Event tomorrow on political legitimacy

Catch the University of Warwick's Fabienne Peter talk about her conception of normative political decision-making

Dear all,

I’m hoping you’re just beginning a lovely Sunday, whatever shape that takes for you. This week, we just have a couple announcements and reminders from The Philosopher. Hopefully we’ll add just a bit of joyful philosophizing to your next seven days.

We’re in a time where understanding the structures of our own democratic societies, both in how we function as voters and how political leaders make decisions, feels especially pressing. Tomorrow, our digital dialogue series continues with an apt discussion on this subject. Not one to miss!

Monday Event: 11am PT/2pm ET/7pm UK
“The Grounds of Political Legitimacy”: Fabienne Peter in conversation with Alfred Moore

Political legitimacy is an extremely important normative concern, with political decisions having the potential to greatly impact our lives. But what makes political decisions legitimate? In this event, Fabienne Peter will argue that the legitimacy of political decisions doesn’t just depend on respect for the citizens’ will; rather, she will defend a novel hybrid conception of political legitimacy according to which political legitimacy also depends on how political decision-making responds to evidence for what there is most reason to do. Peter will also examine the role of experts in politics, and will probe the responsibilities of democratically elected political leaders as well as of citizens.

Find out more and register for the event.

Reminder — Upcoming Reading Group:

Weekly Zoom on Wednesdays from October 2 to November 20
10:30am PT/1:30pm ET/6:30pm UK, for 90 minutes

We just announced our newest reading group for this fall, facilitated by Kate Warlow-Corcoran. The group will read and discuss Helen De Cruz’s recently published book, Wonderstruck: How Wonder and Awe Shape the Way We Think (Princeton University Press, 2024).

Space is limited, so if you’re interested, please register today! Our rate is £30 for paying Patreon members, regular donors, and print subscribers, and it is £50 for all other participants. Please let us know if you’d like to participate, but there is a significant financial hardship in your way.

Event Recordings

Lastly, you can now access recordings to our “On Anxiety” event and the “Ethics and the Refugee Crisis” event on The Philosopher’s YouTube channel.

Reminder — Our weekly online articles will return in the beginning of October!

Ending
The Philosopher is unfunded and directly relies on your support to keep doing the work we do. The best way you can do this is becoming a supporter via Patreon, if you’re not already. This helps us to keep our events series free and to pay our contributors. Find out more and become a member.

Andie Cook and Maryam Aghdami

Newsletter Team