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A group of bloggers discussing philosophical ideas as well as the profession of philosophy
Truth and meaning in the age of Trump
I learned philosophy of language in the dogmatic antiquity of a couple of years ago. Many of my colleagues and senior philosophers seem still to cling to these dogmas, like “a sentence is made true by its disquotation.” In the now-times, though, it seems especially important to show where we went wrong in developing our […]
Form-Over-Content Morality: Denying Service
June 26, 2018
by James DiGiovanna
Charges of hypocrisy are popular in the current political landscape, and hypocrisy is certainly a vice, if a minor one. But much of what’s going on in these charges is an emphasis on form over content. To say any action is immoral requires an understanding of what it is in reaction to. Spitting in my […]
Turning Bad Rubbish into Good Lessons
May 30, 2018
by Joshua Stein
Alternately titled: What we talk about when we talk about Jordan Peterson. I should begin by saying that all thoughts here are mine. They are not endorsed or shared by the University of Calgary, the Department of Philosophy, or any other group with which I’m affiliated, unless those folks choose to endorse or share them. […]
The Technological Progress of CRISPR-Cas9
May 24, 2018
by janellabaxter
A common misconception about technological advancement is that they are ahistorical revolutions (Cook 1995). On this narrative, technological innovations emerge suddenly, without competition from other extant technologies, and are solely responsible for ushering in rapid, widespread social change. This misconception not only fails to account for the crucial social, political, and moral values that often […]
New Contributor: Janella Baxter
May 24, 2018
by Justin Caouette
Comments Off on New Contributor: Janella Baxter
I’m happy to announce yet another solid philosopher to the fold here at A Philosopher’s Take. I had the pleasure of meeting Janella Baxter a few years back at one of our grad conferences here at the University of Calgary. Dr. Baxter is a pleasure to be around and talk philosophy with; here is a […]
Posted in: Janella Baxter, Notes on Contributors
The Moral Value of Compassion
It was an honour to contribute to Justin Caouette and Carolyn Price’s book The Moral Psychology of Compassion. They did an excellent job of putting together such an interesting collection and I’m really happy to have been a part of it. I have also enjoyed the interesting recent exchange on this blog between David Boutland and […]
Science, Reality, and Objectivity
May 22, 2018
by oliverlean
Our research project team members here in Calgary have spent the last several months reading (and re-reading) Bas van Fraassen’s subtle and powerful work Scientific Representation (2008). As with any work of its scope and ambition, it’s open to a heavy dose of interpretation. What follows is my interpretation, and I’ll stress that it is particularly […]
Books by Contributors
July 18, 2018
by Joshua Stein
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