Writing
CategoryInfluential Ideas in an AI Era
A philosopher often praised for the accessibility of his writing, when asked about it (he often took part in advice sessions for younger academics), would say that he is not writing for today, but for the future. (more…)
Have Pen, Laptop, and ChatGPT, Will Publish (guest post)
How, as a researcher, can you use AI tools like ChatGPT in a way that doesn’t compromise your integrity, creativity, and independence? (more…)
Where Philosophers Write
Where do you like to write? (more…)
“Pity the Poor Reader”
“Pity the poor reader” is one of philosopher Penelope Maddy‘s writing maxims. (more…)
Beyond Argument: The Creative Craft of Philosophy Writing (guest post)
“I want to talk about the part of philosophy writing that comes after the argument part: the bit where you work on expressing your idea clearly, delicately, even personally. I want to talk about the very specific work involved in infusing your writing with energy and life.” (more…)
Virtual Dissertation Writing Groups
New virtual writing groups for people working on dissertations in philosophy will be forming soon. (more…)
In What Kind of Publications are the Articles You’re Most Proud Of?
A self-described “reasonably well-published associate professor” shared the following observation about his own writing: (more…)
Virtual Dissertation Writing Groups
Zombie Plagiarism in Philosophy
Some philosophy articles might be exposed as containing plagiarized material, might have editorial notes appended to them indicating as much, or might even be retracted, yet no matter how thoroughly or how many times their plagiarism is noted, they will continue to be cited in the literature and affect the course of scholarship. (more…)
Sensitivity Reading Services for Philosophers and Others
Lex Academic, the editing firm founded by philosophers Louise Chapman and Constantine Sandis, includes “sensitivity reading” among the variety of services it provides. (more…)
Philosophical Exceptionalism & Philosophical Writing
“I like to think that academic fields often have a proprietary emotion. In the case of philosophy, the proprietary emotion is embarrassment.” (more…)
Virtual Dissertation Writing Groups
Philosophy Through Comics (guest post)
Can you do philosophy with comics? “Yeah, sure, easy.” But why do it? (more…)
Some Remarks on Form in Philosophy (guest post)
“When my younger self complained angrily in the margins with scrawls of ‘where is this going?’, he missed the sights and insights that the journey itself provided.” (more…)
Failure, Stealth, and Philosophy
“Every success is the tip of an iceberg of failure.”
(more…)
Virtual Dissertation Writing Groups
Virtual Dissertation Writing Groups
The Philosophy Guild (guest post)
“Most contemporary philosophy writing is just bad writing… How did things go so wrong? It’s tempting to declare that philosophers are simply terrible writers, but I think that’s a mistake…” (more…)
Great Opening Lines of Philosophy Articles and Books
What are the best opening lines of philosophy articles and books?
Virtual Dissertation Writing Groups
Book Manuscript Workshops
Wouldn’t it be useful to have a group of people read your book manuscript and have a discussion about it with you?
Citations and the Ethics of Credit
A philosopher putting together resources for a professionalization seminar for graduate students in his department writes in with concerns about the “ethics of credit” in philosophy. (more…)
Which Philosopher Co-Authors Most?
In the wake of last week’s post about trends in co-authoring in philosophy, a discussion has been taking place on Twitter about which philosophers co-author the most. (more…)
Co-Authorship in Philosophy over the Past 120 Years (by Bourget & Weinberg)
“We think philosophy is due an ethos change; one where the myth of the ‘lone genius’ is dispelled and where co-authoring is both encouraged and acknowledged.”
Virtual Dissertation Writing Groups
Joshua Smart (Southern Illinois University—Edwardsville) is once again organizing virtual dissertation writing groups. (more…)
Jargon & Citation in Philosophy
A study of papers published in academic science journals on the topic of “cave science” found that “papers containing higher proportions of jargon in their titles and abstracts were cited less frequently by other researchers.” (more…)
The Art of Philosophical Writing: An Interview with William Lycan (by Nathan Ballantyne)
“There has to be a balance between the formal and the conversational.” (more…)
“Biting the Bullet”: A Note on Style from Caspar Hare
In his 2013 book, The Limits of Kindness, Caspar Hare (MIT) includes a brief “stylistic note” that gets across an important lesson for academic writers: don’t overestimate the familiarity of your readers with specialist terminology—even when the intended readers are others in your discipline. (more…)