humor
CategoryOut of Context Philosophy
If you open up a philosophy article or chapter on your computer, the software you’re using, now updated with various AI features, may present you with something like the following message: “This looks like a long article. Would you like me to summarize it for you?” (more…)
Which Philosophy Ideas Make for Good Costumes? (redux)
Are we making progress in philosophy? Or at least in philosophy-themed costumes? Here’s one way to find out. (more…)
“Fixing” the Definitions of Philosophical Terms
Sometimes, philosophical terms mean one thing, but sound like they really ought to mean something else. (more…)
On Being Seriously Funny (guest post)
“I got into philosophy at least partly because it was comic and that’s still much of what I enjoy about it.” (more…)
Mini-Heap
New links… (more…)
The Philosophical Lexicon (updated)
A commenter the other day used “chisholm” as a verb, reminding me that it has been a while since The Philosophical Lexicon has made the rounds (or so it seems to me). (more…)
Analytic Philosophy’s Best Unintentional (?) Self-Parodying (updated)
“Someone, let’s say a baby, is born; his parents call him by a certain name.” (more…)
When the Text Tickles You
Every once in a while it happens. (more…)
The Scariest Philosophers in the Haunted Halls of Philosophy
Halloween approaches… (more…)
Mini-Heap
Links of the day… (more…)
Mini-Heap!
Weekend Mini-Heap… (more…)
Philosophy Valentines
Your arguments strong, your conclusions sound.
Citations of my work, alas, have not been found.
– Reviewer #2 (more…)
Bits of Laughing Matter (guest post)
Gerald Dworkin, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy Emeritus at the University of California, Davis, seeks out philosophical humor and has put together a couple of volumes of it (see here). (more…)
Collective Nouns for Philosophers by Area of Specialization
A murder of crows. A cackle of hyenas. A knot of toads. A confusion of philosophers? Or is it a fog of philosophers? Or…? There was some discussion of what we should call a collection of philosophers here several years ago. (more…)
Types of __________ Papers (updated)
Last week, Randall Munroe, author of the famed webcomic xkcd published a comic about “Types of Scientific Paper“: (more…)
Another Mini-Heap
Yet more for the Heap… (more…)
Absurdist Video Edits of Philosophers Talking
Saul Kripke, Kit Fine, Timothy Williamson, John McDowell, Jonathan Schaffer, Graham Priest, Robert Brandom, and other philosophers are the unwitting stars of films created by an unknown YouTuber who is editing footage of them speaking in order to produce bizarre montages, shorts with augmented visuals and music, and other strange and funny videos. (more…)
Philosophical Candy
Halloween is coming around again, that time of year where we have fun making things extra scary. But hasn’t this past year been frightening enough? (more…)
The Status of “Philosophy Labs” this Fall
Mohamed Mehdi, chair of the Department of Humanities and Philosophy at Oakton Community College, updated his faculty on the plans regarding their “philosophy labs” for this coming fall. (more…)
Philosophers Respond to Social Distancing
How do philosophers respond to being told they have to “social distance” and avoid leaving their homes in order to slow the Covid-19 pandemic?
(more…)
Philosophers’ Scary Nicknames: A Halloween Game
Happy Halloween, philosofriends! To celebrate, I thought we could come up with scary nicknames for well-known philosophers. But there are some rules on how to do it… (more…)
Philosophers’ Pick-Up Lines
“I didn’t know that angels could fly so low. Or that angels even existed anymore now that God is dead… amiright???” (more…)
“Academic Philosophy Is Ruining Our Marriage”, Non-Hegel Versions
By now many readers will have seen the Reddit post written by a physicist seeking advice about what to do about her Hegel-obsessed philosopher-of-science husband. It was posted in the Heap of Links the other day, and all over social media—to the extent that “Hegel” was trending on Twitter. (more…)
100 Greatest Philosophical Spoilers (guest post by Richard Greene)
The less a work has to offer us besides information about happens in the end, the more reason we have to avoid spoilers for it. When it comes to philosophy, knowing what happens in the end usually doesn’t spoil much at all: the real entertainment is in seeing how the author got there. (more…)
A Parody Issue of Mind… from 118 Years Ago (Updated)
Some people worry that philosophers keep asking the same questions over and over again. If you think that’s bad, you may be upset to learn that philosophers keep telling the same jokes over and over again. (more…)
Mini-Heap!
Yet another Mini-Heap! (more…)
Philosophers Whose Names Match Their Specializations
Which philosophers have names that reflect what they study and write about? (more…)
Halloween Costumes of Famous Philosophers
Happy Halloween! If well-known philosophers were to dress up for Halloween in what they’d think are scary costumes, what would their costumes be? (more…)