/cv?lang=en)  explores three conceptually distinct sites where democracy interfaces with epistemology: markets, expert communities, and public deliberation. The result is an integrated political epistemology for democracy.  [Robert Talisse] (https://as.vanderbilt.edu/philosophy/bio/robertb-talisse)  is the W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

01 Feb 2024

1 HR 07 MINS

1:07:47

01 Feb 2024

#359

Jan Westerhoff, "Candrakirti's Introduction to the Middle Way: A Guide" (Oxford UP, 2023)

A proponent of the Madhyamaka tradition of Mahāyāna Buddhism, Candrakīrti wrote several works, one of which, the Madhamakāvatāra, strongly influenced later Tibetan understandings of Madhyamaka.  This work is the subject of Jan Westerhoff’s  [Candrakīrti’s Introduction to the Middle Way: A Guide ] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780197612347) (Oxford University Press, 2024), part of the Oxford Guides to Philosophy series. His book situates Candarkīrti and his text within Indian and Tibetan Buddhism and helps philosophical readers appreciate the text’s main arguments and ideas. Chief among these is a commitment to the emptiness of all phenomena, especially but not only selves, which is the subject of the lengthy sixth chapter—analyzing what it means for things to lack any substantial existence and criticizing opposing positions. Candrakīrti also takes up topics in metaphilosophy (do critical arguments commit us to positive claims?), philosophy of mind (do enlightened beings have experience at all?), and semantics and logic (what is the difference between conventional and ultimate truth, and can we express the latter in language?). Westerhoff’s guide aims to help readers unfamiliar with Sanskrit or Tibetan navigate these ideas, pointing them to further scholarly and philosophical resources along the way. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

20 Jan 2024

54 MINS

54:42

20 Jan 2024

#358

Krista K. Thomason, "Dancing with the Devil: Why Bad Feelings Make Life Good" (Oxford UP, 2023)

How could a good life include one with anger, or jealousy, or spite? In  [Dancing with the Devil: Why Bad Feelings Make Life Good ] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780197673287) (Oxford UP, 2023), Krista Thomason flips the script on popular ways of dealing with our emotions, including neo-Stoicism, mindfulness, and even the prosperity gospel. She makes the case that we should get rid of the double standard we have towards "good" and "bad" emotions, and that we should not aim to be emotional saints. Instead, because "bad" emotions are an essential part of our attachments to our selves, they help us discover what we care about. Thomason, who is an associate professor of philosophy at Swarthmore College, guides the reader through philosophical traditions regarding the relation of emotion to reason and the various approaches thinkers have come up with to deal with our "bad" emotions.  [Carrie Figdor] (https://clas.uiowa.edu/philosophy/people/carrie-figdor)  is professor of philosophy at the University of Iowa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

10 Jan 2024

59 MINS

59:31

10 Jan 2024

#357

Tyler Dalton McNabb and Erik Baldwin, "Classical Theism and Buddhism: Connecting Metaphysical and Et...

In addition to denying the existence of a substantial, enduring self, Buddhists are usually understood to deny the existence of a God or gods. However, in  [Classical Theism and Buddhism: Connecting Metaphysical and Ethical Systems] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9781350189171)  (Bloomsbury, 2022), Tyler Dalton McNabb and Erik Baldwin argue that there is conceptual space to affirm both basic Buddhist metaphysical claims and Classical Theism without contradiction. Their book argues that three fundamental commitments are generally agreed upon by Buddhists: all things are interdependent, impermanent, and empty of "own-being" (svabhāva). However, since Classical Theists like Aquinas deny that God—who is eternal, immutable, impassible, and metaphysically simple—is a thing among other things, accepting the existence of such a God poses no problem for a Buddhist. The book unpacks this thesis, also taking up historical Buddhist and contemporary philosophical objections to a divine being, arguing for a synthesis of Buddhist and theistic ethics and soteriology, and closing with a discussion of the problem of religious pluralism for Christians and Buddhists. [Malcolm Keating] (http://www.malcolmkeating.com/)  is Associate Professor of Philosophy at  [Yale-NUS College] (http://www.yale-nus.edu.sg/) . His research focuses on Sanskrit works of philosophy in Indian traditions, in the areas of language and epistemology. He is the author of  [Language, Meaning, and Use in Indian Philosophy] (https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/language-meaning-and-use-in-indian-philosophy-9781350060760/)  (Bloomsbury Press, 2019) and host of the podcast  [Sutras & Stuff] (http://www.sutrasandstuff.com/) . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

20 Dec 2023

1 HR 09 MINS

1:09:41

20 Dec 2023

#356

Philip Goff, "Why? The Purpose of the Universe" (Oxford UP, 2023)

Does the universe have a purpose? If it does, how is this connected to the meaningfulness that we seek in our lives? In  [Why? The Purpose of the Universe] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780198883760)  (Oxford University Press, 2023), Philip Goff argues for cosmic purposivism, the idea that the universe does have a purpose – although this is not because there is an all-powerful God who provides it with one. Instead, Goff argues, fundamental physics provides us with reason to think it is probable there is a cosmic purpose – and, moreover, the best explanation of these reasons is to posit cosmopsychism: the idea that there are fundamental forms of consciousness such that the universe itself is a conscious mind. Goff, who is professor of philosophy at Durham University, argues that these claims are not as extravagant as they may initially seem, and that his view provides a way for understanding human purposes that lies between secular humanism and religious or spiritual perspectives. [Carrie Figdor] (https://clas.uiowa.edu/philosophy/people/carrie-figdor)  is professor of philosophy at the University of Iowa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

10 Dec 2023

1 HR 06 MINS

1:06:53

10 Dec 2023

#355

Fabrizio Cariani, "The Modal Future: A Theory of Future-Directed Thought and Talk" (Cambridge UP, 20...

What does “will” mean? A standard view is that it is a tensed mirror-image of “was”, and that the truth-conditions of past and future sentences – “He was late to the event”, “He will be late to the event” – are symmetric. In  [The Modal Future: A Theory of Future-Directed Thought and Talk] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9781108474771)  (Cambridge UP, 2021), Fabrizio Cariani argues against this tense-based view in favor of an asymmetric semantics in which “will” has more in common with “would” and other modal terms, and in which future-directed discourse is close kin to counterfactual discourse, not past discourse. Cariani, who is professor of philosophy at the University of Maryland at College Park, defends an extended version of Stalnaker’s selectionist semantics to explain the semantics of “will”, and considers how his view intersects with issues in speech act theory, the metaphysics of time, and the possibility of knowledge about the future. [Carrie Figdor] (https://clas.uiowa.edu/philosophy/people/carrie-figdor)  is professor of philosophy at the University of Iowa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

10 Nov 2023

1 HR 08 MINS

1:08:31

10 Nov 2023

#354

Melvin L. Rogers, "The Darkened Light of Faith: Race, Democracy, and Freedom in African American Pol...

Frederick Douglass’s 1852 speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July” is notoriously fiery. No doubt part of what’s gripping about it is its internal tension. Douglass begins by sincerely praising the founders and their philosophical principles, and then turns to a devastating critique of the hypocrisy of the United States. Underlying Douglass’s argument is a commitment to the democratic project in the United States that one imagines could be sustained only with extraordinary effort. What prevented Douglass from embracing the understandable, warranted pessimism that the democratic experiment in the United States had failed – or perhaps had never really been taken up? In  [The Darkened Light of Faith: Race, Democracy, and Freedom in African American Political Thought] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780691219134)  (Princeton University Press, 2023),  [Melvin Rogers] (https://polisci.brown.edu/people/melvin-rogers)  takes his reader on a journey through the efforts of African American philosophers, social critics, and artists to make sense of the United States. [Robert Talisse] (https://as.vanderbilt.edu/philosophy/bio/robertb-talisse)  is the W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

01 Nov 2023

1 HR 08 MINS

1:08:35

01 Nov 2023

#353

Chris Fraser, "Late Classical Chinese Thought" (Oxford UP, 2023)

[Late Classical Chinese Thought] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780198851066)  (Oxford University Press, 2023) is Chris Fraser's topically organized study of the Warring States period of Chinese philosophy, the third century BCE. In addition to well-known texts like the Zhuangzi, Xunzi, and Mencius, Fraser's book introduces readers to Lu's Annals, the Guanzi, the Hanfeizi, the Shangjun Shu, and excerpts from the Mawangdui silk manuscripts. Beginning with a chapter on "The Way," or the dao, Late Classical Chinese Thought explores topics in metaphysics, metaethics, ethics, political philosophy, epistemology, and philosophy of language and logic. By focusing on topics rather than texts, the book aims to show how philosophical discourse happened in the philosophically productive period of the third century.  [Malcolm Keating] (http://www.malcolmkeating.com/)  is Associate Professor of Philosophy at  [Yale-NUS College] (http://www.yale-nus.edu.sg/) . His research focuses on Sanskrit works of philosophy in Indian traditions, in the areas of language and epistemology. He is the author of  [Language, Meaning, and Use in Indian Philosophy] (https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/language-meaning-and-use-in-indian-philosophy-9781350060760/)  (Bloomsbury Press, 2019) and host of the podcast  [Sutras & Stuff] (http://www.sutrasandstuff.com/) . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

20 Oct 2023

1 HR 07 MINS

1:07:51

20 Oct 2023

#352

Emily McTernan, "On Taking Offence" (Oxford UP, 2023)

A lot of work in moral, political, and legal theory aims to define the offensive. Surprisingly, relatively little attention has been paid to the affectively intoned practice of taking offense. One consequence of this inattention is that discussion of offense-taking usually occurs within the context of popular culture critique, where many commentators lament that people today are too easily offended or take offence at too many things. The prevailing thought is that taking offence is usually morally and socially pernicious. [Emily McTernan] (https://www.ucl.ac.uk/political-science/people/academic-teaching-and-research-staff/dr-emily-mcternan)  disagrees. In  [On Taking Offence] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780197613108)  (Oxford 2023), she develops a novel conception of what it is to take offence, why taking offence is an essential part of our moral and social repertoire, and when the disposition to take offence is an expression of civic virtue. [Robert Talisse] (https://as.vanderbilt.edu/philosophy/bio/robertb-talisse)  is the W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

01 Oct 2023

1 HR 02 MINS

1:02:17

01 Oct 2023

#351

Matthew R. Dasti, "Vatsyayana's Commentary on the Nyaya-Sutra: A Guide" (Oxford UP, 2023)

In  [Vatsyayana's Commentary on the Nyaya-Sutra: A Guide] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780197625934)  (Oxford University Press, 2023), Matthew Dasti unpacks a canonical classical Indian text, the Nyayabhasya, while simultaneously demonstrating its relevance to contemporary philosophy. The commentary, the earliest extant on the Nyayasutra, ranges over topics in metaphysics, epistemology, philosophy of language, dialectics, and value theory. Dasti's guide includes his own translations of selections of the text and engagement with select interpretive controversies, such as a focused treatment of Vatsyayana's approach to logic in an appendix. Another appendix includes a reading plan and survey of relevant scholarship for readers looking to learn more about Vatsyayana and early Nyaya. [Malcolm Keating] (http://www.malcolmkeating.com/)  is Associate Professor of Philosophy at  [Yale-NUS College] (http://www.yale-nus.edu.sg/) . His research focuses on Sanskrit works of philosophy in Indian traditions, in the areas of language and epistemology. He is the author of  [Language, Meaning, and Use in Indian Philosophy] (https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/language-meaning-and-use-in-indian-philosophy-9781350060760/)  (Bloomsbury Press, 2019) and host of the podcast  [Sutras & Stuff] (http://www.sutrasandstuff.com/) . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

20 Sep 2023

1 HR 16 MINS

1:16:45

20 Sep 2023

#350

A Better Way to Buy Books

Bookshop.org is an online book retailer that donates more than 80% of its profits to independent bookstores. Launched in 2020,  [Bookshop.org] (https://bookshop.org/)  has already raised more than $27,000,000. In this interview,  [Andy Hunter] (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-hunter-64484224/) , founder and CEO discusses his journey to creating one of the most revolutionary new organizations in the book world. Bookshop has found a way to retain the convenience of online book shopping while also supporting independent bookstores that are the backbones of many local communities.  Andy Hunter is CEO and Founder of Bookshop.org. He also co-created  [Literary Hub] (https://lithub.com/) . Caleb Zakarin is the Assistant Editor of the New Books Network. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

12 Sep 2023

34 MINS

34:29

12 Sep 2023

#349

Adam Toon, "Mind As Metaphor: A Defence of Mental Fictionalism" (Oxford UP, 2023)

Folk psychology (on a standard reading) is the way we attribute contentful mental states to others in order to explain and predict their behavior – for example, saying that John thinks the plant needs water as an inner mental state that explains why he is looking for the watering can.  In  [Mind As Metaphor: A Defence of Mental Fictionalism] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780198879626)  (Oxford UP, 2023), Adam Toon argues that this view is incorrect: we do not have mental representations. Instead, while our concept of mind is of an inner world, this inner world is a fiction. What we are really doing is picking out complex patterns of behavior and projecting this inward; intentionality resides in public language, not in the mind. Toon, an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Exeter, also distinguishes his view from Ryle’s and Dennett’s positions, and argues that while the ascriptions should not be taken literally, their purpose is serious and our practice of ascribing them is indispensable.  [Carrie Figdor] (https://clas.uiowa.edu/philosophy/people/carrie-figdor)  is professor of philosophy at the University of Iowa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

12 Sep 2023

1 HR 00 MINS

1:00:56

12 Sep 2023

#348

Berislav Marusić, "On the Temporality of Emotions: An Essay on Grief, Anger, and Love" (Oxford UP, 2...

When someone close to us dies, intense grief is an expected and reasonable response. But while the reason for our grief – the loss of the person who is the object of our grief – doesn’t change, our grief itself diminishes. This diminishment is also expected, but how can it be reasonable if the reason for the grief hasn’t changed?  In  [On the Temporality of Emotions: An Essay on Grief, Anger, and Love] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780198851165)  (Oxford UP, 2022), Berislav Marusic articulates this puzzle of accommodation as a general feature of our mental lives, and considers a number of different to attempts to resolve it. Marusic, who is senior lecturer of philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, defends the idea that the puzzle can’t be satisfactorily dissolved – while the diminishment is reasonable, it is so in a way that we can never fully grasp. [Carrie Figdor] (https://clas.uiowa.edu/philosophy/people/carrie-figdor)  is professor of philosophy at the University of Iowa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

10 Aug 2023

1 HR 02 MINS

1:02:55

10 Aug 2023

#347

Chrisoula Andreou, "Choosing Well: The Good, the Bad, and the Trivial" (Oxford UP, 2023)

It is common to think that rational agency involves acting in ways that, given one’s options, maximize the satisfaction of one’s preferences. This intuitive understanding has generated a wide-ranging literature about the ways in which individuals routinely fail to be rational in the proposed sense: they make choices that not only do not maximize their preference satisfaction, but actually undermine or defeat their aims. Maybe we’re not rational animals after all? In  [Choosing Well: The Good, The Bad, and The Trivial] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780197584132)  (Oxford University Press 2023),  [Chrisoula Andreou] (https://faculty.utah.edu/u0295960-CHRISOULA_ANDREOU/hm/index.hml)  explores certain cases of purported irrationality and argues that they involve disorderly preferences but need not involve irrationality on the part of agents. Chrisoula argues that there are cases where, although our preferences may be disorderly, we can preserve our practical rationality by taking care to attend to the patterns of choice we instantiate. Along the way, Chrisoula proposes intriguing ideas about how we assess our choices, how to understand temptation, and when it’s rational to regret our choices. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

01 Aug 2023

1 HR 11 MINS

1:11:06

01 Aug 2023

#346

Torin Alter, "The Matter of Consciousness: From the Knowledge Argument to Russellian Monism" (Oxford...

Frank Jackson’s "Knowledge Argument" introduced the philosophical world to Mary the brilliant neuroscientist, who knows everything there is to know about the physical world while living in a completely black and white environment. Yet she seems to learn something new when she leaves the room for the first time and sees and smells a red rose. So is physicalism – the claim that everything, including conscious experience, is physical – false?  In  [The Matter of Consciousness: From the Knowledge Argument to Russellian Monism] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780198840459)  (Oxford University Press 2023), Torin Alter argues that the argument is sound, comprehensively dealing with all the major types of objections raised against each of the premises. But Alter, who is professor of philosophy at the University of Alabama, also argues to a disjunctive conclusion: either standard physicalism is false, or (his own preference) it leads to Russellian monism – a non-standard physicalist view that posits intrinisic properties that both constitute conscious experience and underlie the basic physical properties. His book is an enjoyable, clearly written tour of one of the major philosophical debates on consciousness.  [Carrie Figdor] (https://clas.uiowa.edu/philosophy/people/carrie-figdor)  is professor of philosophy at the University of Iowa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

10 Jul 2023

1 HR 08 MINS

1:08:17

10 Jul 2023

#345

Kevin J. Elliott, "Democracy for Busy People" (U Chicago Press, 2023)

John Dewey and Jane Addams are both credited with the claim that the cure for democracy’s ills is more democracy. The sentiment is popular to this day among democratic theorists and practitioners. The thought is that a democratic deficit lies at the root of any political and social problem that a democracy might confront. Accordingly, a good deal of work in democratic theory aims at designing new practices and institutions that can erase the deficit. But this raises a problem: The civic task of democratic citizenship must be manageable for ordinary citizens. And ordinary citizens are differentially busy with other pursuits, many of which are independently valuable and socially beneficial. Thus, proposals for “more democracy” tend to be exclusionary. In  [Democracy for Busy People] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780226826325)  (University of Chicago Press, 2023),  [Kevin J. Elliott] (https://kevinjelliott.net/)  addresses this difficulty head on. He devises a conception of the civic responsibilities of citizenship that is authentically democratic without being overly demanding.  [Robert Talisse] (https://as.vanderbilt.edu/philosophy/bio/robertb-talisse)  is the W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

01 Jul 2023

1 HR 06 MINS

1:06:43

01 Jul 2023

#344

Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair, "Sikh Philosophy: Exploring Gurmat Concepts in a Decolonizing World" (Bloo...

In his new contribution to the Bloomsbury Introductions to World Philosophies,  [Sikh Philosophy: Exploring Gurmat Concepts in a Decolonizing World] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9781350202252)  (Bloomsbury, 2022), Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair introduces readers to a tradition often ignored by contemporary philosophers. While simultaneously arguing for the fecundity of Sikh categories and concepts from a philosophical vantage point, Mandair scrutinizes the characterization of Sikh ideas as unified -ism, also problematizing the philosophy/religion divide. And, at the same time as he tracks the historical and intellectual development of Sikh philosophy, examining the reasons for its marginalization, he introduces readers to the main contours of its epistemology, ontology, philosophy of mind, and ethics, in particular bioethics. [Malcolm Keating] (http://www.malcolmkeating.com/)  is Associate Professor of Philosophy at  [Yale-NUS College] (http://www.yale-nus.edu.sg/) . His research focuses on Sanskrit works of philosophy in Indian traditions, in the areas of language and epistemology. He is the author of  [Language, Meaning, and Use in Indian Philosophy] (https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/language-meaning-and-use-in-indian-philosophy-9781350060760/)  (Bloomsbury Press, 2019) and host of the podcast  [Sutras & Stuff] (http://www.sutrasandstuff.com/) . Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

20 Jun 2023

1 HR 06 MINS

1:06:10

20 Jun 2023

#343

Michael B. Gill, "A Philosophy of Beauty: Shaftesbury on Nature, Virtue, and Art" (Princeton UP, 202...

The third Earl of Shaftesbury (1671-1713) was a troubled soul – negative, misanthropic, and deeply troubled by his negativity and misanthropy. In  [A Philosophy of Beauty: Shaftesbury on Nature, Virtue, and Art] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780691226613)  (Princeton University Press, 2022), Michael Gill shows how Shaftesbury’s efforts to work on himself resulted in his becoming one of the first philosophers writing in English to develop an aesthetic theory.  Shaftesbury conceived of beauty as order or harmony exemplified by wild nature just as it is created by God, in sharp contrast to the prevailing seventeenth-century European view that nature was sinful and needed to be altered for human purposes before it could be aesthetically valuable. Gill, who is professor of philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, explains how Shaftesbury argued for seeing our lives as works of art, and how he responded to critics who claimed that admiring beauty was something only rich lords like himself could afford to do. Instead, Shaftesbury claimed, even the “lowly mechanic” is inherently invested in good craftsmanship and in making himself a good person.  [Carrie Figdor] (https://clas.uiowa.edu/philosophy/people/carrie-figdor)  is professor of philosophy at the University of Iowa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

14 Jun 2023

1 HR 07 MINS

1:07:44

14 Jun 2023

#342

Hasok Chang, "Realism for Realistic People: A New Pragmatist Philosophy of Science (Cambridge UP, 20...

For a certain kind of standard realist, science aims at getting the absolute truth about the universe. For Hasok Chang, this view is unrealistic because we have no way of judging whether we are getting at that truth. In his new book,  [Realism for Realistic People: A New Pragmatist Philosophy of Science] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9781108470384)  (Cambridge UP, 2022), Chang argues that we should understand scientific inquiry and its epistemic fruits in terms of what we do to acquire, justify, and use scientific knowledge. Drawing on Dewey and other pragmatists, plus a neo-Kantian view of phenomena, Chang – who is Hans Rausing Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Cambridge – affirms the basic realist commitment to a mind-independent world, though only in the sense that the world is “mind-framed” by our concepts, not “mind-controlled”. The aim of science, however, is operationally coherent active knowledge, not description of some inaccessible reality.  [Carrie Figdor] (https://clas.uiowa.edu/philosophy/people/carrie-figdor)  is professor of philosophy at the University of Iowa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

10 May 2023

1 HR 04 MINS

1:04:42

10 May 2023

#341

Darrel Moellendorf, "Mobilizing Hope: Climate Change and Global Poverty" (Oxford UP, 2022)

The news concerning climate change isn’t good. The warming of our planet now threatens to trap millions of people in extreme poverty while destabilizing the global order in ways that exacerbate existing global inequalities. Mitigation and adaptation strategies, even if adhered to, may not be sufficient. The situation seems hopeless. However, in  [Mobilizing Hope: Climate Change and Global Poverty] (https://bookshop.org/a/12343/9780190875619)  (Oxford UP, 2022),  [Darrel Moellendorf] (https://www.goethe-university-frankfurt.de/122127912/Prof__Darrel_Moellendorf___Chair_for_International_Political_Theory_and_Philosophy)  argues that there not only is reason to hope that we might successfully address the climate crisis, but also reason to mobilize hope – to act now in ways that can forge the kind of global solidarity necessary to meet the challenge of climate change. [Robert Talisse] (https://as.vanderbilt.edu/philosophy/bio/robertb-talisse)  is the W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit [megaphone.fm/adchoices] (https://megaphone.fm/adchoices) Support our show by becoming a premium member! [https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy] (https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy) ... Read more

01 May 2023

1 HR 03 MINS

1:03:42

01 May 2023