Mini-Heap

New links…

1. “Language is built up bit by bit, word by word, through slow, metaphoric accretion” — an appreciation of Susanne K. Langer’s oft-overlooked work on metaphor
2. “The fundamental loneliness into which we are born remains untouched, and the hunger for inner companionship remains unappeased” — Bertrand Russell, existentialist critic of hook-up culture?
3. “Maybe falling in love with A.I. and having A.I. yanked away will be how people learn to appreciate one another in the future” — Jaron Lanier has questions about what will happen when falling in love with AI is more common
4. Bioethicists on “the ongoing maelstrom in the U.S. government” — a periodically updated list of links to writings, interviews, etc.
5. “We do not wish to exclude academic specialists, but we do note at the outset that we are not particularly impressed by what they have accomplished so far” — The Hinternet, the online magazine founded & edited by Justin Smith-Ruiu, is running an essay contest on technology and peace, with a prize of $10,000. Winning essay will likely somehow cogently reference Tatar semiotics, The Feelies, nixtamalization, and the Fermi paradox
6. “Pigcasso was a pig in South Africa whose trainer taught her to paint on canvas… Were her paintings works of art?” — Shawn Simpson on whether animals can make art
7. New developments in the lush garden of bullshit — Jonathan Wilson argues that Cohen’s account is better than Frankfurt’s for measuring people’s receptivity to BS

Mini-Heap posts usually appear when 7 or so new items accumulate in the Heap of Links, a collection of items from around the web that may be of interest to philosophers. 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. Thank you.
Previous Edition