New Books in Philosophy

Catherine Elgin, Harvard philosopher of education and author of Epistemic Ecology, explores how individuals rely on and contribute to communal epistemic resources. She outlines an individual-community-world model, defends plural realism about descriptions, contrasts acceptance with belief, and examines how everyday communities and power dynamics shape standards for inquiry.

John Drabinski, professor of African American and Africana Studies and English, discusses reading James Baldwin as a philosophical thinker. He situates Baldwin within the midcentury Black Atlantic and probes absences in Baldwin’s nonfiction. Topics include Baldwin’s origin narratives, his images of identity, Black English as world-making, alternatives to Afro-pessimism, and Baldwin versus Fanon on culture and shame.

Ellen Clarke, Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Leeds known for her work on philosophy of biology, discusses when collections of parts count as evolutionary individuals. She examines puzzling cases like starfish fragmentation, mechanisms that secure shared fates, how biologists count individuals in practice, and mergers driving new levels of biological organization.

Gina Schouten, philosopher and professor who studies liberal egalitarianism, gender, and educational justice. She presents a shift from prescribing principles to promoting evaluative discernment. Short takes cover how mutual respect grounds egalitarian demands, how relational and distributive equality can be integrated, and how culture, institutions, and responsibility shape justice.

Kenneth Aizawa, a philosophy professor at Rutgers University—Newark, explores how scientists reason without direct observation in his latest work. He delves into compositional abduction, explaining how lower-level components—like sodium ions—not only serve as answers but confirm hypotheses. Aizawa challenges traditional views on scientific reasoning, emphasizing the importance of individual experiments over broad theories. He also links his theories to historical debates in psychology, aiming to reshape our understanding of scientific practices and reasoning.

Mariana Ortega, an Associate Professor at Penn State with expertise in philosophy and Latina studies, delves deep into the interplay of art and racialization. She introduces the concept of 'carnal aesthetics,' emphasizing embodied, intimate perceptions. Ortega explores how photography can disrupt conventional views and reshape identities, particularly through the work of artists like Laura Aguilar and Gloria Anzaldúa. Ultimately, she argues that engaging with art can transform our understanding of trauma and community, inviting a profound, affective experience.

Amie Thomasson, the Daniel P. Stone Professor of Intellectual and Moral Philosophy at Dartmouth College, advocates for a fresh take on metaphysics in her latest book. She argues that traditional metaphysical approaches often misclassify how our concepts function, advocating instead for conceptual engineering. Thomasson critiques the notion of truthmakers and emphasizes the need for tailored conceptual frameworks that address specific discourses. She also discusses the balance between philosophical and empirical work, navigating the complexities of language and reality.

Ladelle McWhorter, a thought-provoking author and philosopher, dives into her groundbreaking book exploring the concept of personhood. She discusses how modern interpretations of personhood have roots in historical and philosophical shifts, particularly during the early modern period. McWhorter emphasizes the role of personhood in injustices like slavery and corporate dominance. She advocates for 'active belonging' as a way to redefine relationships and move beyond traditional notions of ownership, suggesting a more communal and responsive approach to life.

Until recently, no one could access the detailed contents of your mind directly the way only you can. This level of protection of our mental data was guaranteed by the way we are built biologically – and it can no longer be taken for granted. In Cyborg Rights: Extending Cognition, Ethics, and the Law (Routledge, 2025) S. Orestis Palermos considers the ethical and legal implications of the extended mind thesis – the idea that information-processing technologies are not merely tools but literal parts of our minds. While this thesis remains controversial, there is little doubt that technological devices can push information that coheres in an integrated way with your thoughts – for example, when your phone presents photographs of last year’s holiday on today’s anniversary. Such mind extensions create new vulnerabilities to invasions of mental privacy, freedom of thought, and protection from personal assault. Palermos, who is assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Ioannina, articulates these new problems and explores what levels of protection we should adopt in the face of them, up to the point of making it technologically impossible to access or manipulate your extended mental contents.  S. Orestis Palermos is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at University of Ioannina, in Greece. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy

Armin W. Schulz, Professor of Philosophy at the University of Kansas, combines evolutionary biology with social sciences in a compelling discussion. He introduces presentist social functionalism, focusing on how social institutions function in contemporary society, rather than through their historical context. Schulz analyzes the debate between shareholder and stakeholder models of corporations, reframes institutional corruption, and examines internal conflicts in collective agents. His insights challenge traditional views and emphasize the importance of social norms and structures.