The Stone Reader: Modern Philosophy in 133 Arguments

by Peter Catapano (Editor), Simon Critchley (Editor)

Overview

A timeless volume to be read and treasured, The Stone Reader provides an unparalleled overview of contemporary philosophy.

Once solely the province of ivory-tower professors and college classrooms, contemporary philosophy was finally emancipated from its academic closet in 2010, when The Stone was launched in The New York Times. First appearing as an online series, the column quickly attracted millions of readers through its accessible examination of universal topics like the nature of science, consciousness and morality, while also probing more contemporary issues such as the morality of drones, gun control and the gender divide.

Now collected for the first time in this handsomely designed volume, The Stone Reader presents 133 meaningful and influential essays from the series, placing nearly the entirety of modern philosophical discourse at a reader’s grasp. The book, divided into four broad sections—Philosophy, Science, Religion and Morals, and Society—opens with a series of questions about the scope, history and identity of philosophy: What are the practical uses of philosophy? Does the discipline, begun in the West in ancient Greece with Socrates, favor men and exclude women? Does the history and study of philosophy betray a racial bias against non-white thinkers, or geographical bias toward the West?

These questions and others form a foundation for readers as the book moves to the second section, Science, where some of our most urgent contemporary philosophical debates are taking place. Will artificial intelligence compromise our morality? Does neuroscience undermine our free will? Is there is a legitimate place for the humanities in a world where science and technology appear to rule? Should the evidence for global warming change the way we live, or die?

In the book’s third section, Religion and Morals, we find philosophy where it is often at its best, sharpest and most disturbing—working through the arguments provoked by competing moral theories in the face of real-life issues and rigorously addressing familiar ethical dilemmas in a new light. Can we have a true moral life without belief in God? What are the dangers of moral relativism?

In its final part, Society, The Stone Reader returns to its origins as a forum to encourage philosophers who are willing to engage closely, critically and analytically with the affairs of the day, including economic inequality, technology and racial discrimination. In directly confronting events like the September 11 attacks, the killing of Trayvon Martin, the Sandy Hook School massacre, the essays here reveal the power of philosophy to help shape our viewpoints on nearly every issue we face today.

With an introduction by Peter Catapano that details the column’s founding and distinct editorial process at The New York Times, and prefatory notes to each section by Simon Critchley, The Stone Reader promises to become not only an intellectual landmark but also a confirmation that philosophy is, indeed, for everyone.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781324091493
Publisher:	Liveright Publishing Corporation
Publication date:	02/01/2022
Pages:	832
Sales rank:	527,946
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Peter Catapano is an award-winning opinion editor at the New York Times and the coeditor of several books, including About Us: Essays from the Disability Series of the New York Times.

Simon Critchley is a best-selling author and the Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research. His many books include The Book of Dead Philosophers, Bowie, and Tragedy, the Greeks, and Us.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Paperback Edition: On Paperbacks and Permanence xiii

Introduction xix

Section I Philosophy Prefatory Note 3

New Impressions of an Old Profession

What Is a Philosopher? Simon Critchley 9

The Flight of Curiosity Justin E. H. Smith 13

Philosophy as an Art of Dying Costica Bradatan 20

Philosophy-What's the Use? Gary Gutting 26

In the Cave: Philosophy and Addiction Peg O'Connor 29

Women in Philosophy? Do the Math Sally Haslanger 34

What's Wrong With Philosophy? Linda Martin Alcoff 37

The Disappearing Women Rae Langton 40

The Difficulty of Philosophy Alexander George 43

The Philosophical Dinner Party Frieda Klotz 47

When Socrates Met Phaedrus: Eros in Philosophy Simon Critchley 50

The Geography of Philosophy

The Enlightenment's "Race" Problem, and Ours Justin E. H. Smith 61

Kung Fu for Philosophers Peimin Ni 67

Bridging the Analytic-Continental Divide Gary Gutting 72

Of Cannibals, Kings and Culture: The Problem of Ethnocentricity Adam Etinson 79

Found in Translation Hamid Dabashi 84

Born Again in a Second Language Costica Bradatan 90

Philosophy's Western Bias Justin E. H. Smith 95

Rethinking Thinkers

Spinoza's Vision of Freedom, and Ours Steven Nadler 103

Of Hume and Bondage Simon Blackburn 109

A Feminist Kant Carol Hay 114

Sartre and Camus in New York Andy Martin 119

Kierkegaard's Antigone Ulrika Carlsson 125

Freud's Radical Talking Benjamin Y. Fong 128

Was Wittgenstein Right? Paul Harwich 133

Old Problems, New Spins

Experiments in Philosophy Joshua Knobe 141

Your Move: The Maze of Free Will Galen Strawson 145

The Limits of the Coded World William Egginton 150

On Modern Time Espen Hammer 156

Logic and Neutrality Timothy Williamson 162

Paradoxical Truth Graham Priest 166

The Drama of Existentialism Gary Gutting 172

Reasons for Reason Michael P. Lynch 175

Reclaiming the Imagination Timothy Williamson 179

Are There Natural Human Rights? Michael Boylan 183

Philosophy, Literature and Life

Is Philosophy Literature? Jim Holt 193

Does Great Literature Make Us Better? Gregory Currie 198

Stormy Weather: Blues in Winter Avital Ronell 203

Poetry, Medium and Message Ernie Lepore 210

Boxing Lessons Gordon Marino 215

The Practical and the Theoretical Jason Stanley 220

The Meaningfulness of Lives Todd May 224

The Spoils of Happiness David Sosa 229

Section II Science Prefatory Note 237

Can Science Explain Everything?

What Is Naturalism? Timothy Williamson 243

Why I Am a Naturalist Alex Rosenberg 247

On Ducking Challenges to Naturalism Timothy Williamson 251

The Core of Mind and Cosmos Thomas Nagel 255

Things Fall Apart Philip Kitcher 258

The Evolution of Right and Wrong

Moral Camouflage or Moral Monkeys? Peter Railton 265

Evolution and Our Inner Conflict Edward O. Wilson 270

If Peas Can Talk, Should We Eat Them? Michael Marder 275

The Future of Moral Machines Colin Allen 278

Cambridge, Cabs and Copenhagen: My Route to Existential Risk Huw Price 284

Where Is My Mind?

Mary and the Zombies: Can Science Explain Consciousness? Gary Gutting 295

A Real Science of Mind Tyler Burge 298

Out of Our Brains Andy Clark 304

Do Thrifty Brains Make Better Minds? Andy Clark 309

Blinded by Neuroscience?

Bursting the Neuro-utopian Bubble Benjamin Y. Fong 317

Bodies in Motion: An Exchange Alex Rosenberg William Egginton 322

Is Neuroscience the Death of Free Will? Eddy Nahmias 330

Is the "Dumb Jock" Really a Nerd? Jason Stanley John W. Krakauer 337

The Social Impact of Science

Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene Roy Scranton 345

Can Neuroscience Challenge Roe v. Wade? William Egginton 352

Depression and the Limits of Psychiatry Gary Gutting 358

Why Are States So Red and Blue? Steven Pinker 362

The Enigma of Chinese Medicine Stephen T. Asma 367

The Dangers Of Pseudoscience Massimo Pigliucci Maarten Boudry 373

Can We Live with Uncertainty?

Nothing to See Here: Demoting the Uncertainty Principle Craig Callender 381

The Dangers of Certainty: A Lesson From Auschwitz Simon Critchley 386

The Riddle of the Human Species Edward O. Wilson 392

Section III Religion and Morals Prefatory Note 401

What Is Faith?

Philosophy and Faith Gary Gutting 407

Mystery and Evidence Tim Crane 411

The Rigor of Love Simon Critchley 417

Does It Matter Whether God Exists? Gary Gutting 423

The Importance of the Afterlife. Seriously Samuel Scheffler 427

The Varieties of Religious Disagreement

In Praise of the Clash of Cultures Carlos Fraenkel 433

What's Wrong With Blasphemy? Andrew F. March 439

Why I Love Mormonism Simon Critchley 446

An Imperfect God Yoram Hazony 455

The Politics of the Binding of Isaac Omri Boehm 459

On Questioning the Jewish State Joseph Levine 463

The Freedom of Faith: A Christmas Sermon Simon Critchley 469

Morality's God Problem

Good Minus God Louise M. Antony 481

Morals Without God? Frans de Waal 488

The Sacred and the Humane Anat Biletzki 497

Confessions of an Ex-Moralist Joel Marks 503

Are We Ready for a "Morality Pill"? Peter Singer Agata Sagan 509

The Light at the End of Suffering Peg O'Connor 512

Some Hard Moral Cases

The Maze of Moral Relativism Paul Boghossian 521

Is Pure Altruism Possible? Judith Lichtenberg 526

The Living Death of Solitary Confinement Lisa Guenther 531

Should This Be the Last Generation? Peter Singer 535

The Meat Eaters Jeff McMahan 538

Think Before YOU Breed Christine Overall 546

On Forgiveness Charles L. Griswold 551

Questions for Free-Market Moralists Amia Srinivasan 557

The Myth of Universal Love Stephen T. Asma 563

Section IV Society Prefatory Note 573

Economics and Politics

Hegel on Wall Street J. M. Bernstein 579

What Is Economics Good For? Alex Rosenberg Tyler Curtain 585

The Taint of "Social Darwinism" Philip Kitcher 589

The Veil of Opulence Benjamin Hale 593

Dependents of the State Amia Srinivasan 598

The Failure of Rational Choice Philosophy John McCumber 605

Mandela's Socialist Failure Slavoj Zizek 609

When Hope Tramples Truth Roger Scruton 612

The Modern Family

Is Forced Fatherhood Fair? Laurie Shrage 617

"Mommy Wars" Redux: A False Conflict Amy Allen 622

When Culture, Power and Sex Collide Linda Martin Alcoff 627

Lady Power Nancy Bauer 630

The End of "Marriage" Laurie Shrage 636

Black, White or Other

Fugitive Slave Mentality Robert Gooding-Williams 645

Walking While Black in the "White Gaze" George Yancy 649

Getting Past the Outrage on Race Gary Gutting 655

A Lesson From Cuba on Race Alejandro de la Fuente 658

Is the United States a "Racial Democracy"? Jason Stanley Vesla Weaver 663

What If We Occupied Language? H. Samy Alim 670

Does Immigration Mean "France Is Over"? Justin E. H. Smith 675

Freedom from the Barrel of a Gun

Who Needs a Gun? Gary Gutting 683

The Weapons Continuum Michael Boylan 686

The Freedom of an Armed Society Firmin DeBrabander 691

Is American Nonviolence Possible? Todd May 696

The Moral Hazard of Drones John Kaag Sarah Kreps 701

A Crack in the Stoic's Armor Nancy Sherman 707

Rethinking the "Just War" Jeff McMahan 711

This American Life

The Gospel According to "Me" Simon Critchley Jamieson Webster 729

Deluded Individualism Firmin DeBrabander 734

The Very Angry Tea Party J. M. Bernstein 738

Is Our Patriotism Moral? Gary Gutting 744

The Cycle of Revenge Simon Critchley 747

What Is a "Hacktivist"? Peter Ludlow 751

The Myth of "Just Do It" Barbara Gail Montero 757

How to Live Without Irony Christy Wampole 764

Navigating Past Nihilism Sean D. Kelly 770

Acknowledgments 777

Contributors 779

Editorial Reviews

"This stimulating collection of 133 essays fully validates the New York Times’ decision to launch ‘The Stone,’ a column devoted to twenty-first-century philosophy in all its perplexing diversity…. The Stone writers remind readers that long after Socrates challenged his students in Athens’ agora, philosophy still speaks to our deepest human concerns."

Booklist

11/01/2015
This is a collection of essays from the New York Times philosophy blog, The Stone. The editors of the blog, Catapano (opinion editor, New York Times) and Critchley (Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy, New Sch. for Social Research; The Book of Dead Philosophers) write that the purpose of the blog, and this collection, is to show what philosophy is and why we should care about it. The pieces are organized into subject areas; most are short and can be read alone. There are also others, such as the section on Naturalism, which are responses to other blog posts. The comments section of the Stone is fantastic—it's probably one of the only one of its kind in an online newspaper worth reading—and while the editors couldn't replicate those discussions here, they do a commendable job of guiding the reader into seeing the different facets of philosophy. VERDICT This collection shows the wide range of topics that philosophy encounters. With the popularity of the blog, this book will appeal to readers who want to think about and discuss modern topics and philosophy.—Scott Duimstra, Capital Area Dist. Lib., Lansing, MI

Library Journal

2015-08-17
Philosophy made relevant by writers grappling with thorny issues. For this eclectic, lively gathering of essays, New York Times online opinion editor Catapano and philosophy professor Critchley (New School for Social Research; Faith of the Faithless: Experiments in Political Theology, 2012, etc.) have selected 133 pieces from about 350 published in the Times' online series The Stone. Launched in 2010, the series invites contributions "on issues both timely and timeless" from writers who may or may not identify themselves as philosophers. Any thinker will do, including journalists moved by the urgency of current events. The series' name comes from the "legendarily transformative" philosopher's stone, a magical, mystical material with the power of changing base metals to gold. That etymology suggests a grander project than these editors have in mind. Their goal is to publish thoughtful, provocative, accessible pieces that may persuade readers that philosophy—defined broadly—matters. Critchley is a major contributor, with eight essays on topics such as love, faith, and the desire for revenge incited by 9/11. University of Notre Dame philosopher Gary Gutting also appears repeatedly, with essays on mind (depression, consciousness), existentialism, and the controversy over gun control. Readers will find some familiar names among contributors—biologist E.O. Wilson, activist Peter Singer, cognitive psychologist Stephen Pinker—but many are academic philosophers able to make Hegel, Spinoza, Schopenhauer, and Simone Weil relevant for general readers. The editors provide a preface for each of four sections: on the discipline of philosophy; the contribution of science to "the riddle of the human species"; vexing questions about religion, morality, and God; and society, which includes reflections on economics, politics, family, race (including the killing of Trayvon Martin), violence (including the Sandy Hook school shootings), and America's fierce attachment to what Firmin DeBrabander calls "robust individualism and self-determination." Serious pieces that serve as counterweights to the frothy blogosphere.

Kirkus Reviews