Author Meets Critics: Shmuel Nili's "Philosophizing the Indefensible"

Session Submission Type: Author meet critics

Session Description

This session will feature three scholars reacting to my OUP book, Philosophizing the Indefensible (UK publication - Oct. 2023; US publication - Jan. 2024). These are Lisa Ellis (Otago), Jeff Howard (UCL), and Lior Erez (Oxford).

The book asks what distinctive contributions political philosophers might make when reflecting on obvious moral failures in public policy. I defend a particular kind of contribution: I argue that political philosophers can and should craft “strategic” arguments for public policy reforms, showing how morally urgent reforms can be grounded, for the sake of discussion, even in problematic premises associated with their opponents. I begin by developing the general contours of this approach, situating it within a broader conception of political philosophy’s social responsibilities. I then apply strategic theorizing to a set of diverse policy issues. These range from the abortion debate and financial regulation in the United States, through controversies surrounding the participation of Arab parties in Israel’s political process, to global issues, such as commercial ties with oil-rich dictatorships, and the bearing of such ties on global climate change.

Sub Unit

• Division 3: Normative Theory

Chair

• Elisabeth H. Ellis University of Otago

Presenters

• Shmuel Nili Northwestern

• Jeffrey Howard University College London

• Lior Erez University of Oxford