sexual harassment
APA Code of Conduct Interim Report (updated)
The American Philosophical Association’s Code of Conduct Task Force submitted an interim report to the APA’s Board of Officers, and the report was approved by the Board at its recent meeting. The primary agenda item of the task force to date had been the consideration of whether to create a code of conduct, and the task force did conclude that such a code was needed..
Sit-in At Northwestern Re: Ludlow Suit (updated)
A group of graduate and undergraduate students at Northwestern University, including members of the department of philosophy, are planning a sit-in for tomorrow at the office of university president Morton Schapiro to protest the university’s decision to mediate its lawsuit with Peter Ludlow (previously), rather than continue with it in court. The university is only..
Panel Set for Barnett’s Hearing
An article in the Daily Camera reports on the composition of the faculty panel who will meet on December 4th and 5th to hear the University of Colorado’s case for firing associate professor of philosophy David Barnett (previously). The panel includes six faculty from the University of Colorado, none of whom are from the philosophy department. From the article:
Ac..
Open Letter from the Northwestern Philosophy Graduate Students (Guest Post)
In June it was reported that Peter Ludlow was suing officials, a professor, and a graduate student at Northwestern University for defamation, gender discrimination and invasion of privacy. The following guest post* is an open letter to the philosophical community adopted by the Northwestern University Philosophy Graduate Students by way of a vote.
Open Letter from..
Colorado’s Troubles in The Chronicle (several updates)
Today’s Chronicle of Higher Education has a long article (may be paywalled) on the University of Colorado Department of Philosophy’s issues with sexual misconduct and climate for women, with remarks from people inside and outside the department.
They wanted to help solve their field’s longstanding problems over the treatment of women and find ways to improve the ..
Two Ways to Help Victims (Guest Post by Jennifer Lackey)
Jennifer Lackey is professor of philosophy at Northwestern University. She works mostly in epistemology, with an emphasis on social epistemology. She is the author of Learning from Words: Testimony as a Source of Knowledge (OUP), has edited collections on the epistemology of testimony and disagreement, and has written very many articles on these and other topics. In..
Colorado Faculty in “Fear” of Administration?
A group of faculty members believes the University of Colorado administration has created a sense of fear on the Boulder campus with recent cases in the sociology and philosophy departments. The five-person faculty affairs committee within the Boulder Faculty Assembly condemned the university administration for its handling of cases involving now-retired sociology p..
Hiring and “Unofficial” Information
The recent story about East Carolina’s offer to Colin McGinn has generated a variety of reactions, some of which concern what kinds of information it’s permissible for academic employers to take into account in deciding whether to make someone an offer. Of particular concern here is the status of information about a candidate’s past behavior that could be categorize..
McGinn Offered Visiting Professorship
Colin McGinn, who left the University of Miami last year amid allegations of sexual harassment, was recently offered a one-year Distinguished Visiting Professorship in the Department of Philosophy at East Carolina University. Apparently, the faculty in the department were in favor of the offer, however, the vice-chancellor of the university has interfered with the a..
“What’s a well-intentioned single guy to do?”
Feminist Philosophers has posted an anonymous “open letter” about sexual harassment in philosophy. Part 1 of the letter lists “34 things NOT to say in response to complaints about sexual harassment in philosophy.” Part 2Â provides some elaboration and explanation of the list, including what seems to be a central point: “Countering complaints about sexual harassment b..
Ludlow Sues Northwestern
Peter Ludlow, who had been accused of sexual misconduct with an undergraduate at Northwestern University (previously) is suing the university and some of its officials for defamation, gender discrimination, and invasion of privacy. The suit also mentions a relationship Ludlow had with a philosophy graduate student.
The University acted “with malice and with reckless..
Heap of Links
1. Jeff Sebo talks about moral status while drawing very fast. And well. Hmmm, maybe he isn’t the one drawing.
2. If privacy is dead, perhaps we should be seeking some obscurity instead? (And here’s an article by the same authors in Wired.)
3. Jesse Prinz, who got his PhD at the University of Chicago, is profiled in the university’s magazine. Relatedly, here is a sh..
Student Files Complaint Against University of Miami
The female student who last year accused Colin McGinn of sexual harassment has now filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against the University of Miami. Details here.
Concrete Suggestions for Breaking the Silence
There has been quite a bit of talk lately regarding speaking out about problems in the profession. This prompted one reader to send in the following request:
I would appreciate a post that invites suggestions, concrete suggestions, about how a woman who has been sexually assaulted or harassed might actually speak out. This includes women who have been harassed/assau..
Saying Something if You See Something
Carrie Ichikawa Jenkins has some cautiously encouraging words for junior faculty who have “things to say” about our profession. She knows you are quite possibly nervous, and not unreasonably worried about professional harm, yet:
Philosophers, even senior philosophers, are very far from being a unified bunch with respect to their opinions on current issues in the pro..
BGSU Threatens Whistleblower Philosopher’s Job
Christian Coons, associate professor of philosophy at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), is facing disciplinary proceedings that could lead to his termination for a series of events that began with him raising questions about how a job search was conducted, continued with him voicing concerns about the lack of evidence being considered in an investigation of his..
Kershnar Cycle Reactivated (several updates)
Every few years, it seems, someone new will learn of the work of philosopher Stephen Kershnar (SUNY Fredonia), share their shock, amusement, or outrage about it on social media, and cause a brief spike in amazed, angry, or humorous commentary about it. Then people move on and tend to forget about it… until someone new learns of it and just has to share it. Call it..
Philosophers Among New ACLS Fellows
Four philosophers have been awarded fellowships from the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS). (more…)
Philosophy Professor Fired After Posting Song on YouTube
James Spiegel, a professor of philosophy at Taylor University, a Christian liberal arts college in Indiana, was fired from his position after posting a video to YouTube of him performing one of his songs, “Little Hitler,” sharing it on Facebook, and refusing to take it down when asked to do so by the college administration. (more…)
Curry on George Floyd and the “Fake Outrage” of Academic Philosophy
“The fake outrage of academic philosophy amazes me.” (more…)
Did a Story about a Computer Made of Humans Scoop Searle’s “Chinese Room” by 20 Years?
A story called “The Game” by Anatoly Petrovich Mickevich (writing under the pseudonym A. Dneprov), published in 1961, tells the story of a fictional event in which people who don’t individually understand Portuguese are successfully arranged into a “computer” that translates a sentence from Portuguese. (more…)
Mini-Heap
A new Mini-Heap… (more…)
Mini-Heap
Happy Friday, everyone! Here’s the latest Mini-Heap: 10 11 recent items of interest to philosophers (and others interested in philosophy) from the Daily Nous Heap of Links. (more…)
The Denigration of Black Women Philosophers and “Fields People of Color Specialize In”
Anita L. Allen, the Henry R. Silverman Professor of Law, professor of philosophy, and vice provost of faculty at the University of Pennsylvania, and the next president of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association, speaks about her experiences as a black woman philosopher in an interview in The New York Times. (more…)
2016 Philosophy News in Review, Part 2
Here’s part two of our look back at the philosophy profession’s more widely discussed news, issues, and events of 2016. (Here’s part one.) Only a few items from each month are mentioned, so if you think an important one is missing, feel free to draw attention to it in the comments. (more…)
2016 Philosophy News in Review, Part 1
What were the news stories, events, and issues that occupied the philosophy profession in 2016? Here’s part one of a month-by-month look at some of the more popular and interesting posts here at Daily Nous over the past year. (more…)
The Anti-Authoritarian Academic Code of Conduct (updated)
People are wondering how authoritarian the United States government will become under a Trump administration. There’s no way to know for sure. Perhaps the answer is: no more than it already is. Or perhaps Trump, who seems to be some combination of much less knowledgeable of and much less respectful of the limits of executive power than any previous U.S. president (e..
Philosophers On “Irrational Man”
Irrational Man is a current movie about a despondent philosophy professor who moves to a small-town college, his relationships with a student and a fellow professor, and his commission of what the film’s press materials describe as “an existential act” which allows him to “find the will to live.” It is one of the few depictions in recent mainstream films of a philos..