This special issue is special in more than one way. First, with the exception of Philip Pettit's absorbing exploration of traditonal ways of thinking about oneself, ‘My Three Selves’, the Royal Institute of Philosophy London Annual Lecture delivered in October 2019, it is comprised solely of the work of early-career researchers – construed to mean philosophers within five years of the award of their PhD.
We had an enthusiastic response to the call for papers, with submissions on the work of historical figures, from Parmenides to Sartre, and on a striking array of issues. It is encouraging to see that young philosophers are working on such diverse and imaginative topics. The five papers included in this issue discuss problems in aesthetics, ethics, metaphysics, language and epistemology. Jack Shardlow considers the depiction of movement in painting. Martijn Wallage explores what it might mean to live fully in the present. Madeleine Ransom is concerned with the way in which learning and expertise expand perceptual belief and knowledge, while Daniel Vanello examines the role of emotional experience in our acquisition of the evaluative concepts. Alexander Greenberg discusses the reducibility of norms governing assertion to more general norms governing action. And, picking up on that topic, we include a book review of Brian Weatherson's book Normative Externalism by Claire Field.
Our new triple-blind refereeing process has been well received, and we're grateful to referees who made an effort to return their reviews especially promptly for this issue. Refereeing – and responding to referees’ comments – are time-consuming activities, however, and quite a few other outstanding papers by early-career researchers were not ready in time for publication in this issue. We shall publish them in due course.
This issue is also special because for the first time in the journal's history it will be published online only – at least for the moment. Working conditions relating to Covid-19 at Cambridge University Press have resulted in printing delays but we expect the paper version to be available soon. This delay is a tiny example of the ways in which the pandemic has affected everyone's lives, which in some cases has had tragic consequences. Still, for many, the lockdown has been an opportunity for thought, reading and writing and – as it did for Boethius under house arrest – Philosophy has bought some consolation at such time. In that spirit, the Royal Institute of Philosophy, with the support of Cambridge University Press, has selected over fifty articles from its two journals, Philosophy and Think!, and made them freely accessible to everyone during the UK lockdown. They can be accessed at: https://www.royalinstitutephilosophy.org/publications/free-articles/
Finally, thanks to all of you who have already submitted entries to the journal's 2020 Essay Prize Competition, announced in the previous issue. As mentioned then, the topic is Knowledge, Truth and Power in an Online World. The submission deadline is 1st October 2020. Entries will be considered by a panel of judges and the winner announced at the beginning of 2021. The winning entry will be published in the April 2021 issue of Philosophy. Please submit entries by email to assistant@royainstitutephilosophy.org with the subject line ‘Prize Essay’. Full details can be found at https://www.royalinstitutephilosophy.org/publications/philosophy/essay-prize/
