Recent philosophy-related links…

1. “Santa Claus is an old overweight man, and most likely has type 2 diabetes. Each of these factors put him in a high-risk group.” — one of several factors considered by Alberto Giubilini (Oxford) in thinking about how Santa should approach his job this coming holiday season
2. “The weird complexity and variability of smell now turn out vital to understanding the brain” — Ann-Sophie Barwich (Indiana) on the richness, complexity, and fruitfulness of the study of olfaction
3. Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett says she is an “originalist”; is this a defensible form of jurisprudence? — Randy Barnett and Evan Bernick (Georgetown) present an informative “unified theory of originalism”
4. An unusual philosophy club — the El Paso Community College Philosophy Club’s demographics, interdisciplinarity, welcoming environment, and high level of activity set it apart
5. “This result dissolves the Fermi paradox” — a 2018 paper argues that the Fermi paradox only arises because the model it’s based on “implictly assume[s] certainty regarding highly uncertain parameters”
6. A mind-reading philosophy professor takes his shows online — Alexander George (Amherst) has refashioned his mentalist performances for Zoom
7. 38% of survey respondents at least sometimes “thought about or researched further the ethical aspects of a choice” in their lives — according to a survey of engagement with humanities by people in the U.S. while at home during the pandemic (via Robert B. Townsend)

Mini-Heap posts appear when 7 or so new items accumulate in the Heap of Links, the ever-growing collection of items from around the web that may be of interest to philosophers. Discussion welcome.

The Heap of Links consists partly of suggestions from readers; if you find something online that you think would be of interest to the philosophical community, please send it in for consideration for the Heap. Thanks!