Blog of the APA

Michael Crawford is Beat Editor for Research/Diversity and Inclusiveness. He received his B.A. in philosophy from Furman University and his M.A. in philosophy from the University of South Carolina. He has previously served as copyeditor for the blog. His interests are in ethics (particularly in neuroethics and the ethics of emerging technology), philosophy of mind, and ph...

By nearly every measure that can be reasonably assembled—undergraduate majors, tenure-track hires, departmental budgets, public attention—the humanities in the United States have been contracting for more than a decade. Philosophy departments, classics programs, and literature faculties have borne the brunt of this contraction, and the story has become familiar enough that it...

Academics reason through problems, create innovative solutions, and often make the world a better place. However, sometimes, they are not the best at fashioning change. Slacktivism, which is defined as trying to create change or stand up for a cause with minimal effort, commitment, or sacrifice, can emerge from complacent academics. Recently, there have been a slew of smug so...

When we think about the ideal democratic citizen, we think about someone who is not only a valuable member of the political community, but also a competent political decision maker. The “good” democratic citizen is informed and knowledgeable, thinks clearly and cohesively about political matters and votes based on these assessments. One of the most longstanding—and dishearten...

Throughout history, leadership has shaped the fate of organizations, states, and entire civilizations. Rome cannot be understood apart from Julius Caesar, Augustus, or Nero; China, the U.S. and Britain, and many other nations, still mark political eras by the leaders who defined them. Yet despite the proliferation of leadership theories and analytical methods, one question re...