Aristotle believed that the biggest and most widespread source of political tension is the struggle between the haves and the have-nots. More than 2,000 years later, he’s got a point.
Being minimally Buddhist requires a practitioner to abstain from destroying any breathing beings. So how is it ok for some Buddhists to eat meat? Two philosophers explain.
First published in 1975, Animal Liberation opened our eyes to the exploitation of animals. At a time of ‘ag-gag’ laws and ‘skyscraper’ farms, a new edition assesses the state of animal rights today.
Ryan Leack, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Ancient Greek philosophers despised the Sophists’ rhetoric because it searched for relative truth, not absolutes. But learning how to do that thoughtfully can help constructive debates.
A philosopher and mother argues parents must attempt to tackle the problems caused by climate change – for their kids. Not doing so is like ‘reading them a bedtime story while the house burns down’.
if a machine can ascribe intent to the events and experiences befalling it, this raises the question of identity and what it means to be aware of oneself and others
By taking human beings out of society, castaway stories suggest our individualist survival instincts come to the fore. But no man (or woman) is an island. True freedom comes through co-operation.
Essentialism seeks certainty in a fluid world, but it is an inherently conservative philosophy that ought to be expunged from contemporary ethical and political debates.