I wasn’t quite sure how to wrap up the year. A parody of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off”? Too cheesy. A video montage of action sequences from a year of blogging (me, staring at phone; me, sitting in front of laptop; etc.)? Too boring. An ironic play in which an enormous baby keeps whining about infantilism? Too realistic. A grandiose statement about progress in the profession? I would never.

So what, then?

First, some gratitude. I’d like to thank you all for stopping by to read Daily Nous. I put a lot of work into the site, and I am glad that you find it worth visiting. Some of you have taken the time to write me notes, recommend links and ideas, send in news, join discussions, share posts on social media, and provide critical feedback. This really helps keep Daily Nous flourishing, and I very much appreciate it. (For those curious, during the past three months the site has averaged over 10,160 views per day.) If you have suggestions, please don’t hesitate to email them to me.

Second, some hopes. While we’ve covered a number of important topics in the philosophy profession, problems still remain. I hope that in the upcoming year Daily Nous continues to serve as a forum in which a diverse range of voices raise and discuss issues of concern, and I hope that more and more people feel welcome to participate in these discussions.

Third, I thought I would link to a few of my favorite posts/discussions of the year:
Teaching Philosophy in Prisons.
Bryce Huebner’s interview of Jim Maffie (I’ll try to get some more “philosophers interviewing philosophers” for the coming year).
The Non-Academic Hires page.
Daily Mousse (the collection of hair-themed April Fools Day posts).
Philosophers from Poverty (in which many philosophers discuss the impact of class on their status in and feelings about the profession).
Why Did You Go Into Philosophy? (130 responses from a variety of philosophers).

Last, but not least, best wishes for a happy new year, everybody!

(art: photo of detail of untitled mobile by Lee Bontecou)