Philosophy
This section contains my contributions to philosophy. Its main focus is ethics and metaethics, especially the development of a naturalistic and evolutionary ethics.
A central subject of my work is the is-ought problem. I examine why traditional and contemporary ethical theories fail to provide a satisfactory foundation for ethics, and develop a positive reconstruction on that basis.
The section also includes foundational work, critical essays, and reviews. Some of these texts use satire. The satirical elements serve to illustrate the arguments, improve accessibility, and provide entertainment. The underlying criticism is nevertheless meant seriously.
Why I would start with neither the classics nor well-known contemporary works, even though they have their place on the list. And where I would recommend starting instead and why there in particular.
What Is Philosophy? An Essay on the Self-Abolition of a Discipline
A Plea Against Arbitrariness If you want to know what philosophy is, you might consult Wikipedia. What you find there is rather dispiriting. No clear definition, but a …
What Is Quality? Or: Why We All Know What We Cannot Explain The other day I found myself standing in a B&Q, staring at a shelf of screwdrivers. Twenty-three different models, prices ranging from £2.49 to £38. I picked up the cheapest one, …
Introduction Philosophical discussion differs fundamentally from mere exchange of opinions, ideology, or worldview marketing. It aims at truth-aptness and knowledge acquisition. Where certain minimum standards are absent, what emerges is …