What to do about now? Political Philosophy blog page

All Posts

Apr 4
6 min

Should government or health experts decide Covid19 policy? The case for depoliticization

Is UK gov 'guided by science', or by its own electoral incentives?This article asks if power to decide should be with experts or politicians

184 views0 comments

Kenneth Primrose

Feb 7
8 min

Schooling for the Greater Good

The pandemic has shown the strength of collectivity. Can schools do more to shift moral focus from individualism towards the common good?

259 views0 comments

Nikhil Venkatesh

Oct 23, 2020
4 min

Empathy, sympathy and solidarity

Can powerful individuals really empathise with those in weaker positions? Should we rely on their empathy, or instead ask for solidarity?

297 views0 comments

Has the A-level fiasco undermined fair equality of opportunity?

Hannah McHugh

Sep 15, 2020
11 min

Has the A-level fiasco undermined fair equality of opportunity?

A-levels are thought important to ensure equality of opportunity for young people. Has 2020's distorted process denied them this forever?

224 views0 comments

‘Black Lives Matter’ or ‘All Lives Matter’? Two approaches to liberation

Hannah McHugh

Jul 30, 2020
8 min

‘Black Lives Matter’ or ‘All Lives Matter’? Two approaches to liberation

Black Lives Matter & All Lives Matter represent two approaches to liberation- difference assertion & difference blindness. Which to favour?

303 views1 comment

Is ‘cancel culture’ a threat to free speech?

Daniel Guillery

Jul 21, 2020
8 min

Is ‘cancel culture’ a threat to free speech?

Do recent perceived trends of cancellation or ostracism of those with odious views (so-termed cancel culture) pose a threat to free speech?

1,016 views0 comments

Covid-19: Political Turmoil and the Opportunity for Change

Lukas Fuchs

Jun 27, 2020
4 min

Covid-19: Political Turmoil and the Opportunity for Change

Revolutionary socialists have long argued crisis hails an opportunity for economic change. Which societal changes should Covid hail in?

208 views0 comments

Daniel Guillery

Jun 22, 2020
5 min

What makes a protest violent?

Are we using the same word to describe both bodily violence and illegal damage to property? What are the implications of this on protests?

676 views0 comments

COVID-19: Why the threat to democracy depends on the context

Sonia Cruz Dávila

Jun 19, 2020
10 min

COVID-19: Why the threat to democracy depends on the context

How can suspended democracies represent our interests? In less stable states with socioeconomic instability, which interests are legitimate?

240 views0 comments

On Toppling Monuments, Discomfort, and “People Like Us”

Giulio Fornaroli

Jun 15, 2020
7 min

On Toppling Monuments, Discomfort, and “People Like Us”

How ought we adjudicate between the discomfort of those who feel statues represent oppressive views, and those who value attachment to them?

363 views0 comments

Statues, Philosophy, and Charitable Interpretation

Nikhil Venkatesh

Jun 12, 2020
5 min

Statues, Philosophy, and Charitable Interpretation

On statues: do philosophers' recent interpretations of activists and preservationists expose a disconnect between philosophy and reality?

556 views0 comments

Cosmopolitanism, Nationalism and Closed Borders in the Covid-19 Era

Gillian Brock

Jun 8, 2020
4 min

Cosmopolitanism, Nationalism and Closed Borders in the Covid-19 Era

Does the closing of borders due to CoVid19 signal states are inherently nationalistic? Or are globalists right to emphasise interdependence?

376 views0 comments

Can Moral Philosophy Tell You Who Should Get the Ventilator?

Giulio Fornaroli

May 30, 2020
7 min

Can Moral Philosophy Tell You Who Should Get the Ventilator?

Moral philosophy seeks answers to the toughest choices we face, such as tragic decisions between who lives and dies. Is this possible?

311 views0 comments

Have our governments become too powerful? Corona and the State of Exception

Sam Mace

May 27, 2020
6 min

Have our governments become too powerful? Corona and the State of Exception

Governments have been afforded substantial emergency powers to deal with CoVid19. Does this leave us subject to authoritarianism?

250 views0 comments

Responding to Coronavirus: the worst affected are not only our moral patients

Hannah McHugh

May 24, 2020
7 min

Responding to Coronavirus: the worst affected are not only our moral patients

Covid19 shows how deep our inequality is. Equality requires more than redistributing resources, doing only this may perpetuate the problem.

234 views0 comments

A democratic duty to test for CoVid-19 infection rates?

Stefano Merlo & Hannah McHugh

May 17, 2020
7 min

A democratic duty to test for CoVid-19 infection rates?

Can states legitimately choose lives or the economy? Yes, but only if they respect a democratic duty to test and publish rates of infection.

317 views0 comments

Who is to blame? Scapegoating and gaslighting in the era of Covid-19

Michelle Ciurria

May 12, 2020
7 min

Who is to blame? Scapegoating and gaslighting in the era of Covid-19

In response to the CoVid-19 crisis, the US has responded with unfair blaming and scapegoating. Why is this, and, when is blame justified?

514 views0 comments

VE Day reflections: Patriotism is our defence against nationalism

Hannah McHugh

May 8, 2020
6 min

VE Day reflections: Patriotism is our defence against nationalism

What does it mean to be patriotic? The left are criticised as being nationalistic when they adopt the concept. This is an unfair confusion.

345 views0 comments

Nikhil Venkatesh

May 6, 2020
5 min

Is it wrong to be a lockdown hypocrite?

‘Do as I say, not as I do’ After a series of resignations by high profile lockdown breakers, Nikhil asks: can hypocrites still be critics?

502 views1 comment

The left must spearhead immigration justice

Lukas Schmid

May 2, 2020
6 min

The left must spearhead immigration justice

The left has experienced much recent success but is this at the sinister cost of committing to the right's restrictive immigration stance?

243 views0 comments

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