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New Books in Philosophy : Co-host

Science, Religion, Culture : Editorial Board

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APA Newsletter on Teaching Philosophy : Editorial Board

Pluralism and Toleration in James’s Social Philosophy

Political Philosophy and Political Illiberalism: A Critical Response to Peter Simpson

Deweyan Democracy and the Rawlsian Problematic: A Reply to Joshua Forstenzer

Pragmatism and Pluralism Revisited

Moral authority and the deliberative model

The recent revival of interest in pragmatism has reintroduced into mainstream philosophy the insights and arguments of great American philosophers such as C.S. Peirce, William James and John Dewey. But it has also led to the use of the term 'pragmatism' in a huge variety of contexts, such that students and readers can find this fascinating subject confusing. 


Pragmatism: A Guide for the Perplexed

Why democracy? Most often this question is met with an appeal to some decidedly moral value, such as equality, liberty, dignity or even peace. But in contemporary democratic societies, there is deep disagreement and conflict about the precise nature and relative worth of these values. And when democracy votes, some of those who lose will see the prevailing outcome as not merely disappointing, but morally intolerable. How should citizens react when confronted with a democratic result that they re

Democracy and Moral Conflict

In this book, Robert Talisse critically examines the moral and political implications of pluralism, the view that our best moral thinking is indeterminate and that moral conflict is an inescapable feature of the human condition. Through a careful engagement with the work of William James, Isaiah Berlin, John Rawls, and their contemporary followers, Talisse distinguishes two broad types of moral pluralism: metaphysical and epistemic. After arguing that metaphysical pluralism does not offer a comp

Pluralism and Liberal Politics

A recent poll from the University of Minnesota finds that atheists are America's least trusted social group. Perhaps compounding this negative impression is the attack-dog persona taken on in the past decade by the "New Atheists." Not only have they been quite public about their disbelief, but they've also stridently lambasted religious belief generally in a number of bestselling books. Disturbed by this negative public perception and the deterioration in the tone of open debate, the authors of 

Reasonable Atheism: A Moral Case For Respectful Disbelief

Provides a novel diagnosis of democratic dysfunctions that locates their source within democracy, rather than emerging from some lapse or failure of democracy


Overdoing Democracy; Why We Must Put Politics in its Place

Engaging Political Philosophy introduces readers to the central problems of political philosophy.　 Presuming no prior work in the area, the book explores the fundamental philosophical questions regarding freedom, authority, justice, and democracy. More than a survey of the central figures and texts, Engaging Political Philosophy takes readers on a philosophical exploration of the core of the field, directly examining the arguments and concepts that drive the contemporary debates.　 Thus the fund

Engaging Political Philosophy

For the past fifteen years, Aikin and Talisse have been working collaboratively on a new vision of American pragmatism, one which sees pragmatism as a living and developing philosophical idiom that originates in the work of the "classical" pragmatisms of Charles Peirce, William James, and John Dewey, uninterruptedly develops through the later 20th Century pragmatists (C. I. Lewis, Wilfrid Sellars, Nelson Goodman, W. V. O. Quine), and continues through the present day. According to Aikin and Tali

Pragmatism, Pluralism, and the Nature of Philosophy

Robert Talisse specializes in contemporary political philosophy, with particular interest in democratic theory and political epistemology. In addition, he pursues topics in pragmatism, analytic philosophy, argumentation theory, and ancient philosophy.

Current research is focused on democracy, polarization, public ignorance, and egalitarianism.

Political Philosophy

Philosophy

Political Allegiances in Society

Pragmatism

Contemporary Political Philosophy

Ethics

Tolerance for Disagreement Among Political Allies

Political Polarization

Democracy

Philosophy and Politics

Vanderbilt University Profile

Vanderbilt University News Profile

Personal Website

SSRN Profile

Wikipedia Page

What today’s GOP demonstrates about the dangers of partisan conformity

Political polarization is about feelings, not facts

Twelve Philosophers and Thinkers on Brexit

The Atheist Worldview: Is Life Without God Bleak?

Philosophers On the 2016 U.S. Presidential Race

Misak’s Cambridge and Pragmatist Metaphilosophy

Remarks on Brennan

Pluralism in Toleration in James

Comment on Van Schoelandt

Sacrificial Nation?

W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy; Chair of the Philosophy Department

Inspired by articles such as “Surviving Thanksgiving When You Hate How Your Family Voted” and "How to talk politics at your family holiday meal," Democratic Theorist, Philosopher, and Vanderbilt Professor Dr. Robert Talisse offers unconventional advice to individuals who want to help stop or reverse political polarization, especially within their own families and communities. With the political divide seemingly growing larger and political perspectives getting more extreme every day in the United States, this talk puts the spotlight on a simple, but undervalued and often overlooked solution that can work for anyone and everyone — no matter their political views. Dr. Robert B. Talisse is a political philosopher based in Nashville, TN. He earned his PhD in Philosophy at the City University of New York, and currently is W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy, Professor of Political Science, and Chairperson of the Philosophy Department at Vanderbilt University. Author of over 100 scholarly articles and dozens of books, Talisse specializes in philosophical questions concerning democracy. Specifically, he writes about the problem of sustaining a civil democratic order among citizens who are divided over fundamental moral commitments. This is the topic of his 2009 book, "Democracy and Moral Conflict," and his co-authored work, "Why We Argue (And How We Should)." He has lectured at universities around the world, including Oxford University, The Collège de France, The University of Copenhagen, and Princeton University, among many others. In addition, Talisse hosts two popular podcasts. He is currently writing the book "Putting Politics in its Place." This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Putting Politics In Its Place | Dr. Robert Talisse | TEDxNashville

To learn more about Vanderbilt, visit http://www.vanderbilt.edu.

Top 3 Tips to Argue Fairly

Why can we be good debaters when it comes to sports, but not politics? (Talisse)

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