Latest links…

Discussion welcome.

1. “I think of philosophy as something like reasoning in the pursuit of truth, but I don’t think that philosophy has the resources to determine what is true. — a new site for interviews of philosophers by Céline Leboeuf , “Why Philosophy?” gets started with an interview of David Livingstone Smith (New England)
2. New Course: The Philosophy of Taylor Swift — Ryan Davis is teaching “Miss Americana: Taylor Swift, Ethics, and Political Society” at BYU
3. Technological advances may lead to a world in which “virtual sex” is the default form of sex for various practical and social reasons — but might it also be the “ethical default”? John Danaher (Galway) explores what might lead some to think so
4. “What journals most need are reports that are aimed at helping editors to make good decisions on papers in a reasonable time” — the editors of Analysis describe what they’re looking for in referee reports
5. “As fat women, we may be a cheap, tasty snack, not a proper meal… the sexual equivalent of junk food” — Kate Manne (Cornell) shares her experiences with fatphobia
6. “Social miracles” are when “human beings, working together… make something possible although we cannot see how” — and apologies are one example of them, says Agnes Callard (Chicago)
7. Biases may be natural, but “the university… should exist precisely to be an unnatural place, a place where these biases wither thanks to an entrenched scholarly habit of ruthless critique, founded on our collective knowledge of our own fallibility and our collective desire to overcome it” — Ned Hall (Harvard) on the importance of a university’s independence

Mini-Heap posts usually appear when 7 or so new items accumulate in the Heap of Links, a collection of items from around the web that may be of interest to philosophers.

The Heap of Links consists partly of suggestions from readers; if you find something online that you think would be of interest to the philosophical community, please send it in for consideration for the Heap. Thank you.