Philosophy and Culture

I’m going to take a page from Michelle Obama and “go high.” I would like to thank Donald Trump (and I write this without a trace of sarcasm) for making me think longer and harder about what it means to be an American than I have ever thought before. (more…)

Philosopher Shirt Poll / Collaboration with Hirsute History

Daily Nous readers, here’s something cool. We’re going to help designer Jeremy Kalgreen decide who to add to his portfolio of philosopher portraits at Hirsute History. While we tend to focus on the strands of thought of the great philosophers, Kalgreen focuses on the strands of hair, and then puts the images on shirts. (more…)

Philosophy on TV

Have you noticed all the philosophy that’s been happening on television lately? (more…)

Pick One Book for One Person to Read

Making its way around the internet is the question, “If you could get everybody to read one book, which would it be?” That’s an interesting question, but there are a lot of unspecified variables that will drive philosophers nuts. For example:

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Why Are These Philosophers Voting For Trump?

A list of scholars and writers, including several philosophers, have placed their names on a website beneath the statement, “Given our choices in the presidential election, we believe that Donald Trump is the candidate most likely to restore the promise of America, and we urge you to support him as we do.” (more…)

Historically, Does Philosophy Flourish During Chaos?

Anthony Gottlieb, an historian of ideas, journalist, editor, and author, has a new book out called The Dream of Enlightenment in which he makes an interesting claim about the connection between culture and politics and the development of philosophy. Here’s a description of it from an article in The New Yorker by Adam Kirsch (Columbia):

Gottlieb sees that were s..

Illustrations of Logicians

I’ve previously linked to some of the line art portraits by graphic designer Matt Leadbetter that the Open Logic Project commissioned. Well, now there are a bunch of them available in one place, along with links to individually downloadable portraits (under Creative Commons license). How many of the following can you correctly identify? (more…)

Artistic Impressions of Academic Talks

The art of the academic talk takes on a different meaning when looking at the drawings and paintings of Kaća Bradonji ć. Dr. Bradonjić is wrapping up a visiting appointment in physics at Wellesley College and will soon be beginning one at Hampshire College. Her research is informed by philosophy and the history of science (she was a double major in physics and philos..

“The Counterfactuals” Review & Giveaway

The new, self-titled album by The Counterfactuals, a rock band that is 3/4 philosophers, has just been released. Below is a review of it by Michael Crawford, and below that is the opportunity to win some band merch.

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Zarathustra for Kids

John Holbo (National University of Singapore) has undertaken a new project: a version of Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra for kids. It’s illustrated, and written in the style of Dr. Seuss. It’s called On Beyond Zarathustra: A Parody for All and None, and samples from it have been posted on his website (and Crooked Timber). Below are images from the first few pages..

The Philosophers of Germany’s Anti-Islam Political Movement

“Alternative for Germany” (AfD) is a German political party, gaining in popularity, which supports “the idea of banning mosques” and has an official who has declared that “it may be necessary to shoot at migrants trying to enter the country illegally.” AfD has supported, and been supported by, a political movement known as “Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamizati..

Famous Philosophers In The Styles of Famous Artists

Renee Jorgensen Bolinger, a graduate student in philosophy at the University of Southern California, paints portraits of famous philosophers in her spare time. For each one, she chooses the style of an artist who thematically links up with the philosopher. For example:

See the whole collection. Some are even for sale as prints, and on shirts, mugs, pillow..

Philosopher’s Guide to Bookstores

Is the best Manhattan bookstore for Nietzsche lovers East Village Books (slogan: so hardcore a bookstore that our website doesn’t work)? That’s what Stephanie Kotsikonas, a journalism student at CUNY reports in a post at her class blog, Journalistic Blogging, along with information about other bookstores in Manhattan with good philosophy sections. (UPDATE: the post ..

In Defense of Academic Writing

Cass Sunstein, writing in The Chronicle of Higher Education, defends serious academic writing against the pressures of popularization and accessibility. Articles in popular magazines and blogs “might be clear and beautifully written, but usually they don’t add much if anything to the stock of knowledge,” and “even when they are written by professors, they are often ..

Philosophy References in Pop Music

Checking out Poison Season by Destroyer this past weekend I came across the following lyric in “Sun in the Sky“:

Tender is the night
That sweeps us up in its folly
I left my keys on the kite
And my violin on the trolley

Violin and trolley? That’s no coincidence. I looked up the band and it turns out frontman Dan Bejar was a philosophy major before he drop..

Philosophy Travel & Tourism

Guy Crain, professor of philosophy at Rose State College, writes in with the following inquiry:

I’m wondering if there is a resource with collected information about philosophy-related travel/site-seeing. For instance, is it possible to visit John Stuart Mill’s birthplace? What libraries or museums (if any) have first editions of philosophical works on display?..

Philosophers Form New “Justice Without Retribution Network”

There’s a new project to bring philosophy to bear on policy issues. In this case it is free will skepticism and criminal justice.

Gregg Caruso (SUNY Corning), Farah Focquaert (Ghent), Derk Pereboom (Cornell), and Elizabeth Shaw (Aberdeen) have formed the Justice Without Retribution Network.

The Justice Without Retribution Network (JWRN) will bring together res..

Today Is World Philosophy Day: What Are Your Plans? (updated)

Happy World Philosophy Day, everyone! The day was created in 2002 by the UN to celebrate philosophy. It is celebrated on the third Thursday of November.

Marking World Philosophy Day, the head of the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) has stressed that sustainability calls for new ways of thinking about ourselves and the planet..

The Internet: Good for Philosophy

On a recent trip I was introduced to a senior philosopher who soon turned the conversation away from the standard opening pleasantries with this: “If it were up to me, the internet—especially blogs and social media—would go out of existence. It is just a place philosophers go to do terrible philosophy and act thoughtlessly. It’s embarrassing.”

Naturally, I aske..

Philosophy’s Public Relations Moment — Were We Ready?

The Republican Presidential Primary Debate earlier this week led to a spike in public attention to the study of philosophy. Various news outlets covered Marco Rubio’s claim that the United States needs “more welders and less philosophers,” as well as other disparaging comments about philosophy by John Kasich and Ted Cruz (see previous post), along with responses by ..

Back to the Future Day: To When Should A Philosopher from 2015 Go?

In the movie Back to the Future II, Doc Brown and Marty McFly travel 30 years into the future, to today, October 21st, 2015. The movie was ahead of its time, at least when it came to marketing, apparently.

The movie also raised an important question which, alas, is still with us today, namely:
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Philosophy in Verse, from A to Z

Earlier in the week we discussed the job market significance of alphabetical order, and just yesterday featured some poetry by philosophers, so what better way to round out the week than with a post that combines these things? Maybe a post that combines these things and fixes you a drink? OK, that would be better. But this is still pretty great.

Sarah Adams, a PhD ..

Philosopher Poets

It is National Poetry Day in the UK and Ireland.

There are some contemporary philosophers who are also poets—successful, well-published, and acclaimed poets. It strikes me as an unusual combination, and an impressive one at that, as the kinds of linguistic skills and stylistic sensibilities that these literary endeavors require seem so different.

In recognit..

Undergrad at Philosophical Crossroads

An undergraduate student in philosophy writes in with a question that I suspect many philosophers confronted at some point in their studies. Perhaps we can provide some assistance:

I am a philosophy student in my last year of undergrad studies in need of some advice. I am about to apply to graduate studies in philosophy but not sure what I should choose to focus ..

Bentham’s Cookbook

Jeremy Bentham’s Prison Cooking is a real book. Need I say more?

The book is based on a collection of Bentham’s papers marked “Panopticon – cookery, errors of present practice” and was put together as part of the Transcribe Bentham initiative at University College London. “The book features beautiful original illustrations by Jake Lamerton, and contains images, r..

Philosophically Interesting Books for Young Kids

A friend is interested in soliciting philosophically-minded books for young children—ones who are reading, but are not at the chapter-book stage. Here are a few I’ve enjoyed with my kids…

The Big Orange Splot by Daniel Manus Pinkwater — for the young individualist.
A Hole Is To Dig by Ruth Krauss — for the young teleologist.
Pierre: A Cautionary T..

Philosophers On Coates’s “Between the World and Me”

This installment of the Daily Nous Philosophers On series was organized by Janice Dowell (Syracuse).

Introduction
by Janice Dowell

In the midst of growing media coverage of police brutality and racial injustice in the United States, as well as increased attention to matters of race in the philosophical mainstream, the arrival of writer and journalist Ta-N..

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