If Philosophy Won’t Diversify, Let’s Call It What It Really Is | New York Times | May 2016 The vast majority of philosophy departments in the United States offer courses only on philosophy derived from Europe and the English-speaking world. For example, of the 118 doctoral programs in philosophy in the United States and Canada, only 10 percent have a
Democracy and the Demagogue | New York Times | October 2015 In Book VIII of “The Republic,” Plato is clear-eyed about these perils for democracy. He worries that a “towering despot” will inevitably rise in any democracy to exploit its freedoms and seize power by fomenting fear of some group and representing himself as the protector of the people against
To Weld, Perchance, to Dream | New York Times | November 2015 Simon Critchley: It’s not often that one finds oneself uniquely qualified to comment on a matter in the popular media, but when Marco Rubio argued at the Republican debate last week that the country needs “more welders and less philosophers,” I had my moment. My father was a