Philosophy Now

“Unhand me, grey-beard loon.” The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. In a clearing on the edge of the woods, a flying saucer stands on spindly legs among the still-smouldering vegetation. A door slides open, light spills out, and a green face with three eyes peers at the gaggle of fearful spectators below and asks them: “What is it like to be a human being?” This is also one of the main questions being asked in the themed section of this very issue. You might protest that this is the one thing that you don’t need anybody to tell you. You’re the expert. After all, each and every one of us has first-hand experience of what it is like to be a human being. In some ways,…

Vikky Leaney Vikky Leaney is currently writing up her PhD in mental health, developing a Feminist Biopsychosocial Theory of ADHD. An academic, writer, mum, coach and activist, she supports neurodivergent women and those with chronic illness using positive psychology coaching strategies. Vikas Beniwal Vikas Beniwal is currently pursuing an M.A. in Philosophy at the University of Mississippi, with interests in the philosophy of mind and political philosophy. He cares for animal welfare and environmental sustainability. He also inquires into philosophical questions through art in his leisure time. Nigel Rapport Nigel Rapport is Professor Emeritus of Anthropological and Philosophical Studies at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, and Founding Director of the St Andrews Centre for Cosmopolitan Studies. His most recent book is “I am Here”, Abraham said: Emmanuel Levinas and…

• Creator of feminist standpoint theory dies • New study: do babies have moral intuitions? • Time travel with chimpanzees Sandra G. Harding has died Prominent feminist and social philosopher Sandra Harding died on 5th March 2025 at the age of 89. Harding was a professor at the University of Delaware from 1975 to 1996, then at UCLA until 2014, where she held the post of director of the UCLA Center for the Study of Women from 1996-1999. She was a consultant to several United Nations organisations such as UNESCO, the Commission on Science and Technology for Development, the Pan American Health Organisation and the U.N. Development Fund for Women, and she co-edited a chapter of UNESCO’s World Science Report 1996 on ‘The Gender Dimension of Science and Technology’. Harding…

‘More songs about Buildings and Food’ was the title of a 1978 album by the rock band Talking Heads. It was about all the things rock stars normally don’t sing about. Pop songs are usually about variations on the theme of love; tracks like Rose Royce’s 1976 hit ‘Car Wash’ are the exception. Philosophers, likewise, tend to have a narrow focus on epistemology, metaphysics and trifles like the meaning of life. But occasionally great minds stray from their turf and write about other matters, for example buildings (Martin Heidegger), food (Hobbes), tomato juice (Robert Nozick), and the weather (Lucretius and Aristotle). This series of Shorts is about these unfamiliar themes; about the things philosophers also write about. Philosophers on Smiles “ The old man may look down with a smile…

When someone asks ‘Who are you?’, it’s tempting to respond with labels, like ‘Asian’, ‘male’, ‘vegetarian’, or ‘student’. These tags are easy to understand, and help others quickly identify us. But such labels only scratch the surface. They tell us about general physical traits, societal roles, or personal choices, but they don’t really dive into the deeper question: What does it mean to be you? Or in general, What does it really mean to be human? Are we just organisms, or is there something more – like a soul, or some other deep basis of our existence? Or are we defined by the relationships we build, our actions, or our potential? Understanding what it means to be human influences how we treat ourselves and others, how we structure society, and…

‘Em and ‘sympathy’ are often used interchangeably, because they are related terms. However, they differ in some important ways, which pathy’ I hope to make clear. Affections are the star of the show in this article, because my explanation of empathy and sympathy as emotional mechanisms rests upon them being different ways of relating to affections. So I will first attempt to explain what affections are, then why affections are important for understanding empathy and sympathy, before then explaining how empathy and sympathy relate, and how they are different. Contrasting Affections to Passions Affections are, simply put, the mental expression of emotions. Five examples are enthusiasm, resentment, forgiveness, attention, and love. I’ll get into the details of some of these examples later. For now, I think one of the most…