Hubert Dreyfus (1929-2017)
Hubert Dreyfus, a renowned philosopher and a professor of philosophy at UC Berkeley for almost 50 years, died early Saturday morning. He was 87 years old.
Mini-Heap
Mini-Heap: recent items from the Heap of Links, collected in groups of 10, here for your perusal and discussion.
If you have suggestions for the Heap of Links, send ’em in. (more…)
An “Open Textbook” for Introduction to Philosophy (guest post by Christina Hendricks)
The following is a guest post* by Christina Hendricks, Professor of Teaching in the Department of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia, about creating an “open textbook” for introductory courses in philosophy. It originally appeared on her blog, You’re The Teacher.
Errol Morris vs. Thomas Kuhn
The latest episode of the consistently fascinating Hi-Phi Nation, “The Ashes of Truth” is about looking back at one’s earlier choices and thinking of what could have been had you made different ones. Among those interviewed for the episode is acclaimed filmmaker Errol Morris, and he has some interesting things to say about Thomas Kuhn. (more…)
Nominations Open For $1 Million Prize, Now Not Just For Philosophers
The Berggruen Institute has begun soliciting nominations for the second winner of its $1 million “Berggruen Prize.” The inaugural winner was Charles Taylor. Who should win it this time around? (more…)
Is Philosophy Really The 89th Most Popular Major? Update: No
A site called Match College lists philosophy as the 89th most popular major. It comes in just after “Baking and Pastry” and “Respiratory Therapy,” which is perfect, because if true I will need to take some deep breaths and console myself with a piece of cake. (more…)
Philosopher as Executive Consultant
To the list of nonacademic career possibilities for a person with a PhD in philosophy, add “Chief Philosophy Officer”—a kind of philosophical counselor for business executives. (more…)
New Public Philosophy Podcast: The Owl
The Owl is a new public philosophy podcast from the Brooklyn Public Philosophers (BKPP). Ian Olasov, a philosophy graduate student at CUNY who coordinates events for BKPP, writes: (more…)
Chaospet (Daily Nous Philosophy Comics)
Diversity in Philosophy: The Compass Workshops (guest post by Sukaina Hirji)
The following is a guest post* by Sukaina Hirji, assistant professor of philosophy at Virginia Tech, about the Compass Workshops. The workshops “provide undergraduates from underrepresented groups a chance to meet each other, and to explore various sub-disciplines within philosophy, in a relaxed and supportive environment.” (more…)
Philosophy Classroom Poster Sessions
Nick Byrd, a PhD student in philosophy at Florida State University, has posted about the classroom poster session that students in Marcela Herdova‘s Free Will & Science course recently took part in. He says that it “was one of the most enriching classroom experiences I’ve ever witnessed.” (more…)
Taking Public Philosophy Seriously (guest post by Adam Hosein)
The following is a guest post* by Adam Hosein, associate professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado. A version of this post initially appeared at Philosopher, a site at which philosophers are invited to describe their work. Thanks to Meena Krishnamurthy, assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Michigan and editor of Philosopher, for permiss..
Mini-Heap
Mini-Heap: recent items from the Heap of Links, collected in groups of 10, here for your perusal and discussion…
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
Forthwith, our weekly report on what’s new at several online philosophy resources. We currently check the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP), Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP), Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (NDPR), Wi-Phi, and 1000-Word Philosophy for updates. (more…)
APA Pacific Open Thread
Here’s an open thread for discussion of the Pacific Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association (APA), currently taking place in Seattle.
New Philosophy Journal Survey Project
The Blog of the APA is launching a new project to collect and share data on the experiences philosophers have had with academic journals, including information about each journal’s “average review time, time to publication, acceptance rates, comments per submission” and related qualities. (more…)
Quitting A Safe Job To Pursue A Career In Philosophy (Ought Experiment)
Welcome back to Ought Experiment, the column by Dear Ida that offers personal advice for your academic life. Today’s letter is from someone considering pursuing a career in academic philosophy. (more…)
Don’t Turn It Off (guest post by Danielle Wenner)
The following is a guest post* by Danielle Wenner, assistant professor of philosophy at Carnegie Mellon University. It’s a response to Monday’s post, “When To Turn It Off.” (more…)
Josh Parsons (1973-2017)
Josh Parsons, our beloved friend, mentor, and role-model, died on April 11, 2017. He was 44. Our thoughts are with his family, and most especially with his wife, Hannah Burgess. (more…)
Most Philosophers Favor Efforts To Broaden The Discipline
Last year, Valerie Tiberius, professor of philosophy at the University of Minnesota, conducted what she called “The Value of Philosophy Survey.” Over 2,500 philosophers responded to the survey, which asked 24 questions, and in her Presidential Address at the Central Division meeting of the American Philosophical Association (APA) last month, Professor Tiberius discu..
To φ Or Not To φ (Daily Nous Philosophy Comics)
To φ Or Not To φ
by Tanya Kostochka
Mini-Heap
Mini-Heap: the last 10 11 items from the Heap of Links, collected here for your perusal and discussion… (more…)
New Faculty Salary Data
The 2016-17 edition of the American Association of University Professors’ Annual Report on the Economic Status of the Profession has been released. It provides a wealth of information about faculty salaries in the United States. (more…)
Should We Stop Interviewing Job Candidates?
Recent research suggests that job interviews not only provide potential employers with irrelevant information, but actually “undercut… the impact of other, more valuable information about interviewees,” according to Jason Dana (Yale), in a recent column in The New York Times. How, if at all, should the hiring of philosophers be affected by these findings? (more…)..
UC Berkeley Knew Of Prior Complaints About Searle
John Searle, emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, was the subject of at least three sexual misconduct claims filed by Berkeley students in recent years, prior to the filing of the current sexual harassment lawsuit against him and the Regents of the University of California, according to a report by Katie J.M. Baker at Buzzfeed…
Anti-Abortion Philosophy Lecturer Fired
Stéphane Mercier, the visiting assistant professor of philosophy at the Université Catholique de Louvain in Belgium whose courses were suspended recently because of a lecture he gave in which he argued against a right to abortion, has been fired. (more…)
When To Turn It Off
Here’s a… hypothesis for why many habits of philosophical thinking might not come naturally. The hypothesis is that some tools for critical evaluation run counter to another valuable set of tools: our tools for effective social engagement. These tools help us make sense of what someone is saying by encouraging us to interpret underspecified claims in the most posi..
Philosophy Instructor Reportedly Abducted
Önder Asan, a philosophy instructor from Ankara, Turkey, was reportedly abducted there on April 1st. Asan had worked at one of the educational institutions* closed down by the Turkish government following the attempted military coup there last July. (more…)