Links of interest…

- A daily logic puzzle — called “Clues for Sam” (via MeFi)
- “One critique of consent… is that it is too permissive—that it ignores how coercion or delusion may result in the illusion of agreement. But another critique is that it’s too restrictive and punitive. Decades of reform laws have expanded the number of situations legally considered to be rape” — consent, agency, and the ethics of sex
- “If you get enough info on the easy problems, maybe some idea will happen with regard to the hard problem. But I think there’s no doubt that if we are to solve the hard problem, it will take some real breakthrough” — Ned Block and Sean Carroll talk about consciousness
- A “brilliant drama about a teacher in prison is moving, gripping and almost painfully vulnerable” — “A Life Inside” is the BBC’s new television show based on Andy West’s memoir of teaching philosophy in prison
- “What is so important that you risk being eaten, not eating yourself, procreation… you give all that up, for this?” — we still don’t know why we sleep
- Good Is In The Details — a public philosophy podcast from Gwendolyn Dolske & Rudy Salo
- “Narrative’s built-in demand for coherence makes it an appealing model for understanding a wide range of things” — but in our cultural moment it seems to have “ceded ground to mood, character, identity, and game-like structures,” says Hannah Kim
Mini-Heap posts usually appear when several 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.


Hi Justin, just to let you know that the wrong link seems to have been put in for the Block/Carroll discussion. I guess this is the one it should be?
339 | Ned Block on Whether Consciousness Requires Biology – Sean Carroll
Thanks, Brian! I just fixed the link.
Jason Stanley, “I left Trump’s America last year to teach in Canada. I didn’t expect this from Canadians” (Jan 9, 2026). It’s partly on why Canadians shouldn’t attend US universities. https://www.thestar.com/opinion/contributors/i-left-trumps-america-last-year-to-teach-in-canada-i-didnt-expect-this-from/article_5ffdcabb-099a-41b2-a34a-e151a773667f.html