the current of philosophy

the current of philosophy

welcome

a new public philosophy podcast dealing with a diverse range of political, historical and cultural topics.

with your hosts

Franca Haug ❂ John Camacho ❂ Angela Tan

ep 1. conspiracy theories and epistemology

in this first episode, hosts Angela, Franca and John deep dive into the history and philosophy of conspiracy theories. Listen in to learn about the Satanic Panic, epistemic virtue philosophy, and much more. 

bibliography

  • Bloom, Mia, and Sophia Moskalenko. Pastels and Pedophiles: Inside the Mind of QAnon. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2021.

    Caldwell, Noah. “America’s Satanic Panic Returns – This Time Through QAnon.” NPR, May 18, 2021. Link.

    Chlup, Radek. “Conspiracy Narratives as a Type of Social Myth.” International Journal of Politics, Culture, and Society (2023).

    DeHaven-Smith, Lance. Conspiracy Theory in America. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2013.

    Dorsey, Leroy. “Re-reading The X-Files: The Trickster in Contemporary Conspiracy Myth.” Western Journal of Communication 66, no. 4 (Fall 2002): 448-468.

    Faxneld, Per, and Johan Nilsson. “Introduction.” In Satanism, edited by Per Faxneld and Johnan Nilsson. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023. 1-23.

    Frankfurter, David. Evil Incarnate: Rumors of Demonic Conspiracy and Ritual Abuse in History. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

    Hughes, Sarah. American Tabloid Media and the Satanic Panic, 1970-2000.

    Laycock, Joseph, and Eric Harrelson. “The Exorcist Effect.” In Satanism, edited by Per Faxneld and Johnan Nilsson. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023. 166-199.

    McKenzie-McHarg, Andrew. “Conspiracy Theory: The Nineteenth-Century Prehistory of a Twentieth-Century Concept.” In Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them, edited by Joseph E. Uscinski.

    Olson, Michael. “Catholic Anti-Semitism, the Holocaust, and Pope Pius XII: Hitler‘s Pope or Maligned Savior?”

    Popper, Karl, and E.H. Gombrich. “The Autonomy of Sociology.” In The Open Society and Its Enemies. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994. 301-310.

    Schweiger, Lisa, Jörg Schneider, Mark Eisenegger, and Camille Nchakga. “Verschwörung als Ersatzreligion? Religiosität, Spiritualität und Verschwörungsaffinität in Zeiten gesellschaftlicher Krisen.” Zeitschrift für Religion, Gesellschaft und Politik 7 (2023): 617-638.

    Uscinski, Joseph. “Down the Rabbit Hole We Go!” In Conspiracy Theories and the People Who Believe Them, edited by Joseph E. Uscinski.

  • Christian Miller, R. Michael Furr, Angela Knobel, and William Fleeson, ed., Character: New Directions from Philosophy, Psychology, and Theology, New York: Oxford University Press, 2015.

    Gettier, Edmund L., 1963, “Is Justified True Belief Knowledge?”, Analysis, 23(6): 121–123. doi:10.2307/3326922

    Sosa, Ernest, 2015, “Virtue epistemology: Character versus competence”, in Alfano 2015: 62–74.

    Quasimodo Cassam, Vice Epistemology, The Monist, 99 (2): 159-180 (2016).

  • Achcar, G. The Clash of Barbarisms: September 11 and the Making of the New World Disorder. University of California Press, 2006. Bartlett, Jamie, and Carl Miller.

    The Power of Unreason: Conspiracy Theories, Extremism and Counter-Terrorism. Demos, 2010. Douglas, Karen M., and Robbie M. Sutton.

    "The Hidden Impact of Conspiracy Theories: Perceived and Actual Influence of Theories Surrounding the Death of Princess Diana." Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 148, no. 2, 2008, pp. 210–222. Goertzel, Ted.

    "Belief in Conspiracy Theories." Political Psychology, 1994, pp. 731–742. Hofstede, Geert.

    Culture’s Consequences: International Differences in Work-Related Values. Sage, 1980. Imhoff, Roland, and Martin Bruder.

    "Speaking (Un-)Truth to Power: Conspiracy Mentality as a Generalised Political Attitude." European Journal of Personality, vol. 28, no. 1, 2014, pp. 25–43. Lewandowsky, Stephan, Ullrich K. H. Ecker, and John Cook.

    "Beyond Misinformation: Understanding and Coping with the 'Post-Truth' Era." Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, vol. 6, no. 4, 2012, pp. 353–369. Oliver, J. Eric, and Thomas J. Wood.

    "Conspiracy Theories and the Paranoid Style(s) of Mass Opinion." American Journal of Political Science, vol. 58, no. 4, 2014, pp. 952–966. Sunstein, Cass R., and Adrian Vermeule.

    "Conspiracy Theories: Causes and Cures." Journal of Political Philosophy, vol. 17, no. 2, 2009, pp. 202–227. Sullivan, Daniel, and Mario J. Landau.

    "Cultural Trauma and the Epistemic Foundation of Conspiracism." Political Psychology, vol. 35, no. 3, 2014, pp. 417–436. Uscinski, Joseph E., and Joseph M. Parent. American Conspiracy Theories. Oxford University Press, 2014. van Prooijen, Jan-Willem, and Paul A. M. van Lange.

    "The Social Dimension of Belief in Conspiracy Theories." The Psychology of Conspiracy, edited by Michał Bilewicz et al., Routledge, 2014, pp. 181–198.

ep 2. cancel culture

in the second episode, we discuss the philosophy of cancel culture and its relationship to academia… 

bibliography

  • Acevedo, David. 2023. “Tracking Cancel Culture in Higher Education.” National Association of Scholars, November 6, 2023. .

    Adams, Richard. 2023. “Almost nine in 10 students in England feel free to express their views – survey.” The Guardian, August 10, 2023. .

    American Association of University Professors. 1915. “Appendix I: 1915 Declaration of Principles on Academic Freedom and Academic Tenure.” AAUP Bulletin 1, no. 1 (December): 17-39.

    Bagus, Philipp, Frank Daumann, and Florian Follert. 2023. “Microaggressions, cancel culture, safe spaces, and academic freedom: A private property rights argumentation.” Business Ethics, the Environment & Responsibility: 1-12.

    Beauchamp, Zack. 2018. “Data shows a surprising campus free speech problem: left-wingers being fired for their opinions.” Vox, August 3, 2018. .

    Bilgrami, Akeel, and Jonathan Cole. 2015. “Introduction.” In Who’s afraid of academic freedom?, edited by Akeel Bilgrami and Jonathan Cole. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Clark, Meredith. 2020. “DRAG THEM: A brief etymology of so-called ‘cancel culture’.”Communication and the Public 5, no. 3-4: 88-92.

    Horn, Michiel. 2016. Academic Freedom in Canada: A History. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

    Jaschik, Scott. 2023. “Racial Comment Inflames Berkshire Conference of Women Historians.” Inside Higher Ed, July 5, 2023. .

    Norris, Pippa. 2023. “Cancel Culture: Myth or Reality?” Political Studies 71, no. 1: 145-174.

    Office for Students. 2023. “National Student Survey data 2023.”

    Plato. 1871. Defense of Socrates. Translated by Benjamin Jowett. New York: C. Scribner’s Sons.

    Riley, Kiera. 2023. “ASU probe finds controversial speaking engagement revealed ‘no evidence’ of censorship. Arizona Capitol Times, September 15, 2023. .

    Romano, Aja. 2020. “Why we can’t stop fighting about cancel culture.” Vox, August 25, 2020. .

    Sachs, Jeffrey. 2018. “There is No Campus Free Speech Crisis: A Close Look at the Evidence. Niskanen Center, April 27, 2018. .

    Smith, Evan. 2020. No Platform: A History of Anti-Fascism, Universities and the Limits of Free Speech. London: Routledge.

    Strossen, Nadine. 2022. Resisting Cancel Culture: Promoting Dialogue, Debate, and Free Speech in the College Classroom. Washington DC: American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

  • Bentham, Jeremy. 1948. The Principles of Morals and Legislation. New York: Hafner Press.

    Duff, R. A. 1986. Trials and Punishments. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Hart, H.L.A. 1968. Punishment and Responsibility. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Kant, I. 1996. “The Metaphysics of Morals” In Practical Philosophy, edited and translated by Mary J. Gregor. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Matthes, Erich. 2021. Drawing the Line: What to do with the work of Immoral Artists from museums to the movies. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Mill, John Stuart. 1964. “Utilitarianism.” In Utilitarianism, On Liberty, Representative Government. London: Dent.

    Radzik, Linda. 2022. Ethics of Social Punishment: The Enforcement of Morality in Everyday Life. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Rawls, John. 1971. A Theory of Justice. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

meet your hosts!

  • Franca Haug is a first year MPhil Global and Area Studies student. Currently, she is researching the junction of social media and ethnic violence. She is passionate about politics and intersectional feminism. In her free time, she loves listening to podcasts, painting, and playing board games.

  • John Camacho graduated with a BA in Philosophy with Research Honors from Georgia State University where he was a Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Scholar focusing on Rawls’ Political Philosophy and applied ethics. He was a Summer Research Opportunities Program Scholar at The Ohio State University working in Metaethics. He graduated with a MA in Philosophy at The University of Missouri, St. Louis writing on Epistemology and Ethics. In 2018, John graduated with a JD from South Texas College of Law. Currently, he works at a law firm specializing in Tort cases. He is also the Co-Founder of The Moral Questions of Sports and writes for Conduct Detrimental.

  • Angela Tan is a student in high school passionate about practical ethics, epistemology and education. During her free time, she interviews academics from various fields like medicine, technology and business on the topic of ethics.