Most Philosophical 3rd Grader
Aarti Sabharwal of Virginia was recently named the “Most Philosophical Third Grader in America” as a result of her entry in the national 2014 Kids Philosophy Slam contest. This contest is news to me. From the contest website:
The Kids Philosophy Slam is designed to make philosophy accessible and fun for kids of all ages and abilities, to promote a philosophical d..
Moral Injury
These issues have sparked a relatively new area of research among military ethicists known as “moral injury.” It emerges from experiences when “you apply your judgment of right and wrong to an experience and find that your expectations of ‘what is right’ clash jarringly with reality,”
The story of prisoner of war Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who was exchanged for five ..
Heap of Links
1. Matthew Burstein has a blog, thought.o.matt, on “academia, media, philosophy, social institutions, teaching, and technology.” Included among the posts are his annotated syllabi for courses on queer theory, philosophy and film, and the moral dimensions of power.
2. Some updates on that class photo of Wittgenstein and Hitler (scroll down).
3. Chimps perform more ra..
Academic Publisher Tries to Silence Debate on Academic Publishing
An article in Times Higher Education reports that the editorial board of the journal of Prometheus: Critical Studies in Innovation, has threatened to resign. Why? The journal’s publisher, Taylor & Francis, delayed the publication of a special issue of Prometheus on the topic of academic publishing and profits and made changes to the issue’s articles, including remov..
The Philosophy of Jerks / Jerk Moves in Philosophy
Eric Schwitzgebel explores the philosophy of jerks, particularly the moral and epistemic dimensions of the type.
I submit that the unifying core, the essence of jerkitude in the moral sense, is this: the jerk culpably fails to appreciate the perspectives of others around him, treating them as tools to be manipulated or idiots to be dealt with rather than as moral an..
Unger’s New Critique of Analytic Philosophy
Except when offering perfectly parochial ideas, mainstream philosophy still offers hardly anything except for just so many concretely empty ideas.
Peter Unger has a new book coming out entitled Empty Ideas: A Critique of Analytic Philosophy. You can get a sense of what he means by “concretely empty idea” from the blurb on about the book on his website. You can also ..
Scanlon on Inequality
No one has reason to accept a scheme of cooperation that places their lives under the control of others, that deprives them of meaningful political participation, that deprives their children of the opportunity to qualify for better jobs, and that deprives them of a share in the wealth they help to produce.
T.M. Scanlon has a brief TED essay sharing some contractual..
Turing Test Passed, But Because of Grade Inflation?
A computer has apparently passed a version of the Turing Test.
Eugene Goostman seems like a typical 13-year-old Ukrainian boy — at least, that’s what a third of judges at a Turing Test competition this Saturday thought. Goostman says that he likes hamburgers and candy and that his father is a gynecologist, but it’s all a lie. This boy is a program created by compute..
Philosophy as Preparation for Fatherhood?
John Kaag (UMass Lowell) holds the surgical scissors and is asked to cut the cord. Time stands still, and he reflects on the relations between philosophy and fatherhood.
The prospect of struggle in life and fatherhood is not an indication that we should opt out, but rather lean in—like Sisyphus, who is destined to push the boulder up a hill, only to have it roll dow..
Heap of Links
1. Churchland vs. McGinn in the New Your Review of Books.
2. The philosophy of mind of the Robocop remake? I’d buy that for a dollar.
3. The ethics of whistleblowing and state secrecy — a review essay by political theoriest William Scheuerman.
4. How do you know you’re not a zombie yourself?
5. “The emotional component of our moral judgment is not strictly based on..
Nietzsche Club Banned at UCL
The Nietzsche Club was barred from holding meetings at University College London after a ruling that discussions about right-wing philosophers could encourage fascism and endanger the student body. As well as Nietzsche, a favorite of Benito Mussolini, the philosophers to be studied included Julius Evola and Martin Heidegger, who have been cited as inspiration by far..
Should Publishers Pay Referees and Authors?
If academic work is to be commodified and turned into a source of profit for shareholders and for the 1 percent of the publishing world, then we should give up our archaic notions of unpaid craft labor and insist on professional compensation for our expertise, just as doctors, lawyers, and accountants do.
This does not mean we would never referee articles free. Jus..
Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Fellowship Winners
The ACLS has wrapped up its awarding of fellowships for the season. Previous posts here have announced the philosophers who have won the various fellowships for faculty (see here and here). The news is that the graduate student winners of the Mellon/ACLS dissertation fellowships have been recently announced. They are:
· Preston Stovall, Doctoral Candidate at the Un..
Social Psych in the Philosophy Classroom
Normally, self-affirmation is reserved for instances in which identity is threatened in direct ways: race, gender, age, weight, and the like. Here, Nyhan decided to apply it in an unrelated context: Could recalling a time when you felt good about yourself make you more broad-minded about highly politicized issues, like the Iraq surge or global warming? As it turns o..
Defendant in Philosopher Stabbing Goes to Court
In early March, Finnish philosopher Esa Saarinen (Aalto University) was stabbed.
The attacker did not attempt to flee the crime scene after the knife had been wrestled out of his hands but remained there, in his own words, to talk about love and the contents of Saarinen’s lectures.
Not the kind of sharp questioning a philosopher typically looks forward to! The de..
Blog Admin
Posting may be light and comment approval a little slow over the next week or so, owing to travel. Philosophers, don’t do anything too crazy. Or if you do, give me a heads-up about it. Thanks.
Heap of Links
1. A defense of the lecture.
2. Harvard’s internal report on the scientific misconduct case of Marc Hauser.
3. “Socrates and the Crisis of the Universities“, a lecture by MM McCabe (video).
4. “The Philosophy” is a new shiraz-cab blend from McGuigan Wines. A bit pricier than these.
5. Schoolhouse Rock’s “I’m Just a Bill” — non-ideal theory version.
6. “I enter the ..
Google Gets Philosopher to Help It Forget
Luciano Floridi (Oxford) has been selected by Google to be a member of an advisory panel to help the company handle requests from European residents asserting their newly acquired legal “right to be forgotten” (also here).
Big Pragmatism Map
Michael P. Wolf (Washington & Jefferson College) taught pragmatism this past semester and created a map to help keep things straight. A big map. Not unworkably big, of course, but big. Behold, “A Map of American Pragmatism and Its Roots.” Wolf is now looking for feedback on the map. Feel free to leave it in the comments here or email him directly at mwolf ‘at’ washj..
Philosophical Critique of Piketty
Kevin Vallier (Bowling Green) has begun a five part series of posts assessing the normative political philosophy in Thomas Piketty’s Capital in the 21st Century. He writes:
In this series, I am interested only in the following question: supposing that Piketty is right about the nature of capitalism, what are the normative implications? My answer will be that it’s fa..
Philosophers in Government
In Slovenia, Alma Maruška Sedlar, a woman described in news reports as a philosopher and teacher, has been appointed by President Borut Pahor as a deputy chief of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption. Sedlar is not an academic, but rather a journalist and labor activist who graduated with a degree in philosophy from the University of Maribor in 2007 with ..
Dowell (Syracuse) Wins Sanders Prize in Metaethics
Janice Dowell, associate professor of philosophy at Syracuse University, has won the 2014 Marc Sanders Prize in Metaethics for her essay, “Millikan, Methaethics, and Moral Twin Earth”. The award includes $10,000 and publication of the article in Oxford Studies in Metaethics. The Marc Sanders Foundation, which awarded the prize, takes as its mission “to stimulate ren..
Hilary Putnam’s Blog
Hilary Putnam now has a blog. No, it is not named “Twog,” which seems like a missed opportunity to me. Called “Sardonic Comment,” its first post is on the measurement problem in quantum mechanics.
Heap of Links
1. Does the formal modeling of game theory teach us anything new? Here is a list of some counterintuitive findings, suggesting that the answer is Yes.
2. The University of Oregon has a new academic-freedom policy, and it isn’t just for faculty.
3. The New York Times has a short “op-doc” on lawyer Steven Wise’s efforts to get animals recognized as rights-bearers.
4. ..
Black Philosopher, White Academy
A post at Lewis Gordon’s website about Bruce Kuklick’s book on William Fontaine, an African-American philosopher who taught at the University of Pennsylvania from 1947-1967, has been making the rounds on social media lately.
William Thomas Fontaine was born on December 2, 1909, in Chester, Pennsylvania. An alumnus of the historic black institution Lincoln University..
What Can You Do With A Philosophy Major? Part 8563 or so
You can invent a silly product, market it well, and use the proceeds to fund a charity. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the newest inductee into the pantheon of famous philosophy majors: “Banana Bill” — the inventer of the banana slicer. Do not neglect to read the reviews of this esteemed product. (via Dale Miller)
How Much Do You Travel For Work?
Many philosophers travel for work, delivering talks or participating in conferences and the like. In deciding whether to attend another conference, or accept another invitation, one factor is whether one has traveled enough, or too much. But how much is that? While there will be a lot of personal factors involved in that assessment, let’s see if we can get a sense o..
Professional Philosophers in Industry
Professional Philosophers in Industry is a LinkedIn group for philosophers who have left academic philosophy. “The purpose of this group is to provide professional philosophers who work (or seek to work) outside of traditional academic settings an opportunity to network, share information and opportunities, and generally pursue their professional development. Member..