January 2018
“Research Active Faculty” Criteria
(NOTE: I’m reposting this because there appeared to be problems with commenting on the original version.) A philosophy professor writes in with some questions about whether, and if so, how, various universities classify tenured faculty and distribute responsibilities among them: (more…)
A Story about Death, Medicine, Race, and Philosophers
A 13-year old African-American girl goes to the hospital for a tonsillectomy. What ends up happening is heartbreaking, infuriating, surprising—and, in part, a result of the work of philosophers and bioethicists. (more…)
Chaospet (Daily Nous Philosophy Comics)
JHP’s Best Article Prize Awarded
The Journal of the History of Philosophy has announced that Clare Carlisle, senior lecturer in philosophy and theology at King’s College London, is the winner of its best article prize for Volume 55.
The “Core” of Phenomenology
“Phenomenology is one of the major strands of post Kantian philosophy. But it isn’t easy to pin down exactly what the name captures. Can you first sketch for us what you think is its core and whether there actually is a core—something some philosophers have disputed haven’t they?” (more…)
Another Network Comedy To Feature a Philosopher
Is philosophy hot? Following the commercial success of The Good Place, a television sitcom on NBC with a moral philosophy professor as one of its main characters (which, by the way, recently featured a discussion of Jonathan Dancy’s moral particularism, not to mention a re-enactment of part of the trolley problem), the network will be releasing A.P. Bio.
Private Money in Political Philosophy
The following is a guest post* by Lisa Herzog, assistant professor or political philosophy and theory at the School of Public Policy at the Technical University of Munich (Technische Universität München). It originally appeared at the group blog, Justice Everywhere.
Philosophers Object to Denial of Asylum to Humanist Unfamiliar with Plato & Aristotle
Two weeks ago, the British government’s Home Office rejected the asylum request of Hamza Bin Walayat because, while he described himself as a “humanist” worried about religious persecution in his home country of Pakistan, be could not answer questions about Plato and Aristotle. Now, 120 philosophers have signed onto a letter objecting to the decision. (more…)
Mini-Heap
Here’s the latest Mini-Heap—10 recent items from the Heap of Links, the frequently updated list of links to material that might be of interest to philosophers. (more…)
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
Here’s the weekly report of what’s new at some useful online philosophy resources. (more…)
Unquestionable Orthodoxies of Philosophy
Philosophy, of all disciplines, should never embrace dogmas—it is supposed to be the quintessentially critical subject—and yet now we’re full to the brim with them. You cannot criticize or even question the current orthodoxies regarding race, gender, or sexual orientation within the institutional framework of academic philosophy.
Don’t Forget to Remove the Scaffolding
“In a way that will be familiar to any reader of analytic philosophy, and is only too familiar to all of us who perpetrate it, this style tries to remove in advance every conceivable misunderstanding or misinterpretation or objection, including those that would occur only to the malicious or the clinically literal-minded.” (more…)
JHP’s Best Book in the History of Philosophy Prize
Each year, the Journal of the History of Philosophy awards a prize for the best book published in the history of philosophy the previous year.
To φ Or Not To φ (Daily Nous Philosophy Comics)
Metaphysics And Its Discontents
“I think metaphysics is the real theory of everything: nothing is off its remit.” (more…)
Audio Books from Early Modern Texts
Early Modern Texts, which contains the texts of many classics of early modern philosophy, has begun producing audio books. (more…)
The Most Popular Philosophers in the “Absurdly Narrow Canon” of Philosophy
Which figures in the history of philosophy are philosophers today paying most attention to? In a recent editorial in the British Journal for the History of Philosophy (BJHP), editor Michael Beaney (KCL, Humboldt) surveys recent publications to identify what changes have taken place in who is popular among historians of philosophy, and what changes he thinks should b..
Philosophy Memes from Tomas Bogardus
Tomas Bogardus, associate professor of philosophy at Pepperdine University, handles the Instagram feed for the Pepperdine Philosophy Club, and he takes this role very seriously, creating pitch-perfect philosophy memes. (more…)
Israeli Philosophers Object To Deportation of African Refugees (updated w/ link to petition)
Over 70 Israeli philosophers have signed an open letter objecting to their government’s efforts to deport African refugees and migrants. (more…)
Failing Well and Challenging Authority
“But what I loved about philosophy, and what got me hooked in that intro course to begin with, was the sense that you could fail well. That you could think and think and think and never be assured of being right: that you could be good at philosophy and careful, indeed obsessive, and still end up being wrong.” (more…)
All-Night Philosophy Events At Over 120 Locations Worldwide Later This Month
Overnight “philosophy and ideas” events will be taking place all around the world later this month. (more…)
Mini-Heap
Looking for interesting stuff around the web, philosophers? Here’s the latest Mini-Heap—10 recent items from the Heap of Links, the frequently updated list of links to material elsewhere you might want to check out. (more…)
Giving the Horse A Thorough Dental Exam
T1: Johns Hopkins announces that its Department of Philosophy is receiving a $75 million gift from investor Bill Miller—the largest single donation ever to a philosophy department.
T2: Philosophers say, “This isn’t a good idea.” (more…)
The Evidence Supporting Pre-College Instruction in Philosophy
“A growing body of controlled and randomized research suggests that philosophical instruction in primary and secondary education positively impacts students’ subsequent cognitive development, sometimes for years after that instruction ceases.” (more…)
Virtual Dissertation Writing Groups
Joshua Smart (Oklahoma) is once again organizing virtual writing groups for those working on dissertations in philosophy. (more…)
Mind Chunks (Daily Nous Philosophy Comics)
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
Here’s the weekly report of what’s new at some useful online philosophy resources. (more…)
Johns Hopkins Philosophy To Receive $75 Million Gift
The Department of Philosophy at Johns Hopkins University will be receiving a $75 million gift from William H. “Bill” Miller III, an investor who was once a philosophy graduate student at the school. (more…)