Though Rousseau might have delivered a bit of truth when he told us that humankind is “everywhere in chains,” we must take care not to be deceived about his orientation. He represents the height of the “Enlightened Man,” of philosophical naturalism. He is also, as a symptom of the latter, a deadbeat dad.

To gain a true appreciation for the African and African diaspora’s philosophical perspective, it is important to go beyond the modern, if not colonial, construction of African thought to see the richness of this perspective and the impact that it has had, and continues to have on human thought.

Perhaps the most compelling aspect of Strangers Drowning is the consideration of how outsiders view these “Do-Gooders.” MacFarquhar explores the uneasiness and subtle resentment that Do-Gooders often inspire by contrasting it with our response to heroes

Imagine that there is a device that is capable of instantaneously making a perfect biological copy of whatever object passes through it, and that a certain individual named Tom enters the machine, generating Thom, an epistemic clone that shares the mental and sensory faculties of the original, in addition to all experiential and propositional information.

Guilt ought to be a motivator; the discomfort should push me to do better. And yet, with a few exceptions here and there, I haven’t changed my behavior. So, what is to be done with this purposeless guilt?

In the modern day, “great” men, men whose behavior was once excused by their extraordinary success in artistic or political fields, are now liable to be held accountable for the way that they treat those around them, despite any other achievements.

If a semi-autonomous vehicle were to get into a crash, who is at fault? Is it the manufacturer, who installed technology knowing that many people would use it incorrectly? Is it the driver, who fell asleep at the wheel because they thought the car would take care of itself, or who turned the automated mode on in the wrong circumstances?

“Philosophy asks questions about the really important things – the things that get at the heart of the human experience, that get at what is valuable, what is beautiful, and what has meaning. It gives the desire we have to understand ourselves and our world a language.”

“How might an ethics and politics committed to the flourishing of significant otherness be learned from taking dog-human relationships seriously?”

First, a bold claim: it is a moral failure of our entire society that billionaires exist. Second, an even bolder claim: this shouldn’t be a controversial opinion.

it seems worth exploring what makes some billboards beautiful, what gives certain advertising value, and what in it, if anything, is worthy of praise. If it is true that advertising reflects what people want, it is also worth considering what our own desires are for.