October 2019
Philosophers’ Scary Nicknames: A Halloween Game
Happy Halloween, philosofriends! To celebrate, I thought we could come up with scary nicknames for well-known philosophers. But there are some rules on how to do it… (more…)
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How Philosophy Fits Into Your School’s Gen Ed Requirements
What role do philosophy courses play in the general education requirements of your college or university? (more…)
Mind Chunks
University of Saint Francis Plans to Cut Philosophy Major
The Board of Trustees of the University of Saint Francis, a Catholic liberal arts college in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has approved plans that would discontinue several of its academic programs, including its philosophy major. (more…)
Edinburgh Hired Eight Philosophers This Year
The University of Edinburgh hired eight (!) philosophers this year. (more…)
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The latest from the Heap of Links…
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
Here’s the weekly report on new entries in online philosophical resources and new reviews of philosophy books. (more…)
Common Sense and Philosophical Method
What’s the relationship between common sense and philosophy?
Philosophy and Skiing
World Philosophy Day Is November 21
This is just a heads-up that World Philosophy Day this year falls on Thursday, November 21st. (more…)
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Wilson from LaTrobe to Western Australia
Rob Wilson, currently professor of philosophy at LaTrobe University in Melbourne, will be taking up the position of professor of philosophy at the University of Western Australia (UWA).
Berggruen Prize Awarded to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
The 2019 Berggruen Prize has been awarded to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This is the first time the award, established in 2016, has been bestowed on someone who is not an academic philosopher. (more…)
A Flowchart of Philosophical Novels and Stories
Ben Roth, a philosopher who teaches in the Harvard College Writing Program, has put together a kind of flowchart recommending philosophical novels and stories. (more…)
Michael Detlefsen (1948-2019)
Michael (“Mic”) Detlefsen, the McMahon-Hank Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, has died. (more…)
Ad Hoc
New: Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness
The International Journal of Machine Consciousness, which ceased publication in 2014, is being reborn as the Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness. (more…)
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The latest Mini-Heap…
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
Here’s the weekly report on new entries in online philosophical resources and new reviews of philosophy books. (more…)
Learning, Without Illusions, From A Nazi Philosopher
I do take seriously Heidegger’s claim that some of his key philosophical ideas provided the basis for his political commitments. I have tried to understand how he might have conceived of those connections and to trace some of his efforts to develop those lines of thought. I don’t think that this renders his philosophy irredeemable but neither do I think that one can..
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Mini-Heap: recently added philosophy-related reads… (more…)
Rom Harré (1927-2019)
Rom Harré, a wide-ranging thinker whose academic career included over 30 years as part of the philosophy faculty at Oxford University, followed by over 20 as part of the psychology faculty at Georgetown University, and a great many visiting appointments around the world, has died.
Triumphantly Breaking Free from Academic Philosophy, But Still…
In 2015 I received the National Humanities Medal at a ceremony at the White House. President Obama himself put the medal around my neck, and the rumor was that he made the final choice. In the speech he gave before awarding all the medals, in addition to citing my work on Gödel and Spinoza and Plato, he spoke of me as the philosopher who sometimes chooses to write n..
Women and the “Philosophical Personality” (guest post by Christina Easton)
“Research suggests that there is a cognitive task on which philosophers tend to perform better than non-philosophers and men tend to perform better than women.” Does this explain the gender gap in philosophy? (more…)
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Input Sought on New Questions for Upcoming PhilPapers Survey of Philosophers
A draft of the follow-up to the 2009 Philpapers survey of philosophical positions held by academic philosophers on various topics includes about 70 new questions. (more…)
Which Video Games for Which Philosophical Lessons?
It’s not unusual to solicit books, movies, and television shows that might be particularly useful for teaching about certain philosophical problems. What about video games? (more…)