Jonathan Lear (1948-2025)
Jonathan Lear, Professor in the Committee on Social Thought and in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Chicago, has died. (more…)
What Will Academia.edu Do with Its New Rights to Your Name, Likeness, and Voice? (updated)
Users of the Academia.edu service are cancelling their subscriptions in response to perceived overreach by the firm in its recent update to its terms of service. (more…)
Will US Universities Pay $100,000 for H-1B Visas?
The Trump administration announced on Friday that as of yesterday, new applications for H-1B visas will only be accepted if accompanied by a $100,000 payment. (more…)
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
The weekly report on new and revised entries at online philosophy resources, new reviews of philosophy books, and new podcast episodes… (more…)
Speech under Authoritarianism (updated)
Governments in the United States are ramping up their attacks on freedom of speech, with state and federal officials getting people—including professors—fired or investigated for expressing their opinions about public figures, and the president suggesting he will shut down media that is critical of him and his allies. (more…)
Grant Tavinor (1973-2025)
Grant Tavinor, senior lecturer in philosophy at Lincoln University in New Zealand, has died. (more…)
Philosophers File Amicus Brief in Supreme Court Cases on Transgender Athletes
A group of 24 philosophers has submitted an amicus curiae brief for two US Supreme Court cases concerning laws about the participation of transgender athletes in sports. (more…)
The Philosophy Blogosphere in 2025
What philosophy blogs are active in 2025? (more…)
What Will It Be Like To Be An Academic In Ten Years?
Many of you reading these words are young or middle-aged academics. Many of you envision yourselves continuing to work or starting careers in academia. (more…)
Mini-Heap
Recent links… (more…)
The PSA’s “Office Hour” Returns
The Philosophy of Science Association (PSA) is continuing its excellent expert “office hour” series this semester—a program other academic associations should consider adopting. (more…)
Which Philosophy Grad Programs Are Accepting Fewer or No Applications for Next Year?
A reader says she has heard rumors of some departments of philosophy deciding to not accept any applications to their graduate programs, or to offer admission to a smaller number of applicants, this year (for students who would be starting in Fall 2026). (more…)
One of Philosophy’s Most Influential Public Voices May Lose His Own
“Basically, the parts of my brain that tell my mouth how to produce speech are gradually shutting down. Over time my speech is likely to worsen, and eventually I may not be able to speak at all.” (more…)
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
The weekly report on new and revised entries at online philosophy resources, new reviews of philosophy books, and new podcast episodes… (more…)
George Pappas (1942-2025)
George S. Pappas, professor emeritus of philosophy at The Ohio State University, has died. (more…)
A Collection of Advice for Graduate Students
There’s a lot of advice floating around online for graduate students, but it can be hard to find, and hard for newbies to judge whether it’s any good. (more…)
Philosophy Departments as Sites of Collective Intellectual Activities: A Follow-Up to the Poll
Has there been a “marked decline” in the “meaningful presence of faculty members in both formal and informal scholarly events—those that contribute to intellectual exchange, research development, collegial support, and community-building” in philosophy departments? (more…)
Be Careful What You Teach: Trump’s Minions May Get You Fired
A lecturer in the English Department at Texas A & M University was fired from her position after a student in one of her courses complained that she was “not entirely sure is legal to be teaching… because according to our president, there’s only two genders… and also this very much goes against not only but a lot of people’s religious beliefs.” (more…)..
GPT-5’s Ethics Guidelines for Using It in Philosophical Research
In a post last month, we discussed the question, “How much use of AI in our research is acceptable?” (more…)
Women’s Share of US PhDs in Philosophy Increased by about One-Third Over Past Decade (guest post)
Women earned 37% of US Philosophy Doctorates in 2024, up from 28% ten years ago. But what explains the change? (more…)
Mind Chunks
Mini-Heap
Links of interest… (more…)
Human vs. AI in Logic Tasks: a Study
Philosopher-turned-software developer Brian Rabern is conducting a study comparing human and artificial intelligence (AI) performance on logic problems, and he is looking for student volunteers to take a short online survey. (more…)
Philosophy’s Journal Problem Captured in One Number?
In the first six months of 2025, a top philosophy journal received 403 submissions. Of those, how many did it accept during that time? (more…)
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
The weekly report on new and revised entries at online philosophy resources, new reviews of philosophy books, and new podcast episodes… (more…)
Peer Review, Intellectual Tastes, and Some Fun
Have you ever wanted to tell off the reviewers of your manuscript? (more…)
Robert Gordon (1932-2025)
Robert “Bob” Gordon, emeritus professor of philosophy at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, died this past April. (more…)
Trump’s Halting of Harvard’s Funding Ruled Illegal
Yesterday, Judge Allison D. Burroughs of the U.S. District Court in Boston vacated the Trump administration’s orders to freeze or terminate billions of dollars in federal funding to Harvard University, calling them “arbitrary and capricious” and “violative of the First Amendment.” (more…)