Around the beginning of the 20th century, philosophy began to take what’s come to be known as “the linguistic turn”. All major philosophical questions, it was argued, were really questions about language, and this conviction would dominate philosophical discourse for the next century. But are philosophers now starting to turn away
The legal definition of Aboriginality is a complex issue, raising questions that have to do with identity, epistemology and politics. And while “race” as a biological category has been scientifically discredited, it still persists in Australian society, culture and law. So how should Aboriginality be defined?
Hannah Arendt’s “banality of evil” thesis has been hugely influential in moral philosophy, but how well does it hold up today? This week we’re asking if Arendt’s characterisation of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann as a mindless functionary, devoid of ideology, was accurate – and whether or not it’s still
There are plenty of features of our faces and bodies that we don’t necessarily like – but does this make them aberrations that require medical intervention? As the cosmetic surgery industry goes from strength to strength, the answer would increasingly appear to be Yes.
If you’re a gamer, you might be interested to hear that according to a new study, female characters speak approximately half as much as male characters in video games. But why should philosophers be interested?
In 1998, the American philosopher Richard Rorty predicted dark days for democracy and the rise of a Trump-like figure in the USA. This week, with the publication of a new collection of Rorty’s essays, we’re considering the ongoing relevance of his work.
Mary Graham is one of Australia’s most distinguished Aboriginal academics and authors. In this conversation, she articulates a political philosophy of relationality, conflict management and much more.
Libertarians are hard to pin down – they have a number of seemingly contradictory commitments that we normally associate with people on either the left or the right of politics. Libertarians like small government, low taxes and free markets – but they also favour things like same-sex marriage and drug
Cynicism is a philosophical tradition that existed for centuries in the ancient Graeco-Roman world. Its influence can be found in the Christian gospels, throughout the Western philosophical tradition, and arguably up to the present day in the work of such protest groups as Just Stop Oil and Extinction Rebellion –
Biology is a scientific discipline, notionally given to the pursuit of hard facts and empirical evidence – so what can philosophy bring to the table?
Hannah Arendt’s “banality of evil” thesis has been hugely influential in moral philosophy, but how well does it hold up today? This week we’re asking if Arendt’s characterisation of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann as a mindless functionary, devoid of ideology, was accurate – and whether or not it’s still
The legal definition of Aboriginality is a complex issue, raising questions that have to do with identity, epistemology and politics. And while “race” as a biological category has been scientifically discredited, it still persists in Australian society, culture and law. So how should Aboriginality be defined?
The idea that race is a “natural” category, grounded in biology, has long been discredited – and yet it persists in a surprising number of places. This week we’re looking at how medical practice has been shaped by outmoded assumptions about race, and how these assumptions directly affect the health
To many people, the notion that the universe has consciousness and purpose belongs back in the pre-scientific era. This week we’re exploring the possibility that cosmic purpose is defensible not only philosophically, but also scientifically.
When billionaires want to make a positive difference in the world, many of them turn to philanthropy. Which is fine in principle, but this week we’re asking if giving away money via huge global philanthropic foundations is really an unalloyed good.
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