virtual philosopher

New UK Law Outlawing Viewing of 'Extreme Pornography'

The new UK law banning the viewing of 'extreme pornography' comes into force on 26th January 2009. Critics of the law fear that its wording is vague enough to permit prosecution for viewing depictions of fictional violence between consenting adults. Erotic photographers fear censorship. Is this a justifiable curb on freedom of expression, or further evidence of a nanny state in action? 

More on free expression here.

Alex Byrne on the God Question

There is a nice essay by Alex Byrne about arguments for God's existence in The Boston Review (once again thanks to Arts and Letters Daily for the link).

The Pope's Immoral Message for Christmas

The Pope has used his pre-Christmas speech to suggest that homosexuality and other kinds of gender-blurring could result in the self-destruction of humanity. Read about this bizarre homophobic view here. In most jobs  this sort of pronouncement would result in instant dismissal...What planet is he on?

Free Speech - Talk in Keswick - Words by the Water Literary Festival

Michael Buerk (presenter of BBC Radio 4's The Moral Maze) and I will be in discussion on the topic of Free Speech at the Words by the Water literary festival in Keswick at 10.30 am on Sunday 1st March 2009. This is to coincide with the publication of my new book Free Speech: A Very Short Introduction (OUP) which will be the 200th title in Oxford University Press' Very Short Introduction series and is due out in February.

Further details and downloadable programme for the Words on the Water Literary Festival (booking opens 5th January)

Spot the Mistake - Out for a Duck?

Julian Baggini has an interview about his new book on reasoning here. Can you spot the mistake he makes about reasoning right at the end of the podcast?

Clue: it has something to do with sausages...

Further clue: see under 'bad reasons fallacy' in my Thinking from A to Z (3rd ed.).

Why Throwing Shoes Isn't Free Expression

George W. Bush dodged the size 10 shoes that were thrown at him as part of an act of protest by an Iraqi journalist, but, though heavily symbolic, this gesture doesn't merit protection as a form of freedom of expression. Verbal aggression short of incitement to violence is one thing, but an act which could have caused physical harm clearly oversteps the boundary of acceptable expression - the harm could easily have extended to those caught in the crossfire if bodyguards had been trigger-happy as they might easily have been in the circumstances. Throwing a shoe in a presidential press conference is considerably more dangerous than shouting 'Fire!' in a crowded theatre.

For more on free speech, see my new weblog: www.vsi-free-speech.com

Art, Authenticity and the Curiosity Cabinet

Denis Dutton has a fascinating paper about authenticity online here. He explains how appreciating art involves understanding what it is that you are appreciating, including whether the artist's expression is authentic. This is very different from the aesthetics of the curiosity cabinet, where we are invited to appreciate objects for their purely aesthetic appeal. Sadly, his anthology The Forger's Art is out of print, but the online article gives some consolation.

Also, look out for his controversial new evolutionary account of art, The Art Instinct, coming out soon:

Bored by Clarity?

...then have a go on the Postmodernism Generator

Free Speech - Christopher Hitchens video

More on Free Speech here

Philosophy Bites podcast in iTunes Best of 2008

Philosophy Bites, the podcast interviews with philosophers I make with BBC World Service radio producer David Edmonds, features in the iTunes Best of 2008 audio podcasts list that has just been issued. We are delighted that so many people out there seem to be interested in philosophical discussion (we've had over 2.7 million downloads). Thanks for all your emails and comments.

If you haven't already found them, you might also be interested in these other podcasts:  Ethics Bites and Philosophy: The Classics (both also available on iTunes).