Publications

Philosophy and Global Affairs Vol. 4, no. 2

Posted on by

Please check out the newest issue of Volume 4 of the Philosophy and Global Affairs journal edited by Professors Jane Gordon and Lewis Gordon of the political science and philosophy departments respectively.

You can read a statement from Lewis about the contents of the journal below:

“[This issue] includes essays on feminist conceptions of anger in philosophy and religious thought from renowned feminist philosopher Noelle Leslie dela Cruz and renowned feminist scholar of religious thought Judith Plaskow, an essay on postcolonial archives by Benjamin P. Davis, a tribute by Jane Anna Gordon to sociologist and philosopher Paget Henry, an article by Larry Alan Busk on Amílcar Cabral on the distinction between the people and the population, an article by Benjamin Stumpf on the underground newsletter The Red Dragon, an article by Derefe Kimarley Chevannes on decolonizing Caribbean modernity, followed by a symposium on Alena Wolflink’s Claiming Value: The Politics of Priority from Aristotle to Black Lives Matter, and three book reviews.”

A big thank you to UConn’s Global Affairs for their continued generous support.

 

You can read the newest issue here.

 

Tracy Llanera: Institute of Art and Ideas – London

Posted on by

Check out Associate Professor Tracy Llanera’s newest piece, “Everything doesn’t happen for a reason: The myth of modern stoicism.” You can check out the piece on IAI’s website for free.

Below is an excerpt of the article:

When I was younger, hearing “everything happens for a reason” while lying face-down in the muck made me uncomfortable. Now, it sets me off. The reason is simple: the idea that every little thing is set in stone is a morally misguided philosophy. It suggests that all kinds of pain and suffering are unavoidable, that the injustices and cruelties plaguing our short lives are not only inescapable but in some ludicrous way even deserved, and that there’s nothing we can do differently as human beings to change our fate. These are the loaded claims behind “it’s meant to be” and “it is what it is,” colloquialisms of fatalist, unreflective stoicism tendered by well-meaning souls.

Congratulations, Tracy!

On Truth in Politics: Why Democracy Demands It

Posted on by

Michael Patrick Lynch, Author

Princeton University Press, 2025

Do any of us really care about truth when it comes to politics? Should we? In a world of big lies, denialism, and conspiracy theories, democracies are experiencing two interlocked crises: a loss of confidence in democracy itself and the growing sense among many that politics is only about power—not truth. In this book, Michael Patrick Lynch argues that truth not only can—but must—matter in politics. He shows why truth is an essential democratic value—a value we need to sustain our democratic way of life—and how it can be strengthened.

Despite evidence that people are rarely motivated by truth when it comes to politics, On Truth in Politics argues that this isn’t inevitable. Accessibly written and rigorously argued, it draws on the American pragmatist tradition to develop an original theory of the nature and value of truth in the messy world of politics. Contrary to the belief of many, political beliefs can be true or false. But if democracy is to continue to be a space of reason and not just an arena of power, we must build a better infrastructure of knowledge, including stronger schools and media, and renew our commitment to science and history.

A vital and timely book, On Truth in Politics makes an original case for why democracy cannot survive without truth.

Book cover of Michael Lynch's book On Truth In Politics: Why Democracy demands it

William Lycan on Mind, Meaning, and Method

Posted on by

Mitchell Green, Co-editor

Palgrave MacMillan, 2024

William Lycan is an internationally renowned American philosopher whose work since the late 1960s has been not only extensive but also influential, particularly in the areas of philosophy of mind, epistemology, philosophy of language, metaphysics, and more recently metaphilosophy. This contributed volume features high-quality contributions by prominent or up-and-coming philosophers who critically examine many aspects of Lycan’s work; it also contains an essay by Lycan responding to these contributions. In this way, not only is the importance of William Lycan’s work appreciated, it is also made accessible for further research. The book is also suitable for teaching purposes at universities.

Cover of William Lycan on Mind, Meaning, and Method.

Law, Politics, and Responding to Injustice

Posted on by

Ting-an Lin, Contributor

Taylor and Francis, 2024

Chapter 9: “Acting Together to Address Structural Injustice: A Deliberative Mini-public Proposal”

Structural injustices exist when the impact of social structure exposes some groups of people to undeserved burdens while conferring unearned power to others. It has been argued that the responsibility for addressing structural injustices is shared among all the participants of the wrongful social structures and can only be discharged through collective action; however, the proper form of collective action does not happen easily. This chapter contributes to the discussions on addressing structural injustice in two steps. First, it categorizes three forms of practical challenges encountered by existing proposals for discharging shared responsibility for structural injustice. Second, it proposes an alternative proposal based on a type of political institution named deliberative mini-publics, which involves a diverse group of people convening to deliberate on issues of public concern and produce results that can be used as guidance for the greater public in responding to those issues. The deliberative mini-public proposal suggests establishing multiple deliberative mini-publics and making participation in the mini-publics a civic duty to address issues of structural injustice. This chapter argues that the deliberative mini-public proposal has the potential to complement existing proposals in mobilizing structural change and overcoming the identified practical challenges.

Cover of "Law, Politics, and Responding to Injustice."

Lewis Gordon: Featured in Spectrum Magazine

Posted on by

Check out Spectrum magazine’s reviews of Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Lewis Gordon‘s book Freedom, Justice, and Decolonization (Routledge 2021). Each article reviews a chapter of the aforementioned book. There are currently four installments in the series, which you can read below:

Africana Thought: Adventist Philosophers Review “Freedom, Justice, and Decolonization” – 1 by Yi Shen Ma

Re-Imagining Liberations: Adventist Philosophers Review “Freedom, Justice, and Decolonization” – 2 by Marlene Ferreras

The Problem with Justice: Adventist Philosophers Review “Freedom, Justice, and Decolonization” – 3 by Yi Shen Ma

Neighbor Love, Political Love, and Divine Love by Zane Yi

 

Congratulations, Lewis!

Thomas Meagher: On the Notion of Philosophy

Posted on by

UConn Philosophy Alum Tom Meagher’s (’18) new article, “On the Notion of Black Issues in Philosophy,” was published on the APA blog, Black Issues in Philosophy, last Friday. Among some names mentioned is our very own department head: Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor Lewis Gordon. Check out an excerpt from the article below:

In taking on Black issues, philosophy manifests its care for the maturation of knowledge by realizing philosophy’s significance to those who confront black issues not only as intellectual exercises but as impositions that imbue existence with tragic responsibilities that knowledge alone is insufficient to transcend. In short, black/Black issues are among those where the philosopher’s effort to deal with them may, in turn, make the philosopher’s work and labor more genuinely philosophical.

You can read the full article on the APA’s blog.

Congratulations, Tom!