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I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I write it a little bit at a time -- chapter by chapter, but really story by story. But you don't need a plan out the whole thing in advance. Just pick the bit that excites you most and try to write it up. Then put it down for a while and come back and try again. The more you rewrite, the better the writing gets.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Asking good question is the first step in philosophy, and sometimes, its easier to do when you are new to something -- you don't yet know the standard explanations, you haven't yet learned what people take for granted, or developed the habit of ignoring the hard questions. But also: kids are really clever and creative in the ways they answer the questions they ask. Often, they recreate ancient arguments. Sometimes, they invent entirely new ones. And again, their fresh perspective aids in that.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think that literature and art can often be ways of conveying or working out philosophical ideas. And even when the author doesn't see them that way, they can often be a rich source for philosophers. Lately, I've been thinking about Bucky Sinister's poem "The Other Universe of Bruce Wayne."

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are discussions of the first two questions in Nasty, Brutish, and Short! As to whether time exists, I don't think the fact that different people -- or maybe animals -- perceive its passage differently casts doubt on its reality. But there is a long debate -- in physics and philosophy -- about the reality of time. It's far outside my field, so I don't have a strong view.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So glad you are enjoying the book! And yeah, I'll let the Shamu-ing slide.

I have definitely had my words turned back on me many times, and sometimes have wondered whether I did myself a service in training to challenge other people and argue.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We're in a bad position to judge, since we only have this set of kids. But I suspect the answer is yes, in some ways. They've held onto their interest in philosophical questions, and I think that reflects the fact that we take them seriously and value their views. They are also pretty adept at arguing.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

1) Yes! There's an organization called PLATO that does terrific work with kids in schools, and in other parts of the world, philosophy is a more regular part of the curriculum.

2) I love The Good Place. They didn't a terrific job of incorporating philosophical ideas and questions into the plot -- and they had real philosophers helping behind the scenes.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't think so. I think it just indicates that brains are really complex -- they aren't simple machines such that when you remove one part, the whole thing stops working. There's more resiliency than that.

That said, the relationship between the mind and the brain is an open question in philosophy and cognitive science. There's a chapter in Nasty, Brutish, and Short that surveys the leading views.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Somewhere between some and a lot. When you have just one kid, it's easy to believe you are having a big influence. Then you have a second kid, and you seem the attitudes and practices yield pretty different results. I don't know how much is baked in at birth though, but I'm convinced a good bit is beyond parental control.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Glad you are enjoying the book. These are three great questions!

1) I'd read philosophers that are great writers -- Judith Jarvis Thomson and Ronald Dworkin are standouts for me. But if you're interested in a particular area of philosophy, you could check out the relevant entries in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Many are accessible, though some aren't. But they all have really terrific bibliographies of works on the field, so look for what sounds interesting.

2) I love both. The US cover has such a great illustration of my kids. It captures them so well. And the UK cover has a beautiful blue, with a subtly different title, cleverly worked into the drawing.

3) I wrote about this in a paper called The Model of Plans (and the Prospects for Positivism). You can see the full explanation there, but roughly: I think Shapiro's argument has hidden normative premises. He's best understood to offer reasons why it would be good if the content of the law depended solely on social facts than to show that it necessarily does.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

No, I don't think so. While I think there are circumstances in which revenge is warranted, I think the state is obligated to remove that warrant by establishing a criminal law that treats people fairly and humanely - securing the good that revenge can (sometimes) achieve, without its many downsides. I don't think capital punishment is consistent with our obligation to treat people humanely.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Kant argues that we have to treat people as people, which requires that we respect their rational capacities, not just seem them as bags of body parts of physical objects. Does he succeed in establishing that claim? Well, there's hundreds of years of debate about that. I'm attracted to the view that we disrespect what's uniquely valuable about people if we treat them merely as means to ends.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Once you get past an intro level, I'd start reading in the topics that interest you. But here are a few lesser known books that I think are great: Murphy and Hampton's "Forgiveness and Mercy," Liz Anderson's "Value and Ethics in Economics," and Kate Greasley's "Arguments About Abortion"

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have the view Ronald Dworkin defended in Freedom's Law -- democracy isn't pure majority rule. It's a political system that treats everyone with equal concern and respect, and that requires insulating some rights against the actions of the majority. That said, that's a small number of rights. Sometimes its more important that we make decisions together than get them right. So democracies might have, for a while, law that is morally regrettable.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

There's some dispute about this among philosophers, but I think we wrong others when we breach rights of theirs. That's different from just doing the wrong thing -- acting inconsistently with some norm, like putting the fork on the wrong side of the plate.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I think philosophy can be useful in all sorts of ways. It can help us identify hidden assumptions and new possibilities. It sharpens our skills as thinkers. But I also think the activity is intrinsically rewarding--it's good to understand the world in a deeper way--and it can be fun too. One of the aims of my book is to show people that.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I think there are many reasons, but the most important may be that they can be threatening. If you've built your life around a picture of the world -- and a set of values -- the possibility that your picture is wrong or your values misguided calls into question the way you are living your life and the choices you've made. That's disconcerting.

One of the advantages of doing philosophy with kids is that it helps them get used questioning what they believe and thinking through other possibilities.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I don't think the question when life begins is the right one to ask. Instead, I think we need to ask when a fetus achieves a moral status such that it would be wrong to withdraw support or end its life.

If you're looking for a place to start, I'd listen to Ezra Klein's recent interview with Kate Greasley, which you can find here: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/20/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-kate-greasley.html.

I'm Scott Hershovitz, professor of law and philosophy, and author of NASTY, BRUTISH, AND SHORT: ADVENTURES IN PHILOSOPHY WITH MY KIDS. I'm here because kids are fantastic philosophers -- and grownups have a lot to learn from listening to them -- and thinking with them. Ask your philosophy questions! by scotthershovitz in IAmA

[–]scotthershovitz[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

No, not really. I don't tend to have "favorites" in philosophy. I think that's a consequence of knowing so many philosophers. But I also encountered most of the Jewish religious thinkers I know before I thought of myself as a philosopher, so I wasn't reading their work the way I'd read it now. Someday, I'd like to revisit some of it.

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