Joshua May

Joshua May and the Search for Philosophical Nuance

In his teaching and his research, philosopher Joshua May reminds us that binary, all-or-nothing arguments often rest on false dichotomies.
The road to Mount Mulanje in southern Malawi

Existentialists in Malawi

Proverbs and popular songs from Malawi examine and express ideas similar to those found in European existentialism.
An illustration of a UFO

Far Out: Why Don’t We Believe in UFOs?

Is it scientific impossibility or simply human ego that stops us from entertaining the idea of extraterrestrial visitation?
Pliny the Elder

The Numinous World of Pliny the Elder

As a follower of Stoic philosophy, Pliny used sensory experience to try to understand the divine.
Three angels hosted by Abraham, Ludovico Carracci, c. 1610-1612

Xenophilia: Golden Rule of the Stranger

We may have heard enough about xenophobia, the fear of the stranger. But what of its opposite, the love for a stranger, better known as hospitality?
Fredric Jameson, 2008

Verbatim: Fredric Jameson

Marxist cultural critic Fredric Jameson offered a philosophy of late capitalism that gave us a language for talking about globalization and the end of modernism.
Human base on a new planet, aerial view

Astronomers Have Warned against Colonial Practices in the Space Industry

A philosopher of science explains how the industry could explore other planets without exploiting them.
The portrait of Confucius from Confucius, Philosopher of the Chinese

Confucius in the European Enlightenment

Many Enlightenment thinkers admired Confucius, leading to a debate over whether classical Chinese philosophy was compatible with Christianity.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Benedictus_Spinoza._Line_engraving_by_W._Pobuda_after_(A._P._Wellcome_V0005578.jpg

Nice Guy Spinoza Finishes…First?

The Dutch Jewish philosopher Spinoza died in 1677, which is when the battle to define his life—and work—began.
illustration of a woman's body on abstract blob background

Do You Own Your Body?

The idea that our bodies are our own may be intuitive, but when it comes to market transactions like surrogacy, our beliefs and feelings get more complicated.