TPP Weekly Rewind
Monday, August 23 – Friday, August 27
TPP Week-In-Review
- On Monday, Sam discussed the importance of politicians explicitly stating their political philosophies before urging President Obama to read The Public Philosopher; TPP intern Charles explained the view that a debate over first principles and the role of government has eclipsed the ‘culture wars’ over abortion and gay marriage; in another post, he argued that European countries ought to integrate the Roma;
- On Wednesday, TPP intern Han criticized some attempts to alter the Constitution by arguing against ‘Founding Father-ism’; TPP intern Ethan defended video games against people like British Defense Secretary Liam Fox, who called for a ban of the most recent Medal of Honor game
- On Thursday, TPP intern Charles investigated seeming Western news media indifference towards terrible Pakistani floods; and Jake explored the meaning of ‘moderate Islam‘ in light of a recent Ross Douthat piece
In Others’ Words
- A Korea Times article on the release of Michael Sandel’s new book on moral reasoning provided an interesting glimpse into East Asia’s regard for ethics, and philosophy in general
- Another article from Mainichi Daily News similarly illustrates the popularity of philosophy and philosophers in East Asia
- For Victoria Advocate, Raymond Smith decried the world’s fall into depravity
- Nina Rosenstand from Philosophy on the Mesa returned from vacation and jumped into a discussion of moral naturalism
- A user at Heathen-Hub pointed us to a talk on the ethics research of Eric Schwitzegebel and Joshua Knobe
- Philosophy In A Time of Error linked to an interesting attack advertisement against Immanuel Kant
- Tehran Times offered an interview with Eric Thomas Weber, who believes that John Rawls returned Western philosophers’ attention to the notion of the social contract
- Guest blogger Ryan Berg wrote for Capitolism on the relationship between the philosophical notion of ‘fairness’ and the Bush tax cuts
- Daniel McCarthy for The American Conservative discussed the issues at heart of the upcoming book, The Dilemmas of American Conservatism, and connected the thinking of Willmoore Kendall with that of Murray Rothbard
- A recent Politico article asks “What is Obama’s philosophy?”
- And then a recent Salon article criticized that Politico piece, before exploring the same issue
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Monday, August 23-Friday, August 27
TPP Week-In-Review
- On Monday, Sam discussed the importance of politicians explicitly stating their political philosophies before urging President Obama to read The Public Philosopher; TPP intern Charles explained the view that a debate over first principles and the role of government has eclipsed the ‘culture wars’ over abortion and gay marriage; in another post, he argued that European countries ought to integrate the Roma;
- On Wednesday, TPP intern Han criticized some attempts to alter the Constitution by arguing against ‘Founding Father-ism’; TPP intern Ethan defended video games against people like British Defense Secretary Liam Fox, who called for a ban of the most recent Medal of Honor game
- On Thursday, TPP intern Charles investigated seeming Western news media indifference towards terrible Pakistani floods
In Others’ Words
- A Korea Times article on the release of Michael Sandel’s new book on moral reasoning provided an interesting glimpse into East Asia’s regard for ethics, and philosophy in general
- Another article from Mainichi Daily News similarly illustrates the popularity of philosophy and philosophers in East Asia
- For Victoria Advocate, Raymond Smith decried the world’s fall into depravity
- Nina Rosenstand from Philosophy on the Mesa returned from vacation and jumped into a discussion of moral naturalism
- A user at Heathen-Hub pointed us to a talk on the ethics research of Eric Schwitzegebel and Joshua Knobe
- Philosophy In A Time of Error linked to an interesting attack advertisement against Immanuel Kant
- Tehran Times offered an interview with Eric Thomas Weber, who believes that John Rawls returned Western philosophers’ attention to the notion of the social contract
- Guest blogger Ryan Berg wrote for Capitolism on the relationship between the philosophical notion of ‘fairness’ and the Bush tax cuts
- Daniel McCarthy for The American Conservative discussed the issues at heart of the upcoming book, The Dilemmas of American Conservatism, and connected the thinking of Willmoore Kendall with that of Murray Rothbard
- A recent Politico article asks “What is Obama’s philosophy?”
- And then a recent Salon article criticized that Politico piece, before exploring the same issue
TPP Weekly Rewind
Monday, August 16 – Friday, August 20
TPP Week-In-Review
- On Monday, Luke analyzed another of Ross Douhat’s writings, in which the New York Times columnist defended against criticisms of his recent anti-gay marriage article; in light of President Obama’s entrance into the Ground Zero mosque debate, TPP intern Jonathan explored the distinction between moral and legal permissibility; TPP intern Charles indicated interesting questions and helpful resources concerning the mosque at Ground Zero; and TPP intern Han criticized some tea party groups’ opposition to net neutrality, but offered them an alternative strategy on their behalf
- On Tuesday, Sam disparaged the news media for their handling of the Ground Zero mosque subject, and claimed that they are failing to encourage the proper sort of discussion
- On Wednesday, John found fault with a recent article on online-education by Anya Kamenetz, and explored the potential impact of technology on educational institutions; and Sam shared a fun series of quizzes created by social psychologists to evaluate your moral character
- On Thursday, TPP intern Charles condemned teachers’ unions as overpowered, and suggested that they need transparency and increased accountability for their members
In Others’ Words
- Kevin Drum and Matthew Yglesias both wrote on the subject of Charles’ post on Thursday: Los Angeles public school teachers, and teachers’ unions
- Much like Sam in his post on Tuesday, Dwight Furrow over at Philosophy On The Mesa explained ‘Why Our Political Discourse Sucks’
- Clive Hamilton discussed moderation in Australian national politics for The Australian
- Douglas Vicenzi at Liberals Are Cool claimed that ‘limited government’ is an incoherent political philosophy
- For Intellectual Conservative, Bill Wavering examined the status of today’s progressives in politics, and observed that they were trying to redefine ‘prosperity’ much as they redefined ‘deviancy’ in the 1990’s
- The Legal Theory Blog continues its Legal Theory Lexicon series by defining and explaining ‘utilitarianism’
- Michael Vass at Vass Political Blog saw a little bit of the American spirit in a John Wayne film, and criticized contemporary America for being un-American
- According to Space Politics, some Floridian politicians have been proving some political stereotypes false
- Mike Gibson at Let a Thousand Nations Bloom provided a list of some of the most underrated texts in political philosophy
Ground Zero mosque
Morality vs. legality?
The debate over the Muslim mosque and community center near Ground Zero has resulted in a number of different, passionate reactions. Once the media took up the subject, politicians and leaders from all over the US weighed in rather quickly.
On Friday, even President Obama shared his view in favor of the mosque, stating “This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are.”
Not surprisingly, critics of the mosque pounced. And their response was strong enough to push the President and his staff to “recalibrate” his comments from Friday evening more than once. Although his remarks were initially received as a deliberate endorsement of the mosque construction, President Obama apparently meant only to speak in favor of the project’s legality—not in favor of “the wisdom of making the decision to put a mosque [near Ground Zero].”
Regardless of how you interpret the President’s statements this weekend, his clarification here suggests a crucial distinction underlying this Ground Zero mosque debate: even in a society that emphasizes personal liberty and freedom of religion, there may be a difference between what is legally permissible and what is morally permissible. Read more
TPP Weekly Rewind
Monday 9-Friday 13
TPP Week-In-Review
- On Monday, Sam asked whether we ought to get rid of the Senate; Luke raised difficult questions about homosexual parents; and TPP intern Charles discussed the moral responsibility of soldiers following orders
- On Tuesday, TPP intern Ethan argued in defense of the 14th amendment; Jake described what makes for a good argument against gay marriage; and Sam explained how the fact that politics requires money might be a problem for our democracy
- On Thursday, TPP intern Han asked why some want to grant citizenship to illegal immigrants who are also students
- On Friday, TPP intern Charles examined the responsibility and irresponsibility of people living in poverty and how that should impact public policy
In Others’ Words
- Jean Kazez at In Living Color commented on the same piece Jake discussed in his post
- Daniel Little at Understanding Society shared a cool mind map of Rousseau’s political philosophy, as well as some interesting thoughts
- The Philosophers’ Magazine continued their best ideas of the century series
- American Creation offered another excerpt from Robert P. Hunt’s Christianity, Leo Strauss, and the Modern/Ancient Distinction
- Death By 1000 Papercuts announced the creation of a new conservative website, The Moral Liberal
- BBC News related philosophy and Spider-Man
- One of the writers at The Political Inquirer advocated raising the voting age to 30
- At Political Pundits, Shaughan Dolan discussed the moral shortcomings of New Liberalism
- Edward Feser celebrated Consequentialism Day at What’s Wrong With The World
- Toby Ord at Practical Ethics analyzed the ethics behind antibiotics prescriptions
- Philosophy Bites released a new podcast with Hillel Steiner, who defined and explained exploitation
- Ralph Wedgewood at PEA Soup argued that there are unknowable moral truths
- John Quiggin at Crooked Timber analyzed the idea of a libertarian utopia
TPP Weekly Rewind
TPP Week-In-Review
- On Monday, Sam examined the United Arab Emirates’ decision to block online data usage for smart phones; Jake pointed to some interesting remarks concerning the mosque at Ground Zero; and TPP intern Charles raised some questions concerning performance and reward in the public sector
- On Tuesday, Sam criticized potential exploitation of the congressional lame-duck period; Luke agreed with a comparison between WikiLeaks and the Rolling Stone article on General McChrystal; TPP intern Ethan argued that a Georgia graduate student should be compelled to take courses to instill tolerance of LGBTQ persons; and TPP intern Han presented a case against International Burn the Quran Day, before he examined clean water as a fundamental human right in a separate post
- On Wednesday, Jake highlighted stimulating parts of New York City Mayor Bloomberg’s speech in support of the Ground Zero mosque
- On Thursday, John disagreed with a Slate front-page article to argue that corporations do not have obligations to the larger economy, and TPP intern Charles explained California’s Proposition 8 in the context of the larger gay marriage issue
- On Friday, TPP intern Han scrutinized several interpretations of US plans to send an ambassador to the ceremony marking the anniversary of the WWII Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings
In Others’ Words
- Mark Vernon for The Guardian reviewed Tariq Ramadan’s new book, in which the Muslim philosopher discusses pluralism and diversity
- Shah Gilani of Money Morning thought America is turning into another banana republic
- Tim Holland investigated for To The Center whether or not Tea Party supporters really ought to venerate Calvin Coolidge
- The Atlantic’s The Daily Dish discussed the Muslim center at Ground Zero, and points to some other interesting reading
- The American Political Science Association announced its awards for 2010
- At informIT, Tom Head presented ‘A Short Guide to the Ethics and Etiquette of Online Activism’
- American Creation offered an interesting excerpt from Robert Hunt’s essay ‘Christianity, Leo Strauss, and the Ancients/Moderns Distinction’
- A Yahoo!Answers user got some funny responses after asking ‘What is the political philosophy of people who shop at Whole Foods?’
- At The Huffington Post, Jeff Schweitzer established The Mocha Cappuccino Party
- Chic Hollis wrote on the American sense of entitlement for News Blaze
- Xenocrates at Glenn Beck’s Socratic Discourse explained Glenn Beck’s thoughts on the unity of philosophy
TPP Weekly Rewind
TPP Week-In-Review
- On Monday, Sam argued WikiLeaks was in for a lot of trouble, and TPP intern Charles dissected the recent extension of unemployment benefits
- On Tuesday, Luke suggested that people living in poverty don’t actually get to choose what food they eat, and then criticized an online New York Times interactive feature; TPP intern Charles raised some questions concerning justice and the Cambodian Holocaust; TPP intern Han disparaged reporting ‘fringe ideas’ in the political realm, and insisted in a separate post that we might not owe too much to future generations
- On Wednesday, John criticized the way the Obama administration wants to do business with for-profit colleges; TPP intern Ethan chastised WikiLeaks as careless; and TPP intern Jonathan compared WikiLeaks to other publications
- On Thursday, John made a cool announcement
- On Friday, Jake dissected the different ethical perspectives to be considered concerning former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee Charlie Rangel; TPP intern Han pointed to a connection between hands and ethics; and TPP intern Charles discussed an unfortunate connection between psychology and politics
In Others’ Words
- Michael Ruse wrote for The Huffington Post’s Religion and Science blog that science is beating out religion
- David Gushee maintained that libertarianism does not groove well with Christian principles
- Kyle Olson ranted against civil rights organizations and unions for Big Government
- Dickh at Richard Howe explained why he won’t shop at Target any longer
- Carbondale Chasmite at The Chasm discussed his love for conservative philosophers
- Robert Wolffe shared the final installment of his introductory series on game theory and related fields
- Guest columnist Betty Roberts described how to properly judge a justice
- Aaron Connelly warned at Jakarta Globe that President Obama’s political philosophy might get him in trouble in East Asia
-Jonathan
WikiLeaks: a new breed of leak?
WikiLeaks and its documents are here. What do we do now?
On Monday, Sam highlighted WikiLeaks’ enormous release of secret documents concerning Afghanistan and Pakistan, and US efforts in and relations with both countries. As he noted, one of the first questions we should ask is whether or not WikiLeaks’ document release is legal.
Obviously, the cat is out of the bag: WikiLeaks and its documents, for good or for bad, are here. The bigger question now is how governments and citizens will respond.
Leaks, even large ones, are not unheard of (think Pentagon Papers). To answer both this question, and the earlier one to which Sam pointed, we need to determine if this leak is unlike any previous ones—and whether deserves a unique response as a result. Read more
TPP Weekly Rewind
TPP Week-In-Review
- On Monday, Sam chastised the US Intelligence community in favor of The Washington Post, and TPP intern Charles wondered how much we can reasonably limit free speech
- On Tuesday, TPP intern Jonathan suggested that many citizens have a bad memory
- On Wednesday, TPP intern Han distinguished three conceptions of ‘just desert’ in light of a New York Times‘ op-ed lamenting a rising American aristocracy, and then suggested another justification for state laws criminalizing HIV transmission
- On Thursday, TPP intern Charles argued that we ought to allow the construction of a mosque and Muslim community center two blocks from Ground Zero; Luke examined Republican Senator Lindsey Graham’s decision to support Elena Kagan’s nomination to the Supreme Court, despite ideological differences; and TPP intern Ethan insisted that the argument over national standards in public education belies a debate over the nature of education itself
- On Friday, TPP intern Han considered pointed to a Newsweek story in order to connect the concepts of fairness and desert, and Jake criticized moral naturalism for failing to answer an important question
In Others’ Words
- Michael Smith asserted in an op-ed for News Herald that modern liberals are not who they think they are
- In the ‘Religion and Ethics’ section of ABC’s Australian site, Stanley Hauerwas claimed that America’s god is dying
- Robert Wolff shared another installment of his introductory series on game theory and related fields
- Herbert Gintis at Cato Unbound explained an interesting relationship between evolutionary biology and political philosophy
- Phil at A Very Public Sociologist discussed the relationship between radical politics and listening
- Youtube user CollegeBinary posted a three-minute summary of Immanuel Kant
- Some folks on Facebook suggested an interesting way to put the corpus of Ayn Rand to good use
- Neil Levy at Practical Ethics examined a recent study (which TPP has written about previously) that suggests people are often more likely to believe false information than true information
- Stephen Neale spoke about meaning and interpretation for Philosophy Bites‘ newest podcast
Democratic ADD
According to James Jay Carafano in today’s New York Post, the press has moved on from the Deepwater Horizon spill—at least, they don’t care about the disaster nearly as much as the locals in the Gulf do.
Carafano’s main project is to criticize the federal response to the spill, on behalf of Americans in the Gulf. But he also notes that people who aren’t still personally affected by the disaster are forgetting about the situation in the Gulf States, or that most people and our news media have a memory problem.
The idea that the citizenry gets apathetic unfortunately quickly with certain issues, like distant disasters and politicians’ records, is not new. It is, nevertheless, important.
Our society is a democratic one. It is the citizens who determine (however indirectly) what decisions are made and what issues need to be decided. If we can only keep our attention focused on each society-spanning problem until another problem arises, how will we resolve them?
Is this democratic ADD one of the reasons we are not a direct democracy, but a representative democracy or republic instead?
TPP’s own Sam Gill has written on a similar topic in a recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution op-ed. Give it a read.
Image used under a Creative Commons attribution license from Flickr user Deepwater Horizon Response.
TPP Weekly Rewind
TPP Week-In-Review
- On Saturday, in light of a recent soy meal importation case in Europe, TPP intern Charles wondered at the scope and effect of patent laws
- On Monday, Sam examined President Obama’s legislative buck-passing, and argued that we ought to consider limiting that sort of behavior
- On Tuesday, Marc pointed us to an intriguing article from The Washington Post on the alleged racism of the ‘tan tax’; TPP intern Jonathan exposed some deeper questions hidden in a recent post on The New York Times’ The Stone; and TPP intern Ethan evaluated an argument against veganism in favor of vegetarianism
- On Wednesday, TPP intern Han commented on an arguably depressing article from The Boston Globe about a psychological (but politically-relevant) phenomenon called ‘backfire’; TPP intern Charles raised some questions about an article that argued inequality was the root cause of the recent economic crisis; and in reaction to a New York Times piece, John discussed line between security and privacy and local communities’ role in drawing that line
- On Thursday, TPP intern Charles considered various arguments about recent Arizona legislation’s effect on the rule of law and compared prohibiting immigration to prohibiting alcohol; and TPP intern Ethan powerfully criticized the US, and demanded a full program of nuclear disarmament
- On Friday, TPP intern Han questioned the motivation behind a current Knesset bill intended to fine those who incite boycotts against Israel, and Jake argued in favor of international espionage over anti-spying laws
In Others’ Words
- Professor Robert Wolff shared a couple installments of his introductory series on game theory and related fields
- Ilya Somin at The Volokh Conspiracy had something else to say about ‘liberaltarianism’
- The Philosophy of Science Portal posted Playboy Magazine’s 1964 interview with Ayn Rand
- Nicholas Smith The Philosophers’ Magazine wrote about reason and Hegel
- Ned Resnikoff from Salon discussed the word ‘progressive’ and the ignorance of Americans on the Left
- W. Wong at Hummings in the Fly-Bottle compared philosophy to masturbation
- The Tehran Times offeredan interview with Michigan University Professor Elizabeth Anderson on the potential for faith-based conversation to facilitate diplomacy
- Yorktown University’s Yorktown Patriot wondered when the ‘Conservative Movement’ ended
- Nog from Nogburt’s Blog explained why he hates talking heads
- Tim Soutphommasane from The Australian discussed the importance of the character and flavor of political discourse in a democracy
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