October 2018
Halloween Costumes of Famous Philosophers
Happy Halloween! If well-known philosophers were to dress up for Halloween in what they’d think are scary costumes, what would their costumes be? (more…)
Mini-Heap
The latest Mini-Heap: (more…)
Chaospet
Martha Nussbaum Wins $1 Million Berggruen Prize
Martha Nussbaum, Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Philosophy and Law at the University of Chicago, is the winner of the 2018 Berggruen Prize. (more…)
Some Philosophers Are Leaving Twitter
Two philosophers with relatively popular Twitter accounts have quit using the social media service in recent days, both citing the mental tolls their engagement with other Twitter users has taken. (more…)
Mini-Heap
Here’s the latest Mini-Heap!
(Philosophy-related links for your consideration.) (more…)
Political Interference in Humanities Grants in Australia
The previous Australian Minister of Education, Senator Simon Birmingham, quietly vetoed Australian Research Council (ARC) funding recommendations over the past two years, denying 11 peer-reviewed humanities projects AU$4.2 million in funding, according to reports. (more…)
Demographic Diversity is Good for Philosophy
In light of some recent discussions here and elsewhere about demographic diversity in philosophy, I thought it might be helpful to set out one argument in favor of it that I haven’t seen made explicit. (more…)
An Objection Does Not A Rejection Make
“If philosophers are serious about improving the way their journals function, they need to consider not only how to improve the mechanics of the reviewing process, but also how to improve the way they criticize one another.”
What are good grounds for a journal referee suggesting a paper be rejected? Tim Crane (CEU) has some thoughts on that. (more…)
Mini-Heap
Philosophy-related links for your consideration, AKA Mini-Heap: (more…)
How Is Your Teaching Evaluated?
It seems that every few months a new study is published demonstrating some kind of problem with student evaluations of teaching. Recently I’ve seen one going around that confirms that students who had access to free chocolate cookies while being taught evaluated their teachers “significantly better” than the control group. (more…)
Ad Hoc
What Should Philosophers Teach in Quantitative Reasoning Courses? (guest post by Landon D.C. Elkind)
The following is a guest post* by Landon D.C. Elkind (University of Iowa) about the content of philosophy courses that satisfy general education requirements in quantitative or formal reasoning. It originally appeared on his blog. (more…)
$5.6 Million Grant to Philosophers Studying “Knowledge Resistance”
An interdisciplinary group of researchers headed by philosophers at Stockholm University has won a SEK 50,400,000 (approximately $5.6 million) grant from Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (the Swedish Foundation for Humanities and Social Sciences) for their project, “Knowledge Resistance: Causes, Consequences and Cures.” (more…)
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
Hello! Here’s the weekly report on new entries in online philosophical resources and new reviews of philosophy books. (more…)
Room for Uncertainty in Online Philosophical Communities
“Uncertainty, I once thought, is what philosophers do. Now I have doubts.” (more…)
A Reputational Survey of Philosophy Programs Plotted Against Program Placement Data
To what extent does getting one’s PhD in philosophy from a program that does well in a reputational survey increase one’s chances of finding a permanent academic position? (more…)
Teaching Gen Ed Students the Value of Philosophy (guest post by Andrew P. Mills)
Earlier this year, Andrew P. Mills , professor of philosophy and director of the Integrative Studies Program at Otterbein University, and president of the American Association of Philosophy Teachers,  conducted a survey about teaching non-philosophy majors and getting them to see the value of philosophy. (more…)
Mini-Heap
Here’s the latest Mini-Heap!
MIT Launches Billion Dollar Ethics-Oriented AI Initiative
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is establishing a new college focused on the development and “ethical application” artificial intelligence. (more…)
To φ Or Not To φ
Visualizing the Structure of Philosophy from the 1950s to Today
Maximilian Noichl has designed a beautiful visualization of philosophy from the 1950s to today.
Mini-Heap
Here’s the latest Mini-Heap! (more…)
Thinking As Complex as the World: an Obituary for Mary Midgley (guest post by Ian James Kidd)
The following is an obituary for philosopher Mary Midgley, who died last week, written by Ian James Kidd (Nottingham). It first appeared on the SWIP-UK website. (more…)
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
Happy Monday! Here’s the weekly report on new entries in online philosophical resources and new reviews of philosophy books. (more…)
Faculty Job Security & Academic Freedom
Seventy-three percent of faculty at institutions of higher education in the United States are neither tenured nor on the tenure-track, according to a new report from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP). (more…)
Philosophy Game Jam
What’s a game jam and what could it possibly have to do with philosophy? (more…)
Mary Midgley (1919-2018) (updated)
Mary Midgley, a well-known British moral philosopher, has died at age 99. (more…)