professionalism

Tag

CV Do’s and Don’ts

I’ve been asked to put up a post about what goes under the “publications” heading on a cv, but I thought we could expand the discussion to include other bits of cv-related advice for job applicants. (more…)

Neil Mehta’s Guide to Professional Philosophy

“It is often thought that philosophical excellence is the sole province of the genius. I by contrast believe that it can be achieved through countless small techniques that can be taught and learned.” (more…)

The Hidden Costs of Being a Non-Native English Speaker in Philosophy (guest post)

Last year, a group of scholars launched an international survey of philosophers on the dominant language of philosophy today—“academic English”—and the challenges faced by native and non-native speakers of everyday English as they work in this language. (more…)

The Outsider Perspective

At one point in his 2017 Dewey Lecture (the audio of which was recently posted at the Blog of the APA), William Lycan (UNC) remarks on a comment of Dave Chalmers‘ (NYU) that “the age of the greats has passed.” (more…)

New Teaching Mentorship Program for Philosophers in Small Departments

The American Association of Philosophy Teachers (AAPT) is launching a new teaching mentorship program designed for philosophers teaching in small philosophy departments. (more…)

Defamatory Remarks Prompt Resignations & Legal Restructuring at Philosophical Society

Four members of the executive committee of the Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain (PESGB) resigned in the wake of complaints that Impact, the society’s journal, published defamatory remarks about a philosophy graduate student. (more…)

The Tale of the Disappearing Job Offer

A philosopher with a tenure-track job applied for a position at another university. The application and interview process went well, and he got the offer. And then he didn’t get the offer. (more…)

NUS Philosophy Apologizes for Rejection Email Mishap

To its credit, the Department of Philosophy at National University of Singapore, in a timely manner, emailed some applicants to its recently advertised open rank position to inform them that they were no longer being considered for the job. Unfortunately, the email addresses of all of the recipients of the rejection letter were visible in the “cc” section of the mes..

How Risk-Averse is Academic Philosophy?

“Philosophical inquiry thrives when it is conducted in a spirit that risks overreaching a bit,” yet “the current incentive structure of academic philosophy in the United States favors cautious and modest research agendas for early career philosophers.” (more…)

Remarks about Graduate Student Raise Questions about Journal’s Editorial Policies

The Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain is investigating the editorial processes at one of its journals, Impact: Philosophical Perspectives on Education Policy (Wiley), after its latest issue included defamatory remarks about a graduate student in philosophy. (more…)

Why I’m a Shameless Sophist (guest post)

A “more vocational attitude to philosophy is a constant temptation; I still sometimes slip into it now. But what calls me away from it is always just being reminded of the mundane ways in which this is just a living.” (more…)

Seeking Feedback on “Good Practices Guide” – Part 2

This is the second of several posts soliciting comments on a draft “Good Practices Guide” for advancing diversity in philosophy. (more…)

Seeking Feedback on “Good Practices Guide” – Part 1

A group of philosophers associated with the Demographics in Philosophy project have taken up the task of creating a “Good Practices Guide” to advance diversity in philosophy and are seeking suggestions, criticisms, and comments on the initial draft.
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Stepping Outside of Philosophy: Reflections on a Transdisciplinary Career (guest post)

Universities say they want their faculty to pursue “interdisciplinary” and “transdisciplinary” work. Yet it might be difficult to figure out how to do that given the structure of academia and the nature of academic training. (more…)

APA Publishes “Good Practices Guide”

The American Philosophical Association (APA) has published its Good Practices Guide, “a set of recommendations to help philosophers create and maintain an academic community based on mutual respect, fairness, inclusivity, and a commitment to scholarship and learning.”

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Philosophers and Petitions

Numbers generate a pressure to believe that isn’t grounded in explanatory force, because having more and more adherents to a view doesn’t give rise to better and better accounts of why the view is correct… (more…)

Mentoring Workshop for Early-Career Women in Philosophy

The Mentoring Project for Early-Career Women in Philosophy, “an ongoing effort to foster mentoring relationships between senior women in the field and women just beginning their careers,” is once again offering its Mentoring Workshop. (more…)

Room for Uncertainty in Online Philosophical Communities

“Uncertainty, I once thought, is what philosophers do. Now I have doubts.” (more…)

Fawning Sycophancy Is Unprofessional, Gross, and if Ongoing, the Professor’s Fault

“I only now your beautiful and exquisite message… I thank you for your infinite understanding and sensitivities which are always beyond measure.” (more…)

Luck and Precursive Belief (guest post by Amy Olberding)

“I was lucky. There were multiple joints in this path where things could well have gone sideways. Indeed, sideways was my more natural trajectory and temperament. But my luck, I hasten to say, was not just dumb luck. Instead, much of my luck was given to me by others.” (more…)

Symbolic Conscription, Part II (guest post by Amy Olberding)

The following is a guest post * by Amy Olberding, professor of philosophy at the University of Oklahoma, in response to the discussion of Sam Liao’s post here, “How Is This Course Intro to Philosophy?” A version of it first appeared at Feminist Philosophers. (more…)

Reporting of Sexual Assault and Harassment in Philosophy (updated)

I recently saw a post on social media comparing the current deluge of accusations of sexual harassment and assault being made and taken seriously in entertainment, news media, and politics, with how little of that seems to be happening in philosophy. (more…)

APA Releases Draft of “Good Practices Guide” for Comment (reposting)

The American Philosophical Association (APA) has published a 77-page document, the “Good Practices Guide.” While some parts of the guide overlap with the recently issued APA Code of Conduct, it is “not intended to play the same role in regulating the conduct of academic life.” Rather, the guide is

a set of recommendations based upon the accumulated experi..

Virtues of Philosophers: Humility, Curiosity, Charity, Courage, and Grace

What are the virtues of a philosopher?

I won’t pretend this is an uncontroversial question, but I leave aside the tasks of defending it and arguing for particular specifications of its concepts. What I have in mind are aspects of character in virtue of which philosophers are able to do whatever it is they are supposed to do, well—especially in light of the fact..

Hypatia Controversy Updates (updated)

Below is a list of assorted commentaries on the ongoing Hypatia controversy, mostly lifted from one of the updates on the original post on the story. Recent additions at time of posting include: (more…)