New Data on the Employment of Philosophy PhDs (guest post)
As noted in yesterday’s post, Academic Philosophy & Data Analysis (APDA) has completed its data gathering for nearly 150 philosophy PhD programs, with a new data dashboard capturing nearly 6,000 philosophy PhD graduates between 2013 and 2023. (more…)
Immoral Moral Philosophers
In a recent post at The Splintered Mind, Eric Schwitzgebel (UC Riverside) asks whether it matters “if ethicists walk the walk.” (more…)
New Interface for Academic Philosophy Data & Analysis (guest post)
Academic Philosophy & Data Analysis (APDA), an ongoing project to collect, analyze, and distribute data about job placement, student experience, and other aspects of PhD programs in philosophy, is launching a new “data dashboard” through which people can explore the information it has collected. (more…)
Journal Articles: Quantity & Quality
“Considering my own area of philosophy of language and mind, I don’t think there is all that much difference between most of what gets published in the ‘top’ journals, and most of what gets published in the ‘tier 2 ‘journals. My sense is that there is rather too much good work to keep track of, not that the difference between the top tier and the tier 2 journals is ..
Greatest Achiever, Philosopher Edition
Over at Marginal Revolution, Tyler Cowen (GMU) suggests that Johann Sebastian Bach may be “the greatest achiever of all time.” (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
$2.97 Million Grant for Course on Human Flourishing
Meghan Sullivan, professor of philosophy and director of the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study (NDIAS) at the University of Notre Dame, has received a $2.97 million grant to lead a project developing courses on human flourishing. (more…)
How to Tell Whether an AI Is Conscious (guest post)
“We can apply scientific rigor to the assessment of AI consciousness, in part because… we can identify fairly clear indicators associated with leading theories of consciousness, and show how to assess whether AI systems satisfy them.” (more…)
Alina Beary (1978-2023)
Alina Beary, an associate professor of philosophy in the Torrey Honors College at Biola University, died this past Wednesday after what the university described as “a tragic pedestrian-vehicle accident.” (more…)
Philosophy Professor’s Book Is Finalist for Kirkus Prize
How Not to Kill Yourself: A Portrait of the Suicidal Mind by Clancy Martin, professor of philosophy at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and Ashoka University, is a finalist for the Kirkus Prize for nonfiction. (more…)
Goodin on Journals, Editors, and Publishers
“It is a classic collective action problem. In that Tragedy of the Commons, the role of the editor is to be The Enforcer, against both self-serving authors in the blogsphere and self-serving commercial publishers in the share market.” (more…)
Professors’ Lawsuit Says Idaho Anti-Abortion Law Violates Free Speech Rights
A group of professors, including two philosophy professors, along with the Idaho Federation of Teachers and the University of Idaho Faculty Federation, have filed a lawsuit challenging a 2021 state law that prevents state funds from being used to “procure, counsel in favor, refer to or perform an abortion”. (more…)
Alternative Models for the Philosophy Job Market
“Why can’t I just put my CV and a few other docs on PhilPeople, set a few parameters (geography, specialty etc.) then set my status to ‘looking’, then let the hiring committees browse the available talent, DM the candidates they like to see if they’re serious. Such an endless waste of time applying for jobs.” (more…)
Summer 2023 Guest Posts Review
If you took the summer off from checking in on Daily Nous, you missed a lot of writing by other philosophers. (more…)
Catherine Hundleby (1966-2023)
Catherine Hundleby, professor of philosophy at the University of Windsor, has died. (more…)
Online Philosophy Resources Summer Update
The usual weekly report on new and revised entries at online philosophy resources and new reviews of philosophy books is an occasional report this summer. (more…)
Al-Rodhan Transdisciplinary Philosophy Book Prize 2023 Longlist (updated with shortlist)
The Royal Institute of Philosophy earlier this month released the longlist of contenders for the inaugural Nayef Al-Rodhan International Prize in Transdisciplinary Philosophy. (more…)
Guess Which Philosopher Got Booted From Twitter/X (Multiple Updates)
A philosopher recently got banned from Twitter/X. Can you guess who it is?
Here’s a hint: just remember that Twitter/X is currently our best known approximation of Bizarro World. (more…)
Topic Suggestions for the Coming Year
What issues, developments, topics, problems, questions, etc., do you want Daily Nous to post about? (more…)
The AI Threat, the Humanities, and Self-Cultivation
“The humanities are… a gateway to and instigator of a lifelong activity of free self-cultivation. The changes they provoke in us are not always for the happier, or the more remunerative, or the more civically engaged, but when things go passably well, these changes are for the deeper, the more reflective, and the more thoughtful.” (more…)
Community Colleges and PhilJobs
A commenter on the job market post last month asked whether it included data from community colleges, noting, “it seems like PhilJobs doesn’t even list community college jobs.” (more…)
That’s Not How Layoffs/Redundancies Work, Sussex
The University of Sussex is reportedly attempting to lay off a philosophy lecturer while at the same time advertising a new position to teach the very same courses he does. (more…)
Resources for Teaching in the Age of ChatGPT & other LLMs
How do large language models (LLMs) affect how we understand our job as teachers, and how does it affect what we should do in order to do that job well? (more…)
Academic Freedom & Violence: The Kershnar Case Continues
Lawyers for Steven Kershnar argued, in a hearing earlier this month, that the philosophy professor should be allowed back on the SUNY Fredonia campus, where he has long been employed. (more…)
Back to School Supplies — for Professors and Graduate Students
Are you ready for the beginning of the semester? Of course not. (more…)
Best Fiction You Read This Summer
Maybe I can squeeze in time for one more novel. (more…)
Douglas Portmore’s Six Commandments for Getting the Most Out of Graduate School
How can you get the most out of graduate school? Douglas Portmore, professor of philosophy at Arizona State University, has some advice for you. (more…)