-
Catching up with Marx…
…periodically the economists do it: Within two decades, we will have almost unlimited energy, food, and clean water; advances in medicine will allow us to live longer and healthier lives; robots will drive our cars, manufacture our goods, and do our chores. There won’t be much work for human beings. Self-driving cars will be commercially…
-
Advertising update
There's still a 2nd from the top spot in April for $600, as well as 4th from the top spots ($450 each). May still has one top and one second from the top available ($700 and $600, respectively).
-
Philosopher Adam Morton on “pitch perception”
Unusual and interesting.
-
Essentially open racism by a member of the U of Oklahoma Board of Regents
Wow, and double wow.
-
The New Infantilism makes the NY Times
A useful overview of examples, many of which resonate with nonsense we've seen in academic philosophy.
-
A virtual tour through ancient Rome
This is neat, show your kids!
-
Open thread on issues in the profession for the week of March 23, 2015
Post your comment only once, it may take awhile to appear. Let me suggest as one possible topic an earlier thread on the empirical literature on implicit bias and stereotype threat. What I took from that thread is that the evidence for stereotype threat is quite weak, but the evidence for implicit bias is quite…
-
Is philosophy in the doldrums?
I, myself, thought Frankfurt's observation reasonable–there's certainly some nice work being done here and there, but nothing agenda-setting comparable to the figures Frankfurt mentions–but unsurprisingly, lots of younger philosophers dissented from the proposition that their field is in the doldrums. So what do readers think? I'll open a discussion afterwards. <div><a href="http://www.micropoll.com/a/mpview/1075246-4831447">Click Here for Poll</a><BR><a…
-
The myth of a “resurgence” in the problem of consciousness
Galen Strawson (Texas) comments. Is he right? (Thanks to Arthur Smith for the pointer.)
-
The sound of Nietzsche’s voice…
MOVING TO FRONT FROM MARCH 19–SEE UPDATE …reconstructed. Very weird, I have no idea whether the method is legitimate. (Thanks to Justin Remhof for the pointer.) UPDATE: It appears to be a hoax…or rather, "performance art"! (Thanks to Glenn Branch for the pointer.)
-
The end of liberal Zionism?
Philosopher Samuel Fleischacker (Illinois/Chicago) comments.
-
The right-wing war on UNC-Chapel Hill
It is likely to come to other reactionary states before long.
-
NYU needs to pick their foreign partners more carefully
This was inevitable, and is probably just the beginning.
-
Amsterdam offers Chair to Schliesser
Eric Schliesser (early modern philosophy, philosophy of economics), currently at Ghent University, has been offered the Chair in Political Theory in the Political Science Department at the University of Amsterdam. (Schliesser is particularly well-known for his work on Adam Smith, among other topics.) Professor Schliesser tells me he will "almost certainly" accept this position.
-
McPherson from Virginia Tech to Ohio State
Tristram McPherson (ethics, metaethics), Associate Professor of Philosophy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, has accepted appointment as Associate Professor of Philosophy at Ohio State University, effective September 2015.
-
Another philosophy major turned chef
Here. (Thanks to Ruchira Paul for the pointer.)
-
Blast from the past: “On academic bad manners”…
…featuring Fodor, Sterelny et al.
-
APA, BPA journal surveys
Links at the FP blog.
-
On grading papers
A poem. (Thanks to Pete Murray for the pointer.)
-
Letters for students applying to US programs and those “top 1%,” “top 5%” comparisons
A philosopher in Europe writes: I wonder if I could persuade you to write a blog post that would help European letter writers do well by their students? (Please don't identify me though – not least because I don't want my student to be able to identify herself.) I recently wrote my first round of…
-
“Kant is a moron”
And it wasn't Nietzsche who said that (he only said "Kant became an idiot"). (Thanks to Mats Volberg for the pointer.) UPDATE: The vandals aren't alone, Cantor was with them (and he clearly hadn't read much German philosophy!). ANOTHER: A colleague elsewhere writes: My wife, who is Russian, says that the graffiti in question should…
-
Barnard’s John Morrison on MSNBC discussing…
…that dress! (Thanks to David James Barnett for the pointer.)
-
Readers identify the most important issues in the profession
With almost 725 responses to our earlier poll, here are the ten most pressing issues in the profession identified by readers: 1. Bad job market, decline of tenure-track faculty positions, increasing reliance on adjuncts (Condorcet winner: wins contests with all other choices) 2. Declining state support for higher education loses to Bad job market, decline of tenure-track…
-
From philosophy major to fish monger
This is great. (Thanks to Jason Walta for the pointer.)
-
More on disabilities in philosophy…
…the case of invisible disabilities.
-
On the epistemic character defects of conspiracy theorists
Quassim Cassam (Warwick) comments.
-
The collapse of the humanities job market over the last dozen years
Pretty sobering graph. (Thanks to Phil Gasper for the pointer.)
-
What are the most important issues facing the profession of philosophy currently?
MOVING TO FRONT FROM YESTERDAY–THIS WILL RUN FOR ABOUT ANOTHER 24 HOURS Here's a poll in which you can rank order various issues that come up with some frequency on blogs and in correspondence. UPDATE: A philosophy graduate student writes: I was surprised to see that you did not include any reference to people who…
-
Latest AAUP data on average salaries across institutions, fields, and ranks
IHE has the details. The averages understate the possible differentias, obviously. Most state university salary data is now on-line via newspapers in most states, if one wants to do even more specific comparisons.
-
Philosophy of street art
In the street, of course; and see the interview with Nick Riggle.
-
Open thread on issues in the profession for the week of March 16, 2015
Post your comment only once, I will approve comments at various intervals during the day.
-
Warm thanks to Brit Brogaard…
…for an illuminating set of posts on the 'group polarization' phenomenon, one so evident in cyberspace.
-
Georgetown’s Terry Pinkard interviewed…
…at 3AM. ADDENDUM: A useful contrast with Pinkard's take on Hegel is in the 3am interview with Frederick Beiser, which as an interpretive matter is closer to the mark.
-
In Memoriam: John Arras (1945-2015)
MOVING TO FRONT FROM MARCH 10–UPDATED A leading figure in bioethics, Professor Arras was, at the time of his death, a professor at the University of Virginia. You can read more about his work here. I will add links to memorial notices when they appear. (Thanks to Harold Langsam for the information.) UPDATE: A memorial…
-
In memoriam: Patrick Riley (1941-2015)
A distinguished political theorist, he was probably best-known among philosophers for his important work on Rousseau. Chris Brooke (Cambridge) has an evocative remembrance here. (Thanks to David Lay Williams for the pointer.)
-
Russell Brand on “50 Shades of Grey”
This is funny.
-
What could explain the nearly 370% increase in, broadly, “administrators”…
…over roughly the last 40 years, compared with a much smaller increase in, for example, tenure-stream faculty? Some of it is no doubt attributable to the tendency of administrators to reproduce in order to justify themselves, but I suspect there's more to the story: e.g., changing federal laws governing employment discrimination, sexual harassment, student privacy,…
Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog
News and views about philosophy, the academic profession, academic freedom, intellectual culture, and other topics. The world’s most popular philosophy blog, since 2003.
There are many places in the essay where I would get off the argumentative train, but here’s perhaps the first.…
Totally agreed Colin.
Thanks so much for this, Matthew. I hadn’t heard about UKALPP’s approach, but it sounds like an excellent model for…
Thanks to Colin Marshall for an excellent document. The annual UK Analytic Legal & Political Philosophy (UKALPP) Conference now convenes…
Thanks for this comment, Alan. I think the point you make carries weight – especially for some younger philosophers, in-person…
I’m a lifelong APA member with APA emeritus status. I see many reasons for the online conference, and perhaps the…
Let me recommend Eleanor Knox’s essay on IAI a few months ago for what I think is a much more…