What’s the Point of Philosophy (as an academic discipline)? Building a Poll
I’m curious about what academic philosophers take to be the point of academic philosophy. Just a little question, that’s all. (more…)
Philosophy Departments Under Threat: Information, Pro-Active Strategies, Defense
Many philosophy departments and programs have been targeted for cuts or elimination over the past several years, and many currently are undergoing reviews by administrators looking to make budget cuts or other changes that may end up negatively affecting philosophy departments. (more…)
New: Feminist Philosophy Archive Directory
A new online directory has been created “to make the archives of feminist philosophers, journals, and organizations easy to find.” (more…)
How Do You Teach About Free Speech and Academic Freedom?
If I wanted to plan a newsworthy cancellation, I’d invite Robert George to a small liberal arts college to talk about the value of free speech. (more…)
Defending Ethics as a Required Part of the Curriculum
A philosophy department that teaches courses that satisfy a university-wide ethics requirement now finds itself in the position of having to defend that requirement. (more…)
Mind Chunks
Letting Different Kinds of Philosophy Be Their Own Thing
Last week, Harvey Lederman (UT Austin) delivered some remarks at Academia Sinica on what he referred to as “the path forward for Chinese philosophy.” (more…)
Paul Woodruff (1943-2023)
Paul Woodruff, professor emeritus of philosophy at the University of Texas, Austin, has died. (more…)
Mini-Heap
Recent links of interest to those interested in philosophy… (more…)
Percentage of Women Philosophy Majors Has Risen Sharply Since 2016 — Why? Or: The 2017 Knuckle (guest post)
What explains the recent sharp increase in women philosophy majors? (more…)
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
The weekly report on new and revised entries at online philosophy resources and new reviews of philosophy books… (more…)
The Study of Consciousness, Accusations of Pseudoscience, and Bad Publicity
Earlier this week, a letter signed by over 100 researchers, including several philosophers, was published online, calling a popular theory of consciousness, integrated information theory (IIT), “pseudoscience.” (more…)
Philosophy at SUNY Potsdam Threatened (Again)
The president of SUNY Potsdam, Suzanne Smith, announced earlier this week a plan to eliminate 14 degree programs at the university, including philosophy, and cut an as-of-yet-unknown number of faculty. (more…)
Is Someone Selling Your Dissertation Without Your Permission?
A lecturer in philosophy at a UK university discovered that a company has been selling his recent dissertation as a book online through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, and Blackwell’s, complete with a cover.
ACU, Despite Citing University Finances as Reason for Cuts to Dianoia, Funds New Hires and Centers
Australian Catholic University (ACU) recently announced a plan that involves closing its Dianoia Institute of Philosophy and making 14 of its existing faculty compete through a re-application process for only 4 positions, as well as cutting faculty in history, political science, theology, and religious studies. (more…)
Not-Very-Mini-Heap & The Subscription Problem
I didn’t publish any “Mini-Heap” posts over the summer for two reasons.
Areas of Specialization in Philosophy — Data from 2022-23 (guest post)
What areas of specialization (AOS) are philosophy departments hiring in? (more…)
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
The weekly report on new and revised entries at online philosophy resources and new reviews of philosophy books… (more…)
ACU Proposes Closing Dianoia Institute (multiple updates)
Australian Catholic University is apparently considering eliminating its Dianoia Institute of Philosophy (DIP), which it created in 2019 with hopes to “achieve a world-leading position for philosophical research in the analytic tradition.” (more…)
Petition to Save Philosophy & other Humanities at ACU
As reported earlier this week, Australian Catholic University is currently planning to shutter its philosophical research center, the Dianoia Institute, and eliminate or make cuts to other humanities programs. (more…)
An Unusual Ad for an Unusual Philosophy Job (updated)
Are you interested in philosophy, gardens, and profit? If so—and if you don’t think Plato is a better philosopher than Aristotle—then read on for details about an exciting opportunity .
Writing a Good Diversity Statement for Academic Philosophy Jobs
Some hiring universities and departments ask applicants to philosophy faculty positions for diversity statements.
What does a good diversity statement for an academic philosophy job look like? (more…)
The Philosophy Garden (guest post)
A group of philosophers at the University of Birmingham have a new project: The Philosophy Garden. (more…)
Philosophical Groups and Societies
There are a lot of academic philosophy groups and philosophical organizations. But we don’t know about all of them.
Philosopher’s Annual – 2022 Edition
The new Philosopher’s Annual has been compiled.
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
The weekly report on new and revised entries at online philosophy resources and new reviews of philosophy books… (more…)
New Data on the Employment of Philosophy PhDs (guest post)
As noted in yesterday’s post, Academic Philosophy & Data Analysis (APDA) has completed its data gathering for nearly 150 philosophy PhD programs, with a new data dashboard capturing nearly 6,000 philosophy PhD graduates between 2013 and 2023. (more…)
Immoral Moral Philosophers
In a recent post at The Splintered Mind, Eric Schwitzgebel (UC Riverside) asks whether it matters “if ethicists walk the walk.” (more…)