How Will Brexit Affect Philosophy in the UK?
According to Times Higher Education (THE), there is some concern among higher education leaders in the UK about the effect that the successful referendum to leave the European Union will have on academic funding. (more…)
Humans Haven’t Yet Figured Out How To Combine Culture and Ethics
“The good of any one individual is of no more importance, from the point of view (if I may say so) of the Universe, than the good of any other.” This famous line from Henry Sidgwick’s The Methods of Ethics sets out a basic idea that, in some form or another, is at least part of most thoughtful philosophical understandings of morality: at a fundamental level, you and..
The Ideal Conference
Let’s figure out what the ideal moderately-sized academic conference with, say, 30 to 40 participants, would be like. There are various factors to consider, including, but probably not limited to: (more…)
Philosophers Discuss Trump
The Chronicle of Higher Education has a “Trump Issue” (may be paywalled) in which several academics, including three philosophers, comment on the U.S. presidential candidacy of Donald J. Trump. They include Jason Brennan (Georgetown University), Aaron James (UC Irvine), and Matthew Meyer (University of Scranton). (more…)
To φ Or Not To φ (Daily Nous Philosophy Comics)
To φ Or Not To φ
by Tanya Kostochka
Philosophy For Children on the US/Mexico Border
Local school teachers, professors and students of philosophy at the University of Texas El Paso (UTEP), and several community organizations have teamed up for a bilingual project called Philosophy for Children in the Borderlands: (more…)
A Question About Journals’ Style Requirements
Dear Journal Editors,
On behalf of those submitting articles to your journals, I write with a question about your house style requirements. (more…)
Open Letter Regarding Thomas Pogge (a few updates)
Over 160 academics have signed an open letter regarding the allegations of sexual harassment and professional misconduct of Thomas Pogge, Leitner Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Political Science at Yale University, including at least 16 of his colleagues at Yale. (more…)
Valuable Philosophical Life Lessons
I’m often asked—by non-academics, natch—if anything in my philosophical education has been of value to me in the conduct of my lived life. I have found this question hard to answer in the terms my interlocutors demand, largely because is because posed to me in what I call ‘lock-key’ form: is there a lock you have been able to open with a philosophical key? The l..
Lodi Nauta Wins 2.5 Million Euro Spinoza Prize
L.W. (Lodi) Nauta, professor of philosophy and dean at the University of Groningen, is one of the 2016 winners of the Spinoza Prize, “the highest award in Dutch science.” It is bestowed by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). (more…)
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
What has no thumbs and the past week’s updates to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP), Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP), Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (NDPR), and Wi-Phi? This post. (more…)
Martha Nussbaum Wins Kyoto Prize
Martha Nussbaum (University of Chicago) is this year’s winner of the Kyoto Prize. The prize is offered by the Inamori Foundation, an organization created by Kazuo Inamori, who is better known as the founder of the large Japan-based multinational electronics firm Kyocera. (more…)
Did You Hear The One About…?
Did you hear the one about Heraclitus? Well I bet you haven’t heard this version.
Did you hear the one about Foot? It kills.
Philosophy Now Magazine Wins Russell Award
The Bertrand Russell Society issues an annual award in recognition of individuals or institutions that follow “in the Russellian tradition of encouraging philosophical inquiry in a popular manner.” (more…)
Metaphysics, Cognitive Science, Sci-Fi-ish Questions
L. A. Paul (UNC) is working with Tomer Ullman and John McCoy (both in the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department at MIT) on issues related to “modality, time, and self.” They are seeking philosophers to answer a few questions. (more…)
Templeton Funds Philosophy of Religion Chair at Rutgers
The Rutgers University Board of Governors approved the creation of the William P. Alston Chair for the Philosophy of Religion, according to a press release from the university. Alston taught at Rutgers from 1971 to 1976. (more…)
Mind Chunks (Daily Nous Philosophy Comics)
Mind Chunks
by Pete Mandik
Big Philo and Distortions in the Philosophical Research Agenda
In a post at Digressions & Impressions, Eric Schliesser (Amsterdam), discusses the influence of big money on academic research, with a focus on “displacement effects.”
The contestation of ideas is costly in time and effort. This matters because time and effort are scarce resources. All other things being equal, it follows that if some ideas X are being discussed/..
Winners of the APA’s Routledge, Taylor & Francis Prize
The American Philosophical Association (APA) has announced the winners of the 2016 Routledge, Taylor & Francis Prize. The prize was created in 2013 and is funded by Routledge, which is part of the Taylor & Francis publishing group. The prize is awarded for the two best published articles in philosophy written by adjunct professors. The 2016 winners are: (more…)..
Intelligence and the Cultures of Philosophy and Psychology
Josh Knobe holds appointments in Yale’s Department of Philosophy and its Cognitive Science program. He has an office in the Psychology Department there and he works with both philosophy and psychology students. In a recent interview, he remarks on the cultural differences between the disciplines of philosophy and psychology:
It has been fascinating to experience ..
Recent APA Election Winners
The American Philosophical Association (APA) reports the results of its elections over the past few months in a post at its blog. All newly elected members will serve three-year terms beginning on July 1st. They are: (more…)
Western Illinois As Warning
Inside Higher Ed has an article following up on the recent news of the elimination of the philosophy major at Western Illinois University (WIU). As we previously reported, the committee charged with reviewing programs (APER) did not recommend the closure of the philosophy department. And while Illinois has a reporting requirement for programs with low enrollments at..
Western Illinois University Loses Its Philosophy Major
The Board of Trustees of Western Illinois University (WIU), following up on its previously announced plans, ignored substantial opposition and voted unanimously this past Friday to eliminate its school’s philosophy major (along with majors in African-American studies, religious studies, and women’s studies).
Western’s interim provost and academic vice president, ..
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
Here are the past week’s updates to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP), Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP), Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (NDPR), and Wi-Phi. (more…)
“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.
Eleven Philosophers Win ACLS Fellowships
The American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) has announced the winners of its current fellowship competition. There are eleven twelve philosophers among the winners: (more…)
Duties to Graduate Students Pursuing Non-Academic Careers (guest post by Torsten Menge)
The following is a guest post by Torsten Menge, a recent philosophy PhD from Georgetown who currently works for Connected Academics, a national Mellon-funded project by the Modern Language Association (MLA) aimed at preparing humanities doctoral students for non-academic careers. (more…)
Morton White (1917-2016)
Morton White, Professor Emeritus in the School of Historical Studies at the Institute for Advanced Study, died on May 27th. Over the course of his career he taught philosophy at City College of New York, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University. (more…)