public philosophy
BGSU Threatens Whistleblower Philosopher’s Job
Christian Coons, associate professor of philosophy at Bowling Green State University (BGSU), is facing disciplinary proceedings that could lead to his termination for a series of events that began with him raising questions about how a job search was conducted, continued with him voicing concerns about the lack of evidence being considered in an investigation of his..
Dieleman from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville to Endowed Chair at Lethbridge
Susan Dieleman, currently assistant professor of philosophy at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, has been named as the inaugural holder of the Jarislowsky Chair in Trust and Political Leadership at Lethbridge University. (more…)
David Enoch Arrested While Protesting Judicial “Reforms” in Israel
David Enoch, professor of philosophy at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, was among those protesting the Israeli government’s controversial plans to scale back the independence and power of its judiciary yesterday near Tel Aviv when he was arrested by police. (more…)
Philosophers on Next-Generation Large Language Models
Back in July of 2020, I published a group post entitled “Philosophers on GPT-3.” At the time, most readers of Daily Nous had not heard of GPT-3 and had no idea what a large language model (LLM) is. How times have changed. (more…)
Philosopher Ann Cudd to Lead Portland State University
Ann Cudd, currently Provost, Senior Vice Chancellor, and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh, has been named the next President of Portland State University. (more…)
Project on Epistemic Injustice in Health Care Wins £2.6 Million Grant
An interdisciplinary team led by philosopher Havi Carel (Bristol) has won a £2.6 million grant for its project, “Epistemic Injustice in Health Care” (EPIC). (more…)
Microsoft Jettisons AI Ethics Team
“Microsoft laid off its entire ethics and society team within the artificial intelligence organization,” according to a report from Platformer (via Gizmodo). (more…)
Ernst Tugendhat (1930-2023) (updated)
Ernst Tugendhat, an influential German philosopher who taught at the University of Heidelberg, the Free University of Berlin, and other universities, has died. (more…)
Are We Not Doing Enough Drugs?
“To admit to any intention to use chemical substances, whether found in nature or synthesized in laboratories, in the aim of changing one’s apprehension of reality, is to leave the guild of the philosophers behind, with all its constricting norms and shibboleths, and to join the company, over in the deep end of the pool of life, of sundry countercultural weirdos and..
COPE: AI Tools Aren’t Authors. Philosophers: Not So Fast
The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), whose standards inform the policies and practices of many philosophy journals and their publishers, has declared that “AI tools cannot be listed as an author of a paper.” (more…)
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Florida Philosophical Association Calls for University Leaders to Stand Up to “Government Overreach into the Academy”
In the face of legislation proposed by Florida governor Ron DeSantis that would violate academic freedom, erode tenure protections, and diminish faculty governance at the state’s universities and colleges (see a summaries here and here) the Florida Philosophical Association (FPA) has issued a letter to the leaders of those schools calling for them to “uphold and pub..
Volunteers Sought to Help with Ukraine Benefit Conference
Aaron Wendland (KCL, Massey College), the organizer of the philosophy conference being put on to raise funds to establish a Centre for Civic Engagement at Kyiv Mohyla Academy in Ukraine (previously), has asked me to pass on his request for volunteers for the conference. (more…)
Doctoral Program Attrition (guest post)
“s it turns out, the rate of attrition from philosophy doctoral programs often exceeds 30 percent.” (more…)
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Martin Perlmutter (1943-2023)
Martin Perlmutter, professor emeritus of philosophy at the College of Charleston and director of its Jewish Studies program, died this past January. (more…)
Israeli Philosophers Oppose Government’s Anti-Democratic “Reforms” (updated)
Over 100 Israeli philosophers have signed an open letter to the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the nation’s Minister of Justice, Yariv Levin, expressing concern about recently advanced legal changes. (more…)
APA Issues Statement on Academic Freedom in Florida
Academic freedom and shared governance in institutions of higher learning must remain free from political intrusion. Political restrictions on teaching and scholarship undermine the ability of philosophers and other university researchers to search for and disseminate knowledge. This compromises the fundamental mission of the university. (more…)
Shoenfield Logic Book and Article Prize Winners Announced
The Association for Symbolic Logic has awarded its 2022 Shoenfield Logic Book and Article Prizes. (more…)
Kraus from Notre Dame to Johns Hopkins
Katharina Kraus, previously associate professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, is now, as of this term, associate professor of philosophy at Johns Hopkins University. (more…)
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New: Journal of the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists
December 2022 saw the publication of the first two issues of the Journal of the History of Women Philosophers and Scientists (JHWP). (more…)
Why a Philosopher’s Racist Email from 26 Years Ago is News Today
Influential Oxford philosopher Nick Bostrom, well-known for his work on philosophical questions related to ethics, the future, and technology (existential risk, artificial intelligence, simulation), posted an apology for a blatantly racist email he sent to a listserv 26 years ago. (more…)
New Network for Philosophers Interested in Emotions and Society
“Emotion and Society Lab” is a new “network of collaborators in philosophy across different universities that engage in collaborative learning, research, and public engagement around emotions and society.” (more…)
Wild Animal Welfare Program Launches at NYU
New York University has launched a new interdisciplinary program to support, coordinate, and disseminate research about the well-being of wild animals. (more…)
The Power of a Good Press Release
Last month, something unusual happened to an academic philosophy article. (more…)
Two Philosophers Recognized in UK’s New Year Honours
Two philosophers were given honorary titles as part of the UK’s 2023 New Year Honours, which recognize people who have “made achievements in public life committed themselves to serving and helping the UK”. (more…)
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