Taylor Swift is a philosopher

+ the upside of online shaming; removing PFAS chemicals from tap water US Edition - Today's top story: Know thyself − all too well: Why Taylor Swift's songs are philosophy [View in browser]( US Edition | 21 April 2024 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( Happy Sunday − and welcome to the best of The Conversation U.S. Here are a few of our recently published stories: - [TikTok fears point to larger problem: Poor media literacy in age of social media]( - [UAW wins big at Volkswagen in Tennessee – becoming the first foreign-owned factory in the American South to unionize]( Everyone does philosophy – even if they don’t realize it. That was one of my takeaways from an off-campus college course I took called Lives Worth Living, also known as “philosophy camp,” in which an equal number of students and professors spend several weeks at a retreat/farm in southwestern Minnesota. We studied, we contemplated, we enjoyed campfires, but mostly we philosophized together and talked about how to live a good life and what that even means. All the questions we asked each other are the same ones every human does throughout life’s journey: Who am I, what should I do, what gives life meaning, and similar queries meant to plumb the depths of our souls. And that’s [what Taylor Swift does in her music](, writes Jessica Flanigan, a University of Richmond philosopher and self-proclaimed Swiftie. When ethics and religion editor Molly Jackson got a pitch from Flanigan asserting that Swift’s music “holds a mirror up to human experience,” just as philosophy does, she was immediately intrigued – and quickly commissioned it. In the story, which resonated with readers as well last week, Flanigan compares Swift to Socrates, who wrote, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” “Like other great writers, Swift’s songwriting consistently involves just the kind of introspective scrutiny about choices and values that Socrates had in mind,” Flanigan writes. “Several songs address the value of self-understanding, even when it’s difficult.” She goes on to explore many of the songs that exemplify Swift’s philosophizing tendencies in her search for truth, morality and the authentic self – just as my fellow classmates and I did during our philosophy retreat in rural Minnesota. Bryan Keogh Managing Editor Readers' picks [Know thyself − all too well: Why Taylor Swift’s songs are philosophy]( Jessica Flanigan, University of Richmond Introspection, argument, exploring paradoxes: These are hallmarks of great artists, not just philosophers. - [3 things to learn about patience − and impatience − from al-Ghazali, a medieval Islamic scholar]( Liz Bucar, Northeastern University In religious traditions, patience is more than waiting, or even more than enduring a hardship. But what does patience look like? And when should we not exercise patience? - [In the age of cancel culture, shaming can be healthy for online communities – a political scientist explains when and how]( Jennifer Forestal, Loyola University Chicago There is no shortage of horror stories about online shaming, but it’s not always a bad thing. It comes down to who is doing the shaming and how cohesive the online community is. - [Shadow war no more: Hostilities between Israel and Iran have strayed into direct warfare – is there any going back?]( Javed Ali, University of Michigan A long-running conflict between adversaries Israel and Iran fell short of open confrontation – until both countries took more direct aim at each other. - [Reagan’s great America shining on a hill twisted into Trump’s dark vision of Christian nationalism]( Diane Winston, USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism Reagan and Trump − two of the most media-savvy Republican presidents − used religion to advance their political visions, but their messages and missions could not be more different. Editors' picks [Removing PFAS from public water systems will cost billions and take time – here are ways you can filter out harmful ‘forever chemicals’ at home]( Kyle Doudrick, University of Notre Dame Filtering out PFAS is only the first step. These ‘forever chemicals’ still have to be destroyed, and there are many questions about how to do that safely. - [Supreme Court to consider whether local governments can make it a crime to sleep outside if no inside space is available]( Clare Pastore, University of Southern California Legal precedents hold that criminalizing someone for their status, such as being homeless, is cruel and unusual punishment. But what if that status leads to actions like sleeping in public spaces? - [Trump’s New York felony charges are going to trial – what the images might show when the business fraud case kicks off]( Mary Angela Bock, The University of Texas at Austin How will Trump act during his upcoming court appearance in Manhattan? Surprises are unlikely, but his body language and expressions can help tell a fuller story that will go down in history. - [Oman serves as a crucial back channel between Iran and the US as tensions flare in the Middle East]( Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University The small Gulf state has hosted high-level Western and Iranian delegations, passing messages between them. - [Are tomorrow’s engineers ready to face AI’s ethical challenges?]( Elana Goldenkoff, University of Michigan; Erin A. Cech, University of Michigan Ethics is often neglected in engineering education, two researchers write, despite mounting questions about how to responsibly design artificial intelligence programs. News Quiz 🧠- [The Conversation U.S. weekly news quiz]( Fritz Holznagel, The Conversation Test your knowledge with a weekly quiz drawn from some of our favorite stories. Questions this week on taxes, Taylor Swift, a taoiseach and true score theory. - - More of The Conversation Like this newsletter? 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