Philosophy lives!

Rumours to the contrary aside, if March is any indication, there is good reason to believe that philosophy is alive and well in modern life.

Today, Paul Saurette encourages us to reflect, in light of Ann Coulter's recently-thwarted attempt to address a crowd in Ottawa, on the appropriate justifications for limiting free speech in Canada.  His plea for a "thoughtful and nuanced consideration of the role of free speech" is much appreciated. This is a thinking person's op-ed, and should be read by all who care about the quality of our public discourse (which I hope includes you, dear reader!).

In a similar vein, earlier this month Mark Kingwell argued that a lack of civility - an expression of regard for the other - in matters of public concern will derail our democracy. It likely goes without saying that he also believes civility is in decline, maybe even to the point of no return. Fellow philosopher-turned-columnist Andrew Potter's take is here.  A most inspired and Aristotle-free commentary from Aaron Wherry, inspired by the exchange, is here.

It's a thinking man's day, apparently. Curious about the women?  Me too.