the philosophers’

magazine issue 28 • 4th quarter 2004

reporter 6news hound news, plus straw poll and mediawatch

11word of mouse someone is looking for you...

13into Iraq can a soldier be a lover of wisdom?

18out & about the book that changed Tim LeBon

20highly strung singing songs in seminars thoughts 23rauschSimon Critchley’s TPM Essay

29sci-phiCopenhagengoesupinsmoke

31300 years later Alan Haworth on John Locke’s legacy

35provocationscan“cheating”makesportfairer?

37testing times from argument to experiment forum 43IgorAleksanderaninterviewwiththeleadingexpertonAI

47chinese rooms Mark Bishop takes a look at a classic thought experiment

52minds aren’t computers argues Raymond Tallis

56an i for an i Luciano Floridi wants more information

61emotionAaronSlomanattacksAntonioDamasio

65computer gas Mike Wheeler on the limits of computation

70hard learning Joanna Bryson on AI’s big problem discussion 73open debate Stephen Burwood responds to responses to his article on spin

78NigelWarburtonchatsaboutthinkingstraight subscriptions page 36

the lowdown 80snapshotthelowdown on William James

82the directory listings for UK and US philosophy organisations

83theory of knowledge the third in the series on understanding epistemology

86conceptualcarverydistinguishingbetweentypesandtokens review 87New books by Nicholas Capaldi, Martha Nussbaum, GER Lloyd, Michael Otsuka and Roger Trigg last words 92Bertrand’sbreakfunandgames

94lettershavingyour say

96the skeptic hysteria’s repeating itself In a reversal of conventional wisdom, this issue sees TPM trying to look better by becoming shorter and fatter. This new, compact format is just the latest stage in our ongoing evolution.

The constant over our seven-year history has been the desire to publish something that is definitely a magazine, rather than a journal that just happened to be magazine-shaped; and one which featured “proper” philosophy, not new-age mumbo-jumbo or purely speculative ramblings.

Until now, the emphasis, from a design point of view, has been on accessibility. The price we have paid for this is that it has not always been obvious to the casual browser that the magazine features writing of real quality and substance. We hope that the new, smaller format, the more compact pages, and the flat spine together will reflect the meatiness of the content. At the same time, we still clearly look like a magazine and not an austere journal.

the philosophers’

magazine

98 Mulgrave Road, Sutton, Surrey SM2 6LZ, UK Tel: 020 8643 1504 Fax: 0709 237 6412 editor@philosophers.co.uk www.philosophers.co.uk Editors Julian Baggini (print edition)

Jeremy Stangroom (new media)

Editorial advisor Ophelia Benson Reviews Editor Jonathan Derbyshire reviews@philosophers.co.uk

Contributing Editors Susan Dwyer, Simon Eassom, Peter Fosl, Michael LaBossiere, Jeff Mason, Christopher Norris, Christian Perring Illustrations/Graphics Felix Bennett (cover), Jerry Bird, Jen Caban, Pipo di Bressana, Sharon Kaye, Michael LaBossiere, Gareth Southwell. Contributors’ Notes Contact the editor to submit proposals. Please do not send unsolicited manuscripts. Contributors Ophelia Benson, Christopher Bertram, Mark Bishop, Joanna Bryson, Stephen Burwood, Joseph Chandler, Simon Critchley, Luciano Floridi, Peter S Fosl, Douglas R Gearhart, Wendy Grossman, Alan Haworth, Mathew

There is a cash price to pay for this new emphasis on quality. Our cover price has gone up for the first time ever. Subscription prices, however, have gone up less steeply, so now more than ever signing up for four issues a year is the most attractive offer.

There is one more innovation in this issue. The TPM Essay is a longer article than previously published, written by an eminent, invited philosopher. Our first is a wonderful meditation on music by Simon Critchley. And we have other great writers lined up for future essays in this slot.

Please let us know what you think about our new look. And if you like it, do spread the word. We don’t have a promotions department. (In fact, we don’t have any departments.) So we rely heavily on the personal recommendations of readers. Without you, we are doomed.

Iredale, Sue Johnson, Joshua Knobe, Michael LaBossiere, Tim LeBon, John Mizzoni, Michael Petheram, Duncan Pritchard, Jack Ritchie, Aaron Sloman, Raymond Tallis, Mark Vernon, James Warren, Mike Wheeler 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; Ubiquity Distributors Inc., 607 Degraw Street, Brooklyn, NY 11217 Tel: (718) 875 5491 Printed by Warwick Printing, Caswell Road, Leamington Spa CV31 1QD With thanks to Denis Collins, George Leaman, The Rainnies, Pam Swope. Subscriptions UK: 01442 879097 North America: 1 800 444 2419 See page 36 for full details

© 2004, The Philosophers’ Magazine and contributors

ISSN 1354-814X

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.