Volume V (2022)
is that it has enormous potential to make you a better person. Studying symbolic logic can improve
your mathematical skills, your ability to construct compelling arguments, your ability to
constructively criticize arguments, and so forth. Studying philosophy of science can make you a
better scientist or improve your ability to understand and constructively criticize science. Studying
political philosophy can give you a better philosophical framework for social activism, voting, and,
in general, being a citizen of your society. Studying philosophy of religion can help you develop
your religious identity. Studying ethics can help you develop a moral identity and help shape your
moral character and behaviors. And so on and so forth. We have such little time on earth. You’re
going to be adopting a morality, a religious identity, a political philosophy, and so forth anyway.
Why not take some time to read and think about your options before going out there and doing
stuff without carefully considering your options first? As Socrates once said, “the unexamined life
is not worth living for man.”
MJ: What questions or problems especially interest you in the philosophy of science right now? What do you consider the best approach to take to examining these problems or answering these questions?
QS : Right now, the two most pressing questions to me are what’s the essence and reality status of
race, and what’s the essence of a natural classification in science. I consider the best approach to
examining and answering these questions to be scientific metaphysics in the analytic philosophy
tradition. If you’re curious about what such an approach looks like, just check out my recently
published book, What is Race? Four Philosophical Views, which is a book I co-authored with
Joshua Glasgow, Sally Haslanger, and Chike Jeffers.
MJ: You have written on many different philosophical topics. Did you ever find this difficult on account of the pressures to specialize in philosophy? Do you have any advice for young philosophers?
QS : While I’ve written on lots of different p hilosophical topics, almost all of my publications have
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