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Philosophy 

Philosophy is the principal journal of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, edited by Professor Maria Alvarez and Professor Bill Brewer. Founded in 1925, Philosophy aims to build bridges between specialist philosophers and the wider public. Alongside being a leading academic journal in philosophy itself, the journal also appeals to the interests of specialists in  various other fields (e.g. law, the arts, medicine, politics, religion, science, etc.), and to the general reader with an avid inquisitiveness.

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Philosophy

Causal Closure Principles and Emergentism 

Causal closure arguments against interactionist dualism are currently popular amongst physicalists. Such an argument appeals to some principles of the causal closure of the physical, together with certain other premises, to conclude that at least some mental events are identical with physical events. However, it is crucial to the success of any such argument that the physical causal closure principle to which it appeals is neither too strong nor too weak by certain standards. In this paper, it is argued that various forms of naturalistic dualism, of an emergentist character, are consistent with the strongest physical causal closure principles that can plausibly be advocated

By E. J. LOWE
Philosophy

Is There Anything it is Like to be a Bat? 

The concept of consciousness has been the source of much confusion over the past two decades. Current orthodoxy in ‘consciousness studies’ has it that the key to understanding the concept of consciousness is to grasp the idea of qualia. But the appearance of mystery here is the product of conceptual confusion. There is nothing to ‘the qualitative character of experience’ beyond the individual character of a specific experience and how the subject felt in undergoing it, and here there are no mysteries beyond empirical ignorance and conceptual mystification.

By P. M. S. Hacker

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The Philosophy Essay Prize 

Each year the Royal Institute of Philosophy holds the Philosophy Essay Prize competition. The winner will receive £2,500 and their essay will be published in Philosophy. The topic for this year’s prize is ‘Bodies’.

Find out more about this year’s prize

Submit an article to Philosophy 

Find out what you need to know before submitting an article to Philosophy.

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Globally Inclusive Philosophy 

We are proud to be endorsing the Barcelona Principles for a Globally Inclusive Philosophy, which seek to highlight and address the structural inequality between native and non-native speakers in academic philosophy.

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