The study of government and the relationship of individuals to communities including the state.
Thank you, Arya Amritansu, for such an important question. To answer these questions it is first necessary to clarify what we mean when we talk of “hate speech”. Hate speech is speech that attacks people in virtue of their membership in a racial, religious, ethnic, sexual or other group. In other words, hate speech is […]
Why does hate speech cause harm? And can we quantify the harm caused? Read More
Thank you, Coffee Jelly, for a great question! Vengeance is usually defined as punishment inflicted or retribution exacted for an injury or wrong (thank you, Google). The question is: Is an act of vengeance – call it, X – ever justifiable? An action can be justified in different ways. Is X legally justifiable? That would
Is vengeance ever justifiable? Read More
Thank you, Heather Bennett, for a very important question. When we ask whether we should hold historical figures to the standard of modern morality, there is perhaps an implicit premise that the societies of the past and our own society have different moral standards. This may assume that moral standards are sensitive to different cultures
Thank you, Joshua Genovea, for such a pertinent question. Your question is discussed by Machiavelli in his famous book, ‘The Prince’. Machiavelli advises rulers to inspire both fear and love in their subjects; but if they cannot obtain both, fear would be the safer bet. This is not only for the ruler’s own interest in
Is it better for the leader of a state to be feared or loved? Read More
Thank you, Will Baker, for a great question! I believe that it is based on two assumptions: first, that the wellbeing of the aggregate and the wellbeing of the individual are somehow opposed, thus leading us to the dilemma whether one should be chosen over the other; and, second, that wellbeing is somehow measurable. But
Thank you, Cameron Tait, for such a significant question! The phrase “we are being taught” already suggests a system of values at work. These values are promulgated via education, entertainment, political discourse, artists, pundits etc. Each society produces and propagates its own values, principles, habits, prejudices and so on. A quick glance at history shows
Why are we taught that success means being wealthy? Read More
Thank you, Ela Özcan, for such a topical question! Online trolling is a tricky issue, and your question needs to be analysed carefully for a proper answer. We need to start by defining exactly what we mean by trolling. Many use the term just to describe aggressive behavior online: trolls, here, are people who tend
Why do people troll? Read More
Thank you, Olivia Rose Brown, for such a pressing question! Fake news is not just fake; it is also a product of fabrication, circulated by agents or groups in order to deceive and manipulate for financial or political gain. And fake news is itself a contestable concept. For example, there is the question of whether
Does fact-checking solve the problem of fake news? Read More
Thank you, Ela Özcan, for such a tough question! I’ll do my best to break it down and give you the best answer I can. Online misinformation is a pretty hot topic: it intoxicates political debate, radicalizes people with different opinions against each other, and distracts them from what is actually going on in the world.
Thank you, Angus Nimmo, for such a productive question! Philosophers like questioning questions as a start, and this might well be a helpful method here. Why think that it is wrong not to have children? One answer, perhaps familiar from social pressure, would be to see parenting as a life accomplishment. But, for someone who
Is it wrong to be child-free by choice? Read More
