tpm t h e p h i l o s o p h e r s ’ m a g a z i n e Issue 51 • 1st quarter 2011

Contents …

ACTIONS & EVENTS

4 5 12 13 15 19

From the editor News Language, Spooks and Logic

Mediawatch Philosophy and philosophers in the mass media

Threads Rage against the experience machine

Philosophers in power Can they change politics?

Word of Mouse Computers that feel your pain

THOUGHTS

21 31 34 43

The Interview Martha Nussbaum fights for the liberal arts

Sci-Phi Do societies evolve?

TPM Essay Simon Blackburn on philosophy’s wrong turns

Wiping the slate clean Eve Garrard and David McNaughton on forgiveness

43

49 55

Letter from… Juraj Hvorecky in Prague

The psychology of happiness It’s not an exact science, say Aaron Jarden and Dan Weijers

FORUM

60

Philosophical intuitions Stephen Stich and Wesley Buckwalter present an x-phi parable

60

66 72

78

87

Is morality relative? Joshua Knobe asks the folk

Intending harm Mark Phelan has virtually no adverse side-effects

There’s nothing it’s l ike to see red Edouard Machery and Justin Sytsma on pains and perceptions

What’s the point of x-phi? David Papineau has doubts

89

Just make it stop Tamler Sommers demands an end to the x-phi debate

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THE LOWDOWN

94 99

Pop culture Is Dumbledore gay?

Snapshot: Paul Rée Free will is nonsense

REVIEW

103 113 115 117

New books, etc honour, podcasts, dreams, samurai and goldfish

Author Q&A Nancy Sherman on soldiers’ inner battles

Imagine that Michelangelo behaving badly

Review of reviews What the critics said

LAST WORD

119 127

My philosophy Toby Young alienates yet more people

The Skeptic Ghost writers

119

tpm t h e p h i l o s o p h e r s ’ m a g a z i n e

Philosophy Press, Dunstan House, 14a St Cross Street,

London, EC1N 8XA UK

Tel: 020 7841 1959

Fax: 020 7242 1474

editor@philosophers.co.uk www.philosophersmag.com

Editor-in-chief

Editor

Julian Baggini

James Garvey

Reviews editor

Nina Power

Production editor Matthew Humphrys Publisher Edward Milford

Editorial Advisory Board Miranda Fricker, Simon Glendinning, Daniel D. Hutto, Susan James, David Papineau, Nina Power, Anthony Price, Jonathan Rée, Richard Schoch, Barry C Smith, Jonathan Wolff

Design

Layout

Paul Cooper

John Perkins

Illustrations/Graphics Felix Bennett (cover), Pipo di Bressana,

Adam Ferner, Gareth Southwell

Contributors John Appleby, Ophelia Benson, Simon Blackburn, Wesley Buckwalter, Luciano Floridi, Eve Garrard, Tamar Szabó Gendler, Wendy Grossman, Lawrence Harvey, Harry Hoare, Robert J. Howell, Juraj Hvorecky, Mathew Iredale, Aaron Jarden, Jean Kazez, Joshua Knobe, Edouard Machery, David McNaughton, Benjamin Noys, David Papineau, Mark Phelan, Matthew Pianalto, Charles Pigden, Tamler Sommers, Stephen Stich, Justin Sytsma, Mark Vernon, Alex Voorhoeve, and Dan Weijers

Contributors’ Notes Contact the editor to submit proposals. Please do not send unsolicited manuscripts.

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With thanks to Denis Collins, Olivia Wood

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© 2009, The Philosophy Press Ltd and contributors ISSN 1354-814X

All views expressed in TPM represent those of the authors of each article and do not necessarily reflect those of the editors or publishers.

Cover: Original artwork by Felix Bennett. Design by Paul Cooper.

1ST QUARTER 2011 tpm ■