Philosophy Now Forum

James H. Moor defines different ways in which machines could be moral.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/72/Four_Kinds_of_Ethical_Robots

Landon D.C. Elkind explains why Russell believed logic can set thought free.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/120/Bertrand_Russell_on_Something

Peter Adamson says the bonds of friendship are virtuous.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/126/Can_Confucians_Have_Friends

Were we designed by an intelligent creator? In our last issue Todd Moody described Intelligent Design theory as a scientific alternative to Darwinian evolution. Here, Massimo Pigliucci takes a more critical view of ‘ID’. https://philosophynow.org/issues/32/Design_Yes_Intelligent_No

Peter Caws critiques Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytic obscurantism.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/113/Anxiety_by_Jacques_Lacan

Roger Caldwell takes a sceptical look at scepticism.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/126/GE_Moores_Hands

Stephen Asma says biology needs to understand the purpose – the ‘telos’ – of organisms and systems.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/126/Teleology_Rises_from_the_Grave

Are our actions really free or are they determined by God’s will? Imadaldin Al-Jubouri on a controversy that divided Muslim philosophers.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/47/Human_Acts_in_Islamic_Philosophy

Each answer below receives a book. Apologies to the many entrants not included.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/125/Why_Is_There_Something_Rather_Than_Nothing

Stamatina Liosi enlists the help of Immanuel Kant to discover why we have a duty to treat the dead with dignity.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/126/Our_Duty_to_the_Dead

Grant Bartley argues that to say the mind is physical is an abuse of language.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/126/Why_Physicalism_is_Wrong

Toni Vogel Carey on how easily and dangerously poor reasoning can become accepted wisdom.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/125/Hail_Malthus

John Lachs criticizes the philosopher’s lack of public initiative.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/75/Can_Philosophy_Still_Produce_Public_Intellectuals

Raymond Tallis says mystery is the heart of philosophy.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/125/Problems_and_Mysteries

Dan Flores argues that the Golden Rule can’t be followed, even in principle.

https://philosophynow.org/issues/125/The_Not_So_Golden_Rule