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Sounding the Alarm: 2021-2022 COVID Risks at Unprotected Colleges and Universities (guest post)

Some faculty will be teaching this fall at schools in areas with low vaccination rates, whose administrators cannot or will not require vaccinations, mask-wearing, or social distancing. What, if anything, should faculty at such places, and possibly elsewhere, do? (more…)

What Do Philosophers Think About Human Extinction?

It’s a near certainty that humanity will come to an end, but what form this end might take, and when it might happen, are of course unknown. What should we think about the end of humanity and its various variables? What do we think? (more…)

Schools in the U.S. with the Most Philosophy Majors (guest post)

Which colleges and universities in the United States have the most philosophy majors? (more…)

How Are Today’s Philosophers Philosophical?

In a recent live interview, Tyler Cowen (GMU) asks Elijah Millgram (Utah), “To what extent do you think philosophers today are even still philosophical, in the true sense of that word?” (more…)

Optimism about Metaphysics (and Philosophy in General)

Is there reason to be optimistic about progress in metaphysics? Jessica Wilson (Toronto) thinks so. (more…)

Found: a Key to Understanding Hobbes’ Influence on Locke (and Locke’s Character)

A recent discovery casts new light on the influence of Thomas Hobbes on John Locke, and on the kind of person Locke was. (more…)

Jargon for Trouble (guest post by Maximilian Noichl)

The following guest post * was prompted by last week’s inquiry about whether philosophy papers with more jargony titles get cited less. Maximilian Noichl (University of Vienna), whose work has been featured at Daily Nous before, turned to the question over the past weekend, and describes his findings below. (more…)

The Philosophy Profession, Mid-20th Century

It has been known for some time that there would be few openings for people receiving their Ph.D. degree in philosophy this spring. But how dire their prospects are was not really brought home to us until last week when the Western Division of the American Philosophical Association met in Ann Arbor. (more…)

Philosophy, Imagination, Muscle, Bone, and Science

“My conception of my work doesn’t entail that I think philosophy, in the aggregate, is without practical significance. Quite the opposite. Any institution that encourages imagination and dissolves ignorance is of the first practical importance, and academic philosophy can certainly play a role in that, though one of course wishes the enterprise were less cloistered ..

New Fallacy Examples Sought for AI Project

A research team of philosophers and computer scientists at the University of Cambridge is examining the ability of language models like GPT-3 to detect informal fallacies.

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Journal of the History of Philosophy 2020 Best Article Prize

The Journal of the History of Philosophy has announced that the winner of its 2020 Best Article Prize is Jari Kaukua, professor of philosophy at the University of Jyväskylä. (more…)

New: The Philosopher & The News Podcast

“The Philosopher & The News” is a new podcast of conversations with philosophers to discuss “the ideas hidden behind the biggest news stories.” (more…)

Harvard Declines to Consider Cornel West for Tenure (Updated)

Cornel West is threatening to leave his position at Harvard University following a decision by university officials to not honor his request that he be considered for tenure, according to The Boston Globe. (more…)

Andreas Teuber (1942-2021)

Andreas Teuber, associate professor of philosophy at Brandeis University, has died. (more…)

Understanding Trans-Exclusionary Rhetoric in Philosophy with Help from J.K. Rowling

An insightful and entertaining video that explains why some of J.K. Rowling’s writings and statements are transphobic, and does so in a way that expresses some sympathy for Rowling, may be very useful to those seeking to understand accusations of transphobia in philosophy (and bigotry more generally).

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Philosophers On Access to Medicine

Three philosophers discuss some of the moral and political questions involved in providing access to medicine and medical care in this edition of Philosophers On. (more…)

2020 PhilPapers Survey Begins

In 2009, the PhilPapers team—David Bourget of the University of Western Ontario and David Chalmers of New York University—conducted a survey of the views of professional philosophers in the English-speaking world. How have those views changed in the past 11 years? (more…)

Bad Arguments Against Teaching Chinese Philosophy

“ME: Have you considered teaching Chinese philosophy in your department?
COLLEAGUE: Philosophy is by definition the tradition that goes back to Greece…” (more…)

Virginia Tech Hires Six

The Department of Philosophy at Virginia Tech is beginning its 2020-21 academic year with six new faculty members. (more…)

Geography of Philosophy Project Wins Additional Funding

The Geography of Philosophy project, launched in 2017 with a $2.6 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation, has recieved an additional $546,777 from the foundation to “enable Project teams around the world to transition to online data collection and continue the Project’s cutting edge, in depth studies, despite the disruptions caused by the global Covid-19 p..

A reader has asked I create a post that can serve as a place for people to share information about how the coronavirus is affecting events in philosophy departments, including visits from prospective graduate students, small workshops, and guest lectures. (more…)

“There’s been a lot of talk lately about self-censorship on campus. According to one popular theory, conservative students censor themselves because they believe that if they state their true views, they will get a lower grade. This theory is true.” (more…)

Mini-Heap

Here’s the latest Mini-Heap! (more…)

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