Here is a new video about Routledge's Why It's OK series.
Chris Freiman explains why it's OK--indeed, laudable and obligatory for most people, to ignore politics. I explain why it's OK--indeed, in many cases laudable--for most people to want to be rich, to make money to get rich, and to keep much of their money rather than giving it all away. Jess Flanigan will later argue that it's OK to have bad grammar and spelling.
Here's the series blurb:
Philosophers often build cogent arguments for unpopular positions. Recent examples include cases against marriage and pregnancy, for treating animals as our equals, and dismissing some widely popular art as aesthetically inferior. What philosophers have done less often is to offer compelling arguments for widespread and established human behavior, like getting married, having children, eating animals, and going to the movies. But if one role for philosophy is to help us reflect on our lives and build sound justifications for our beliefs and actions, it seems odd that philosophers would neglect the development of arguments for the lifestyles most people—including many philosophers—actually lead. Unfortunately, philosophers’ inattention to normalcy has meant that the ways of life that define our modern societies have gone largely without defense, even as whole literatures have emerged to condemn them.
Why It’s OK: The Ethics and Aesthetics of How We Live seeks to remedy that. It’s a series of books that provides accessible, sound, and often new and creative arguments for widespread ethical and aesthetic values. Made up of short volumes that assume no previous knowledge of philosophy from the reader, the series recognizes that philosophy is just as important for understanding what we already believe as it is for criticizing the status quo. The series isn’t meant to make us complacent about what we value; rather, it helps and challenges us to think more deeply about the values that give our daily lives meaning.
Forthcoming:
Why It’s OK to Get Married
Christie J. Hartley
Why It’s OK to Love Bad Movies
Matthew Strohl
Why It’s OK to Eat Meat
Dan C. Shahar
Why It’s OK to Mind Your Own Business
Justin Tosi and Brandon Warmke
Why It’s OK to Be Fat
Rekha Nath
Why It’s OK to Be a Moral Failure
Robert Talisse
Why It’s OK to Have Bad Grammar and Spelling
Jessica Flanigan
Why It’s OK to Speak Your Mind
Hrishikesh Joshi