Political Philosophy

Cornel West: 'The United States is facing moral collapse and democratic decay'

The Union Theological Seminary philosopher told Al Jazeera that both major parties serve entrenched power. He gave a series of university lectures across the United States in the spring.

Cornel West

Alain Badiou documentary screened at Copenhagen Philosophy Film Festival

'Badiou', the documentary made by the brothers Rohan and Gorav Kalyan, was included in the Danish Film Institute's 2026 programme in Copenhagen. The film follows the philosopher through Paris.

Alain Badiou

This Day in Philosophy — 17 August: the death of Frederick the Great

Frederick II of Prussia died at Sanssouci on 17 August 1786. Kant's essay 'What Is Enlightenment?' was written under his rule and named him directly, and the eighteenth century's most contested political concept took shape around him.

This Day in Philosophy — 11 August: the Weimar Constitution is signed

Friedrich Ebert signed the Weimar Constitution into force on 11 August 1919. Germany's first parliamentary democracy began there — and so did the deepest argument in twentieth-century legal philosophy.

The Berggruen Prize for Philosophy and Culture goes to Michael Sandel

The ninth winner of the one-million-dollar prize is the Harvard political philosopher known for his work on justice, the moral limits of markets and democracy. The ceremony takes place in Cambridge in the spring of 2026.

Michael Sandel, Martha Nussbaum, Peter Singer

Nussbaum's new book: opera and political freedom

Oxford University Press published Martha Nussbaum's 'The Republic of Love: Opera and Political Freedom' on 16 April 2026. Nussbaum reads opera, from Mozart to Verdi, as a field of political thought.

Martha Nussbaum

This Day in Philosophy — 5 August: the death of Friedrich Engels

Friedrich Engels died in London on 5 August 1895. Marx's close collaborator was decisive in the spread of historical materialism.