November 2021
Mind Chunks
Having a Say in What You Believe and Finding “New Ways of Being”
One way philosophy professors try to interest new students in philosophy is by appealling to the idea that philosophy can help them be more independent thinkers, to take control over or responsibility for their own thoughts, to have more of a say in what they believe. (more…)
“Very often, corralling is not an option in philosophy”
That’s philosopher Frank Jackson (ANU), in a recent interview published in The Undergraduate Philosophy Journal of Australasia. (more…)
Amsterdam Synagogue Declares Spinoza Scholar “Persona Non Grata” (updated)
Yitzhak Melamed, professor of philosophy at Johns Hopkins University, has been declared a “persona non grata” by a rabbi of the Portuguese Jewish Synagogue of Amsterdam, following a request to record footage at the synagogue for a project on Baruch Spinoza. (more…)
Citation Rankings of Philosophers Based on Scopus Data (updated)
A database of information regarding citations of researchers has been updated, and now includes information about the citation rates of researchers, including philosophers. (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…)
Bernard Rollin (1943-2021)
Bernard “Bernie” Elliot Rollin, professor emeritus of philosophy, animal sciences, and biomedical sciences at Colorado State University, has died. (more…)
Mini-Heap
New additions to the Heap of Links… (more…)
Philosophers On How the Pandemic Has Changed Us
In this group post, philosophers reflect on how the pandemic has transformed higher education, our everyday lives and practices, and ourselves.
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Sanders Foundation Announces New “Philosophy in the Media” Fellows
The Marc Sanders Foundation has announced the inaugural class of fellows in its recently launched “Philosophy in the Media” program. (more…)
New: Journal of Spinoza Studies
The Journal of Spinoza Studies (JSS) is a new, online, open-access, peer-reviewed journal that “aims to publish original, innovative scholarly work on any aspect of Spinoza’s thought or its reception, and is committed to promoting a lively exchange of ideas among scholars working in different intellectual and philosophical traditions.” (more…)
Ad Hoc
In Defense of the Details (guest post)
Are today’s younger philosophers “focusing too much on detailed investigations of individual things and not enough on the big picture”? (more…)
Mini-Heap
Links of interest to those interested in philosophy… (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…)
How Much Do Philosophy Professors Grade?
A professor at a liberal arts college writes in because she has seen signs of confusion in her department about “what is manageable or expected” in the number and kind of assignments students have to complete in a course “when the professor does the grading.” (more…)
Mini-Heap
New additions to the Heap of Links… (more…)
World Philosophy Day & the Growth of Philosophy
Today is World Philosophy Day, a day designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to celebrate “the enduring value of philosophy for the development of human thought, for each culture and for each individual.” (more…)
Save Philosophy at Bloomsburg
“In its desperate need to scapegoat something other than its own misadventures overbuilding, over-spending on everything but education… BU finds itself unable to fulfill its central mission: educational opportunity across that wide swath of disciplines that define a university.” (more…)
Qiu Lin Wins 2021 Aristotle Prize
The Metaphysical Society of America (MSA) has awarded its 2021 Aristotle Prize to Qiu Lin, philosophy Ph.D candidate at Duke University. The theme of this year’s prize is Metaphysical Traditions in Dialogue. (more…)
Women in Philosophy: Recent Reports (updated)
Two studies have recently been conducted on the status of women in the philosophy profession, with one published by the British Philosophical Association (BPA) and the Society For Women In Philosophy (SWIP), and the other described in a post at the Canadian Philosophical Association (CPA) site. (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…)
Gilbert Harman (1938-2021)
Gilbert (Gil) Harman, professor emeritus of philosophy at Princeton University, has died. (more…)
Immanuel Kant’s Critical Race Theory
Immanuel Kant is in the news today following the discovery that he basically invented critical race theory. (more…)
What You Like About Your Philosophy Department
Sometimes you need to remember the good things in life, including your professional life. (more…)
Mini-Heap
The latest links… (more…)
How Philosophers Respond to Objections
Michael Cholbi, professor of philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, has put together a useful handout for students and others interested in philosophy about the different ways philosophers respond to objections. (more…)
How Military Veterans Contribute to Academic Philosophy (guest post)
Before becoming a philosopher, Descartes studied and then taught military engineering as a soldier. Wittgenstein penned the Tractatus as an artilleryman in World War I and sent out his manuscript while confined at a prisoner of war camp in Italy. Quine was a codebreaker during World War II, while Davidson trained spotters to distinguish Allied planes from Axis plane..