Author: Sarah Kahn

  • Social Status

    Ever thought social status could be understood through a philosophical lens? What do you think gives rise to social status? How do dominance, prestige, and admiration underpin it?

  • Women in Philosophy

    What explains the fact that women makeup only 25% of British philosophy departments? Note that the numbers aren’t so different for American universities. MIT philosopher Sally Haslanger reports that even “As recently as 2010, philosophy had a lower percentage of women doctorates than math, chemistry and economics.”

  • Credibility and Gender

    What are the norms governing credibility assessments? How do we judge whether someone is telling the truth or not? What kind of good is credibility? What is it to get the credibility you deserve? How does gender affect perceptions of credibility?

  • Creativity and Character

    Do you have to be courageous to be creative? Or is it better to give the public what it wants? What are the character traits that make somebody exceptionally creative? What exactly are we picking out when we praise an individual for her creativity. Is it eccentricity? novelty? originality?

  • Philosophy of the Midlife Crisis

    In “Death and the Midlife Crisis” psychoanalyst Elliot Jacques found that his patients were flourishing but had a sense of malaise and meaninglessness associated with death. Philosopher Kieran Setiya thinks that the answer to the midlife crisis is to pursue activities that do not necessarily have a particular end point.

  • Fast Lane Ethics

    Driverless cars make decisions based on speed, weather, road conditions, and distance. Does that mean that the main challenge for these autonomous vehicles is technical? Or are there also real ethical problems facing this new technology?

  • Sex and Global Consequences

    We are now more aware of the frighteningly near future of overpopulation and limited world resources. Yet 50% of all pregnancies are unplanned. Is there an ethical solution to the overpopulation crisis, one that doesn’t violate anyone’s reproductive rights?

  • Transhumanism

    Transhumanists seek to use science and technology to improve the human condition and conquer mortality. But is extending life indefinitely a way to promote human flourishing? Or would it just render life meaningless?

  • Philosophy Majors: Unexpectedly Employable

    Contrary to popular belief, a philosophy degree may be useful in the job market. An education in philosophy teaches students critical thinking, precise analysis, and cogent writing, skills that essential for any professional career.

  • [AUDIO] Time Biases

    We all have preferences around when good or bad experiences happen, but some of those preferences cause us to make poor or irrational choices. These are knows as time biases. But are time biases always harmful or can they sometimes be helpful? Would being temporally neutral lead to a better life?

  • Psychopathy and Evil

    How ought we to understand psychopathy, especially child psychopathy? If some unlucky children are wired to lack empathy or remorse, can we justifiably call them evil? To what extent can an action be labeled evil in the absence of choice?