Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · 7d

A preprint of my chapter can be found here: philpapers.org/rec/MATBAL?f...

Erich Matthes, Beauty and Love of Place - PhilPapers

This chapter explores the role of aesthetics in love of place. I argue that aesthetic experience is an important component of place love, one that influences and is influenced by the ...

philpapers.org

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · 7d

The Routledge Handbook of Nature and Environmental Aesthetics is now out. Lots of great stuff, including a chapter by me on Beauty and Love of Place. Check it out, and ask your library to get a copy! #philsky

Routledge Handbook of Nature and Environmental Aesthetics

This handbook provides the first comprehensive overview of philosophical thinking about the aesthetics of the natural and human-made environments, exploring the topic's foundations, key ideas, and cur...

www.routledge.com

1 1 10

Reposted by Erich Hatala Matthes

Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 16d

When a typo in your Google search leads to new and exciting philosophical positions

AI Overview: "Dental realism"refers to the philosophical debate about whether teeth exist independently of human perception, a concept rooted in metaphysical realism. While realism asserts an objective reality for teeth, idealist philosophies contend that teeth's existence is tied to our consciousness and perception. Philosophers use this idea, for example, to discuss the ethics of tooth extraction, examining whether a procedure impacts a real entity or merely a subjective experience.

56 400 1.4K

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · 10d

If you're ever looking for some other media to supplement this, season 2 of the podcast Bear Brook from New Hampshire Public Radio is all about false confessions. It's harrowing.

1

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · 16d

My revised and expanded entry on the Ethics of Cultural Heritage is now live in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy! Appropriation, repatriation, monuments, and more, as well as a new section on the nascent aesthetic injustice literature. #philsky

plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethi...

The Ethics of Cultural Heritage (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

plato.stanford.edu

10 25

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · 20d

Grateful to Carolyn Korsmeyer for her thoughtful review of What to Save and Why in Mind! #philsky

academic.oup.com/mind/advance...

What to Save and Why: Identity, Authenticity, and the Ethics of Conservation, by Erich Hatala Matthes

Scavenging in the recesses of an attic, I recently came across a pair of shoes I hadn’t worn since university. I debated saving them as a relic of bygone f

academic.oup.com

2

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · 20d

One of the conclusions of my discussion of cancel culture in Drawing the Line is that it's generally a bad idea to cancel artists and performers (or most anyone, really) for things that they *say* (in contrast with things that they *do*). Sadly seeing more evidence for why this is true. #philsky

1 1

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · Aug 12

This paper from 7 years ago suddenly relevant again in the face of Trump's new "review" of Smithsonian exhibitions. #philsky

www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

Who Owns Up to the Past? Heritage and Historical Injustice | Journal of the American Philosophical Association | Cambridge Core

Who Owns Up to the Past? Heritage and Historical Injustice - Volume 4 Issue 1

www.cambridge.org

1 1 5

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · Jul 23

If anyone on here still wants a copy of What to Save and Why but hasn't gotten one yet, you can grab it on Amazon for $10 and change! www.amazon.com/What-Save-Wh...

1 1

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · Jul 15

At some point in grad school I had to read the Vindiciae contra tyrannos. Been thinking about that a lot lately...

2

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · Jul 15

Characteristically great piece by @add-hawk.bsky.social. Makes me wonder how many of us studied creative writing and yet somehow ended up... here.

dailynous.com/2025/07/15/b...

Beyond Argument: The Creative Craft of Philosophy Writing (guest post) - Daily Nous

"I want to talk about the part of philosophy writing that comes after the argument part: the bit where you work on expressing your idea clearly, delicately, even personally. I want to talk about the v...

dailynous.com

2

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · Jul 3

www.nybooks.com/articles/202...

Saving Graces | Michelle Nijhuis

What we conserve and why—art, heirlooms, animals, even the planet—are increasingly urgent questions.

www.nybooks.com

1

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · Jul 3

Fantastic to see What to Save and Why reviewed in the New York Review of Books! #philsky

1 1 8

Reposted by Erich Hatala Matthes

Jay Turner @jayturner.bsky.social · Jun 30

Sobering piece in @nytimes.com compares China's advances in clean energy to the U.S.'s retrenchment in fossil fuels. Hard to read at a moment when the U.S. is giving up on a more affordable, healthier, and more sustainable future.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

🧪🔌💡☀️💨🔋

9 75 140

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · Jun 1

Opinion | Will America’s National Parks Survive Trump?

www.nytimes.com

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · May 22

I keep thinking the price on What to Save and Why can't possible get lower, but it's now down to $13 and change. Good time to grab a copy if you haven't! #philsky

www.amazon.com/What-Save-Wh...

What to Save and Why: Identity, Authenticity, and the Ethics of Conservation

Amazon.com: What to Save and Why: Identity, Authenticity, and the Ethics of Conservation: 9780197744550: Matthes, Erich Hatala: Books

www.amazon.com

2

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · May 19

Yes! In this spirit: I taught your and Elisabeth Camp's "Playing with Labels" paper in my Authenticity seminar this semester and it is great! Students were very into it.

1 1 1

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · Apr 25

Nice to see What to Save and Why in the TLS! @wellesley.edu @oupphilosophy.bsky.social

The TLS @thetls.bsky.social · Apr 25

'Would we want to preserve Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’ on an empty planet?'

Jane O’Grady on the philosophy of conservation

Preservation orders | TLS

www.the-tls.co.uk

2

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · Apr 23

Check me out in The Saturday Evening Post for Earth Day! #philsky

The Saturday Evening Post @satevepost.bsky.social · Apr 22

Who we are is defined in part by the things that we think are worth caring for, and whether we care for these things, in turn, shapes our sense of self.

Our World Needs More Stewards | The Saturday Evening Post

In a society brimming with things worth preserving, how do we decide what to save?

www.saturdayeveningpost.com

3

Reposted by Erich Hatala Matthes

The Saturday Evening Post @satevepost.bsky.social · Apr 22

Who we are is defined in part by the things that we think are worth caring for, and whether we care for these things, in turn, shapes our sense of self.

Our World Needs More Stewards | The Saturday Evening Post

In a society brimming with things worth preserving, how do we decide what to save?

www.saturdayeveningpost.com

1 2

Reposted by Erich Hatala Matthes

Beth DeSombre @bethdesombre.bsky.social · Apr 16

Woo hoo!!! My amazing @wellesley.edu ES colleague, @jayturner.bsky.social has been awarded a Guggenheim fellowship, for his excellent upcoming project: www.gf.org/stories/anno...

Announcing the 2025 Guggenheim Fellows — Guggenheim Fellowships: Supporting Artists, Scholars, & Scientists

Since 1925, the Guggenheim Foundation has given Fellowships to exceptional artists, writers, scholars, and scientists, empowering them to pursue meaningful work under the freest possible conditions.

www.gf.org

2 6

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · Apr 13

@xphilosopher.bsky.social this looks so cool!

law.yale.edu/yls-today/ne...

Seminar Probes the Intersection of Law and Cognitive Science

Students are digging into questions about psychopathy, addiction, and more in a seminar that explores the legal relevance of topics in cognitive science.

law.yale.edu

1 2

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · Apr 3

Timely in light of NEH cuts...
@zocalopublicsquare.bsky.social #philsky

www.zocalopublicsquare.org/right-now-th...

Right Now, the World Needs More Caretakers | Essay

Support and Steward What You Love—Whether It’s Nature or Culture

www.zocalopublicsquare.org

2

Erich Hatala Matthes @ehatmat.bsky.social · Mar 7

What to Save and Why is on sale for just $21.90!

As one Amazon reviewer wrote: "Yes, it is philosophy, but it is written in a way that engages anyone with an interest in these issues." Anyone could include you!

#philsky

www.amazon.com/What-Save-Wh...

What to Save and Why: Identity, Authenticity, and the Ethics of Conservation

Amazon.com: What to Save and Why: Identity, Authenticity, and the Ethics of Conservation: 9780197744550: Matthes, Erich Hatala: Books

www.amazon.com

Reposted by Erich Hatala Matthes

Olúfẹ́mi O. Táíwò @olufemiotaiwo.bsky.social · Feb 18

but somehow people think that being able to multiply large numbers mentally should mean that you get to decide whose grandma gets healthcare or something and it turns out that's actually a very stupid thought

2 7 33