Alex Schaefer on Social Philosophy After Rawls and Gaus | Conversations with Otto Ep. 10

Conversations with Otto is a podcast about cutting-edge thinkers in philosophy and the sciences, all in the spirit of friendly banter and exquisite professionalism. The show is hosted by philosopher and PPE scholar Dr. Otto Lehto (New York University). In this episode, I talk to Prof. Alexander Schaefer (Tulane) about the limitations of ideal theory, the illusions of static justice, the evolutionary mechanics of social norms, and why political philosophy must move beyond the Rawlsian paradigm to embrace dynamic complexity and diversity. We delve into his vision of social philosophy under deep value pluralism, explain why philosophers and PPE scholars should care about agent-based modelling and multi-level selection, and break down our joint paper defending a narrow, Humean conception of justice. Along the way, we also discuss Alex's affinity with Karl Marx, the potential downsides of value pluralism, the disruptive horizon of artificial intelligence, and why the minimalist music of Philip Glass soothes the soul. Prof. Alexander Schaefer is Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Political Economy at Tulane University. Prior to moving to New Orleans, he was Assistant Professor of Philosophy at SUNY Buffalo, and a Postdoctoral Fellow at NYU's Classical Liberal Institute. He has written extensively on social philosophy, touching on topics from freedom of expression to social norms. His work appears in journals across disciplines, including the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, and the Journal of Moral Philosophy. Tying his work together are the related themes of pluralism and social complexity. Works discussed today: Schaefer, A. (2021). Hayek's twin ideas: reconciling methodological individualism and group selection. Cambridge Journal of Economics, 45(6), 1209–1226. Schaefer, A. (2023). Polycentricity and adaptation: A multilevel selectionist approach. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 210, 265–287. Schaefer, A. (2023). Is justice a fixed point? American Journal of Political Science, 67(2), 277–290. Lehto, O. & Schaefer, A. (2025). When Less Is More: A Defense of Narrow, Humean Justice. Journal of Moral Philosophy, online first, 1–33. Gaus, G. (2021). The Open Society and Its Complexities. Oxford University Press. Muldoon, R. (2016). Social Contract Theory for a Diverse World: Beyond Tolerance. Routledge. Rawls, J. (1993). Political Liberalism. Columbia University Press. Find out more about Prof. Schaefer: Homepage: https://www.amschaefer.com/ Find out more about Otto Lehto: Otto's website: https://www.ottolehto.com/ PhilPeople: https://philpeople.org/profiles/otto-... LinkedIn:   / ottolehto   Twitter/X: https://x.com/Otto_Lehto