Mini-Heap

The latest links…

1. When should philosophers use fictional examples, and why? — Alex Fisher defends the philosophical use of cases drawn from fiction, highlighting their benefits, in some contexts, over thought experiments and real world examples
2. “One way in which the traditions of ancient and classical India… can fruitfully intersect with contemporary work being done around the world by modern philosophers in the more recent analytical tradition” — the late Anand Vaidya and his wife, Manjula Menon on consciousness and the self
3. Could it be wrong to have pets? — Richard Healey explains why he thinks it is. Richard Y. Chappell disagrees.
4. “The physical absence of women from The Symposium reflects the social reality of classical Athens” — still, says Armand D’Angour, Plato “makes a woman central to the dialogue’s philosophical project”
5. “Helping young adults become well-developed, well-rounded, rationally autonomous persons” — that account of the telos of a university is better than—and actually helps explain the appeal of—some alternatives, says Andrew J. Cohen
6. “Philosophers who teach at colleges and universities and who don’t have PhDs are a kind of dinosaur” — Cora Diamond’s “Reflections of a Dinosaur” (her 2019 Dewey Lecture)
7. The Sucker’s Fallacy: “the idea that you need to come out ahead in particular transactions if you want to get ahead overall” — Daniel Muñoz explains, using Trump as an example of someone who has apparently fallen for it

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.
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