April Fools
TagMy Philosophy of Barbecue
You’ve heard me say “philosophers are people, too.” But philosophers are barbecuers, too, and the day has come to tell you all about my philosophy of barbecue. (more…)
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Links of the day… (more…)
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Weekend Mini-Heap… (more…)
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Yet more for the Heap… (more…)
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Yet another Mini-Heap! (more…)
Hilary Putnam Donates Brain To Harvard
I was going to make an April Fool’s post titled “Putnam Changes Mind About Dying” but sometimes the news gets in the way of a good joke. According to a report from The Boston Globe, the will of Hilary Putnam, who died last month, included the provision that his brain be donated to Harvard University and displayed in a large glass container on the second floor of Eme..
Lack of Philosophical Progress Owed to Procrastination, Study Hopes to Find
Historians of philosophy and experimental philosophers have teamed up to determine why there has been so little progress in philosophy. “Socrates asked ‘what is the nature of the good life?’ a couple of thousand years ago,” says Jeffrey McDonough (Harvard), “and now, in 2015, my department is stuffed full of people still—supposedly—working on this question and o..
News Scrunchie (Daily Mousse)
1. L. A. Paul has a new article on the lack of rationality involved in hairstyle choices called, “What You Can’t Expect When You’re Expecting To Have Your Life Totally Transformed By a Kicky New Look.”
2. Presence of bald man in first row has rest of audience absolutely riveted during APA session on vagueness.
3. Derek Parfit grows out “mad bangs” to test self..
Martha Nussbaum Cuts Her Own Hair (Daily Mousse)
With a remark that was at once completely unexpected yet in retrospect totally unsurprising, Martha Nussbaum, in the middle of a talk at the World Bank about how Greek tragedy can inform our understanding of same-sex marriage policy in India, revealed that she is her own hair stylist and gives herself regular haircuts. The highly accomplished, glamorous, and toned 6..
Trolley Problem Solved (Daily Mousse)
After years combing through the details and knotty issues of the Trolley Problem, Judith Jarvis Thomson has come up with what she says is a novel solution. In a new article appearing in the journal Capillus, she first irons out what the problem is:
A trolley is speeding down the track towards five people who are stuck to it and will be killed if the trolley hits th..
Searle Awarded Lifetime Achievement Hat (Daily Mousse)
John Searle was recently bestowed with a lifetime achievement hat by SCALP (Skull Covering Association for Lively Philosophers). SCALP, one of the oldest philosophical societies, is known for its unusual choices, and it lived up to its reputation this time with its selection of a deerstalker, which Searle is sporting in this photo. Previous awards include a shower c..
Objections Raised to Chalmers’ Haircut (Daily Mousse)
A recent conference at Paul Mitchell University took as its focus some new work on philosophers of mind. Dominating the event were several sessions on David Chalmers’ new haircut (‘before’ photo here). A panel on Chalmers and other rockstars favorably compared his transformation with those of David Lee Roth and Jon Bon Jovi. However, there was also some criticism. “..
From Nous to Mousse
A recent argument from David Killoren (Coastal Carolina) has convinced me to shift the direction of the blog. He writes:
Case 1: You’re looking at the Daily Nous banner logo. Case 2: You’re looking at a hair salon’s logo circa 1986. How can you distinguish these experiences? A skeptical problem.
I have tangled privately with this for some time, but now it is time ..