tpm the philosophers’ magazine

Issue 45 • 2nd quarter 2009

Contents …

ACTIONS & EVENTS

45

11

12

14

19

From the editor

News Rankings, bones, prizes and more

Mediawatch Philosophy and philosophers in the mass media

Word of Mouse Howgreen is my silicon valley?

Having a laugh Taking humour seriously

Threads Ophelia Benson’sregular look at the blogs

THOUGHTS

21

31

40

45

The Interview Timothy Williamson, to be precise

The TPM Essay John Cottingham on the fine and the good

Letter from… WardJones in South Africa

Sci-Phi Magic from Mat Iredale

14

49

FORUM

50

57

63

70

Touch Mark Paterson feels better

Smell Lara Feigel sniffs cinematic potential

Sound Casey O’Callaghan listens up

Taste Carolyn Korsmeyer tries a different flavour

77

87

Sight Eight philosophers help us to see

The subliminal Hidden messages from Chris French

70

92

Take five? Matthew Nudds demands a recount

THE LOWDOWN

99

Snapshot: Gabrielle Suchon Back from the Baroque

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the philosophers’ magazine

102

102

Pop culture Bad logic terminated

REVIEW

106

116

118

120

New books Reviews of new books, including Badiou on Sarkozy

Author Q&A Aristotelian adventure

Imagine that Respect for Coldplay?

Review of reviews What the critics said

LAST WORD

122

127

My philosophy Novelist Charlotte Greig

The Skeptic Foreseeing the crash

127

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.philosophersnet.com

Editors

Julian Baggini (print edition) Jeremy Stangroom (new media)

Associate editor Ophelia Benson Reviews editor Nina Power Production editor Matthew Humphrys Publisher Edward Milford

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

Design

Paul Cooper

Layout

John Perkins

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

Contributors Sévereine Auffret, David E Cooper, John Cottingham, Robert A Delfino, Katerina Deligiorgi, Lara Feigel, Luciano Floridi, Chris French, Laurence Goldstein, Wendy Grossman, Owen Hatherley, Mathew Iredale, Dale Jacquette, Ward E Jones, Jean Kazez, Carolyn Korsmeyer, Dermot Moran, Stephen Mulhall, Ben Noys, Matthew Nudds, Casey O’Callaghan, Tom O’Shea, Mark Paterson, Michael Proudfoot, Kenneth Sheahan, Richard Shusterman, Alexis Tabensky, Ray Tallis, Erik J Wielenberg.

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

Distribution by (UK) Central Books, 99 Wallis Road, London E9 5LN Tel: 020 8986 4854 (North America) Source Interlink, 27500 Riverview Center Blvd., Bonita Springs, Florida 34134; Tel: (239) 949-4450 Ubiquity Distributors Inc., 607 Degraw Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217 Tel: (718) 875 5491

Printed by Warwick Printing, Leamington Spa CV31 1QD

With thanks toDenis Collins.

Subscriptions UK: +44 (0) 1442 879097 North America: 1 800 444 2419 See page 48 for full details

© 2008, 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.

2ND QUARTER 2009 tpm I