Philosophy Now

{{Infobox magazine

| title = Philosophy Now

| image_file = Cover of Philosophy Now Issue 121 (Aug-Sept 2017).jpg

| image_size = 200px

| image_caption = Aug/Sept 2017 cover

| editor = Rick Lewis, Grant Bartley

| editor_title = Editor

| staff_writer =

| frequency = Bimonthly

| circulation =

| category =

| founded = {{Start date and age|1991}}

| firstdate =

| company = Anja Publications

| country = United Kingdom / United States

| based = London

| website = {{URL|philosophynow.org/}}

| issn = 0961-5970

| oclc = 743049565

}}

Philosophy Now is a bimonthly philosophy magazine sold from news-stands and book stores in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, and Canada; it is also available on digital devices, and online. It aims to appeal to the general educated public, as well as to students and philosophy teachers. It was established in 1991 and was the first general philosophy magazine.{{cite web |last1=Glenn|first1=Joshua|title=Philosophy Hits The Newsstands|url=http://hilobrow.com/2011/10/02/philosophy-hits-the-newsstands/ |website=HiLobrow |date= 2 October 2011|access-date=20 April 2015}}{{cite web |last=Neil-Smith |first=Oliver |title=The creation of Philosophy Now magazine |url=http://theboar.org/2014/10/21/creation-philosophy-now-magazine/|website=The Boar|access-date=31 December 2015}}

History

Philosophy Now was established in May 1991 as a quarterly magazine by Rick Lewis. The first issue included an article on free will by then atheist philosopher Antony Flew, who remained an occasional contributor for many years.{{cite web|title=Philosophy Now Issue 1|url=https://philosophynow.org/issues/1|work=Philosophy Now|access-date=20 April 2015}}

The magazine was initially published in Lewis' home town of Ipswich (England). Peter Rickman soon became one of the most regular contributors.[http://philosophynow.org/issues/102/Peter_Rickman_1918-2014 Obituary Peter Rickman, 1918–2014], Philosophy Now, issue 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2014. In 1997, a group of American philosophers including Raymond Pfeiffer and Charles Echelbarger lobbied the American Philosophical Association to start a similar magazine in the United States.{{cite web|author=Pfeiffer Raymond|title=Philosophy Goes Public |url=http://www.delta.edu/rspfeiff/|website=The Internet Archive |access-date=21 April 2015|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070617175219/http://www.delta.edu/rspfeiff/ |archive-date=17 June 2007}} The APA executive director Eric Hoffman arranged a meeting in Philadelphia in 1997, to which Lewis was invited. At the meeting, it was decided that the American group should join forces with Lewis to further develop Philosophy Now. Since that time, the magazine has been produced jointly by two editorial boards, in the UK and US.{{cite web|title=Philosophy Now About|url=https://philosophynow.org/about|website=Philosophy Now|access-date=21 April 2015}} The magazine is distributed in the US by the Philosophy Documentation Center.

In 2000 Philosophy Now increased its frequency to appear bimonthly. Lewis is now the Editor in Chief, while Grant Bartley is Editor of the print edition and Bora Dogan edits the digital editions.[https://philosophynow.org/issues/100/A_Century_Not_Out "A Century Not Out"], Philosophy Now. Retrieved 29 January 2014.

Philosophy Now won the Bertrand Russell Society Award for 2016.[https://bertrandrussellsociety.org/brs-award/ Bertrand Russell Society Award Recipients]. Retrieved 20 September 2017.

Rick Lewis also translated and publish the Philosophy Now in Persian for the first time with AmirAli Maleki,{{cite web | url=https://praxispublication.com/en/author/amirali_maleki/ | title=AmirAli Maleki – Praxis }} the founder and editor of Praxis Publication.{{cite web | url=https://praxispublication.com/author/praxis-and-philosophy-now/ | title=Praxis Publication and Philosophy Now – پراکسیس }}

The magazine contains articles on most areas of philosophy. Most are written by academics, though some are by postgraduate students or independent writers. Although it aims at a non-specialist audience, Philosophy Now has frequently attracted articles by well-known thinkers.

Philosophy Now also regularly features book reviews, interviews, fiction, a film column, cartoons, and readers' letters. Its regular columnists include Raymond Tallis (Tallis in Wonderland) and Peter Adamson (Philosophy Then). For some years there was a philosophical agony-aunt column called Dear Socrates, supposedly written by a reincarnation of the Athenian sage. There is an online forum for discussion of the magazine's contents.[http://forum.philosophynow.org Philosophy Now Discussion Forum]. Retrieved 29 January 2014.

Scoops and controversies

The philosophy professor Antony Flew, noted for his arguments in favour of atheism, published a letter in Philosophy Now's August/September 2004 issue in which he first indicated that his position regarding God's existence had changed.{{Cite web|title = Letter from Antony Flew {{!}} Philosophy Now|url=https://philosophynow.org/issues/47/Letter_from_Antony_Flew_on_Darwinism_and_Theology|website= philosophynow.org|access-date=27 December 2015}} The news of Flew's change-of-mind was carried in many newspapers worldwide, most of them referencing Flew's Philosophy Now letter.{{cite web|title=There is a God, leading atheist concludes|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna6688917|publisher=NBC News|agency=Associated Press|date=9 December 2004|access-date=20 April 2015}}{{cite web|first=Laura|last= Smith|title=Atheist finds 'God' after 50 years|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/dec/11/religion.artsandhumanities|work=The Guardian|date=11 December 2004|access-date=20 April 2015}}{{cite web|first=James|last= Beverley|title=Thinking Straighter|url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/april/29.80.html|work=Christianity Today|date=8 April 2005|access-date=21 August 2021}}

A Philosophy Now interview with the Canadian philosopher Charles Taylor in 2009{{Cite web|title = Interview with Charles Taylor {{!}} Philosophy Now|url=https://philosophynow.org/issues/74/Charles_Taylor|website=philosophynow.org|access-date=27 December 2015}} created controversy in Canadian newspapers because of Taylor's dismissive remarks about an atheist poster campaign on buses.{{cite news|title=Charles Taylor Prize for Humourlessness|url=https://ottawacitizen.com/opinion/charles-taylor-prize-for-humourlessness/|website=Ottawa Citizen|date=31 July 2009 |access-date=27 December 2015}}{{cite web|title=Defending Atheist Bus Ads|url=http://news.nationalpost.com/holy-post/justin-trottier-and-michael-payton-defending-atheist-bus-ads/|work=National Post|access-date=27 December 2015}}{{undue weight inline|date=December 2019}}

Abstracting and indexing

The magazine is abstracted and indexed in:

''Philosophy Now'' Festival

The magazine organised a philosophy festival for the general public every two years from 2011 to 2020. It was held at Conway Hall in Bloomsbury in central London."[http://philevents.org/event/show/1016 Philosophy Now Festival]". PhilEvents. Retrieved 15 August 2014. The first festival, in 2011,{{Cite news |title=I Think, Therefore I Am Attending the Philosophy Now Festival |url=http://now-here-this.timeout.com/2011/12/17/philosophy-now-festival/ |work=Time Out |date=17 December 2011|location=London |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 March 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120304034254/http://now-here-this.timeout.com/2011/12/17/philosophy-now-festival/ }} was held partly to mark the 20th anniversary of the magazine's launch.{{Cite news |title=The Philosophy Now Festival |url= https://philosophynow.org/issues/89/The_Philosophy_Now_Festival |work=Philosophy Now |date=March 2012 |location=London |access-date=11 May 2018 |archive-date=12 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512043747/https://philosophynow.org/issues/89/The_Philosophy_Now_Festival |url-status=live}} It became a regular biannual event, with festivals held in 2013,{{Cite web |title=Philosophy Now Festival 2013 |url= https://philosophynow.org/festival/2013 |website=philosophynow.org |access-date=27 July 2015}} 2015, January 2018{{Cite web |title=Philosophy Now Festival 2018 |url= https://philosophynow.org/issues/125/The_Philosophy_Now_Festival_2018 |website=philosophynow.org |accessdate=11 May 2018 |archive-date=12 May 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180512043637/https://philosophynow.org/issues/125/The_Philosophy_Now_Festival_2018 |url-status=live}} and 2020. Each festival was a one-day event involving contributions from more than a dozen philosophy organisations including Philosophy For All and the Royal Institute of Philosophy.

Against Stupidity Award

Also in 2011, the magazine launched an annual award, the Philosophy Now Award for Contributions in the Fight Against Stupidity.{{Cite web|url=http://philosophynow.org/award|title=Philosophy Now Award for Contributions in the Fight Against Stupidity|website=Philosophy Now|access-date=5 October 2017}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/personal-view/8958079/The-worlds-biggest-problem-is-stupidity.html |title=The World's Biggest Problem is Stupidity |first=Rick|last=Lewis|work=The Daily Telegraph |date=15 December 2011 |location=London}} The first winner was the philosopher Mary Midgley. Each year since, there has been an award ceremony at Conway Hall, including an acceptance speech. In 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2018 this was part of the Philosophy Now Festival.

In October 2015 Philosophy Now announced that the 2015 Award would for the first time be given to a children's author, Cressida Cowell.{{Cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/22/cressida-cowell-how-to-train-your-dragon-philosophy-now-award-fight-against-stupidity|first=Alison|last=Flood|title=Children's author Cressida Cowell scoops philosophers' award for fight against stupidity|work=The Guardian|date=22 October 2015 |location=London |url-status=live |archive-date=12 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180612143633/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/oct/22/cressida-cowell-how-to-train-your-dragon-philosophy-now-award-fight-against-stupidity }}{{Cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/cressida-cowell-wins-award-for-combating-stupidity/|title=Cressida Cowell wins award for 'combating stupidity' |work=The Daily Telegraph|first=Amy|last=Blumson|date=22 October 2015 |location=London |url-status=live |archive-date=14 June 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180614015328/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/books/authors/cressida-cowell-wins-award-for-combating-stupidity/ }} The full list of winners is: