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The Philosophers’

Magazine

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Editor Dr Julian Baggini

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Mitch Hodge

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Contributors Les Burwood, Stewart Candlish, Peter Cave, Joseph Chandler, Simon Collinson, Steve Deery, Margaret Goord, Wendy Grossman, Mitch Hodge, Mathew Iredale, Sue Johnson, Alex Klaushofer, Tim Lebon, Brian Leiter, Lyn May, Christian Perring, Aidan Rankin, Matthew Ray, Bart Schultz, Steve Schwartz, Paul Snowdon, Kathleen Wilkes, Peter Williams

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

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Philosophers’ The

Magazine issue twelve • autumn 2000

contents

News and Features 6 NEWS HOUND A revealing new poll, a Sartre revival and e-philosophy

8 OPINION Brian Leiter’s regular column plus guest comment

9 MEDIA WATCH Philosophy and philosophers in the mass media

11 METAPHYSICAL MOVIES Joseph Chandler Films for the pensive: Krasny and The Matrix group rights p15

13 INDEPENDENT’S DAZE Julian Baggini The hard life of the independent philosopher Essays 15 GROUP RIGHTS Aidan Rankin How group identities are threatening liberalism

17 NEGATIVE FACTS Stewart Candlish When something which is not becomes something that is Discussion 23 OPEN DEBATE: WHY IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE MORAL Steve Schwartz Schwartz responds to readers’ criticisms of his pardoxical argument

Hole lotta logic, p17

29 DISCOURSE: A LITTLE KNOWLEDGE... The dangers, or lack of them, of dabbling in philosophy Conference Briefing 31 THE JOINT SESSION Why philosophers really go to British philosophy’s biggest gathering

ISSN 1354-814X

ThePhilosophers’Magazine/Autumn 2000 contents

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Conference briefing, p31

he Philosophers’ Review 54 A critical round up of recent publications

AN INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY Geoffrey Thomas Les Burwood

THE ANALYTIC FREUD Ed. Michael P Levine Christian Perring

BEYOND EVOLUTION Anthony O’Hear Les Burwoood

REVIEWS IN BRIEF Peter Cave, Lyn May, Bart Schultz and Peter Williams Primers Short articles on the basics

60 SNAPSHOTS KENNETH CRAIK Simon Collinson GILLES DELEUZE Matthew Ray Regulars 10 MITCH’S DIARY Mitch Hodge Philosophy events

21 PHILOSOPHY@THE. INTERNET Jeremy Stangroom Bookmark this – the latest developments on the internet

COVER STORY: FORUM IDENTITY AND THE SELF

What is the self and what is required for its persistence over time? Full details on page 34

INTERVIEWS Charles Taylor Alex Klaushofer David Wiggins Margaret Goord

ARTICLES Introduction Joseph Chandler All in the Mind Julian Baggini Thought Experiments Joseph Chandler Geting Things Straight Kathleen Wilkes Animalism Paul Snowdon

22 SCI-PHI Mathew Iredale Science and philosophy

26 THE CLINIC Tim Lebon The last in the series on philosophical counselling

59 BIBLIOPHILE Lyn May and Steve Deery A guide to building a home philosophy library

NEW

PLUS

41 SUBSCRIBE

27 TPMSHOP

53 READER OFFER

62 BERTRAND’S BREAK Pondweed, Stamp, Q&A plus the concise or cryptic crossword

64 LETTERS Your chance to have your say – and you take it

66 THE SKEPTIC Wendy Grossman Crop circles, aliens and fashions in credulity the internet, p29

ThePhilosophers’Magazine/Autumn 2000