Writing Tools
No, this is not a post about jerks who write. Rather, it is spurred by an inquiry from John Schwenkler (Florida State) about which programs philosophers use for writing. I am not very knowledgeable about the alternatives here, but Professor Schwenkler shares his recommendations:
· Lyx, which is a TeX/LaTeX editor that is easy to learn and install, and takes care of ..
It’s Five O’clock Somewhere
“Beer and Trembling” and other bars philosophy professors opened after being denied tenure. (via Mark Alfano)
Suggestions—for other bars or the drinks served at them—welcome in the comments.
Philosophers on the Israeli – Palestinian Conflict
Jason Stanley (Yale) has a piece in today’s Frankfurter Allgemeine, a German newspaper. It is entitled “An Open Letter to the Protestors on the streets of Berlin chanting ‘Jude, Jude, feiges Schwein, komm heraus und kämpf allein’ ”” which looks at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and reactions to it, as well as the ideas of democracy and pluralism, through the lens ..
New Open Access Journal
Symposion has been relaunched as an open access, multilingual, quarterly, philosophy-centric interdisciplinary journal. Its first issue in its new format has just been published.
When Is Philosophical Agreement Suspicious?
Last week, in the post about philosophy of religion, I wrote:
For a few reasons, it is not a sociologically surprising fact that most philosophy of religion in the West today is conducted by Christian theists. But it is certainly philosophically surprising (bordering on philosophically suspect) that, of all the possible options for religious belief (which include n..
Civic Engagement in Philosophy Classes
Ramona Ilea (Pacific University) shares news of an online resource for philosophy professors she has helped create called Engaged Philosophy. The site is a repository of information about incorporating projects of civic engagement into philosophy courses.
When students do civic engagement projects in our philosophy classes, they commit to making changes in their com..
In the Overlap between Logic, Fun, and Information
John Venn, an English philosopher who spent much of his career at Cambridge, died in 1923, but if he were alive today he would totally be dead, as it is his 180th birthday. Venn was named after the Venn diagram, owing to the fact that as a child he was terrible at math but good at drawing circles, and so was not held back in 5th grade. In celebration of this philoso..
What Are Some Things You’ve Said?
While we’ve been collecting your philosophical sayings here, someone else has been collecting what you might have said in the classroom or in office hours or wherever, when, perhaps, you weren’t being as careful with your words. Check out Philosophy Professor Quotes and have a laugh, perhaps at your own expense. (via Clayton Littlejohn (update: via Jon Cogburn at Ne..
Heap of Links
1. “By insisting that print is a necessary condition for scholarly quality, deans and scholars make it more difficult for university presses to stay in business, thereby making it more difficult for them to publish print books! At the same time, scholars insist on having their own work published in print while they increasingly engage the work of others online. And..
Ketland Reinstated at Oxford
Jeffrey Ketland, who had been dismissed from his position as a philosophy fellow and tutor at Oxford’s Pembroke College following accusations that he had harassed a BPhil student who committed suicide (previously), was successful in his appeal of that decision and has been reinstated, according to this article in The Sunday Times.
Ketland, 50, a philosophy lecturer ..
Philosopher’s Index vs. PhilPapers
Wayne Bivens-Tatum, the philosophy and religion librarian at Princeton University, has published a comparison of Philosopher’s Index and PhilPapers at his blog, Academic Librarian. As he notes, “choosing between the two of them might be a budgetary necessity for librarians who wanted to subscribe to PhilPapers under the new terms.”
Kamm on Israel and Gaza
Frances Kamm (Harvard) brings her analytical prowess to bear on an Israeli Ambassador’s just war-based defense of the killing of Gaza civilians, in a piece at the Boston Review. (via Robert Long)
Heap of Links
1. Jason Stanley (Yale) brings political philosophy to bear on Detroit and the idea of “emergency managers” in The New York Times. Detroit’s Metro Times calls it the “most interesting read on the situation.”
2. “Things you should know before publishing a book.”
3. Looking for a brief, clear, and motivated explanation of likelihoodist, Bayesian, and frequentist meth..
PhilPapers and Philosophy Documentation Center Collaboration
PhilPapers and the Philosophy Documentation Center will be working together to expand the amount of information available via PhilPapers and to better manage PhilPapers’ subscription services. PhilPapers has also upgraded its search system. David Bourget and David Chalmers tell us what’s going on and what to expect: (more…)
Philosophy Tag
Gillian Russell (Washington University in St. Louis) was tagged last week by Franz Berto (Amsterdam) in the logic playground, where the game has been playing for a while now. Let’s see where Russell’s tag takes us.
There’s a pervasive thought in many cultures and religions—one that I’ve found attractive in the past—that moral anxiety in human agents is a ..
Blackburn and Me, Me, Me
Simon Blackburn gives us his version of a “kids, these days, let me tell you” cranky rant about selfies, which he rescues from crankyland only by saying we should respond to the vanity and conceit and narcissism encouraged in today’s society with mockery. Seems to me, though, that only someone completely full of himself would attempt such a sweeping characterization..
Do We Need Philosophy of Religion Anymore?
There has been some blogging recently about whether philosophy of religion should still be taught. The recent discussion appears to have been sparked by an interview that a blogger known as the Godless Skeptic conducted with Graham Oppy (Monash) about his recent book, Reinventing Philosophy of Religion, in which he objects to the homogeneity of the field, which is c..
What Do Philosophy Majors Do? LinkedIn’s Answer
LinkedIn, a service I am familiar with largely through doing battle with its hydra-like emailing, has a feature called “Field of Study Explorer.” Its aim is to provide information to would be college students about the kinds of jobs and employers different majors end up with. Of course, what the service really tells you is what kinds of jobs and employers that diffe..
Maybe Next Summer
Amanda Ann Klein, an associate professor of film studies at East Carolina University, writes:
A few months ago, after a failed attempt to get a job at a university that might actually pay me a salary commensurate with my rank and experience, I came to the realization that the stress and late nights, the self doubt and loathing, were now unnecessary. I am not going t..
Heap of Links
1. Advocates of the “open carry” of firearms sometimes enter stores, restaurants, and other establishments, proudly and openly carrying their guns. What is the rational thing to do in this situation? Jack Russell Weinstein (North Dakota) has an answer: GTFO. Wonkette has the story.
2. The mechanism by which the brain reinforces learning has a side-effect that causes..
Lucy Allais (Sussex, Witwatersrand) half-time to UC San Diego
Lucy Allais, currently senior lecturer in philosophy at the University of Sussex and associate professor of philosophy at the University of the Witwatersrand, has accepted an appointment at the University of California, San Diego, where she will be in residence during the Winter and Spring quarters. The remainder of her time will be at Witwatersrand. Professor Allai..
Ludlow’s Defamation Lawsuit Dismissed
Peter Ludlow’s defamation lawsuit against Sun-Times Media, Cumulus Broadcasting, and Fox Television Stations, Inc., for describing the sexual assault he has been accused of as “rape,” was dismissed. Details here. (via Feminist Philosophers)
David Enoch on Israel and Gaza
Some means — even though they’re best for achieving a goal — might be so evil that the goal should be dropped, as long as we’re not forced to pursue it. If the only way to promote freedom from repression is terror, this could be enough to justify dropping this legitimate goal.
David Enoch, professor of philosophy and law at Hebrew University, weighs in on the curren..
The 30 Harshest Philosopher-on-Philosopher Insults
Flavorwire lists the “30 Harshest Philosopher-on-Philosopher Insults in History.” I have heard worse.
Do You Want to Date a Philosopher?
We’ve all dated a dude in academia and, yes, that mysterious air of “think of all these deep, important, bookish things that he knows” can be intoxicating at first. His vague condescension can even be a turn-on, in the right context. But cut to six months later when you’re hungover, blearily sharing a plate of hash browns at the Waffle House he deeply feels is benea..
Heap of Links
1. “The fact you are unwilling to examine the philosophical foundations of what you do does not mean those foundations are not there; it just means they are unexamined.” Physicist George Ellis is interviewed at Scientific American’s site.
2. The researchers behind a study (previously) that concluded that students would rather self-administer shocks than spend time a..
The Ideas of Objectionable Philosophers
A reader writes:
Recently I have found myself engaging less with the work of certain philosophers who have engaged in highly objectionable or unprofessional behavior, either not addressing and citing it when it could be relevant, or not reading it when I am unsure of its relevance. I am unsure whether I should be moved by these “personal” considerations. On the one ..
Daily Nous Blocked in Russia
Anna Alexandrova (Cambridge) writes: “Dear Daily Nous, I have just tried to access you from Russia and you are blocked (see screenshot). My sincere congratulations! You are doing something right clearly.”