pgr
Ignored Editor Departs PGR, Raising Questions About Its Leadership & How to Best Guide Prospective Philosophy Grad Students (updated)
As mentioned in an update to last week’s post about the new edition of the Philosophical Gourmet Report (PGR), a ranking of the reputations of some PhD programs in philosophy, one of its editors, Berit (“Brit”) Brogaard (Miami), has announced that she is no longer associated with it. A statement made this evening by her and Carolyn Dicey Jennings (UC Merced) provide..
Questions & Suggestions for the New PGR Editors
Work for the next edition of the Philosophical Gourmet Report (PGR), a reputational ranking of doctoral programs in philosophy, is underway, with recent requests for updates to faculty lists. Since this edition of the PGR will be the first headed by its new editorial team—Berit Brogaard (Miami) and Christopher Pynes (Western Illinois)—it is a good time to seek i..
A Suggestion Regarding PGR Updates
The Philosophical Gourmet Report (PGR), a ranking of many philosophy PhD programs based on an opinion survey about the quality of their faculty, is currently collecting details on the lists of faculty to be evaluated. (more…)
What Do PGR Evaluators Need to Know?
I very much doubt that I would be able to provide anything like reliable judgments of philosophical quality based on the names of individuals in faculties, without spending an enormous amount of time reading people’s work. Although I’ve been in professional philosophy for nearly ten years, and have gained at least some familiarity with a large number of philosopher..
Leiter to Step Down from PGR / The New Consensus
Brian Leiter (Chicago) announced that he will be stepping down as editor of the Philosophical Gourmet Report (PGR), a highly influential reputational ranking of philosophy Ph.D. programs he created in 1989 while he was a graduate student, and which has been published on the Internet since 1996. The 2014-15 edition of the PGR will be officially co-edited by Leiter an..
Broader Effects of the PGR
The following is an excerpt from an email a well-known senior philosopher sent to his/her colleagues regarding visiting speakers: (more…)
Sheffield Will Not Cooperate with PGR
The Department of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield has made the following announcement: “Prospective postgraduates should note that the Department is not supplying updates and corrections to the 2014 Philosophy Gourmet Report, and should not assume that this report is based on accurate information.”
The PGR’s Technical Problems (updated)
Several recent posts here have discussed questions regarding the leadership of the Philosophical Gourmet Report (PGR), the best known ranking of philosophy graduate programs, with some discussion of what an alternative to the PGR might look like. In the meanwhile, discussions continue between the creator and current editor of the PGR, Brian Leiter (Chicago), and rep..
Nottingham Pulls Out of PGR (see 2nd Update from Nottingham)
The Department of Philosophy at the University of Nottingham has issued a statement asking to not be included in the Philosophical Gourmet Report while Brian Leiter has a leading or advisory role in it. Here is the statement:
We are concerned, as a department, about the recent behaviour of Professor Brian Leiter, editor of the Philosophical Gourmet Report, towa..
Thoughts on the PGR and the Recent Controversy (Guest Post by Alex Rosenberg)
Alex Rosenberg is the R. Taylor Cole Professor of Philosophy at Duke University. He is known for his work in philosophy of science, particularly philosophy of biology, as well as the philosophy of social science and metaphysics. In the following guest post* he discusses the current controversy regarding the Philosophical Gourmet Report, defending its accuracy, value..
Are We Less Rankings-Obsessed Than We Used To Be?
“Is there a way to reduce the obsession over rankings in our discipline?” (more…)
New Guide to Terminal MA Programs in Philosophy
What kind of advice can you offer students trying to figure out which terminal MA program in philosophy to apply to or attend? (more…)
Philosopher’s Annual – 2022 Edition
The new Philosopher’s Annual has been compiled.
Logic Courseware, Surveyed (guest post)
What materials exist for teaching large introductory logic courses, and how do they compare? (more…)
2023 QS Rankings in Philosophy
The 2023 “QS World University Rankings” have been published. These contain rankings by subject matter, including philosophy.
Doctoral Program Attrition (guest post)
“s it turns out, the rate of attrition from philosophy doctoral programs often exceeds 30 percent.” (more…)
The Development of Experimental Philosophy
A recent survey of publications in experimental philosophy provides a picture of the field’s growth and range. (more…)
Birkbeck Graduate Students on Proposed Cuts
As noted last month, the Department of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London and other units there are facing drastic cuts. The department’s graduate (post-graduate, or PGR) students have now written a letter to the administration objecting to the cuts. (more…)
Visualization of the Philosophical Gourmet Report
Frank Saunders, Jr. (Yonsei University Underwood International College, South Korea) has created interactive visualizations of information from the Philosophical Gourmet Report, a well-known, if controversial, reputational ranking of graduate programs in philosophy. (more…)
We’re Not Ready for the AI on the Horizon, But People Are Trying
Ongoing developments in artifical intelligence, particularly in AI linguistic communication, will affect various aspects of our lives in various ways. We can’t foresee all of the uses to which technologies such as large language models (LLMs) will be put, nor all of the consequences of their employment. But we can reasonably say the effects will be significant, and ..
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
The report on new and revised entries at online philosophy resources and new reviews of philosophy books… (more…)
2021 Philosopher’s Annual
Philosopher’s Annual has released its 41st volume, covering the literature from 2021. (more…)
Reputational Ranking of Philosophy PhD Programs Updated
The Philosophical Gourmet Report (PGR), a ranking of philosophy PhD programs in the “English-speaking world,” has been updated. (more…)
Comparing Three (No, Four) Top 20 Lists in Philosophy (guest post)
What, if anything, can be learned by comparing several different accounts of philosophers’ citation rankings and other indicators of disciplinary impact? (more…)
Philosopher’s Annual Volume 40 Released
Philosopher’s Annual, an attmpt to select the “best” articles published in philosophy each year—a task the editors admit is “as simple to state as it is admittedly impossible to fulfill”—has released its 40th volume, covering literature from 2020. (more…)
OUP’s Prestige Monopoly (guest post)
Oxford University Press (OUP) has an excellent reputation in philosophy and publishes a lot of philosophy books. That seems like a good thing, but are there reasons to be concerned by the publisher’s disciplinary dominance? (more…)
Philosophy Threatened at Baker University
The administration of Baker University in Kansas has decided that in order to address the financial difficulties it is facing owing to the pandemic, its students should no longer be able to major in philosophy. (more…)
Philosophers On the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election
Joseph Biden has defeated Donald Trump in the 2020 U.S. Presidential election. Trump’s 2016 victory was shocking to many, and his administration has been a remarkably continuous assault on normal expectations for presidential leadership, competence, responsibility, and humanity. (more…)