New Books in Philosophy

It is widely acknowledged that the United States is in the grip of an enduring housing crisis. It is less frequently recognized that this crisis amounts to more than there being an insufficient supply of adequate shelter. It rather is tied to a range of other forms of social and economic vulnerability – and many of these forms of vulnerability impede a citizen’s capacity to function as a full member of society. What’s more, the familiar terms we deploy in discussing the housing crisis – gentrification, integration, segregation, and so on – stand in need of philosophical clarification.In Just Shelter: Gentrification, Integration, Race, and Reconstruction (Oxford UP, 2024), Ronald R. Sundstrom draws upon tools derived from moral philosophy, political theory, and urban studies to provide the beginning of a comprehensive analysis of justice in “social-spatial arrangements.” He proposes a liberal-egalitarian and reconstructive, yet pragmatic, approach to addressing the challenges posed by our country’s legacy of unjust housing policies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy

Christine Abigail L. Tan discusses interpreting the Zhuangzi through Guo Xiang for political insight. She explains Guo's logic of convergence and use of self-realization for political transformation. The podcast explores misconceptions in Guo's teachings, contrasts Chinese and Western views on freedom, and delves into Guo's interpretation of Neo-Daoism and self-realization.

Philosopher Luis H. H. Favela discusses his book on ecological psychology and the NeuroEcological Nexus Theory. He explores the integration of ecological psychology with neuroscience, challenges representational approaches in cognition, delves into spatial navigation, and reframes memory and computation in neuroscience. Favela aims to bridge the gap between ecological psychology and neuroscience through complexity science and affordances.

J. P. Messina discusses private censorship by non-state actors and its impact on freedom of expression. Topics include evolving forms of censorship from book burnings to social media de-platforming, complexities of identifying and responding to private censorship, differences between state and private censorship consequences, challenges faced by the press in maintaining editorial independence, and nuances of social media and search censorship.

How can we understand the changing power of race and gender to shape our reality? How shared is reality? Can narratives of experience help us develop these analyses? What role does embodiment play in shaping experience? In A Phenomenology for Women of Color: Merleau-Ponty and Identity-in-Difference (Lexington Books, 2024), Emily S. Lee uses the tools of critical phenomenology to deeply engage with the theoretical work of women of color to approach these questions. Through reconstructing phenomenological approaches, particularly as developed by Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Lee helps us see past a naturalization of the identity group “women of color” to understand more deeply the coalitional struggle its articulation involves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy

Eric Schwitzgebel, a philosophy professor, delves into speculative topics on consciousness and the cosmos. He discusses the plausibility of multiple universes, the concept of living in a simulation, and the value of intellectual play in exploring complex ideas. Schwitzgebel challenges conventional theories and encourages playful consideration of philosophical mysteries.

Stephen Phillips discusses the metaphysics of meditation in Vedanta, exploring the Isa Upanishad. Topics include mystical practices, the nature of reality, limitations of language, and the problem of evil. The podcast touches on translations of Shankara's theodicy, the disciplines of meditation, and action in the Bhagavad Gita commentary.

Philosopher Jon Robson challenges the pessimistic view of aesthetic testimony, arguing that aesthetic knowledge can be transmitted through testimony. He discusses contextualist optimism and the importance of context in forming aesthetic judgments. The podcast explores the debate between pessimists and optimists on aesthetic testimony, the existence of objective truth in aesthetics, and the interplay between aesthetic testimony and social epistemology.

Charlotte Witt, an accomplished author and academic, discusses the intriguing nature of social norms in her latest work. She examines how our roles, like those of professors or parents, impose unchosen obligations. Witt shares personal experiences from her culturally rich upbringing, highlighting how norms evolve and react to nonconformity. The dialogue dives into the artisanal model of norms, emphasizing care and craftsmanship in social practices, shedding light on the interplay of individual agency and hierarchical structures in shaping our societal roles.

Swearing can be a powerful communicative act, for good or ill. The same word can incite violence or increase intimacy. How is swearing so multivalent in its power? Is it just all those harsh “c” and “k” sounds? Does swearing take its power from taboo meaning? Why is swearing sometimes so funny? In For F*ck’s Sake: Why Swearing Is Shocking, Rude, and Fun (Oxford University Press, 2023), Rebecca Roache, host of the podcast The Academic Imperfectionist, offers us rich insights into the complex importance of swearing to help us understand who gets judged too harshly for doing it, why it’s important to be able to offend with swearing, why we might need to advocate for some swear words, and so much more.Sarah Tyson is an associate professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado, Denver. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesSupport our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/philosophy