The Philosophical Quarterly

The Philosophical Quarterly invites submissions for its 2012 international prize essay competition, the topic of which is ‘Philosophy and the Expressive Arts’.

From Plato on, philosophy has had an uneasy relationship with expressive arts such as narrative, poetry, drama, music, painting, and now film. If philosophy today can learn from science, can it learn from the arts as well-- or even instead? If so, what can it learn?

Does expressive art access truths, particularly ethical truths, that cannot be expressed any other way? If it does, what can ethicists and other philosophers say about these truths? If it does not, what differentiates expressive from merely decorative art?

Some philosophers insist with Wittgenstein that “whatever can be said at all can be said clearly”. In that case, are artistic uses of language such as metaphor and imagery just "colour", as Frege called it - just ways of dressing up thoughts that philosophers, by contrast, should consider in their plainest possible form?

For submission guidelines and entry details, please see the 'Prize Essay Competition' tab on the menu.

The author of the winning entry will receive £1500.The closing date for submissions is 1st November 2012.

The first issue of The Philosophical Quarterly was published in October 1950. In the sixty years since, the PQ has established itself as one of the world's leading general philosophy journals. We continue to publish across the full spectrum of academic philosophy, and welcome original research in all areas of philosophy and its history.

This virtual issue showcases a representative sample of the last sixty years, giving readers a taste of the variety of topics discussed in the PQ, and the range of philosophical approaches taken to those issues.

> Read for free.

Utilitarianism, Contractualism And Demandingness
Alison Hills

The Ontological Argument And The Devil
Yujin Nagasawa

Two Approaches To Human Rights
Rowan Cruft

The Scope Of Rational Requirements
John Brunero

Modality And Objects
Alan Sidelle

The Beginning Of Community: Politics In The Face Of Disagreement
Kyla Ebels-Duggan

Alternative Questions And Knowledge Attributions
Maria Aloni, Paul Egre

> Additional highlights.

Founded in 1901 as the Scots Philosophical Club, the Scots Philosophical Association is the professional association of philosophers in Scotland.

Its primary purpose is to promote the study and teaching of philosophy in Scotland. This is achieved through the organization of a twice-yearly meeting, the sponsorship of conferences, the provision of fellowships, and various other activities, most of which are described below. The Association is also the joint owner of The Philosophical Quarterly.