A Golden Manifesto, Part II
Philosophy Now|December 2016 / January 2017

Mary Midgley continues her recollection of a golden age of female philosophy.

Mary Midgley
A Golden Manifesto, Part II

In the first part of this essay (in Issue 116), I suggested that philosophers have been wrong in thinking that they were engaged in a hunt for a single and infallible answer to moral questions. They can hope to get nearer to right answers, to get further from some demonstrably wrong ones, and to get a better grasp of the kind of wrongness that is causing most trouble here. But none of this will be final.

In his book of 1739, A Treatise of Human Nature, David Hume famously claimed that it was impossible to logically derive judgments about values, about what ought to be the case, solely from facts about the world. Here Hume showed no interest in the detailed meaning of the value-judgments themselves, simply treating them as solid, ultimate units. His point was only that they were matters of feeling, not of reason.

Denne historien er fra December 2016 / January 2017-utgaven av Philosophy Now.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra December 2016 / January 2017-utgaven av Philosophy Now.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA PHILOSOPHY NOWSe alt
Anselm (1033-1109)
Philosophy Now

Anselm (1033-1109)

Martin Jenkins recalls the being of the creator of the ontological argument.

time-read
8 mins  |
October/November 2024
Is Brillo Box an Illustration?
Philosophy Now

Is Brillo Box an Illustration?

Thomas E. Wartenberg uses Warhol's work to illustrate his theory of illustration.

time-read
8 mins  |
October/November 2024
Why is Freedom So Important To Us?
Philosophy Now

Why is Freedom So Important To Us?

John Shand explains why free will is basic to humanity.

time-read
6 mins  |
October/November 2024
The Funnel of Righteousness
Philosophy Now

The Funnel of Righteousness

Peter Worley tells us how to be right, righter, rightest.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October/November 2024
We're as Smart as the Universe Gets
Philosophy Now

We're as Smart as the Universe Gets

James Miles argues, among other things, that E.T. will be like Kim Kardashian, and that the real threat of advanced AI has been misunderstood.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October/November 2024
Managing the Mind
Philosophy Now

Managing the Mind

Roger Haines contemplates how we consciously manage our minds.

time-read
9 mins  |
October/November 2024
lain McGilchrist's Naturalized Metaphysics
Philosophy Now

lain McGilchrist's Naturalized Metaphysics

Rogério Severo looks at the brain to see the world anew.

time-read
10+ mins  |
October/November 2024
Love & Metaphysics
Philosophy Now

Love & Metaphysics

Peter Graarup Westergaard explains why love is never just physical, with the aid of Donald Davidson's anomalous monism.

time-read
6 mins  |
October/November 2024
Mary Leaves Her Room
Philosophy Now

Mary Leaves Her Room

Nigel Hems asks, does Mary see colours differently outside her room?

time-read
7 mins  |
October/November 2024
From Birds To Brains
Philosophy Now

From Birds To Brains

Jonathan Moens considers whether emergence can explain minds from brains.

time-read
7 mins  |
October/November 2024