philosopher
TagShockley from Buffalo to Colorado State
Kenneth Shockley, currently associate professor of philosophy and director of the Sustainability Academy at the University at Buffalo – SUNY, has accepted a position as associate professor and Holmes Rolston III Endowed Chair in Environmental Ethics and Philosophy at Colorado State University, starting in August 2016. Professor Shockley works in environmental philos..
Letter Protesting Dickinson’s Treatment of Sartwell
Joel Pust (Delaware) and Eric Winsberg (South Florida) have authored an open letter in regards to philosopher Crispin Sartwell’s employment status at Dickinson College: “Academics’ Statement of Protest Regarding Dickinson College’s Treatment of Professor Crispin Sartwell.” They invite philosophers and other academics to sign. (For some context, see this post.)
Fr..
Philosopher Faces Blasphemy Charges (updated)
Philosophy professor Sheikha al-Jassem (Shaikha Binjasim) is facing charges of blasphemy and the possible loss of her faculty position at Kuwait University, owing to remarks she made in a television interview about freedom of conscience, the politicization of religion in Kuwait, and how the Kuwaiti constitution, not the Quran, is and should be the basis of law in Ku..
First Alain Locke Award for Public Philosophy Awarded to Andrew Light
Interview with Janice Dowell
Clifford Sosis (Coastal Carolina) continues his series of interviews of philosophers at What Is It Like To Be A Philosopher? with Janice Dowell of Syracuse University. In it she discusses her childhood (she worked as a janitor for a Princeton eating club), how she ended up going into philosophy (“almost entirely by accident”), her career at various institutions, her..
Justin Leiber (1938-2016)
Justin F. Leiber, retired professor of philosophy at Florida State University, died earlier this week. Prior to joining Florida State, he taught at Lehman College (CUNY) and the University of Houston. Professor Leiber worked mainly in philosophy of language, and also in philosophy of psychology and cognitive science. In addition to his philosophy work, he had a care..
Fitelson from Rutgers to Northeastern
Branden Fitelson, previously Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University, is now Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Northeastern University, as of this morning. Professor Fitelson works in epistemology, logic, and philosophy of science.
The Career Move That Dare Not Speak Its Name (Guest Post by Josh Parsons)
The following is a guest post* from Josh Parsons, currently an associate professor in the philosophy faculty at Oxford University and tutorial fellow in philosophy at Corpus Christi College.
The Career Move That Dare Not Speak Its Name
by Josh Parsons
My sister works in advertising, an industry where high-pressure workplaces are at least as common as they are..
Hilary Putnam (1926-2016) (updated)
Hilary Putnam, Cogan University Professor Emeritus at Harvard University, died earlier today. Professor Putnam was a tremendously influential philosopher, working across a broad range of fields, including philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, philosophy of language, philosophy of math, and moral philosophy. (A list of his works is available here.) He received h..
Philosophy Professor Displays Sign Opposing Concealed Weapons on Campus, Gets Arrested
Amy Donahue, assistant professor of philosophy at Kennesaw State University in Georgia, was arrested at the Georgia Capitol this past Friday as she tried to display a sign opposing legislation that would permit concealed weapons on college campuses. According to the Savannah Morning News:
State Troopers handcuffed and arrested Kennesaw State University philosophy..
Philosopher to Sue NYC Police for 4th Amendment Violation
Damion Scott, a PhD student in philosophy at SUNY Stony Brook and an adjunct professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, claims his Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches was violated, as was a city code against racial-profiling, by two New York City police officers, according to an article in The New York Times (via Shelley Tremain at Discr..
Jon Altschul (2016)
Jon Alstchul, associate professor of philosophy at Loyola University New Orleans, has died. Professor Altschul worked mainly in epistemology and philosophy of mind, and received his Ph.D. from University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2009. A brief article in Loyola’s newpaper, The Maroon, reports university president Kevin Wildes saying, “All who knew Jon remembe..
Umberto Eco (1932-2016)
Umberto Eco, known to the world as the author of novels such as The Name of the Rose and Foucault’s Pendulum, has died. Obituaries have appeared in mamy outlets (e.g., New York Times, NPR, The Guardian, The Telegraph). Eco was also an academic, working in philosophy and semiotics. He’s quoted in several articles as saying, “I am a philosopher. I write novels only on..
Is Philosophy Unfriendly?
The latest interview at What Is It Like To Be A Philosopher? is up, and it’s with Dan Haybron (Saint Louis University). There’s a lot of interesting stuff in it, so worth a read. One theme that stuck out was the idea that, though most philosophers are quite nice, there is something “unfriendly” about philosophy. Professor Haybron says of grad school in philosophy:
..
“Bunny-Drowning” President Sets Sights on Philosophers (Updated)
Philosophers are under attack at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Maryland. The reason appears to be that they questioned the university president’s surreptitious attempt to improve his school’s retention rate by culling students ahead of the federal reporting deadline.
Thane Naberhaus, until yesterday a tenured associate professor of philosophy at Moun..
Letter from Philosophers Supporting Öymen
The actions of the present government to persecute Professor Öymen, using an ill-conceived law, applied inappropriately, endangers the standing Turkey now enjoys with the international philosophical community…
are accustomed to offering and receiving blunt criticism. The freedom to do so is a necessary condition for philosophical activity, and even more, part ..
William Craig (1918-2016)
William Craig, professor emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley, has died. Craig worked mainly in logic and philosophy of science, and is known for, among other things, what has come to be called Craig’s Interpolation Theorem.
UPDATE: See this announcement from the Berkeley Philosophy Department (via Richard Zach).
Judge Dismisses Kaufman Lawsuit Against Colorado
Last March, University of Colorado associate professor of philosophy Dan Kaufman filed a lawsuit against the university “alleging the school both discriminated and retaliated against him because he has a disability,” following his being banned from campus by the administration. Yesterday, a federal judge dismissed these claims, reports the Daily Camera. In exchange ..
Philosopher Wins €2.5million Leibniz Award
Dag Nikolaus Hasse, professor of philosophy at the Institute for Philosophy at the University of Würzburg, is one of ten winners of the 2016 Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize. The prize, which includes 2.5 million euros, is awarded by the German Research Foundation. Begun in 1985, it “aims to improve the working conditions of outstanding scientists and academics, expa..
Nearly $15m For Philosopher-Led Artificial Intelligence Center
The University of Cambridge has received a £10 million (approximately $14.9 million) grant from the Leverhulme Trust to create a new interdisciplinary institution on artificial intelligence and its implications for humanity, called the Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence. Huw Price, the Bertrand Russell Professor of Philosophy at Cambridge, will be the ..
Bernecker Selected as Humboldt Professor at Cologne (updated)
Sven Bernecker, professor of philosophy at the University of California, Irvine, is one of the recipients of the latest round of Humboldt Professorships. The award, which includes 3.5 million euros, will bring him to the University of Cologne. Professor Bernecker works in epistemology, philosophy of mind, metaphysics, Kant, and German Idealism. According to the Alex..
Aldo Antonelli (1962 – 2015) (several updates)
G. Aldo Antonelli, professor of philosophy at the University of California, Davis, died unexpectedly earlier this week. Professor Antonelli was known largely for his work in logic. Prior to taking up his position at UC Davis, he also taught for many years at UC Irvine, and held appointments at Pittsburgh, Yale, Stanford, Michigan State, and elsewhere. You can learn ..
Stubblefield Convicted of First-Degree Aggravated Sexual Assault
Anna Stubblefield, a professor of philosophy at Rutgers-Newark, was found guilty of two counts of felony first-degree aggravated sexual assault for raping a mentally disabled man she was introduced to in order to help him learn to communicate (previously). NJ.com reports:
The jury… convicted the 45-year-old philosophy professor of sexually assaulting a 34-year-..
Philosopher to Receive 2014 National Humanities Medal
Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, author of the novels The Mind-Body Problem and 36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction, as well as books on Gödel and Spinoza, and who wrote last year’s hit work of non-fiction, Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won’t Go Away, will be a recipient of one of the ten 2014 National Humanities Medals awarded at a ceremo..
Al Mele Interviewed at “What Is It Like…?”
Clifford Sosis (Coastal Carolina) continues his series of interviews at “What Is It Like To Be A Philosopher?” (previously) with Florida State University’s Al Mele. A synopsis:
In this interview, Al Mele talks about his early love of sports (especially football), games and reading, being an East Detroit greaser, getting a football scholarship, being disinterested..
Philosopher Arrested For Protesting Fracking
Adam Briggle, associate professor of philosophy at the University of North Texas, has been arrested for engaging in a protest at a Vantage Energy fracking site in Denton, Texas.
Three Denton residents could face criminal trespassing charges after they were arrested early Monday morning in front of the entry to a gas well site on the city’s west side… The trio j..
Interviewed
Clifford Sosis continues his series at What Is It Like to Be a Philosopher? (previously here, here, and here) with an interview of, uh, me. For the record let it be known that an earlier part of our conversation was omitted from the published version. I include it here:
Sosis: I’m starting an interview series.
Weinberg: Sounds good. Do you have anyone lined up?..
Mary Louise Gill Interviewed
Clifford Sosis continues his very interesting series of interviews with philosophers with Mary Louise Gill of Brown University. There’s a lot in this one, which Sosis helpfully sums up:
She talks about reading Gone with The Wind in secret at home (it was forbidden), being required to read J Edgar Hoover’s Masters of Deceit in the 6th grade, her father, John Glanv..