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Podcast: In Conversation: An OUP Podcast
Episode: Paul Katsafanas, "Philosophy of Devotion: The Longing for Invulnerable Ideals" (Oxford UP, 2022)
Description: Why do some of our identity-defining commitments resist reason and critical reflection, and why do we persist in them even when they threaten our happiness, safety, and comfort?Paul Katsafanas argues in his book Philosophy of Devotion:The Longing for Invulnerable Ideals (Oxford UP, 2023) that these commitments involve an ethical stance that he calls devotion to sacred ideas. A sacred value is one that we cannot trade with ordinary values, or even consider trading off. When a value is sacred, no rational considerations will disrupt commitment to it. Philosophy of Devotion offers a detailed philosophical account and...