Philosophy

In “Cooperation and Climates of Trust,” forthcoming in Social Theory and Practice, lecturer Kelly Ann Cunningham argues that political polarization poses a decisively moral, rather than epistemic, issue for democracy. She contends that existing attempts to address political polarization presuppose a climate of trust and, therefore, fail to recognize that their proposed solutions are likely to backfire in a climate of distrust. In this paper, she also elucidates the concept of a “climate of trust,” and explores the relationship between trust, moral respect and democracy.  

The Philosophy Department is excited about the newly founded and student-led Bentley Philosophy Club. The club organizes debates, talks and social events with the aim of promoting philosophical debate and discussion amongst its members. It is open to all students and the department is looking forward to many exciting collaborations. Interested students should email the Chair of the Philosophy Department or email the club directly at bpc@bentley.edu. 

Should things that “don’t work” be for sale? Professor Jeffrey Moriarty explores this question in two recent papers. In Public Affairs Quarterly, he considers the ethics of selling psychic services, such as cartomancy and mediumship readings. In the Journal of Business Ethics, he examines the sale of ineffective medicines, focusing on homeopathic medicines. “Reflecting on the sale of marginal products such as these,” Moriarty says, “forces us to reevaluate what consumer choices mean, and ultimately what markets are for.”