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The Philosophers’

Magazine

21 Parkhurst Road London, N22 8JQ United Kingdom Tel: 020 8889 7041 Fax: 0870 125 3783 editor@philosophers.co.uk www.philosophers.co.uk

Philosophers’ The

Magazine issue fifteen • summer 2001

Editor Julian Baggini

Editor, New Media

Jeremy Stangroom

Contributing Editors Susan Dwyer, Simon Eassom, Peter Fosl, Michael LaBossiere, Jeff Mason, Christian

Perring

Events Directory Co-ordinator

Mitch Hodge

Subscriptions UK: 020 7538 8288 North America: 1-800 444 2419 ext.1

See page 25 for full details

Contributors James Baillie, David Beisecker, Emma Borg, Anthony Campbell, Joseph Chandler, Steve Deery, Simon Eassom, Wendy Grossman, Margaret Gullan-Whur, Salam Hawa, Mitch Hodge, Ted Honderich, Mathew Iredale, Sue Johnson, Todd Jones, Michael LaBossiere, Tim LeBon, Brian Leiter, Lyn May, John Michael McGuire, Francis Moorcroft, Stephen Palmquist, Rupert Read, Robert Stainton, Karen J Warren, Thomas Wallgren, Ron Wilburn

Illustrations Felix Bennett (cover), Shaun Williams

Graphics Jerry Bird

With Thanks to Susannah Gill, Lori Fells, Steve Palmquist, Bernard Stangroom, Pam Swope

Distribution by (UK) Central Books, 99 Wallis Road, London E9 5LN Tel: 020 8986 4854 (North America) Ingram Periodicals Inc., 1240 Heil Quaker Blvd., La Vergne, TN 37086-7000 Tel: (615) 793 5522 (North America) Ubiquity Distributors Inc., 607 Degraw Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217 Tel: (718) 875 5491

Printed by Warwick Printing, Theatre Street, Warwick

Contributors Notes Prospective contributors should contact the editor for further information or to submit ideas. Please do not send unsolicted manuscripts.

© 2001, The Philosphers’ Magazine contents

News and Features 6 NEWS HOUND The all-time top 50, Lord Sutherland and the death of Wesley Salmon

9 MEDIA WATCH Philosophy and philosophers in the mass media

COVER STORY: TV THINKERS

13 KIM YOUNG-OAK John Michael McGuire The lecturer topping the ratings in Korea Essays 15 UNBREAKABLE Salam Hawa Hegel goes to Hollywood in the Bruce Willis movie

11 ALAIN DE BOTTON Steve Deery Cheering yourself up with Nietzsche

Good riddance? p23

17 SURVIVING DEATH Anthony Campbell Why philosophers have not always been so dismissive.

19 HUME ON ETHICS James Baillie Getting the great Scot right on morality Discussion 23 OPEN DEBATE: EXTINCTION Michael LaBossiere The case for letting species die and your chance to bite back

26 DISCOURSE Joseph Chandler Debating paternalism and philosophers in public life

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

ThePhilosophers’Magazine/Summer 2001

ISSN 1354-814X onference Briefing 30 FREE WILL AND DETERMINISM Ron Wilburn et al A report, interview and highlight from the INPC conference in Idaho

Primers Short articles on the basics

52 SNAPSHOTS SPINOZA Margaret Gullan-Whur WITTGENSTEIN Rupert Read 54 EXPLAINING ETHICS Simon Eassom Part three of the series introducing moral philosophy The Philosophers’ Review 56 New publications including

VERY SHORT INTRODUCTIONS Various Francis Moorcroft

TWO BOOKS ON GOODNESS Blackburn and Foot Gerald Lang

Idaho ahoy, p30

contents

/5

FORUM

LANGUAGE AND MEANING

More than just words. Full details on page 34

INTERVIEWS Simon Blackburn Michael Dummett Hilary Putnam Julian Baggini

ARTICLES Introduction Joseph Chandler Interpretation Robert Stainton Object Words Matter Emma Borg The New Wittgenstein Thomas Wallgren

WRITINGS ON AN ETHICAL LIFE Peter Singer Simon Eassom

KANT DOUBLE BILL Rescher and Morgan Stephen Palmquist Regulars

8 THE GOURMET Brian Leiter Who’s in, out, up or down

10 MITCH’S DIARY & DIRECTORY Now with organisational as well as events listings

21 PHILOSOPHY@THE. INTERNET Mitch Hodge Updates from the world wide web

22 OUT & ABOUT Tim Le Bon Philosophy beyond academia

29 SCI-PHI Mathew Iredale Why wars start

61 BIBLIOPHILE Building a home library

62 BERTRAND’S BREAK Pondweed, Stamp, quizes plus the concise or cryptic crossword

64 LETTERS Corrections, comments, praise and protestations

66 THE SKEPTIC Wendy Grossman Religion and the census

PLUS

25 SUBSCRIBE

26 TPMSHOP

ThePhilosophers’Magazine/Summer 2001