Protecting The Rule of Law Against Donald Trump
The rule of law is traditionally contrasted to “the rule of men.” The contrast captures the difference between societies in which the awesome power of governments to send men and women with weapons to order their people about is governed by general rules, laid down in advance, and enforceable against government officials who would abuse their power, and societies in..
Indigenous Philosophy and Philosophers in the US
What’s the state of Indigenous philosophy and Indigenous philosophers in the US? Kyle Whyte (Michigan State University), himself an Indigenous philosopher, has an informative post answering that question over at Philosopher, the blog edited by Meena Krishnamurthy (University of Michigan). (more…)
2017 PROSE Awards and Philosophy
The 2017 Winners of the American Publishers Awards for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE) have been announced, and among them, in the “Best New Journal in Humanities and Social sciences” category, is Cambridge University Press for the Journal of the American Philosophical Association (see here for more information). (more…)
David Lewis “Letter of the Month” Series
“The Age of Metaphysical Revolution,” is a project at the University of Manchester whose aim is “to give an account of how the age of metaphysical revolution arose at the end of the twentieth century through a systematic exploration of David Lewis’ philosophy in its historical context.” (more…)
US Philosophers Against Trump’s Policies Towards Mexico
Over 200 U.S. philosophers have added their names to a statement repudiating the Trump Administration’s intended policies towards Mexico, a longtime ally of the United States. The statement reads:
We, the undersigned philosophers working at universities in the U.S., acknowledging our different backgrounds, specializations, and political stances, hereby state our ..
Poll: Impact of Academic Boycott of the US on Philosophy Conferences
Over 5000 academics have signed on to a statement “pledging not to attend international conferences in the US” so long as the travel ban (which denies entry to the US by people from Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia) issued by Donald Trump in an executive order on January 27th is in effect. (more…)
What Should Humanities Institutes Do?
What should humanities institutes at universities do? Among other things, “prompt general efforts toward identifying the varied roles that the humanities can play in 21st-century society,” says Robert Frodeman, a philosopher at the University of North Texas, in an essay at Inside Higher Ed. He argues that institutes should focus on the future and relevance of the hu..
Philosophy, Mainstream Media, and the Public
If you are an optimist there is no crisis. Philosophy departments are thriving; even if television isn’t covering philosophical debates Radio 4 is; and the internet offers every kind of philosophy, past and present. Publishers still offer a spectrum of philosophical books. If you are a cultural pessimist, however, the picture looks different. Postwar, we could watch..
The New Federal Task Force On Higher Education
The Trump administration is creating a new task force on higher education, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. It will be headed by outspoken Trump supporter Jerry Falwell, Jr., the current president of the Christian Liberty University, a school founded by his father and known for its teaching of “young earth creationism” in biology courses. (more…)
Influences on Faculty Salary
A new study reveals the effect that various factors, apart from scholarly productivity, have on faculty salary, according to a new study reported on by Inside Higher Ed. The data is for political science faculty, but probably displays a pattern common to most disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. (more…)
Graduate Admissions and the Immigration Order
A philosopher writes with the following query:
In response to their questions, I have just had to write to two people who are applying to our MA program that I can’t tell them whether they’ll be able to attend, even if they are admitted. They are from Iran. There are several others in the same boat. (more…)
APA Issues Statement On Trump’s Immigration Order
The Board of Officers of the American Philosophical Association (APA) has unanimously approved and posted a statement on Donald Trump’s January 27th executive order on immigration. (more…)
Ad Hoc (Daily Nous Philosophy Comics)
Ad Hoc
by Rachel Katler
A Philosopher’s Key To Grading Papers Quickly
Nick Byrd, a philosophy PhD student at Florida State University, has created a shorthand that he uses for commenting on his students’ papers. He describes it as having the virtues of the “grading shortcuts” method advocated by Rebecca Schuman and the more extensive approach advocated by Marcus Arvan. (more…)
Trump Is A Non-Partisan Problem
Yesterday, Donald Trump commanded:
whenever an executive department or agency (agency) publicly proposes for notice and comment or otherwise promulgates a new regulation, it shall identify at least two existing regulations to be repealed.
I predict that applied mereology will be the hot area to hire in philosophy next year. (more…)
On Reporting Green-Card Marriages
The latest edition of “The Ethicist,” the The New York Times‘ moral advice column (published last Wednesday), takes as its topic sham green-card marriages. The advice seeker asks current Times ethicist, Kwame Anthony Appiah (NYU), whether she should report that at a wedding of an acquaintance, the bride explained to her that the marriage “was a fraud, one she’d ent..
Trump’s Immigration Order (Updated)
NOTE (added 1/30/17): Please use the comments option here to share (a) relevant links, (b) accounts of those affected, (c) relevant updates about events and activities planned, (d) ideas about what to do, and the like. Thank you.
—
At the time of this post, over 4,700 academics have signed a petition opposing Donald Trump’s executive order on immigration. Yo..
Online Philosophy Resources Weekly Update
Here’s the weekly report of what’s new at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (SEP), Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP), Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews (NDPR), and Wi-Phi. (more…)
Inaugural Winner of the Sanders Public Philosophy Prize
Martin Smith (Edinburgh) is the inaugural winner of the Public Philosophy Prize from the Marc Sanders Foundation for his paper “Why Throwing 92 Heads in a Row is Not Surprising.” The prize is publication of the essay in Philosophers’ Imprint and $4,500. (more…)
Logical Fallacies Through Funny Videos
There are online lists of logical fallacies , websites dedicated to explaining them, posters, children’s books, various videos, and, of course, memes. That many of the examples used to illustrate fallacies are humorous is no accident, as a lot of humor involves both upsetting expectations (e.g., saying something that deviates from what we think follows from what’s a..
Discussing Politics in the Classroom
Tempted to talk politics in the classroom? It may behoove you to take a look at “Frequently Asked Questions for Faculty in the Wake of the 2016 Election,” a document put together by American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). (more…)
Journal of the History of Philosophy’s Best Article Pick Is on Conscience and Toleration
The board of directors of the Journal of the History of Philosophy have announced their selection of the journal’s best article in the previous year (Volume 54). The winning article is “The Coherence of Bayle’s Theory of Toleration” by Jean-Luc Solère of Boston College. (more…)
New Relativism Blog
There’s a new eponymous blog from the philosophers associated with the Emergence of Relativism research program. The project is funded by the European Research Council (ERC), led by Martin Kusch, and is based at the University of Vienna. (more…)
Traits of Deontologists and Consequentialists: Appearance and Reality
People who hold deontological moral views appear to others to be more “pro-social,” but actually aren’t, according to a new study. The study, entitled “Are Kantians Better Social Partners? People Making Deontological Judgments Are Perceived to Be More Prosocial than They Actually Are,” is by Valerio Capraro (Middlesex University, London) and seven others, and is ava..
30 All-Night Philosophy Parties Around The World This Weekend
Thirty French consulates around the world are sponsoring all-night philosophy parties this weekend. The “Night of Ideas” events are free and open to the public, and will feature philosophical discussions and debates, readings, film screenings, musical performances, and more, according to Quartz. (more…)
Virtual Dissertation Writers Groups for Philosophy PhD Students
Once again, Joshua Smart, a graduate student at the University of Missouri and instructor at Christopher Newport University, is organizing virtual dissertation writers groups for philosophy PhD students. (more…)
Philosophy of Science Summer Program for Underrepresented Groups
The Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh will be hosting a summer program in philosophy of science for undergraduate students from underrepresented groups this July. (more…)
To φ Or Not To φ (Daily Nous Philosophy Comics)
To φ Or Not To φ
by Tanya Kostochka