Line Edit

Kwame Anthony Appiah on the nuances of public philosophical writing, pop culture, the narrative (or lack thereof) aspect of thought experiments, and more

Episode Summary

Kwame Anthony Appiah is, among many things, a Professor Of Philosophy And Law at New York University. He has published widely in literary and cultural studies, with a focus on African and African-American culture. You can read his popular writing in the New York Times, where he is currently the weekly Ethicist columnist. On this episode, he sits down with James Ryerson to discuss his career as a thinker and writer, his thoughts on public philosophical writing and its complexities and simplicities, and his New York Times piece, "What Does It Mean to ‘Look Like Me’?", published in September 2019. You can find Prof. Appiah on Twitter at @KAnthonyAppiah, Line Edit at @the_line_edit, and Joseph Fridman at @joseph_fridman.

Episode Notes

Kwame Anthony Appiah is, among many things, a Professor Of Philosophy And Law at New York University. He has published widely in literary and cultural studies, with a focus on African and African-American culture. You can read his popular writing in the New York Times, where he is currently the weekly Ethicist columnist. On this episode, he sits down with James Ryerson to discuss his career as a thinker and writer, his thoughts on public philosophical writing and its complexities and simplicities, and his New York Times piece, "What Does It Mean to ‘Look Like Me’?", published in September 2019. You can find Prof. Appiah on Twitter at @KAnthonyAppiah, Line Edit at @the_line_edit, and Joseph Fridman at @joseph_fridman. 

Supported by the John Templeton Foundation

Hosting and production by James Ryerson

Editing and production by Joseph Fridman

Theme composition by Stephen LaRosa of Wonder Boy Audio

Logo design by Jacob Feldman and Joseph Fridman

Special thanks to Dave DeSteno, Lisa Feldman Barrett, and the Department of Psychology at Northeastern University.