The debate between prison reformists and prison abolitionists is raw and heavily politicised. This increases the risk of each side in the debate speaking past each other or criticising straw man versions of their opponents’ arguments. In this conversation with Andy West, criminologist Jason Warr offers an even-handed assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of both positions, along with some reflections on the morality of punishment.

Critical race theory (CRT) is based on the premises of pervasive racial inequality and a social constructionist (i.e. anti-essentialist) conception of race. It challenges the idea that the superficially colorblind nature of the law means the law is race-neutral. Amongst other things, critics of CRT have argued that it is an anti-scientific research program. But are these claims correct? To what extent have these pseudoscientific claims played a role in fomenting the backlash

Much of the current misinformation crisis seems to derive from misplaced trust. In this conversation, C. Thi Nguyen discusses his idea of “hostile epistemology”, which examines how environmental factors exploit our cognitive vulnerabilities. As finite beings with limited cognitive resources, we constantly reason in a rush due to overwhelming information, leaving gaps that can be exploited. Given this, how can individuals with limited understanding determine which group to tru

Is science getting at the truth? Those who spread doubt about science tend to argue that scientists were “sure” in the past, and then they ended up being wrong. This conversation looks to historical investigation and philosophical-sociological analysis to defend science against this potentially dangerous scepticism. Indeed, as Peter Vickers argues, we can confidently identify many scientific claims that are future-proof: they will last forever, so long as science continues.

Walter Benjamin’s The Critique of Violence is arguably one of the most complex and critically debated essays ever written on the subject. It shows how violence has been integral to the formation of modern political systems and raises difficult questions about the theological nature of modern secularism. Brad Evans speaks to Professor James Martel to assess the relevance of Benjamin’s Critique today and consider how it can help us address the vexing problem of fascism in our t

"The long-term agendas of various stakeholders of white extremism skew the way that research data is interpreted and engaged."

"The difference between the trust of science adherents and the trust of science deniers is not the form of trust but merely its content."

"Black Americans are painfully reminded that racism has worsened since Obama’s presidency, not improved."

"Depressing as it might seem, misanthropy does register a fundamental truth about humankind as it has come to be."

"Fanon himself hated violence. But what he hated more was complicity with violence through a refusal to act."

"How do we think about a new political imaginary that is connected to, yet distinct from, technology?"

From The Philosopher,  vol. 112, no. 2 (" Violence ") If you enjoy reading this, please consider becoming a patron  or making a small...

"Hope is not only an educational practice, it is about social change and collective struggle. Hope is fundamentally social."

"The criteria we use to discuss science and pseudoscience are incredibly context dependent."

"If ideologies are cultures, they need to be learned. You can convert in and out of them, just as with religions."

"Everything has been sorted and segregated so that people of different political parties have no opportunities to engage one another."

"If you think of meaning simply in semantic, verbal terms, you’re missing out much of what goes on in language."

"I try to show that civil disobedience emerged within a civil rights movement that was deeply in conversation with anti-colonial movements."

"The burden of philosophy is to provide the resources to tell ourselves stories so we can subject ourselves to self-scrutiny." 

"Our unfreedom under capitalism stems from how the purpose of our economy, of our life-sustaining activities, is already decided."