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3Save vs. DeathIn William Irwin & Christopher Robichaud (eds.), Dungeons & Dragons and Philosophy, Wiley. 2014-09-19.For some Dungeons Dragons (DD) players, the death of a beloved character, especially if that death isn't heroic, is like losing a dear friend. That might make some people squirm and worry about gamers. In DD, unlike video games, it typically takes years and years to advance a character to levels of significance. According to Socrates, the life of philosophy is a life of the mind. Or as he would likely put it, a life of the soul. Death, according to Socrates, is “separation of the soul from the b…Read more
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4Superman and JusticeIn Mark D. White (ed.), Superman and Philosophy, Wiley. 2013-03-11.We all know that Superman stands for truth, justice, and the American way. To explore what kind of justice Superman should stand for, the chapter explores two alternate theories from contemporary political philosophy. On the one hand, according to libertarianism, justice means that the state should ensure that our personal liberty is protected. On the other hand, according to liberal egalitarianism, justice involves the state ensuring not only that individual rights are protected but also that t…Read more
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27Contextualism in epistemology is the thesis that the truth conditions of knowledge attributions are context-sensitive, where facts about both the subject's context and the attributor's context are relevant. This view allows for two persons, say, Jones and Wilson, both to be speaking truly when Jones says of Smith at time t 'Smith knows p', for some proposition p, and Wilson says of Smith at time t 'Smith doesn't know p', for the same proposition p. The explanation offered is that Jones and Wilso…Read more
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38The Walking Dead and Philosophy: Shotgun. Machete. Reason (edited book)Wiley. 2012.Both the comic book series and TV show force us to confront our most cherished values and ask: would we still be able to hold onto these things in such a world? What are we allowed to do? What aren't we? Are there any boundaries left?
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10Dungeons and Dragons and Philosophy: Read and Gain Advantage on All Wisdom Checks (edited book)Wiley-Blackwell. 2014.Do demons and devils have free will? Does justice exist in Menzoberranzan? What’s the morality involved with player characters casting necromancy and summoning spells? Dungeons & Dragons and Philosophy probes the rich terrain of philosophically compelling concepts and ideas that underlie Dungeons & Dragons, the legendary fantasy role–playing game that grew into a world–wide cultural phenomenon. A series of accessible essays reveals what the imaginary worlds of D&D can teach us about ethics, mora…Read more
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Harvard UniversitySenior Lecturer
Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America
Areas of Interest
Epistemology |
Metaphysics |
Normative Ethics |