Philosophy Course: Philosophical Ideas on Five Contemporary Issues

Philosophy. Study the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality and existence.

Join us as we explore philosophical ideas on five contemporary issues including: human nature and hope vs pessimism; conspiracy theories; understanding right/left ethics; animal minds; and affectivity in environmental philosophy.

The five issues we will address have attracted new philosophical research over the last decade. Rutger Bregman’s attempts to redress the growing pessimism about ‘human nature’ and our inability to deal with contemporary and future problems in his recent book Humankind-A Hopeful History (2019). Bregman uses various social, psychological, and historical examples to show that our basic nature is “fit for purpose” and that undue pessimism is counterproductive.

Conspiracy theories became a hot topic for philosophers and psychologists during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will consult several theorists including J.E. Uscinski, who gives a case for ‘tolerant skepticism’ (2021). On right/left morality we will explore Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion (2012), and The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure (2018).

The last decade has also produced an explosion of new research on non-human animals, and we will concentrate on the issue of how animals think. Lastly, we will look at some fascinating new research from Marjolein Oele on how humans’ interface with natural systems. Her work is a contribution to the topic of environmental philosophy.

Outcomes

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• discuss the pros and cons involved in the contemporary debates on the issues of hope vs pessimism, conspiracy theory, right/left ethics and animal minds
• discuss aspects of the contemporary philosophy of affectivity
• identify the main ideas of contemporary thinkers including Jonathan Haidt, Rutger Bregman and Marjolein Oele
• apply some of the course ideas to broader world issues
• better understand the issues involved in the polarisation of American politics.

Content

Human nature: hope vs pessimism

The media and political discourse tends to dramatise human failure, crime and corruption, which gives a lopsided view of humanity and causes undue pessimism and anxiety. Redressing this view is difficult because good stories are not always considered newsworthy. Dutch author and public intellectual, Rutger Bregman, attempts to redress this imbalance with historical examples, empirical evidence and an appeal to evolutionary biology. He also discusses philosophical ideas from Hobbes and Rousseau to show that appeals to ‘a state of nature’ are fundamentally misguided.

Conspiracy theory

On this topic we begin with a discussion of exactly what constitutes a ‘conspiracy theory’ and whether all such theories must be considered fundamentally flawed. The aim of this section is to see how cogently and informatively such an understanding can be articulated. The challenge is to provide a definition of conspiracy theory as an irrational cognitive activity that differentiates this both from other—non-conspiratorial—kinds of irrational thought process and from intellectually respectable investigations into potential conspiracies. Two of the texts we will refer to are Joseph Uscinsk’s Conspiracy Theories: A Primer (2021) and Matthew Dentith’s analysis of irrational belief states in The Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories (2014).

Understanding right/left ethics

Jonathan David Haidt is an American social psychologist, Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University Stern School of Business, and author. His main areas of study are the psychology of morality, political philosophy, and the ideological makeup of America.

Haidt's main scientific contributions come from the psychological field of moral foundations theory, which attempts to explain the evolutionary origins of human moral reasoning. The theory was later extended to explain the different moral reasoning and how they relate to political ideology, with different political orientations prioritising different sets of morals. In doing this research, Haidt determined that that liberals and conservatives each hold a piece of the puzzle. He states (2017) “to live virtuously as individuals and societies, we must understand how our minds are built. We must find ways to overcome our natural self-righteousness. We must respect and even learn from those whose morality differs from ours”.

Animal minds

Philosophers have been interested in animals since the ancient times, however the subject of their minds has only emerged as a major topic over the last few decades. This flourishing has been abetted by an explosion of empirical research in comparative psychology, cognitive ethology, and related disciplines, along with an increased tendency among philosophers to engage with empirical research. Rachael Brown investigates the cognitive capacities involved in animal culture. In particular, she examines the relationship between social learning mechanisms and the development of traditions in animal societies. Brown concludes that cumulative culture, which some theorists take to be unique to humans, can be had by animals thanks to a relatively simple social learning mechanism. Furthermore, she argues that as with humans, animal cultures can have an impact on group genetic evolution. Hence, without appeal to culture, we will not be able to explain certain biological differences between populations.  

Maria Botero looks at the development of social understanding in the chimpanzee. Joint attention is thought by some to be an important aspect of human cognition and required for cooperation, but the existence of joint attention in other animals is a matter of some debate among empirical researchers. Botero argues that the typical emphasis on the visual modality ignores the other ways in which individuals can jointly attend to something. She thinks that nonhuman primate social cognition is better understood via the modality of touch.

Affectivity: human/nature

Marjolein Oele’s book E-Co-Affectivity (2020) combines biology, phenomenology, Ancient Greek thought, new materialisms, environmental philosophy, and affect studies, in a philosophical investigation of affectivity in various forms of life. The aim of Oele’s work is to contribute to environmental philosophy by a further understanding of the interconnection of humans to the environment: “what we call 'ecology' is a co-affectivity—the mutuality of affecting and being affected on the part of species, biological kingdoms, ecosystems”. After describing the effects of the milieu and community within which each example of affectivity takes place, in the final chapter Oele adds a prescriptive, ethical lens that formulates a new epoch beyond the Anthropocene, one that is sensitive to the larger ecological, communal concerns at stake.

Intended audience

Anyone with a general interest in the course themes.

Prerequisites

None

Delivery style

Lecture/seminar

Materials

Course notes are distributed electronically.

Bibliography

Human nature: hope vs pessimism

− Rutger Bregman (2017) Utopia for Realists: How We Can Build the Ideal World.
− Rutger Bregman (2020) Humankind- A Hopeful History.
− Kingsley, Patrick (March 2, 2019). "He Took Down the Elite at Davos. Then He Came for Fox News". The New York Times. Kuper, Simon (29 May 2020).
− Kuper, Simon (29 May 2020). "Meet Rutger Bregman — outspoken historian and scourge of Davos". www.ft.com.

Conspiracy theory

− Joseph E. Uscinsk (2021) Conspiracy Theories: A Primer. Rowman &Littlefield Publisher
− Tim Hayward (2021) “Conspiracy theory”: The case for being critically receptive.
− M. Dentith (2014) The Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories. Palgrave Macmillan.

Understanding right/left ethics

− Jonathan Haidt 2002. Flourishing: Positive Psychology and the Life Well Lived, co-edited with Corey L. M. Keyes. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
− Jonathan Haidt (2006). The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom. Basic Books.
− Jonathan Haidt (2012). The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion. Pantheon.
− Jonathan Haidt (2018). All Minus One: John Stuart Mill’s Ideas on Free Speech Illustrated, co-edited with Richard V. Reeves. New York: Heterodox Academy.
− Jonathan Haidt (2018). The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure, co-written with Greg Lukianoff. New York City: Penguin Press.
− ---, 2021. "Jonathan Haidt — The Psychology of Self-Righteousness". The On Being Project.

Animal minds

− Robert Lurz ed (2021) The Philosophy of Animal Minds, Cambridge University Press.
− Clive Wynne (2018) Animal Cognition: Evolution, Behavior and Cognition. Cambridge University Press.
− Kristin Andrews, Jacob Beck (2017), The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Animal Minds Edited by: Kristin Andrews, Jacob Beck.

Affectivity: human/nature

− Marjolein Oele (2020) E-Co-Affectivity: Exploring Pathos at Life’s material Iinterface. Suny Press.
− Marjolein Oeleis co-editor (with Gerard Kuperus) (2017) of Ontologies of Nature: Continental Perspectives and Environmental Reorientations.
− Michael Marder, Plant-Thinking: A Philosophy of Vegetal Life. Columbia University Press.