Tag: university governance

Academic Freedom

Should Universities Protect Protest Speech?

May 8, 2024

“It is important to insist that, contrary to the Chicago Principles, deliberation and protest are fundamental forms of free expression.”

Heap of Links

Does the principle of sufficient reason imply panpsychism? If it does, do we then ponens or tollens? — Sam Kimpton-Nye on these questions and the "demand for intelligibility"
PTSD flashbacks may be harmful, but they may also be helpfully “resupplying phenomenal experience” to those who, owing to trauma, are “grasp alienated” — Michaela McSweeney on trauma and "madness-as-strategy"
A look at the very first issue of Mind — Brett Mullins surveys its articles on the occasion of the journal's 150th anniversary
The most bizarre plagiarism-related story ever — featuring: a death, an investigator, a dissertation, a mysterious red book, and more
New data on earnings by major and university — though not all universities
“AI poses two different existential threats to [our] valuing practices” — Jordan MacKenzie offers an account of why negative judgments about AI taking over our creative and caring activities are justified
“Submission” is a humorous clicker-style game about starting a career in academic philosophy (or not) — created by Nat Hansen
“The best investment in education is to become the most human human—a challenging, fulfilling, exciting pursuit that connects us across generations” — an interview with Christa Acampora, philosopher and dean of Arts & Sciences at UVA
“What would happen if we tried to live without the mythology of agency at all?” — It's worth pondering, since "agency is just an internal command hallucination," says Alexander Douglas
“Reading List” is a free Mac app for keeping track of papers to read — philosophy PhD student Hayden Kajercline created this productivity tool for researchers, with help from Claude
How should we react to scary predictions about AI? “First: by asking questions” — "If you believe predictions uncritically, it amounts to obeying in advance," says Carissa Véliz
“I feel unbelievably lucky that I was able to make philosophy my profession” — Karen Ng reflects on her path into philosophy, at #first-genphilosophers
The ordinary concept of knowledge “doesn’t work at all the way philosophers said it does” — a round-up of studies shows how weird the philosophers' version of the concept is
1000 or so psychiatrists were asked to diagnose standardized clinical case vignettes. “Two doctors agreed on the diagnosis only 55% of the time” — What does this tell us about psychiatry? Or about other fields in which experts disagree?
Where Aristotle taught Alexander — "this newest dig may be the most revealing yet, offering insight into the specifics of Alexander the Great’s education"
Over 4000 of the Justice Department’s lawyers have left their jobs since Trump’s second term began — The New Yorker on the moral dilemma facing some government employees: resign and avoid complicity, or stay and resist where one can?
Underappreciated philosophy published between 1970-2019 — some old posts to which you can still add works that should be better appreciated
The AI threat to independent student writing is not necessarily a threat to student learning — what's needed, says Joe Cruz, are courses "in which ideas are expressed in real time and analytical thought unfolds as a debate or an oral defense or a group discussion"—and small enough classes to make that work
Would you take a pill that allows you, with no ill health effects, to permanently forgo sleep? — Rebecca Lowe thinks you have no good reason not to, though she neglects to consider that sometimes it's the world that needs a break from you
Fifty essays in the philosophy of paleontology — by Max Dresow at the Extinct blog

All Links →

Latest Comments

Luis Bytner on What’s the Point of Philosophy (as an academic discipline)?
I think the goal of academic philosophy is to systematize the teaching of philosophy through various traditions, making it possible to suspend all existing theories about reality so…
Patrick Lin on Is a “Hardwired Pause” of AI Possible?
Oops, thanks for clueing me in, David. I hadn't read their report since the premise sounded so implausible. After skimming the report now, my assessment and comment still…
Student Philosopher on AI for Philosophy: Progress through Capital-Intensive Philosophy (guest post)
The cost of access to AI is currently being subsidized by investors and taxpayers. The current cost is not economically sustainable.
Dan Hooley on Is a “Hardwired Pause” of AI Possible?
You can verify the destruction of GPUs. I’m not saying that’s the best option, but clearly it is an option.
David Wallace on Is a “Hardwired Pause” of AI Possible?
This is precisely the issue that the report being discussed here is addressing.
Runa on Is a “Hardwired Pause” of AI Possible?
yes. at last.
Patrick Lin on Is a “Hardwired Pause” of AI Possible?
Arms control ain't what it used to be. The main difference for cyberweapons and AI is that there's no plausible verification regime. They're not like bombs which can…
Dan Hooley on Is a “Hardwired Pause” of AI Possible?
For those concerned with regulatory capture, Alex Tabarrok has a great post explaining why this doesn't fit calls to slow down AI progress: https://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2026/09/what-regulatory-capture-actually-looks-like.html
Marc Champagne on Is a “Hardwired Pause” of AI Possible?
The fact that we are having this conversation, no matter its outcome, is a welcome change from the Mr.-Magoo-walking-into-traffic/Jesus-take-the-wheel approach of many.
AGT on Is a “Hardwired Pause” of AI Possible?
What 'worked' with nuclear weapons was the threat of mutual destruction (i.e you stockpile as many weapons as possible and then never use them). So I guess, after…
AGT on Is a “Hardwired Pause” of AI Possible?
I think they would just deny that the bomb is real and would just eat uranium for breakfast. I am sure there would be competitions of the sort…
krell_154 on Is a “Hardwired Pause” of AI Possible?
In the age in which nuclear technology came to fruition, political systems, even in democracies, were vastly different than today and there was no social media. If that…
krell_154 on Is a “Hardwired Pause” of AI Possible?
Not as hard as you might think https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-53944-x
krell_154 on Is a “Hardwired Pause” of AI Possible?
Exactly. A just world is possible, if only everyone decides to behave justly. Alas, they won't.
Derek Baker on Is a “Hardwired Pause” of AI Possible?
Everyone seems to agree the cyber/hacking threat from AI is real and is a cause for serious concern. At the same time, this also means AI can be…

Tag: university governance

Should Universities Protect Protest Speech?