New Philosopher Databases
Modeled on the well-populated site, Women of Philosophy, a group of philosophers are creating a number of other databases, starting with one for Latina/Latino or Hispanic philosophers. Elizabeth Anderson, Tina Fernandes Botts, Ruth Chang, Sally Haslanger, and Manuel Vargas explain the initiative in a letter posted at Feminist Philosophers.
The Quest for the Last Glass Philosopher
It was (perhaps) a dark and stormy night, back in the 1950s, when the multi-colored glass panels depicting 24 philosophers were removed from the dome atop Normal Hall at Indiana State University, many broken in the process. No photographs of the dome have been found, and no definitive list of the 24 philosophers is in existence. Now ISU is hoping to restore the dome..
Sorabji to be Knighted
Richard Sorabji, emeritus professor of philosophy at King’s College London and Honorary Fellow at Wolfson College, Oxford (and who has held positions at Cornell, University of Texas, NYU, CUNY, and elsewhere) will be knighted “for services to philosophical scholarship.”
Heap of Links
1. Was Nietzsche a transhumanist?
2. Help get Bar Philosophi, “a mixology/craft cocktail bar with drinks inspired by conversation-inducing writers and philosophers” off the ground. (via Erich Hatala Matthes)
3. Eric Winsberg (South Florida) on the difference between an art object and a scientific model.
4. More on the Philosophy of Phish course.
5. Ariel Rubinstein’..
APA Publication Awards – Updated
The American Philosophical Association has announced the winners of some recent publication prizes. Sally Haslanger has won the 2014 Joseph B. Gittler Award for her Resisting Reality: Social Construction and Social Critique.
The APA Book Prize is awarded every other year and for 2013 the winner is Global Justice and Territory by Cara Nine as the winner. Honorable ..
John Brunero (Missouri-St.Louis) to University of Nebraska, Lincoln
John Brunero, currently associate professor of philosophy at the University of Missouri – St. Louis, has accepted a position with the University of Nebraska – Lincoln Department of Philosophy as Robert R. Chambers Distinguished Associate Professor of Philosophy and the Moral Sciences, starting mid-August, 2014. Brunero works on topics in metaethics, practical reason..
Petition for a Black Philosopher
We, the undersigned stakeholders in the UCL community and concerned parties-at-large, insist that Professors Michael Arthur (Provost), Jonathan Wolff (Dean of Faculty of Arts & Humanities) and José Zalabardo (Head of Department, Philosophy) intervene to create a permanent, tenure-track position in the Department of Philosophy for Dr. Nathaniel Adam Tobias Coleman be..
No Muslim Philosophers?
Hasan Azad, a PhD student in religious studies at Columbia, takes to the pages of Al Jazeera to ask, “why are there no Muslim philosophers?” Or rather, “To what extent can Muslims think as Muslims within the academy without being deemed too Muslim, and to what extent must their thought be made to conform to Western paradigms of thought?”
A-Level (Pre-College) Philosophy Threatened in UK
We face a situation where the A Level Philosophy may soon no longer exist such that we can continue to lament its supposed flaws and where the general perception of the subject amongst exam boards including but not limited to AQA is one of toxicity bordering on viciousness.
An article in The Philosophers Magazine details some of the problems facing the pre-universit..
Analytic Philosophy: unscientific or too scientific?
We’ve all heard Stephen Hawking claim that philosophy is dead because philosophers have not kept up with modern developments in science. And we’ve all concluded from this that Stephen Hawking’s ideas about philosophy are dead, because he has not kept up with modern developments in philosophy. One wonders when he last read any philosophy of science.
Now we have a pa..
Colbert, Pigliucci, and an “African-American Lesbian Android”
Stephen Colbert has a segment on android rights, and “known European” Massimo Pigliucci (CUNY) shows up towards the end (3:50) to comment. (via Philosophy TV)
Promotions 2013-2014
It’s spring and many colleges and universities have announced, or will soon announce, who has received promotion to associate or full professor. If you have received a promotion in rank during the 2013-2014 year, or you are in a position to make announcements about who in your department has done so, please list that information below.
Use the following format:
Exa..
Most Philosophical 3rd Grader
Aarti Sabharwal of Virginia was recently named the “Most Philosophical Third Grader in America” as a result of her entry in the national 2014 Kids Philosophy Slam contest. This contest is news to me. From the contest website:
The Kids Philosophy Slam is designed to make philosophy accessible and fun for kids of all ages and abilities, to promote a philosophical d..
Moral Injury
These issues have sparked a relatively new area of research among military ethicists known as “moral injury.” It emerges from experiences when “you apply your judgment of right and wrong to an experience and find that your expectations of ‘what is right’ clash jarringly with reality,”
The story of prisoner of war Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl, who was exchanged for five ..
Heap of Links
1. Matthew Burstein has a blog, thought.o.matt, on “academia, media, philosophy, social institutions, teaching, and technology.” Included among the posts are his annotated syllabi for courses on queer theory, philosophy and film, and the moral dimensions of power.
2. Some updates on that class photo of Wittgenstein and Hitler (scroll down).
3. Chimps perform more ra..
Academic Publisher Tries to Silence Debate on Academic Publishing
An article in Times Higher Education reports that the editorial board of the journal of Prometheus: Critical Studies in Innovation, has threatened to resign. Why? The journal’s publisher, Taylor & Francis, delayed the publication of a special issue of Prometheus on the topic of academic publishing and profits and made changes to the issue’s articles, including remov..
The Philosophy of Jerks / Jerk Moves in Philosophy
Eric Schwitzgebel explores the philosophy of jerks, particularly the moral and epistemic dimensions of the type.
I submit that the unifying core, the essence of jerkitude in the moral sense, is this: the jerk culpably fails to appreciate the perspectives of others around him, treating them as tools to be manipulated or idiots to be dealt with rather than as moral an..
Unger’s New Critique of Analytic Philosophy
Except when offering perfectly parochial ideas, mainstream philosophy still offers hardly anything except for just so many concretely empty ideas.
Peter Unger has a new book coming out entitled Empty Ideas: A Critique of Analytic Philosophy. You can get a sense of what he means by “concretely empty idea” from the blurb on about the book on his website. You can also ..
Scanlon on Inequality
No one has reason to accept a scheme of cooperation that places their lives under the control of others, that deprives them of meaningful political participation, that deprives their children of the opportunity to qualify for better jobs, and that deprives them of a share in the wealth they help to produce.
T.M. Scanlon has a brief TED essay sharing some contractual..
Turing Test Passed, But Because of Grade Inflation?
A computer has apparently passed a version of the Turing Test.
Eugene Goostman seems like a typical 13-year-old Ukrainian boy — at least, that’s what a third of judges at a Turing Test competition this Saturday thought. Goostman says that he likes hamburgers and candy and that his father is a gynecologist, but it’s all a lie. This boy is a program created by compute..
Philosophy as Preparation for Fatherhood?
John Kaag (UMass Lowell) holds the surgical scissors and is asked to cut the cord. Time stands still, and he reflects on the relations between philosophy and fatherhood.
The prospect of struggle in life and fatherhood is not an indication that we should opt out, but rather lean in—like Sisyphus, who is destined to push the boulder up a hill, only to have it roll dow..
Heap of Links
1. Churchland vs. McGinn in the New Your Review of Books.
2. The philosophy of mind of the Robocop remake? I’d buy that for a dollar.
3. The ethics of whistleblowing and state secrecy — a review essay by political theoriest William Scheuerman.
4. How do you know you’re not a zombie yourself?
5. “The emotional component of our moral judgment is not strictly based on..
Nietzsche Club Banned at UCL
The Nietzsche Club was barred from holding meetings at University College London after a ruling that discussions about right-wing philosophers could encourage fascism and endanger the student body. As well as Nietzsche, a favorite of Benito Mussolini, the philosophers to be studied included Julius Evola and Martin Heidegger, who have been cited as inspiration by far..
Should Publishers Pay Referees and Authors?
If academic work is to be commodified and turned into a source of profit for shareholders and for the 1 percent of the publishing world, then we should give up our archaic notions of unpaid craft labor and insist on professional compensation for our expertise, just as doctors, lawyers, and accountants do.
This does not mean we would never referee articles free. Jus..
Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Fellowship Winners
The ACLS has wrapped up its awarding of fellowships for the season. Previous posts here have announced the philosophers who have won the various fellowships for faculty (see here and here). The news is that the graduate student winners of the Mellon/ACLS dissertation fellowships have been recently announced. They are:
· Preston Stovall, Doctoral Candidate at the Un..
Social Psych in the Philosophy Classroom
Normally, self-affirmation is reserved for instances in which identity is threatened in direct ways: race, gender, age, weight, and the like. Here, Nyhan decided to apply it in an unrelated context: Could recalling a time when you felt good about yourself make you more broad-minded about highly politicized issues, like the Iraq surge or global warming? As it turns o..
Defendant in Philosopher Stabbing Goes to Court
In early March, Finnish philosopher Esa Saarinen (Aalto University) was stabbed.
The attacker did not attempt to flee the crime scene after the knife had been wrestled out of his hands but remained there, in his own words, to talk about love and the contents of Saarinen’s lectures.
Not the kind of sharp questioning a philosopher typically looks forward to! The de..
Blog Admin
Posting may be light and comment approval a little slow over the next week or so, owing to travel. Philosophers, don’t do anything too crazy. Or if you do, give me a heads-up about it. Thanks.