Table of Contents
Preface Peter Catapano ix
On Existence
The Meaningfulness of Lives Todd May 3
There Is No Theory of Everything Simon Critchley 8
The Light at the End of Suffering Peg O'Connor 16
Being There: Heidegger on Why Our Presence Matters Lawrence Berger 22
Against Invulnerability Todd May 28
Why Life Is Absurd Rivka Weinberg 33
A Life Beyond "Do What You Love" Gordon Marino 41
On Human Nature
Evolution and Our Inner Conflict Edward O. Wilson 47
Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene Roy Scranton 52
Is Pure Altruism Possible? Judith Lichtenberg 59
Moral Camouflage or Moral Monkeys? Peter Railton 64
How Should We Respond to "Evil"? Steven Paulikas 69
The Moral Logic of Survivor Guilt Nancy Sherman 74
How to Live Without Irony Christy Wampole 79
Deluded Individualism Firmin DeBrabander 85
On Morality
The Dangers of Happiness Carl Cederström 91
Are We Ready for a "Morality Pill"? Peter Singer Agata Sagan 95
Why Our Children Don't Think There Are Moral Facts Justin P. McBrayer 98
Morals Without God? Frans de Waal 103
The Dangers of Certainty: A Lesson From Auschwitz Simon Critchley 112
Confessions of an Ex-Moralist Joel Marks 118
The Maze of Moral Relativism Paul Boghossian 124
Can Moral Disputes Be Resolved? Alex Rosenberg 129
Moral Dispute or Cultural Difference? Carol Rovane 134
On Religion
Navigating Past Nihilism Sean D. Kelly 141
Does It Matter Whether God Exists? Gary Gutting 147
Good Minus God Louise M. Antony 151
Pascal's Wager 2.0 Gary Gutting 158
The Sacred and the Humane Anat Biletzki 162
Why God Is a Moral Issue Michael Ruse 168
The Rigor of Love Simon Critchley 172
God Is a Question, Not an Answer William Irwin 178
What's Wrong with Blasphemy? Andrew F. March 182
On Government
Questions for Free-Market Moralists Amia Srinivasan 191
Is Our Patriotism Moral? Gary Gutting 197
The Irrationality of Natural Life Sentences Jennifer Lackey 200
Spinoza's Vision of Freedom, and Ours Steven Nadler 205
If War Can Have Ethics, Wall Street Can, Too Nathaniel B. Davis 211
The Moral Hazard of Drones John Kaag Sarah Kreps 216
Reasons for Reason Michael P. Lynch 222
On Citizenship
The Morality of Migration Seyla Benhabib 229
What DO We Owe Each Other? Aaron James Wendland 234
Can Refugees Have Human Rights? Omri Boehm 240
Dependents of the State Amia Srinivasan 245
Is Voting Out of Self-interest Wrong? Gary Cutting 252
On Violence
Philosophizing with Guns Simone Gubler 257
A Crack in the Stoic's Armor Nancy Sherman 261
Who Needs a Gun? Gary Gutting 265
The Freedom of an Armed Society Firmin DeBrabander 268
Is American Nonviolence Possible? Todd May 273
On Race
Walking While Black in the "White Gaze" George Yancy 281
Race, Truth and Our Two Realities Chris Lebron 287
Getting Past the Outrage on Race Gary Gutting 292
Philosophy's Western Bias Justm E. H. Smith 295
Dear White America George Yancy 300
Of Cannibals, Kings and Culture: The Problem of Ethnocentricity Adam Etinson 306
What, to the Black American, Is Martin Luther King Jr. Day? Chris Lebron 311
Is Real Inclusiveness Possible? Justin E. H. Smith 317
On Women
When Prostitution Is Nobody's Business Laurie Shrage 325
On Abortion and Defining a "Person" Gary Gutting 331
Girlfriend, Mother, Professor? Carol Hay 334
The Disappearing Women Roe Langton 340
A Feminist Kant Carol Hay 343
On Family
Think Before You Breed Christine Overall 351
Is Forced Fatherhood Fair? Laurie Shrage 356
"Mommy Wars" Redux: A False Conflict Amy Allen 361
The End of "Marriage" Laurie Shrage 366
My Parents' Mixed Messages on the Holocaust Jason Stanley 372
On Eating
The Meat Eaters Jeff McMahan 379
If Peas Can Talk, Should We Eat Them? Michael Marder 387
When Vegans Won't Compromise Bob Fischer James McWilliams 390
The Enigma of Animal Suffering Rhys Southan 395
On the Future
Is Humanity Getting Better? Leif Wenar 403
Should This Be the Last Generation? Peter Singer 409
What Do We Owe the Future? Patricia L. Vieira Michael Marder 412
The Importance of the Afterlife. Seriously Samuel Scheffler 415
Accepting the Past, Facing the Future Todd May 419
Acknowledgments 423
Contributors 425
