News Items from Earlier This Term

News Items from Spring 2012

• Ethics of Filesharing
  — Project Syndicate (Feb 10)
  
  Philosopher Peter Singer discusses the ethics of filesharing.

• Mill on the Right to Die
  — Big Think (Mar 21)
  
  Philosopher John Stuart Mill instructs us that the nature of individual autonomy is such that "just as we can live as we wish (with certain constraints), we ought to be able to die as we wish, too."

• Why Aristotle is the New Spirit of Business
  — The Guardian (Mar 27)
  
  "The face of business is being changed by less formal attitudes at the top and a young workforce that demands more say. . . It began with Aristotle and Plato and arguably ends with Zuckerberg and Assange. I am talking about the perennial debate about styles of leadership. . . . It is my contention that within the business world the philosophical battle has finally gone the way of Aristotle."

• The Case Against Free Will
  — Chronicle of Higher Education (Mar 18)
  
  In this essay, philosopher Alfred Mele discusses the case against free will. (See also the discussion of this essay on the Philosopher's Magazine blog.)

• Character and its Discontents
  — NY Times (Mar 25)
  
  "What is character? Ordinarily, we envision character as a set of stable and unified dispositions . . . [so] we are almost invariably surprised when it turns out that the different aspects of someone's personality stand in tension with one another. . . What is the basis for our assumptions that people's characters are unified, and that their behavior in one context will resemble their behavior in other contexts?" Is it, as some contemporary philosophers suggest, just founded a mistake about our basic natures?

• Does it Matter Whether God Exists?
  — NY Times (Mar 22)
  
  "Discussions of religion are typically about God. Atheists reject religion because they don't believe in God; Jews, Christians and Muslims take belief in God as fundamental to their religious commitment. The philosopher John Gray, however, has recently been arguing that belief in God should have little or nothing to do with religion—that 'what we believe doesn't in the end matter very much. What matters is how we live.'" Philosopher Gary Gutting critically discusses Gray's casemaking.

• Philosophy and Literature
  — Philosophy Now (Mar 27)
  
  Both philosophy and literature represent the world and reflect on it. They are clearly different, yet converge, overlap and relate to one another in various ways. Can anything be gained philosophically by examining literature? Conversely, does it add to our understanding of literature to look at it from a philosophical point of view? [audio]

• A Kit for Metaphysics
  — 3:AM Magazine (Mar 3)
  
  An interview with philosopher Kit Fine.

• What is Not for Sale?
  — The Atlantic (Mar 20)
  
  "There are some things that money can't buy—but these days, not many." Philosopher Michael J. Sandel (Harvard) asks the titular question and reckons the hidden costs of living in a price-tag society.

• A Walk With Rousseau
  — NY Times (Mar 20)
  
  A meditation on saving the disappearing sounds of nature in Alaska and Rousseau's "Reveries of a Solitary Walker."

• Free Will and the Brain
  — Philosophy Now (Mar 20)
  
  "Given what we now know about the mind's connection with brain activity, and that brain activity, being normal physical activity, apparently must be determined by physical laws, is it possible to say we have free will anymore? If so, in what way? If not, what are the implications? And what is free will anyway?" A discussion with Sam Coleman from the University of Hertfordshire, Norman Bacrac from the South Place Ethical Society and independent scholar Camilla Martin. [audio]

• The Ethical Meat-Eating Contest
  — NY Times (Mar 20)
  
  The Ethicist column in the New York Times challenges everyone to a contest: explain why it is ethical to eat meat.

• Priest of Paraconsistency
  — 3:AM Magazine (Mar 17)
  
  An interview with philosopher, Graham Priest. "Graham Priest is one of the giants of philosophical logic. He has written many books about this, including Doubt Truth to be a Liar, Towards Non-Being: the Logic and Metaphysics of Intentionality, Beyond the Limits of Thought, In Contradiction: A Study of the Transconsistent and Introduction to Non-Classical Logic. He can be found in Melbourne and New York, and sometimes in St. Andrews. His big theme is paraconsistency and dialetheism. He is also interested in Buddhism. He is very, very smart."

• How to Live Forever
  — The Atlantic (Mar 18)
  
  An interview with philosopher Patrick Stokes about the ideas in his recent paper, "Ghosts in the Machine: Do the Dead Live On In Facebook?"

• The Life of Bertrand Russell in Brief
  — Philosophy Now (Mar 15)
  
  Sir Alistair MacFarlane reveals paradoxes in the long life of the third Earl Russell.

• The Sources of Intentionality
  — New Books in Philosophy (Mar 15)
  
  An interview with philosopher Uriah Kriegel about his new book, The Sources of Intentionality.

• The Myth of the Student-Athelete
  — NY Times (Mar 15)
  
  Philosopher Gary Gutting thinks we need to bust the myth that high-profile college sports are played by student-atheletes or, better yet, let's let them be student-atheletes.

• It's Okay to Let Your Apps Make You a Better Person
  — The Atlantic (Mar 9)
  
  An ethicist considers the ramifications of using apps to improve our habits. And also whether willpower as we normally think about it even exists.

• The Hunger Games and Philosophy
  — University of Indianapolis (Mar 13)
  
  The Hunger Games and Philosophy: A Critique of Pure Treason.

• Must Life Be Tragic?
  — Vanderbilt University (Mar 5)
  
  Philosopher Robert Talisse inaugurates the Berry Lectures in Public Philosophy. [video on YouTube]

• Philosophy for a Real World
  — The Asian Age (Mar 14)
  
  An interview with philosopher Michael Sandel (Harvard) in Mambai.

• Philosophy for Children
  — Philosophy Now (Mar 13)
  
  Can children do philosophy? Should schools teach it? And if so, how? [audio]

• Anscombe's Real Intentions
  — 3:AM MAgazine (Mar 10)
  
  An interview with philosopher, Kieran Setiya. "Kieran Setiya is a chillin' philosopher in Pittsburgh. He's thinking hard about knowing right from wrong and has written a book about this coming out soon. He wrote a book called Reasons Without Rationalism and wonders whether moral theory corrupts youth. He wrote about knowledge of our intentions in the recent seminal book Essays On Anscombe's Intention. And he has a thing for baseball."

• Save the Environment, Make Humans Smaller
  — The Atlantic (Mar 12)
  
  Philosopher and bioethicist, S. Matthew Liao (NYU), has been making news all over the place for his suggestion, in a paper, "Human Engineering and Climate Change", just published in the journal Ethics, Policy & Environment, that we should consider seriously the possibility of using human genetic engineering to save an imperiled einvironment by, for example, making humans smaller and more energy efficient. See also write ups in The Daily Mai] and The Guardian.

• The Getting of Wisdom
  — Sydney Morning Herald (Mar 14)
  
  A discussion with philosopher Tim van Gelder who wantsto harness the wisdom of the masses to improve the way democracies work—using a new web-based method, called 'YourView', of "discerning the considered views of individuals and the crowd."

• Applied Philosophy: Synth-Pop
  — Herald Arts & Life (Mar 13)
  
  Another philosophy major makes her way into the pop music scene. Claire Boucher (stage name: Grimes) studied philosophy and neuroscience at McGill University and has just released her third full length music album.

• Hogwash and Humbug
  — Huffington Post (Mar 6)
  
  An interview with political philosopher Christopher Robichaud (Harvard) who is currently teaching the class Ignorance, Lies, Hogwash and Humbug: The Value of Truth and Knowledge in Demoncracies

• Law and Philosophy
  — Rutgers University (Mar 14)
  
  A university promotional piece about the Rutgers Institute for Law and Philosophy.

• Applied Philosophy: Chef Saves World
  — Nashville Scene (Mar 8)
  
  A discussion of philosophy major and chef, Jeremy Barlow's book Chefs Can Save the World: How to Green Restaurants and Why They Are the Key to Renewing the Food System.

• Defending Science
  — NY Times (Mar 11)
  
  A dialogue between philosopher Michael Lynch and mathematical physicist Alan Sokal about the nature and limits of scientific rationality.

• Dworkin on the Unity of Value
  — Philosophy Bites (Mar 9)
  
  "Are values such as liberty and equality ultimately compatible? Ronald Dworkin believes they are. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast he explains why he thinks that philosophers such as Isaiah Berlin were wrong to opt for pluralism. There is, he maintains, a right answer about how we should live." [audio]

• The Spinoza Problem
  — Jewish Journal (Mar 7)
  
  A review of Irvin D. Yalom's novel, The Spinoza Problem. The novel "consists of two compelling narratives, one set in 17th century Amsterdam that explores the workings of Spinoza's brilliant if dangerously unconventional mind, and the other set in the early 20th century, when Alfred Rosenberg first placed himself in service to the Nazis. The two tales amount to a mystery novel, although it is a mystery of a very cerebral kind."

• Government, Responsibility and Happiness
  — NY Times (Mar 7)
  
  Philosopher Gary Gutting discusses the central argument of Charles Murray's Book Coming Apart: Murray's book "has attracted attention mainly for its rethinking of the nature of American inequality. Conservatives tend to be elated by Murray's cultural rather than economic understanding of inequality; liberals tend to be outraged at the suggestion that inequality is due to the moral faults of the working class. But Murray's sociology of inequality is only a preliminary to the real point of his book, which is an impassioned defense of a libertarianism that he sees at the root of the 'American project' as envisaged by the founders of our republic. I propose to look at the argument—far more philosophical than sociological—that Murray advances for his libertarianism."

• Philosophy of Cosmology Blog
  — Rutgers University (Mar 1)
  
  The Philosophical Foundations of Cosmology project has started a blog.

• Nancy Cartwright's Rottman Lectures
  — Univ of Western Ontario (Mar 8)
  
  Nancy Cartwright (London School of Economics & UC San Diego) delivers two lectures at the Rottman Institute 1) "Evidence, Argument and Mixed Methods", 2) "Wiser Use of Social Science, Wiser Wishes, Wiser Policies". [Edit: The sound on these videos is troubled. Hopefully this is something they can fix.] [video]

• Limits of Science
  — Philosophy Now (Mar 6)
  
  "What is the scientific method? What's special about it? What are the limits of its application? How does science compare with other ways of knowing and when should we use those other ways in preference to science – if ever?" [audio]

• The Conflict: Woman and Mother
  — The West Australian (Mar 6)
  
  A review of French philosopher, Elisabeth Badinter's book, The Conflict: Woman and Mother.

• Neuroscience and Philosophy Must Work Together
  — The Guardian (Mar 4)
  
  Philosopher Barry Smith explains why neiroscience and philosophy need to work together—neither can solve this thing alone.

• The Strange Life Forms of Philopolis
  — Guelph Mercury (Mar 4)
  
  The Philopolis philosophy conference at University of Guelph was devoted to thinking about the issues and challenges of species classification.

• Why is Good Enough Not Good Enough For Us?
  — Vanderbilt University (Feb 28)
  
  Philosopher John Lachs (Vanderbilt) talks about the human drive for perfection. This is the inaugural lecture of the Berry Lectures in Public Philosophy. [video]

• Network Philosopher
  — Wired (Mar 1)
  
  One time philosophy student Reid Hoffman is co-founder of LinkedIn, a software entrepreneur, and a billionaire, but all he ever wanted to be was a philosopher. "I won a Marshall scholarship to read philosophy at Oxford, and what I most wanted to do was strengthen public intellectual culture—I'd write books and essays to help us figure out who we wanted to be."

• Giving Philosophy a New Name
  — NY Times (Mar 4)
  
  Philosophy Colin McGinn argues that it is high time that academic philosophers admit that their discipline studies the world and has developed into a science, and most importantly, should change the name of their discipline to something less, well, wrong. [UPDATE: McGinn responds to comments on the essay.]

• The Grim Philosopher
  — Philosophy Now (Feb 28)
  
  A discussion of the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer. "He's known as the philosopher of pessimism, and he has a remarkably cheerless view of the nature of reality, but he's also a poetic writer who advocates compassion and loves art." [audio]

• Better than Human
  — New Books in Philosophy (Mar 1)
  
  Philosopher Allen Buchanan discusses his new book, Better Than Human: The Promise and Perils of Enhancing Ourselves. [audio]

• Theism Versus Naturalsm
  — NPR (Mar 2)
  
  Alva Noλ reviews philosopher Alvin Plantinga's recent book, Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion and Naturalism.

• Epicure, Epicurious, Epicurus, Apikoros
  — Forward (Feb 27)
  
  A sensualist, a gourmet, a glutton, a skeptic? What has all this to do with one ancient Greek philosopher, Epicurus?

• J.L. Austin's Legacy
  — Philosophy Bites (Feb 25)
  
  "J.L. Austin believed that we could make philosopical progress through precise scrutiny of ordinary language: the words we use, the contexts in which we utter them, and what actions we perform in the process. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast, Guy Longworth discusses Austin's approach to philosophy." [audio]

• Consciousness: The Hard Problem
  — The Guardian (Feb 26)
  
  Philosopher Barry Smith and two otehr experts on consciousness discuss the prospects and progress of a scientific understanding of the phenomenon of consciousness. This podcast discussion, "Can Science Ever Explain Consciousness?", anticipates a scheduled debate next week at the Royal Institution in London. [audio]

• Hobbe's Plan to Save England
  — MSNBC (Feb 25)
  
  "A newly discovered document, written by one of Europe's most famous philosophers, Thomas Hobbes, reveals a plan that, if successful, could have turned the tide of one of England's bloodiest wars."

• All Machine and No Ghost?
  — New Statesman (Feb 20)
  
  Philosopher Colin McGinn discusses the problem of consciousness in philosophy of mind. "The more we look at the brain, the less it looks like a device for creating consciousness. Perhaps philosophers will never be able to solve the mystery."

• The Question for the Ages
  — 3:AM Magazine (Feb 24)
  
  "Out of the smoke of his burning armchair Florida State University philosopher Alfred Mele has been awarded a $4.4 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation to get to the bottom of the question for the ages. Mele, the William H. and Lucyle Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy, will oversee a four-year project to improve understanding of free will in philosophy, religion and science. 3:AM asks the man, are we free?"

• Bentham's Contribution to Moral Theory
  — Philosophy Bites (Feb 11)
  
  "Jeremy Bentham was one of the earliest Utilitarians as well as a dynamic law reformer. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast Philip Schofield, head of the Bentham Project, discusses Bentham's contribution to moral theory."

• The A.M. Monius Affair
  — Slate (Feb 10)
  
  "One of the greatest magazine stories of the past generation," recounts the mysterious A.M. Monius affair which swept up many of today's top academic metaphysicians.

• Philosophy, the Unexamined Science
  — Drury University (Feb 9)
  
  The surprising benefits of studying philosophy.

• Philosophy Report
  — Philosophy Report (Feb 10)
  
  The Philosophy Report is a philosophy aggregator site and group blog—contributors appear, as far as one can tell, to be philosophically-engaged non-professionals. The focus is on open-access philosophical content available online. "The Philosophy Report brings you the latest in critical thinking and philosophy from news, journals, and blogs. Our team of editors updates daily to keep you abreast of the newest trends in philosophical thought."

• I Like It . . . I Think
  — NPR (Feb 10)
  
  Philosopher Alva Noλ reflects on the disparity between our conception of our personal taste and what science tells us about this. If you can't really taste the difference between red and white wine or liver paté and dog food, what does this say about us? Are we so deluded or so pretentious?

• Why Are Men So Violent? Really.
  — Psychology Today (Feb 3)
  
  Philosopher Jesse Prinz (CUNY) aims to set the record straight that socio-historical explanations are much more promising than the sort of evolutionary psychology explanations typified by a certain recent publication in the Philosophical Transations of the Royal Society.

• Nietzsche's Atheism Inspires Faith
  — The Guardian (Feb 5)
  
  Giles Fraser, Guardian columnist and ex-chancellor of St. Paul's Cathedral [UK], explains how it was Nietzsche's pious lack of faith that led him to Christianity. Fraser recently resigned his chancellorship in protest over the forcible removal of Occupy protesters from the steps of the cathedral.

• What Makes Killing Wrong?
  — Journal of Medical Ethics (Jan 19)
  
  Philosopher Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and bioethicist Franklin Miller ask the titular question. "What makes an act of killing morally wrong is not that the act causes loss of life or consciousness but rather that the act causes loss of all remaining abilities. This account implies that it is not even pro tanto morally wrong to kill patients who are universally and irreversibly disabled, because they have no abilities to lose. Applied to vital organ transplantation, this account undermines the dead donor rule and shows how current practices are compatible with morality."

• Philosopher Plans Atheist Temple
  — The Local [Switzerland] (Feb 8)
  
  "Swiss philosopher and writer, Alain de Botton, is proposing to build a temple to atheism in the heart of London's financial district."

• Being Healthy and Doing Good
  — Philosophy Now
  
  audio
  
  Do you have an obligation to maintain your health? What role should the government have in promoting healthier living?

• Maybe a Little Compulsory Philosophy Would Be a Good Thing
  — The Telegraph [UK] (Feb 7)
  
  Columnist Allan Massie writes, "Perhaps we have something to learn from the Brazilians. Perhaps the teaching of philosophy should be mandatory in our schools too."

• The Trouble With Reasoning
  — Elucidations (Jan 20)
  
  "Imagine that you are worried that you have a rare disease for which there is a reliable test. If you take this test and it returns a positive result, how certain should you be that you have the disease? Or consider the following: Linda was a philosophy student at Berkeley in the 1960's who fought for social justice and nuclear disarmament. Is it more likely that she is currently a bank teller or a feminist bank teller? Philosopher Brian Fitelson (Berkeley) provides the answers to these questions, observes the surprising fact that a supermajority of us consistently answer these sorts of questions incorrectly, and offers an illuminating account of why this might be." [audio]

• Cognitive Enhancement
  — The Atlantic (Feb 6)
  
  Philosopher Allen Buchanan on cognitive enhancement.

• The Future of the American Philosophical Association
  — Inside Higher Ed (Feb 6)
  
  On the American Philosophical Association's crises of identity.

• Applied Philosophy: Punk-Pop Fusion
  — LA Times (May 9)
  
  With songs like "The Leibniz Language" and "The Actress That Ate Rousseau", philosophy major, guitarist and punk-pop vocalist Teri Gender Bender rips up the carpet with her band Le Butcherettes. "I was just being hateful toward other people, and I decided I was going to make this band."

• The Case for Moral Enhancement
  — ABC [Australia] (Nov 19)
  
  "Oxford-based, Australian bioethicist Julian Savulescu is a provocateur. He's argued the case for a 'new eugenics' and that we have a moral obligation to pursue human perfection. Now he thinks we should be using science and technology for moral enhancement itself. Could the future of humanity depend on it?"

• Politics of Persons
  — New Books in Philosophy (Feb 1)
  
  Review of John Christman's The Politics of Persons: Individual Autonomy and Socio-historical Selves.

• Seeing What You Mean
  — NPR (Feb 3)
  
  Philosopher Alva Noë reflects on recent advances in "brainreading" and beyond.

• Moral Philosophy and Income Inequality
  — The Atlantic (Feb 2)
  
  What does Rawls' theory of justice have to say about income inequality?

• Socrates: the Man and the Myth
  — Philosophy Now (Jan 31)
  
  A discussion of Socrates' ideas and role in Western philosophy. [audio]

• On the Importance of Being Naïve
  — 3am Magazine (Jan 31)
  
  An interview with philosopher Jason Stanley. "Jason Stanley is a multi-groove philosopher at Rutgers. He translated some Frege with Richard Heck. He wrote a cool book Knowledge and Practical Interests and last year a brain-boning book Know How that lames the virtue epistemology and ethics tradition started way back with the Ancient Greeks. He thinks philosophy is perpetual crisis. For many he is to philosophy what Ocarina of Time is to video games."

• The Philosophy Show
  — City Guide NY (Jan 29)
  
  "'The Philosophy Show,' a one-of-a-kind show of original standup material by teenage comedians . . . Quirky and often slightly mordant, with a sophistication that belies their youth."

• Liberty, Equality, Hostility
  — NY Times (Feb 1)
  
  The inability of conservatives and liberals to get along may be traced back to the French Revolution.

• Are We Ready for the Morality Pill?
  — NY Times (Jan 28)
  
  Peter Singer and Agata Sin consider whether it would be ethical to produce, or take, a drug that makes us more likely to help others.

• Criminal Responsibility and Morality
  — Philosophy Bites (Jan 27)
  
  What is criminal responsibility? How does the criminal law relate to morality? Is criminal responsibility a timeless concept, or is it tied to historical circumstances, part of a social practice? [audio]

• Philosophers Respond to Occupy Wall Street
  — Possible Futures (Jan 25)
  
  A report on the American Philosophical Association session, "Thinking Occupation: Philosophers Respond to Occupy Wall Street" at the most recent Eastern Division meeting of the APA.

• Ethics Without Philosophers
  — Institute for Ethics & Emerging Technologies (Jan 25)
  
  "How is it that people without philosophy degrees are becoming ethics consultants? Is it that people don't know that Ethics is a branch of Philosophy? . . . Is it that people think they already know right from wrong, they learned it as children, there's really no need for any formal training in ethics? . . . Or is it that ethics consultants . . . don't really act as consultants about ethics? They act as consultants about managing ethical behavior. No, not even that."

• Kill Drones and the Ethics of Warbots
  — Philosophers' Magazine (Jan 20)
  
  A discussion of the ethics and impact on future of warfare of the development and deployment of ever more sophisticated and lethal military "drones."

• The Meaning of Disgust
  — Inside Higher Ed (Dec 7)
  
  A review of Colin McGinn's book The Meaning of Disgust.

• Philosopher Wins Erasmus Prize
  — Press Release (Jan 25)
  
  Philosopher Daniel Dennett has won the esteemed Erasmus Prize for 2012

• Philosophical Crazyism
  — 3am Magazine (Jan 20)
  
  An interview with philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel.

• Philosophy, What's the Use?
  — NY Times (Jan 25)
  
  Gary Gutting responds to the oft-heard charge that philosophy has nothing relevant to say to non-philosophers.

• Politics Enters the 4th Dimension
  — NY Times (Jan 21)
  
  Esteemed philosopher, John Perry, says the practice of characterizing political positions along a single left-right dimension is hopelessly inadequate to today's political realities. Perry shows us how take it to the next level and beyond.

• Philosopher to Meme in 60 Seconds
  — Free Press (Jan 22)
  
  How philosopher Jason Read became an internet meme.

• How to Argue About Politics
  — NY Times (Jan 18)
  
  Philosopher Gary Gutting reflects on the differences in how arguments are shaped in philosophical debate and political debate, and draws some useful lessons.

• Philosopher Develops Trans-Species Internet Game
  — Aiken Standard (Jan 24)
  
  Philosopher Clemens Driessen has collaborated with game designers to create the internet game, Pig Chase. The game-play consists of live human-pig interaction. It sounds like you will be chasing pigs, but no, it is much better than that . . . the pigs chase you. Cf. also Scientific American and the Playing With Pigs project website.

• On Human Rights
  — Philosophy Now (Jan 17)
  
  A discussion of "the philosophical foundations, implications and limits of human rights with Saladin Meckled-Garcia, the Director of the UCL Institute for Human Rights, and Tom Sorrell, Director of the Centre for the Study of Global Ethics at the University of Birmingham." [audio]

• Lure of the Peak
  — New Republic (Jan 11)
  
  Philosopher Philip Kitcher reviews Derek Parfit's two-volume On What Matters.

• Nietzsche's Reception in America
  — NY Times (Jan 13)
  
  A review of Jennifer Ratner-Rosenhagen's new book, American Nietzsche, which explores the initial reception and transformation of Nietzsche's ideas in America.

• How to Talk to a Philosopher
  — Wired (Jan 10)
  
  Wired Magazine gives advice on how to talk to a philosopher and even advises that you should.

• Philosophers in Conversation
  — Press Release (Jan 20)
  
  The new book, Philosophers in Conversation: Interviews from the Harvard Review of Philosophy is a collection of interviews conducted over many years by student members of the Harvard Review of Philosophy. The collection includes a rare interview with John Rawls.

• Philosophy Before the Big Bang
  — The Atlantic (Jan 19)
  
  "What existed before the big bang? What is the nature of time? Is our universe one of many? On the big questions science cannot (yet?) answer, a new crop of philosophers are trying to provide answers." An interview with Tim Maudlin on philosophy of cosmology. Maudlin and a team of other philosophers from Columbia, Yale, and NYU recently secured significant funding for a research intiative in philosophy of cosmology.

• Philosophy of Comedy
  — NewJersey.com (Jan 18)
  
  Cosby, Freud, Kant, and that most light-hearted of philosophers, Schopenhauer, weigh in on what is so funny.

• Philosophy a Weak Point for Science Students
  — Irish Times (Jan 19)
  
  "It is important to know the nature and strength of the pillars on which scientific knowledge is based."

• Predictive Mind, JPEG Brain
  — NY Times (Jan 15)
  
  "Recent studies indicate that our brains may work like JPEGS, conserving "bandwidth" and influencing how we see the world." [Update: Philosopher Andy Clark follows up with some of the comments on his original essay.]

• Ethics of Climate Change
  — PhilosophyTV (Dec 2)
  
  Philosophers Avram Hiller and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong discuss global climate change and issues of ethics and the environment. [video]

• The Ethical Project
  — Montreal Review (Jan 12)
  
  A brief of Philip Kitcher's new book, The Ethical Project. "Ethics is something human beings have been working out together for most of our history as a species. The needs that prompt the cooperative activity of the ethical project lie deep in our human characteristics."

• Socrates in the 21st Century
  — Metro [UK] (Jan 12)
  
  In her latest book, All is Song, novelist and philosophy major Samantha Harvey brings the story of Socrates into the 21st century. "I wanted to ask what would happen now to someone like that, someone who was relentlessly questioning."

• What is College For? Part 2
  — NY Times (Jan 11)
  
  "If I am right about the basic purpose of higher education, there are serious practical difficulties in maintaining this purpose, given other tasks we currently assign to higher education. Most prominently, we expect colleges and universities to give students what they need to find well-paying jobs. . . . How, exactly, does college prepare students for the workplace?"

• What is College For?
  — NY Times (Dec 14)
  
  While "86 percent of these graduates think 'college has been a good investment for them personally' . . . . [many] see most of their [classes as valuable] only if they provide training relevant to future employment or if the teacher has a pleasing (amusing, exciting, 'relevant') way of presenting the material. As a result, students spend only as much time as they need to get what they see as acceptable grades. . . this lack of academic engagement . . . results from a basic misunderstanding — by both students and teachers — of what colleges are for."

• Bringing the Wit of Spinoza to Life
  — D Magazine (Jan 9)
  
  A review of David Ives' play about philosopher Baruch Spinoza.

• Plato's Cave and Bar
  — NY Times (Jan 8)
  
  Can Plato's allegory of the cave shed light on the nature of addicition?

• Philosophy: The Forgotten Discipline
  — Express Tribune [Pakistan] (Jan 7)
  
  "Philosophy is unfortunately an incredibly underrated discipline in Pakistan. . . Philosophers can think more creatively, understand themselves and external things better. . . . Studying philosophy counters maladies in society. . . . An acute study of philosophy will hinder blind following of any belief system and culture, thereby curbing extremism of any type."

• Philosophy Student Founds New Religion
  — Huffington Post (Jan 4)
  
  Philosophy student, Isak Gerson, at 20 years old has founded a new religion which has been officially recognized by the Swedish government. According to the Church of Kopimism, file sharing is a sacred act. (Welcome to the 21st century!)

• Study Shows Effect of Philosophy Education on Children
  — PhysOrg (Jan 5)
  
  "Children could learn valuable lessons in responsible citizenship, such as making moral judgements and informed choices, through taking part in philosophical dialogue, according to researchers at the University of Strathclyde. . . A study of more than 130 primary and secondary pupils found that taking part in practical philosophy sessions improved the children's listening skills, gave them greater respect for other people, encouraged them to consider other perspectives and ideas they may not otherwise have thought about and helped them analyse problems so that they are thought through before making decisions."

• Why Latin America Calls on Philosophers
  — Aljazeera (Jan 6)
  
  Philosopher Santiago Zabala (Barcelona) reports on Forum on Philosophy held in Venezuela—a philosophy conference inaugurated by the vice-presidents of Venezuela and Bolivia. "What is interesting for us - European academics - is the institutional significance that is given to philosophy in the region. Is there a philosophy conference or forum in the United States or EU where vice-presidents take time to inaugurate a similar event? . . . We can only dream that the vice-presidents of Italy or Canada would finance a similar conference for 50 philosophers to reflect upon their policies. Perhaps the day will come, but in the meantime, we must ask ourselves what this Latin American forum tells us about the relation between philosophy and government."

• Everyday Microethics
  — Inside Higher Ed (Jan 4)
  
  A review of philosopher Emrys Westacott's book, The Virtues of Our Vices: A Modest Defense of Gossip, Rudeness, and Other Bad Habits.

• Philosopher Curates Borges Art Show
  — College of the Holy Cross (Jan 4)
  
  Philosopher Jorge Gracia (Buffalo) has curated a gallery showing of original works in Painting Borges—"a collection of paintings, drawings, etchings and mixed media works created by 16 artists in response to stories by Argentinean writer Jorge Luis Borges. . . Gracia chose 12 stories by Borges, which he organized according to three topics: identity and memory, freedom and destiny, and faith and divinity. . . 'Jorge Luis Borges is one of the most prominent literary figures whose work is also profoundly philosophical… his stories are filled with conceptual puzzles that prompt the reader to face the most fundamental questions concerning human existence.'"

• Seeking Truth and Clarity
  — Lafayette College (Jan 6)
  
  Profile of philosophy professor Alessandro Giovannelli (Lafayette College). "What fascinated me about philosophy was the power of clarity and analytical thinking in addressing all sorts of issues and questions. . . What matters is how convincing your reasoning is, not whether you are a famous philosopher or an undergraduate student at her first encounter with the subject."

News Items from Fall 2011

• Familiar Objects and their Shadows
  — New Books in Philosophy (Dec 15)
  
  A discussion with philosopher Crawford Elder about the subject of his new book, Familiar Objects and Their Shadows. "It might be a surprise to non-metaphysicians to discover the extent to which it is questionable whether the familiar objects we see and interact with – the dogs, trees, iPods, and so on – really exist. And yet, these familiar objects are actually very strange. For example, we take for granted that very same object can change all of its properties, and all of its matter, and yet somehow remain the same object. but how can that be? By analogy, if I swap all the ingredients in a recipe with a bunch of other ingredients, and then change all the steps, would it make sense to say that I've followed the recipe? But if it doesn't make sense, then what should we say about the nature of ordinary objects?" [audio]

• The People's University is Ten
  — Agence France-Presse (Jan 5)
  
  Checking in with French philosopher Michel Onfray's grand experiment, the People's University, which is now ten year's old.

• On the Philosophy of Food
  — Univ North Texas
  
  The Philosophy of Food Project, headed by philosopher David M. Kaplan has a web presence offering essays on basic questions and issues related to food and its production. It also maintains a catalog of arguments for and against, e.g., eating meat, genetically-engineered food, etc.

• The Boundaries of Justice
  — New Republic (Dec 14)
  
  Economist and Nobel laureate, Amartya Sen discusses the impact of philosopher David Hume's thought and its continued relevance today. "Hume's influence on the nature and reach of modern thinking has been monumental. From epistemology to practical reason, from aesthetics to religion, from political economy to philosophy, from social and cultural studies to history and historiography." limited access

• What is Metaphysics?
  — Philosophy Bites (Jan 1)
  
  "Metaphysics is the philosophical study of reality. But what does that mean? Philosopher Kit Fine explains what metaphysics is and what it can tell us." [audio]

• Walter Benjamin at 120 Years
  — Haaretz (Dec 30)
  
  A review of philosopher Eli Friedlander's forthcoming Walter Benjamin: A Portrait.

• Spinoza's Sketchbook (or Not)
  — The Forward (Dec 23)
  
  In Bento's Sketchbook Berger turns to an unexpected source for insight: the 17th-century philosopher Baruch, or Benedict, or "Bento," Spinoza. The premise of the book is based on a sketchbook Spinoza is supposed to have kept, but which was lost or destroyed. Berger, who is an artist as well as an art critic, sets out to reimagine the lost works.'

• Is the World Less Violent?
  — Talking Philosophy (Dec 26)
  
  A discussion of whether we should think that the world has become a less violent place—as is contended in Steven Pinker's recent book The Better Angels of Our nature: Why Violence Has Declined. [UPDATE: Read a review of the book in Foreign Affairs.]

• Green Philosophy
  — Guardian (Dec 28)
  
  A review of philosopher Roger Scruton's book Green Philosophy: How to Think Seriously About the Planet.

• How to Think About How to Live
  — Wall Street Journal (Dec 27)
  
  A review of A Brief History of Thought by French philosopher Luc Ferry.

• The How vs Why Problem in Biology
  — PhysOrg (Dec 20)
  
  Misinterpretation of a key scientific concept has led to decades of fierce debate in biology according to philosopher Kim Sterelny (ANU).

• 3 Ways Studying Philosophy Makes You Smarter
  — Business 2 Community (Dec 23)
  
  Only three?! We are as surprised as you are.

• Searle Lectures on Mind
  — YouTube
  
  Philosopher John Searle's Philosophy of Mind course given at UC Berkeley (Spring 2011) has been posted on YouTube in its entirety. [audio]

• In Memoriam: Michael Dummett
  — Guardian (Dec 28)
  
  Renown philosopher, Michael Dummett (Oxford) has died. [Update: Philosophers' remembrances of Dummett.][Also: listen to a Philosophy Bites interview with Dummett from 2010 interview with Dummett. [audio]].

• The Future of Moral Machines
  — NY Times (Dec 25)
  
  Developments in cognitive science have vastly "improved our ability to use computers for more and more robust simulations of intelligent agents. . . Machines are increasingly operating with minimal human oversight in the same physical spaces as we do"—and become thereby potential actors in morally valent situations. "We need to think long and hard about machine morality."

• Indie Rock Virtues
  — 3:am Magazine (Dec 12)
  
  An interview with philosopher Joshua Knobe.

• The Ethics of Drones
  — The Atlantic (Dec 15)
  
  Philosopher Patrick Lin's reports to the CIA on the ethics of drones—"a thorough and unnerving survey of what it might mean for the intelligence service to deploy different kinds of robots."

• A Death of One's Own
  — Project Syndicate (Dec 16)
  
  Peter Singer discusses our evolving attitudes towards euthanasia.

• Good Minus God
  — NY Times (Dec 18)
  
  Philosopher Louise Antony aims to dispell the idea that atheism implies a lack of moral foundation. She argues that theists themselves require a foundation for morality that is not rooted in God.

• Analytic and Continental Philosophy
  — Philosophy Bites (Dec 18)
  
  "Many philosophers self-identify as 'analytic' or 'continental' philosophers. But does this sort of label make sense? Brian Leiter, who, amongst other things, is an expert on Nietzsche, is sceptical of the value of the terms as typically used. In this episode of the Philosophy Bites podcast he explains why." [audio]

• What is Philosophy?
  — Philosophy Now (Dec 13)
  
  An interview with Anja Steinbauer, founder of Philosophy For All, Rick Lewis, founder of Philosophy Now magazine, and Peter Worley, founder of The Philosophy Foundation, 'about what philosophy means to them, and their motivations for and aims in establishing their popular philosophy organisations.' [audio]

• Brian Leiter at 3am
  — 3:AM Magazine (Dec 19)
  
  An interview with philosopher Brian Leiter.

• Philosophy or Arrested Development? Both!
  — Citizen's Voice (Dec 18)
  
  "Arrested Development and Philosophy" takes a lighthearted, accessible approach to interpreting philosophical theories in terms of one of America's favorite dysfunctional families.'

• Rosen on Contemporary Culture
  — NY Times (Dec 12)
  
  An interview with philosopher Gideon Rosen (Princeton). [video]

• Daring to Ask the Big Questions
  — Arizona State Univ (Dec 12)
  
  "I've found that I have strong intuitions about moral responsibility, especially with respect to some negligent drivers that I've encountered on my daily bike commute to campus."

• Philosopher Sticks Up for God
  — NY Times (Dec 13)
  
  An article on renowned Christian philosopher, Alvin Plantinga, and his new book, "Where the Conflict Really Lies: Science, Religion and Naturalism."

• Philosophers in the Public Sphere
  — Chron of Higher Ed (Dec 11)
  
  "American philosophers lament that their input is welcomed by foreign governments yet spurned at home. . . These publicly inclined philosophers see a need for government to factor moral and ethical priorities into policy considerations, which they say are too often dominated by economists with their emphasis on quantification."

• Applied Philosophy: Marshall Scholar / Debater
  — Reno Gazette-Journal (Dec 9)
  
  Philosophy major, Max Alderman, is number one in the US in college debate and a Marshall Scholar.

• Inequality the World Over
  — Live Mint [India](Dec 10)
  
  An interview of philosopher Thomas Pogge (Yale) on inequality and global affairs.

• Plato and the Environment
  — Philosophy Bites (Dec 3)
  
  "What can the ancients teach us about sustainability? According to Melissa Lane of Princeton University, author of Eco-Republic, quite a lot. She discusses the relevance of Plato to modern environmental problems." [audio]

• Philosophy Gets a Makeover
  — Deutsche Welle (Dec 9)
  
  Thoughts on life's big questions are hitting German magazine stands in the form of two new glossy, graphics-rich philosophy magazines.

• Deep Education for Democracy
  — Miscellany News [Vassar] (Dec 6)
  
  Philosopher Cornell West says "deep education" is necessary for a functioning democracy.

• Intellectuals and Politics
  — NY Times (Dec 7)
  
  "Good politicians don't need to be intellectuals, but they should at least have intellectual lives."

• Aesthetic Value of Damaged Art
  — Cornelius News (Dec 7)
  
  As part of his aesthetics research, philosopher Paul Studtmann (Davidson College) is on a mission to barter his way up from an 8-year-old's drawing to a van Gogh painting. Along the way, a damaged shipment affords him the opportunity to demonstrate at auction how damage can envalue a work of art. [Update: Find out how the sale went in this Chronicle of Higher Ed article.]

• Philosophers to Explore the Big Questions
  — Rutgers University (Dec 6)
  
  Philosophers Barry Loewer and David Albert have been awarded nearly one million dollars in funding to "lead a three-year exploration of the basic questions concerning the nature, age and fate of the universe." Funded by the Templeton Foundation, the initiative aims to establish philosophy of cosmology as a field of study.

• Minds, Science and Metaphysics
  — Philosophy Now (Dec 6)
  
  Philosopher of science David Papineau talks about the link between the mind and the brain. [audio]

• Why Philosophy Matters to Science
  — The Times [South Africa]
  
  "One has to think for oneself . . . and that is the contribution of philosophy – it helps us evaluate . . . By keeping in mind philosophical concepts, we train ourselves to better consider scientific ones."

• Mind Reader
  — 3:am Magazine (Dec 2)
  
  An interview with philosopher of mind Peter Carruthers.

• Human Person / Fertilized Egg
  — NY Times (Nov 30)
  
  In light of the recent referendum in Mississippi, Philosopher Gary Gutting discusses some of the issues surrounding classifying a fertilized egg as a human person.

• Applied Philosophy: Poet-Philosopher
  — Harvard Crimson (Dec 1)
  
  Philosopher Ifeanyi Menkiti (Wellsley) is also a working poet and owner of a poetry bookshop that has been in operation since 1927. "It doesn't have to shout," Menkiti says, "There are lots of problems in the world. To think that philosophy and literature don't have anything to do with [fixing them] is wrongheaded."

• Double Vision: Art and Philosophy Immersion
  — Ball State Daily News (Nov 30)
  
  In the class, 'Making Ideas Visible', a group of "art majors and philosophy majors [met] every school day for two hours to collaborate on creating both artwork and philosophical essays to be sold [at term's end] in the gallery [showing] and published in a book."

• Plant Intelligence, Broccoli Minds
  — NPR (Dec 2)
  
  Philosopher Alva Noe considers whether intelligent behavior of plants gives us reason to think that plants have minds, albeit slow ones.

• Occupy the Future: Ethics and Inequality
  — Boston Review (Nov 28)
  
  Not all inequalities are wrong. Philosopher Debra Satz and political scientist Rob Reich aim to pinpoint why the inequalities taken up by the Occupy movement (between the 1% and the 99%) is wrongful inequalities. [This essay is part of the essay series, Occupy the Future—"a series of opinion essays by Stanford University professors exploring key issues raised by Occupy."

• Separation of Church and State
  — New Books in Philosophy (Dec 1)
  
  Justifying a doctrine of separation of church and state in a democratic society is a thorny issue. While one may say that "democratic governments must seek to govern on the basis of reasons that all citizens [of diverse religious commitment] could endorse, . . . the idea that politics and religion should be kept separate seems to be a controversial moral idea in its own right . . . [that inevitably] strikes many religious citizens as deeply objectionable." Philosopher Robert Audi discusses the issue which is the subject of his latest book, Democratic Authority and the Separation of Church and State. [audio]

• Human Consciousness and Free Will
  — Philosopher's Zone (Nov 26)
  
  Philosopher Daniel Dennett talks about consciousness and free will. [audio]

• Ethics Matter
  — Policy Innovations (Oct 17)
  
  An interview with philosopher Peter Singer on global poverty, the treatment of animals, and ethical progress. Includes a question and answer period after the interview. Hosted by the Carnegie Council on Ethics in International Affairs. [audio, includes transcript]

• What's Love Got to Do With It?
  — Philosophy Now (Nov 22)
  
  Philosopher Simon May discusses the subject of his recent book on the history of romantic love. (See also this earlier interview on Philosophy Bites—along with several others podcasts on the topic of love.) [audio]

• The Guy in the Philosophy Suit
  — North Lake College (Nov 27)
  
  Philosophy teacher Douglas Howie's passion for teaching helps students master critical thinking—but he is better known as the guy in the suit.

• The Future of Philosophy
  — Philosopher's Eye (Dec 1)
  
  The Philosopher's Eye brings you five essays on the future of philosophy written by five philosophers who are editors of established academic journals of philosophy.

• You Are Not in Your Head
  — NY Times (Nov 21)
  
  Philosopher Jay Bernstein tells us what drew him to philosophy, talks about how the self is not in the head and how understanding this could change the world. [video]

• Animal Minds
  — Philosophy Bites (Nov 20)
  
  "What sort of thoughts can animals have? [Philosopher] Tim Crane discusses the intriguing issue of what apes and monkeys are capable of thinking." [audio]

• The Islamic Scholar Who Gave Us Modern Philosophy
  — Humanities [NEH] (Nov/Dec)
  
  Philosopher Robert Pasnau "argues that the foundations of modern philosophy were laid by the Islamic philos0pher Averroes." "In the year 900, by far the most robust and impressive philosophical tradition was found not in Europe, but in the Middle East. Islamic scholars there had embarked on a wholesale program to recover the traditions of Greek philosophy. . . [A]nd so it was for several centuries. . . What we call the Middle Ages was, in Islam, the great classical era of philosophy and science. After several centuries of flourishing, however, the study of philosophy and science faded in Muslim countries. . . What happened? How did Western Europe, by the late Middle Ages, become the prime locus for philosophical and scientific research? . . . [C]onsider the life and work of Averroλs, one of the last great Islamic philosophers, and the one who made the strongest argument on behalf of philosophy. Those arguments would eventually take root, but not where he expected them to."

• Six Famous Thought Experiments
  — Open University (Nov 24)
  
  "These fast-paced animations explain six famous thought experiments . . . that have changed the way we see the world. Subjects as vast as time travel, infinity, quantum mechanics and artificial intelligence, are squeezed into 60-second clips."

• Occupation as Fairness
  — Boston Review (Nov 17)
  
  What would philosopher John Rawls have thought of the Occupy Movement?

• The Partially Examined Life
  — (Nov 16)
  
  Three philosophy ABDs get back together ten years later and talk philosophy. The podcast is in its 46th episode—wherein the boys discover they were confused about the Euthyphro.

• Applied Philosophy: Rhodes Scholars
  — Chronicle of Higher Education (Nov 20)
  
  Four of the 32 recently announced American Rhodes Scholars are philosophy double majors. 1) Nina Cohen (philosophy and French); Cory Rodgers (biological sciences, history and philosophy of science, African studies); Ronan S. Farrow (philosophy and biology); Aysha N. Bagchi (philosophy and history). [A full list and bios are linked from the CHE article.]

• Cruel and Unusual, and Turkeys
  — NY Times (Nov 20)
  
  Philosopher Justin Smith reflects on the annual presidential turkey pardoning -- weird and dark and a reminder of our issues as a society with capital punishment.

• A President's Religion
  — NY Times (Nov 16)
  
  Should a presidential candidate's religious beliefs be a factor in how you vote? Philosopher Gary Gutting examines the issues and finds them not so simple.

• Why Isn't Philosophy a Subject Our Children Encounter?
  — Press Release (Nov 17)
  
  On World Philosophy Day, the Philosophy Foundation [UK] asks the question: "It's World Philosophy Day! But why isn't philosophy a subject our children ever encounter?" Read the Foundation's petition argument that now is the right time to make philosophy education compulsory in UK schools.

• Philosophy Can Benefit Society, Peace
  — United Nations (Nov 17)
  
  A UN report on World Philosophy Day on World Philosophy Day.

• Extremism Linked to Lack of Philosophy
  — Express Tribune [Pakistan]
  
  On World Philosophy Day, presenters at an event in Lahore (Pakistan) suggested that the rise of extremism was connected to a woeful decline in philosophy education and study. The event was hosted by the Institute of Islamic Culture.

• More Seek Philosophy Kick Start
  — Denver Post (Nov 21)
  
  "It's funny, but you don't look for philosophy; it finds you," said Autumn Mitchell . . .who is merging her philosophy studies with programming software. She is part of a growing trend of college students gravitating toward philosophy departments' -- not just to contemplate life, but to kick start 'careers in law, medicine, business and high technology.'

• Philosophy and Heavy Metal Music
  — Wall Street Journal (Nov 21)
  
  Apparently, Blackwell Publishers are planning a new volume in their Philosophy and Pop Culture Series entitled Black Sabbath and Philosophy

• How We (Should) Decide
  — MIT (Nov 22)
  
  Philosopher Caspar Hare "aims to develop theories of practical rationality that may just help us make real-world decisions."

• Fertilizing the Mind
  — NPR (Nov 22)
  
  Philosopher Alva Noe thinks about plants, animals and supercomputers, and IBM's Watson in particular—which is so darned good at playing Jeopardy.

• Hume's Legacy
  — Univ of Chicago (Nov 9)
  
  Philosopher Peter Kail (Oxford) discusses the legacy of David Hume. "Hume's work has had an enormous impact on contemporary thought about induction and moral psychology, to name just two. In [the] interview, Prof. Kail discusses the ways in which Hume's influence in these areas rests on some significant misunderstandings of his own views." [audio]

• How Much is a Life Worth?
  — Harvard
  
  Philosopher Michael Sandel (Harvard) examines "contemporary cases in which cost-benefit analysis was used to put a dollar value on human life" and draws philosophical lessons. (There are more videos of Sandel lectures available on the site.) [video]

• Inequality and Secular Theodicy
  — NY Times (Nov 14)
  
  In this Stone video interview philosopher Fred Neuhouser explains how Rousseau's thoughts about the roots of social inequality provides interesting foundation for the problem of theodicy in a traditional religious sense—the vindication of divine goodness and providence in view of the existence of evil—as well as in a broader secular sense. [video]

• Free Will Resplendent
  — NY Times (Nov 13)
  
  Philosopher Eddy Nahmias succinctly explains the several errors at work in recent suggestions that neuroscience has shown that free will is some kind of illusion.

• Soldier-turned-philosopher Reflects on his Service
  — Kennebec Journal (Nov 12)
  
  This follow-up article catches up with veteran Curtis Mills whose treatment at the hands of a dysfunctional military medical establishment became national news seven years ago. What has he been doing since he got needed medical attention and was able to go home. Studying philosophy. '"I looked into philosophy a little bit and said, 'You know what? This sounds like something that would help me personally.'" So, a soldier who over his military years survived deployments to El Salvador, Bosnia and Iraq now found himself navigating Socrates, Kant and Emerson.'

• What is a Person?
  — NPR (Nov 11)
  
  Philosopher Alva Noλ discusses some of the highlights with an eye toward the recent ballot initiative in Mississippi.

• Oh, How Ironic . . .
  — Salon (Nov 3)
  
  Philosopher Jonathan Lear talks about irony and why things have changed.

• The Continental-Analytic Split
  — BBC (Nov 10)
  
  A discussion on BBC Radio of the origins of two strands of philosophical development in recent history. "Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the Continental-Analytic split in Western philosophy. Around the beginning of the last century, philosophy began to go down two separate paths, as thinkers from Continental Europe explored the legacy of figures including Friedrich Nietzsche and Martin Heidegger, while those educated in the English-speaking world tended to look to more analytically-inclined philosophers like Bertrand Russell and Gottlob Frege. But the divide between these two schools of thought is not clear cut, and many philosophers even question whether the term 'Continental' is accurate or useful. The Analytic school favours a logical, scientific approach, in contrast to the Continental emphasis on the importance of time and place. But what are the origins of this split and is it possible that contemporary philosophers can bridge the gap between the two?" [audio]

• Are We a Democracy?
  — NY Times (Nov 9)
  
  Democracy, republic, plutocracy, aristocracy, multarchy? Philosopher Gary Gutting sorts it all out. "Our democracy is not so much a positive force for good government as a protection against extremely bad government."

• Ubuntu and Social Media
  — Media Update South Africa (Nov 1)
  
  Philosopher Jason van Niekerk discusses how the idea of ubuntu from African philosophy can insight into some social developments being spurred by social media.

• Everything is Fire
  — Washington & Lee Univ (Nov 2)
  
  Philosopher James Mahon (Washington and Lee) discusses his essay in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Philosophy on the ethics of deceiving bad people. [audio] (Also see a table of contents for the book.)

• Bodies in Motion
  — NY Times (Nov 6)
  
  Philosopher Alex Rosenberg and languages and literatures professor William Eggington discuss the relation between the humanities and the sciences.

• Zizek and Rose
  — Charlie Rose (Oct 26)
  
  Charlie Rose talks to Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Zizek. "Slovenian philosopher and critical theorist Slavoj Zizek on Occupy Wall Street, capitalism, Western culture and global politics."

• Science, Faith and First Principles
  — NY Times (Nov 3)
  
  "Does everything — even science — come down to faith?" Philosopher Michael P. Lynch discusses the question.

• interview with a Stoic
  — Boing Boing (Nov 4)
  
  An interview with philosopher and modern-day stoic William Stephen.

• The Ethics of Voting
  — New Books in Philosophy (Sep 30)
  
  An interview with philosopher, Jason Brennan (Georgetown), on the subject of his latest book—ethics of voting. "It is commonly held that citizens in a democratic society have a civic duty to participate in the processes of collective self-government and that when citizens neglect to vote they violate that civic duty. . . [But,] in voting, citizens perform a collective action that impacts the lives of others for better or worse; voting thus seems to be the kind of act that can be performed well or badly. Indeed, it seems that there should be circumstances under which it would be wrong for some individual to vote." In fact, he argues for the surprising thesis that "for many citizens, there is a duty not to vote." [audio]

• Equality, Geometry and Hume
  — Pacific Philosophical Quarterly
  
  It has been argued that there is a genuine conflict between the views of geometry defended by Hume in the Treatise and in the Enquiry: while the former work attributes to geometry a different status from that of arithmetic and algebra, the latter attempts to restore its status as an exact and certain science. A closer reading of Hume shows that, in fact, there is no conflict between the two works with respect to geometry. The key to understanding Hume's view of geometry is the distinction he draws between two standards of equality in extension. UF access
  
  Emil Badici (UF PhD)(Texas A&M) Pacific Philosophical Quarterly 92 (4):448-467. 2011

• What Intuitions Are Like
  — Philosophy & Phenomenological Research
  
  What are intuitions? According to doxastic views, they are doxastic attitudes or dispositions, such as judgments or inclinations to make judgments. According to perceptualist views, they are—like perceptual experiences—pre-doxastic experiences that—unlike perceptual experiences—represent abstract matters as being a certain way. In this paper I argue against doxasticism and in favor of perceptualism. I describe two features that militate against doxasticist views of perception itself: perception is belief-independent and perception is presentational. Then I argue that intuitions also have both features. The upshot is that intuitions are importantly similar to perceptual experiences, and so should not be identified with doxastic attitudes or dispositions. I consider a popular argument from the introspective absence of sui generis intuition experiences in favor of doxasticism. I develop a conception of intuition experiences that helps to defuse this argument. UF access
  
  Elijah Chudnoff (UF philosophy major)(Miami) Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 82 (3):625-654.

• Applied Philosophy: Zola Jesus
  — San Francisco Examiner (Oct 29)
  
  Philosophy major and musician, Nika Danilova (aka Zola Jesus) talks about music, free will, Schopenhauer, and Nietzsche. Danilova's philosophically-named third album, Conatus, is just out. "Opera and philosophy inform the dark industrial pop from a new artist destined for greatness." —NPR "The voice. . .: strong and slightly sick at heart, powerful but controlled. . . It's a broad sound from the chest that implies emotion without breaking or moving into gospel runs or becoming coy. Not many female pop voices have sounded like this, at least since 30 years ago, when some opera-trained singers . . . were on the charts."—NY Times

• Award for H.S. Philosophy Teacher
  — Honolulu Star-Advertiser (Oct 29)
  
  Chad Miller is an instructor whose innovative use of philosophy in the high school classroom has earned him Hawaii's Teacher of the Year award and he is now a candidate for National Teacher of the Year award. Miller is active in the Philosophy for Children initiative.

• What Can I Do With a Humanities Degree?
  — UCF
  
  Philosopher Bruce Janz, chair of the philosophy department at UCF, has drawn together some interesting materials on this subject—with special focus on getting a degree in philosophy.

• More Reason, Ergo Less Violence?
  — NY Times (Oct 26)
  
  Does morality require treating all human beings equally? Philosopher Gary Gutting discusses the philosophical argument at the heart of Steven Pinker's new book The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined.

• How Many Things Are There?
  — Philosophy Now Radio (Oct 26)
  
  An inside glimpses of what the UK's philosophy for children program is like in action. A metaphysical question is posed to a group of 8-10 year old students--with interesting results. "Peter Worley from The Philosophy Foundation [UK] conducts a live philosophy lesson with a group of 8-to-10 year olds from All Saints Primary School in Blackheath." [audio]

• Is Time Fundamentally Real?
  — FQXi (Oct 22)
  
  Is the directedness of time a fundamentally real part of the universe? What about time itself? Philosopher Tim Maudlin discusses these questions at the interdisciplinary FQXi 'Setting Time Aright' conference in Copenhagen.

• The Universe and the Arrows of Time
  — FQXi (Sep 24)
  
  How do the arrows of time relate? Why might we need a cosmological explanation for them? What are the initial/boundary conditions of cosmology? Philosopher Craig Callendar talks about the universe at the FQXi 'Setting Time Aright' conference in Copenhagen. [video]

• Giving Philosophy the Sixth Degree (or 7th)
  — The Standard [CA](Oct 23)
  
  Eighty-year old Thilagavathi Chandulal's recently took her seventh college degree: an MA in philosophy.

• Applied Philosophy: Fashion Designer
  — Bloginity (Oct 19)
  
  Philosophy major and fashion designer Ralph Rucci of Chado was recently added to New York's Fashion Avenue Walk of Fame. "Ralph Rucci has no perfume line, no big financial backers and no huge advertising campaign. . . . He has a degree in philosophy, is an accomplished artist, and does not have the usual Wikipedia page of a fashion designer. He named his company 'Chado' after a Japanese tea ceremony, as it symbolizes respect, tranquility, and integrity."

• Greek Economic Crisis: What Would Aristotle Do?
  — Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Oct 22)
  
  "Greece's 11 million people face a barrage of existential questions — about change, values, individual and national identities, the future they want. What answers would the icons of ancient philosophy be able to give? Are their precepts, crafted more than 2,000 years ago — when Greece was a 'superpower,' not Europe's weak link — still relevant today?"

• Rawls on Wall Street
  — NY Times (Oct 21)
  
  Political scientist, Steven Mazie, explains why the work of philosopher John Rawls is just what the Occupy Wall Street movement needs to find direction and take it to the next level.

• Human Reality and Basic Reality
  — Univ of Chicago
  
  Philosopher John Searle (UC Berkeley) talks about human reality and basic reality. Part of the Elucidations philosophy podcast (University of Chicago). [audio]

• What Makes Free Will Free?
  — NY Times (Oct 19)
  
  In light of recent science headlines, philosopher Gary Gutting asks whether it is even possible for scientific findings to establish that we lack free will?

• In the Realm of the Senses
  — Philosophy Now (Oct 18)
  
  On Philosophy Now Radio, philosophers Barry Smith, Norman Bacrac, and Richard Marshall discuss the nature of human experience. [audio]

• Philosopher of the Post-9/11 Era
  — Slate (Oct 17)
  
  "Why have the right and the left resurrected [theologian] Reinhold Niebuhr? . . . . How did it come to pass that a man born in 1892, when Benjamin Harrison was in the White House, became the philosopher of the post-9/11 era?"

• Study of Philosophy Makes Gains Despite Economy
  — Philadelphia Inquirer (Oct 15)
  
  "Though philosophy is routinely dismissed and disparaged. . . more college students are getting degrees in that field than ever before. Though the overall figures remain small, the number of four-year graduates has grown 46 percent in a decade, surpassing the growth rates of much bigger programs such as psychology and history."

• Is Philosophy the Most Practical Major?
  — The Atlantic (Oct 16)
  
  Historian Edward Tenner discusses the import of the significant growth of philosophy as a major in hard economic times. "One of the many small surprises of the recession has been a significant growth in the number of philosophy majors . . . What makes philosophy different?"

• Job Market Likes Philosophy/Liberal Arts
  — News-Press.com (Oct 14)
  
  Philosopher Glenn Whitehouse (Florida Gulf Coast) decries the false assumption that liberal arts majors don't get jobs. "Why should the public fund fields of study that lack obvious market value? This would be a good question, if the assumption that a liberal arts education is a ticket to the unemployment line were true. But it is not true. There is ample evidence that the liberal arts provide students with marketable skills that match or exceed those of students in other majors. To look just at the field I know best, philosophy, the statistics are surprising. . ." RELATED: "Employers have discovered that a mind sharpened by the study of philosophy is ideal for today's workplace." Cf. this older artcle in Times Higher Education.

• Why is There Anything at All?
  — Yale Daily News (Oct 11)
  
  "Why is there something, rather than nothing at all?" An interdisciplinary conference at Yale convenes to discuss this classic philosophical question. The conference aims to spur new dialogue between experts in philosophy, physics and theology, "based on ultimate questions of existence and causality that shape all three fields." "The hope is to initiate a significant and vital encounter among the three great magisteria dedicated to the pursuit of fundamental truth."

• Spinoza on Stage
  — Jewish Exponent (Oct 11)
  
  David Ives' play, New Jerusalem, the Interrogation of Baruch de Spinoza at Talmud Torah Congregation: Amsterdam, July 27, 1656., centers on philosopher, Baruch Spinoza.

• Philosophy on the Rocks
  — Huffington Post (Oct 12)
  
  Interview with philosopher, Peg O'Connor, on the themes of her forthcoming book, On the Rocks Is a Form of Life: Philosophy and Addiction.

• Corporations, People and Truth
  — NY Times (Oct 12)
  
  In the shadow of the Occupy Wall Street protests, philosopher Gary Gutting considers the pros and cons of corporations—their moral standing in relation to people, truth and the dangers that corporate practices can pose to a democracy.

• Philosophy as Theatre
  — The Guardian (Oct 5)
  
  Philosophical treatises adapted for the stage—from Aristotle to Karl Marx and beyond.

• The Body Politic
  — The Atlantic (Oct 7)
  
  Interview with bioethicist, Jonathan Moreno. "His most recent project, the new book The Body Politic, explores how bioethical issues -- stem cells, genetics -- have become a part of our political discourse."

• Arrested Philosophical Development
  — Daily Iowan (Oct 10)
  
  Philosophy graduate student, Kristopher Phillips (Iowa) co-edited the forthcoming book, 'Arrested Development' and Philosophy: They've made a Huge Mistake— seventeen essays "written by different students and professors of philosophy from all over the world."

• The History of Philosophy in Less Than an Hour
  — Philosophy Now (Sep 27)
  
  "[Program host Grant Bartley] talks to Nigel Warburton, author of A Little History of Philosophy, and Jane O'Grady, who teaches History of Philosophy at the London School of Philosophy, about what they like best in the history of Western philosophy." [audio]

• The School of Ethics
  — Philosophy Now (Oct 4)
  
  In this installment of Philosophy Now Radio, philosophy teacher John Holyold chairs a debate among five of his St. Dunstan's College students on topical issues including the recent UK riots. (Also, see this profile of program host, Grant Bartley.) [audio]

• People's Philosophy Festival Gets Underway
  — The Journal [UK] (Oct 8)
  
  The event mixes academic and non-academic events and locations—from the lecture hall to the pub—the festival is organized by the Newcastle Philosophy Society.

• Northampton to Eliminate Philosophy
  — Northamption Chronicle (Oct 6)
  
  The administration of University of Northampton (UK) has announced its intention to eliminate the philosophy department there.

• 3QD Philosophy Blog-Post Winner's Announced
  — 3 Quarks Daily (Sep 19)
  
  The three winners of the best philosophical blog-post awards have been announced. The essay competition, hosted annually by site 3 Quarks Daily, was judged this year by eminent philosopher, Patricia Churchland.

• Oxford Philosophy on YouTube
  — Oxford University
  
  Lots of philosophy covered on Oxford's 'Humanities Lectures' playlist on YouTube.

• Philosophy Departments Collaborate on Conference Series
  — Baylor University (Oct 5)
  
  The philosophy departments of Baylor University, Georgetown University and University of Notre Dame are collaborating on a new annual conference series devoted to philosophy of religion. The inaugural meeting will take place at Baylor.

• Philosopher Makes a College
  — New Scotsman (Ost 6)
  
  Philosopher AC Grayling has founded a new private college in the UK, the New College of the Humanities, which, he says, offers a "new model of higher education for the humanities in the UK." Notably, all students at the college will be taught logic, scientific literacy and applied ethics. The College is enrolling students now for its launch in 2012.

• Will the Aliens Play Nice?
  — NY Times (Oct 5)
  
  Philosopher Gary Gutting discusses a recent report on the wisdom of making contact with extra-terrestials (if we should locate any).

• When Your Mind Is Made Up
  — The Varsity (Oct 2)
  
  Columnist Nardin Samuel discusses recent experiments that some believe shed light on the question of free will.

• On Not Agreeing to Disagree
  — NY Times (Oct 2)
  
  "Some of us believe God created human beings just as they are now, others of us don't. But underneath this divide is a deeper one. Really divisive disagreements are typically not just over the facts. They are also about the best way to support our views of the facts. . ." Philosopher Michael P. Lynch discusses our reasons for our reasons.

• Philosopher Wins Prize for Procrastination
  — Improbable Research (Sep 29)
  
  Stanford philosopher John Perry has been awarded the 2011 Ig Noble Prize for Literature for his essay on Structured Procrastination. Perry's essay is delightful and insightful, and by now well-known. And the prize has been long in coming, since the essay was published in the Chron of Higher Ed back in 1996!

• Action Philosophers! on Stage
  — The Brooklyn Paper (Sep 29)
  
  "The sagacious writings of Plato, Bodhidharma, Karl Marx, Rene Descartes, Friedrich Neitzsche and Ayn Rand have been dumbed down, stuffed into comic book panels and thrown up onstage in "Action Philosophers!", a laugh-out-loud comedy . . . based on the graphic novel with the same name. . . Comic co-creators Ryan Dunlavey and Fred Van Lente began wondering what historical figures would look like if they were action figures. Van Lente realized that philosophers would look pretty bad-ass . . ."

• Acts of Piety: Art and 9/11
  — New Statesman (Sep 5)
  
  Philosopher Arthur Danto discusses works of art made in the light of 9/11. "How did artists respond to the attacks of 11 September 2001? The most powerful works do not represent them directly, writes Arthur C Danto, but draw on collective grief."

• Becoming a Philosopher in America
  — YouTube
  
  A group of American philosophers talk about becoming a philosopher in America. [video] This video is part of an eight part series, American Philosopher: Eight short films about philosophy in America and American philosophy by [philosophy lecturer and amateur filmmaker] Phillip McReynolds. [Note: Only 3 of 9 clips are currently posted on YouTube. Earlier versions of the whole series can be seen on Vimeo, but you may experience sound or other technical issues playing them.]

• Understanding Your Cat Through Philosophy
  — Cat Fancy
  
  Stephen Hales talks about his 2008 book What Philosophy Can Tell You About Your Cat. "What ethical obligations do people have to cats? Are cats more rational than humans? What can cats teach humans about evolutionary psychology? In this fascinating collection of articles, 18 philosophers try to answer these questions and more as they explore the majesty, mystique, and mystery of the cat. They reveal surprising insights into the feline mind and world and offer delightful anecdotes of cats they have known."

• High Schoolers Bring Princeton Philosopher
  — Chatham Patch (Sep 28)
  
  The Philosophy Club of Chatham High School invited philosopher Cornel West (Princeton) to come talk to their group and were surprised and delighted when their invitation was accepted.

• Applied Philosophy: Magic
  — SUNY (Sep 27)
  
  Philosophy major Brian Miller's magic show '"Magic, Philosophically Speaking," combines philosophical discussions on reality, deception and free will with jaw-dropping illusions and good humor.'

• Philosophy, Psychology and Theology of Character
  — Wake Forest (Sep 28)
  
  The Character Project, lead by philosopher Christian Miller (Wake Forest), will award a total of 2.5 million dollars for philosophical, psychological, and theological research on human character. The Project has recently announced awards for the psychological studies. Proposals for philosophical and theological studies are under evaluation. Cf. the Project site.

• Are Utilitarians Not Nice People?
  — The Economist (Sep 24)
  
  "[They knew] from previous research that around 90% of people refuse the utilitarian act of killing one individual to save five. What no one had previously inquired about, though, was the nature of the remaining 10%" -- those inclined toward a utilitarian answer to the trolleyological tests.

• What Do Test Scores Tell Us?
  — NY Times (Sep 21)
  
  "Tests used to be just for evaluating students, but now the testing of students is used to evaluate teachers and, in fact, the entire educational system. . . Poor test scores are the initial premises in most current arguments for educational reform. . . So what exactly do test scores tell us?"

• Environmental Philosophy in the Field
  — Westerly News (Sep 22)
  
  "An environmental philosophy class from the University of Guelph recently spent ten days in Clayoqout and Barkley Sound exploring the ecological and social history of the region, hoping to understand how and why various stakeholders value the sounds."

• Intellectual Culture, Philosophical Progress, and Philosophy in the Humanities
  — Harvard University (Sep 21)
  
  A panel discussion with philosopher Jason Stanley (Rutgers) and critic-at-large Carlin Romano (Chron of Higher Education), a part of the Harvard/ANU Progress conference at Harvard University. The discussion ranges over the relations between philosophy and intellectual culture, the relation and sometimes tensions between the discipline of philosophy and other disciplines in the humanities, and the existence and relevance of progress in philosophy. [video]

• Check Your Philosophical Health
  — Philosophers' Magazine
  
  Take The Philosophers' Magazine philosophical health check!

• Time and Time Again
  — Philosophy Now
  
  An essay on McTaggart's famous argument on the unreality of time.

• Has Neuroscience Shown Us We've No Free Will?
  — Nature (Aug 31)
  
  Some scientists think that recent results in neuroscience show that free will is an illusion. Philosophers are urging them to think again.

• Are We Losing Our Minds?
  — NPR (Sep 20)
  
  Philosopher Alva Noë (Berkeley) considers what we should make of the recent Columbia University study showing that we are less likely to remember things that are readily available to us online.

• Social Media, Empowerment & Revolution
  — Wall Street Journal (Sep 19)
  
  Philosopher of technology, D.E. Wittkower, discusses the role of social media in the current Wall Street protests compared to the role of such networks in the so-called "Twitter Revolution" in Iran and the "Facebook Revolutions" in Tunisia and Egypt.

• How the World Became Modern
  — NPR (Sep 19)
  
  In The Swerve: How the World Became Modern, Stephen Goldblatt "describes the impact had by the translation of the last remaining manuscript of On the Nature of Things by Roman philosopher Lucretius, which fueled the Renaissance and inspired artists, great thinkers and scientists." [Includes audio]

• Wise Up: Restoring Wisdom to Universities
  — Macquarie University
  
  We recently took note of the 2011 annual address by Macquarie University's vice-chancellor, Steven Schwartz, in which he charged universities with failing their mission by becoming too focussed on vocational training. In this 2010 address "Wise Up: Restoring Wisdom to Universities," Schwartz argues that universities need to help students develop practical wisdom and to give them the tools to reason well and reason morally. [video] (The text of this lecture is also available online.

• Sandel on Justice, Govt and the Common Good
  — FORA.tv
  
  Philosopher Michael Sandel (Harvard) gives his lecture on justice to the Chautauqua Institution. If you missed Sandel's talk here at UF, you can see him deliver a version of this very nice talk/discussion to another group on FORA.tv. (There are other philosophy talks on FORA.tv that are worth checking out, including a companion talk by Sandel on government and the common good.) [video]

• Call to Teach Philosophy in Pakistan's Schools
  — Express Tribune [Pakistan] (Sep 17)
  
  Eminent writers, academics and intellectuals at a select gathering on Friday stressed the need for teaching philosophy and independent history in schools to counter the rising obscurantism and Jihadi mindset. "The study of philosophy had always been discouraged in Muslim societies that led to the present sorry state of affairs in the Muslim world," said eminent historian and intellectual Dr Mubarak Ali.'

• Putting Philosophy to the Test
  — Stanford Magazine
  
  Profile of philosopher Joshua Knobe (Yale) and experimental philosophy.

• Applied Philosophy: University President
  — Morning Sentinel (Sep 17)
  
  University president Theodora Kalikow (Maine) says that 'in the 1970s she thought she would be a college philosophy professor forever, but she did have "secret thoughts about deans and vice presidents that I could do better than them."'

• My Philosophy Class was Actually Better Than a Trip to the Dentist
  — Times & Transcript (Sep 17)
  
  "Why did you take philosophy?!" was what everyone seemed to be barking. I started to panic. Why had I taken it?!'

• Why I am a Naturalist
  — NY Times (Sep 17)
  
  Philosopher Alex Rosenberg (Duke) explains his reasons. This essay is in part a response to Timothy Williamson's earlier NYT essay on this topic. [UPDATE: Williamson responds to Rosenberg.]

• John Perry on Free Will
  — Stanford News (Sep 15)
  
  John Perry, Stanford philosopher and co-host of the popular syndicated radio series "Philosophy Talk" discusses his forthcoming book on compatibilism. '"I started noticing that I teach students about compatibilism every year," said Perry, . . . "but every year more of them become incompatibilists instead." Perry's book is a defense of the view that there can be free will in a causally deterministic universe.

• Examining Humanist Atheism
  — NY Times (Sep 14)
  
  "Led by the biologist Richard Dawkins . . . atheism has taken on a new life in popular religious debate . . . For atheists like Dawkins, belief in God is an intellectual mistake, and honest thinkers need simply to recognize this and move on . . . Most believers, however, do not come to religion through philosophical arguments. Rather, their belief arises from their personal experiences of a spiritual world of meaning and values, with God as its center . . . In the last few years there has emerged another style of atheism that takes such experiences seriously." Philosopher Gary Gutting discusses this new strand of humanist (as opposed to scientific) atheism.

• Could a Robot Be Conscious?
  — BBC (Sep 13)
  
  "If a robot is produced that behaves just like one of us in all respects, including thought, is it conscious or just a clever machine, asks Prof Barry C Smith, director of the Institute of Philosophy."

• "Teach Philosophy in Our Schools"
  — The Guardian (Sep 13)
  
  An open letter published in The Guardian (UK) in support of early philosophy education and calling for the introduction of a specialist teacher training diploma in philosophy. [UPDATE: A handful of letters to the editor published in The Guardian responding to this open letter.]

• Terry Jones & The Philosophy Shop
  — Third Sector (Sep 12)
  
  The comedian, [filmmaker] and writer Terry Jones has become a patron for the educational charity The Philosophy Shop, which introduces philosophy to schoolchildren to develop their reasoning skills. "I am a keen backer of The Philosophy Shop and delighted to accept the position of patron," said Jones. "I will support it in its work, which is hugely important and worthwhile."' Terry Jones is well-known as a film director and original member of the Monty Python comedy team. Full press release here.

• Maccarone: Ethical Responsibilities to Subjects and Documentary Filmmaking
  — J Mass Media Ethics
  
  Documentary filmmakers have ethical responsibilities to the subjects of their films. Specifically, they have an ethical responsibility to prevent harm to their subjects if they are in a position to do so, even harm not directly related to being in the film. Justification for this comes from documentary's status as a practice of a social institution and can be supported by Utilitarian and Kantian considerations, as well as the Aristotelian discussion of practices. Three films, The Thin Blue Line, Dope Sick Love, and Born Into Brothels, are used as examples for the requirement to prevent harm to subjects. These examples cover several different possibilities of how documentary filmmakers behave concerning the welfare of their subjects and are evaluated in light of ethical considerations offered.
  
  Ellen Maccarone (Gonzaga Univ)(UF PhD). "Ethical Responsibilities to Subjects and Documentary Filmmaking." Journal of Mass Media Ethics 25 (2010): 192-206.

• Meaningful Lives
  — NY Times (Sep 11)
  
  "Who among us has not asked whether his or her life is a meaningful one? Who has not wondered — on a sleepless night, during a long stretch of dull or taxing work, or when a troubled child seems a greater burden than one can bear — whether in the end it all adds up to anything? On this day, too, when many are steeped in painful reminders of personal loss, it is natural to wonder about the answers."

• Perils of Not Balancing Faith and Reason
  — Philadelphia Inquirer (Sep 11)
  
  On the tenth anniversary of 9/11, philosopher Robert Dobie reflects on the fundamental importance of balancing faith and reason.

• Ahlberg: An Argument Against Cloning
  — Canadian Journal of Philosophy
  
  It is technically possible to clone a human being. The result of the procedure would be a human being in its own right. Given the current level of cloning technology concerning other animals there is every reason to believe that early human clones will have shorter-than-average life-spans, and will be unusually prone to disease. In addition, they would be unusually at risk of genetic defects, though they would still, probably, have lives worth living. But with experimentation and experience, seriously unequal prospects between cloned and non-cloned people should erode. We shall ignore arguments about cloning that focus on the potential for harm to the fetus or resultant human being, where harm is understood solely in terms of physical and mental health. Unless the resultant people would generally have lives worth living there is no positive case for cloning, or any other form of reproduction, for that matter. If the resultant beings will generally have lives worth living there is a prima facie case for . . . [On-campus online access]
  
  "An Argument Against Cloning." Jaime Ahlberg (UF) & Harry Brighouse. Canadian Journal of Philosophy 40 (2010): 539-566.

• Annual Think
  — Kingston Guardian (Sep 8)
  
  Debates on the human cost of war, arguments about the economics of happiness and odes to the joys of singing will feature in this year's month-long philosophy festival Think In Kingston. The theme of this year's festival is happiness but the range of events includes yoga, a walk, poetry, a film show and singing, as well as discussions about equality, peace, human rights, religion and education.

• The Philosopher's Arms
  — BBC
  
  Guest philosophers and BBC commentator Matthew Sweet examine philosophical problems with a live audience in a pub on ths new weekly programme. Example of the first two episodes: 1) The Experience Machine: Should Matthew Sweet plug into a machine that grants a happy but illusory life? 2) A Robot Daughter: Matthew Sweet discovers his daughter is a robot. Should this change how he treats her? Cf. Also the program page for the show.

• Witmer: The Philosophy of Philosophy
  — Metaphilosophy
  
  It is very likely impossible to say something useful about philosophy in general: there is simply too much variety in what intuitively qualifies as such. One can, however, focus on some important element of common philosophical practice and aim to illuminate that aspect, and that is what Timothy Williamson does in The Philosophy of Philosophy. The element he focuses on is the idea of thought experiments and the general reliance on 'armchair' methods, especially as a means of arriving at knowledge of metaphysical possibility . . .
  
  D. Gene Witmer (UF). Review of The Philosophy of Philosophy, by Timothy Williamson. Metaphilosophy 42 (2011): 155-160.

• Philosophy at UNLV Saved
  — Leiter Reports (Sep 7)
  
  The philosophy department at University of Nevada, Las Vegas—targeted for elimination last Spring—has been saved thanks in part to the active support of the philosophical community. For some interesting background, 1) Read the UNLV Philosophy chair's salutary essay, 'Budgetary Hemlock' from back in April in the Boston Review. 2) Listen to UNLV Philosophy faculty discuss the issue back in March on Nevada public radio.

• Welcome to the Experience Machine
  — BBC (Sep 6)
  
  Life is all about experiences - good and bad. But what if a machine could make you feel nothing but happiness. Would you plug into it? Also, listen to a discussion of this same question on BBC Radio.

• Philosophy for Everyone
  — Kalamazoo News (Sep 4)
  
  In the Humanities for Everyone program, professors from Western Michigan University are volunteering to teach free courses in philosophy and other core humanities disciplines to the poor and disadvantaged. The Michigan initiative is based on the Clemente Course in the Humanities about which you can read here. Begun in 1995, "more than ten thousand students worldwide have attended a Clemente course."

• Parmenides: Tradition of Text & Language Issues
  — Classical Review
  
  This valuable account of the ancient transmission of Parmenides' poem and the characteristic features of his diction and dialect develops from the author's 2004 Rome doctoral thesis on the diction of Parmenides and Empedocles . . .
  
  John Palmer (UF). Review of Parmenide: Tradizione del testo e questioni di lingua, by E. Passa. Classical Review 60 (2011): 605-606.

• What is Naturalism?
  — NY Times (Sep 4)
  
  Philosopher Timothy Williamson (Oxford) discusses the challenges of getting clear about what the doctrine of Naturalism really is, and why he resists the label of philosophical naturalist. [UPDATE: Philosopher Alex Rosenberg takes up the challenge of Williamson's essay.][UPDATE: Williamson responds to Rosenberg.]

• Diderot's Kiss
  — Decatur Daily (Sep 4)
  
  Review of The Philosopher's Kiss, which weaves a romantic tale about "the real-life philosopher Denis Diderot, whose 'Encyclopedia' inadvertently caused the French Revolution."

• Military Ethics
  — Sydney Morning Herald (Sep 3)
  
  No one was more surprised than Beard himself when he opted to switch from a law degree to one in philosophy. ''If someone had said to me, 'When you go to uni, you're going to be studying philosophy,' I would have ridiculed them out of the room."'

• Thinking Globally
  — Foreign Policy (Dec 2010)
  
  We are a little late picking up on this one, but Foreign Policy magazine (Dec 2010) ranked three philosophers in their list of the Top 100 Global Thinkers. The philosophers are Kwame Anthony Appiah (Princeton), Martha Nussbaum (Chicago), and Tariq Ramadan (Oxford).

• Marine Vet Brings Philosophy to Maximum Security
  — Washington Post (Sep 1)
  
  Inmates at the Jessup prison, "the majority serving life sentences, [are studying] Plato, Kierkegaard, Frederick Douglass and Buddha." The Partners in Philosophy program was instigated by Marine veteran and student of philosophy, James Schelberg, who first "learned philosophy [in Iraq] from his sergeant, who liked to engage the crew in metaphysical discussion on the comm system during long, boring missions."

• A Little History of Philosophy
  — The Guardian (Sep 1)
  
  "Nigel Warburton's elementary guide to philosophers strikes the right balance for smart children and curious adults alike."

• The Hemlock Cup
  — The Spectator (Sep 1)
  
  An interview with author Bettany Hughes whose biography of Socrates, The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens and the Search for the Good Life has just been released in paperback.

• Responsibility and Psychopathy
  — British Journal of Psychiatry
  
  "If psychopaths did not exist, philosophers would have invented them. This book explores the moral questions raised by the existence of individuals whose moral emotions seem to be reduced or absent. The authors [of the book Responsibility and Psychopathy: Interfacing Law, Psychiatry and Philosophy] start from the premise that, long before the work of Robert Cleckley and Hervey Hare, philosophers interested in moral judgement have experimented with the idea of a person with no feelings and no empathy for others. What sort of moral judgements would they make? Would they be 'moral' at all? And if a person did exist who was persistently and incorrigibly cruel, how should we (the society affected by these people) respond to them morally? Both philosophers and psychopathy researchers have attempted to answer these questions; and this rich book is a compilation of their answers." [Full access requires on-campus internet connection.]

• Happiness, Philosophy and Science
  — NY Times (Aug 31)
  
  Philosopher Gary Gutting discusses the new psychological science of happiness. "Philosophy was the origin of most scientific disciplines. . . . In recent years. . . the sciences—in particular, psychology and the social sciences—have begun to return to their origin, combining data and hypotheses with conceptual and normative considerations that are essentially philosophical. An excellent example of this return is the new psychological science of happiness."

• How to Be Good
  — The New Yorker (Sep 5)
  
  A profile of the life and views of contemporary philosopher Derek Parfit (Oxford). [Access to all but the abstract is by subscription only.]

• Philographics: From Ism to Image
  — The Atlantic (Aug 30)
  
  In Philographics, graphic designer Genis Carreras uses color and simple geometric shapes to represent different theoretical "isms" -- such as relativism, positivism, empiricism, determinism. See also here.

• Big Grant for Korean Philosophy Project
  — Lieter Reports (Aug 30)
  
  Philosopher P.J. Ivanhoe (City University of Hong Kong) has been awarded a grant worth over a million dollars from the Academy of Korean Studies for a proposed five year research project on Korean Philosophy from Comparative Perspectives.

• The Meaning of Utopia
  — NY Times (Aug 28)
  
  Philosopher Yves Charles Zarka discusses the idea of Utopia and utopian thinking from its coinage to the present.

• Patricia Churchland to Judge Blog Contest
  — 3 Quarks Daily (Aug 29)
  
  Philosopher Patricia Churchland (UC San Diego) will be the judge of the 3rd annual 3QD Philosophy Prize for best post in a philosophy blog. The contest is sponsored by filter blog site 3 Quarks Daily.

• Applied Philosophy: Career Services
  — Wabash College (Aug 26)
  
  Doctor of philosophy and ethics, James Jeffries, talks about his approach to his new position as Asst. Director of Career services at Wabash College. "What I'm really interested in is how people find fulfillment, and natural work is one important and vital aspect of that. . . . What I value in philosophy is thinking about tough conceptual problems and actually implementing that in real life. I believe Career Services has to appreciate the liberal arts' specific approach to career finding."

• Educating for Profit, Educating for Freedom
  — Australian Broadcast Corp (Aug 19)
  
  In this essay, philosopher Martha Nussbaum sounds some of central themes of her recent book, "Not For Profit". "We are in the midst of a crisis of massive proportions and grave global significance. I do not mean the global economic crisis that began in 2008. At least everyone knows that that crisis is at hand, and many world leaders worked quickly and desperately to find solutions. I mean a crisis that goes largely unnoticed, a crisis that is likely to be, in the long run, far more damaging to the future of democratic self-government: a worldwide crisis in education. Radical changes are occurring in what democratic societies teach the young, and these changes have not been well thought through. Eager for national profit, nations, and their systems of education, are heedlessly discarding skills that are needed to keep democracies alive." UPDATE: Listen here to a discussion of Nussbaum's essay by Scott Stephens, editor for ABC Religion & Ethics.

• Philosopher Enters Tripoli with Rebel Forces
  — Expatica (Aug 25)
  
  "The French philosopher who championed Libya's revolution and helped convince President Nicolas Sarkozy to back the rebels travelled to Tripoli on Thursday to bear witness to Moamer Kadhafi's defeat."

• The Getting of Wisdom
  — The Australian (Aug 25)
  
  Vice-chancellor of Macquarie University (Australia), Steven Schwartz, in his annual address, charges universities with failing their mission by becoming focussed on job-training. He argues that the humanities are central to the mission of universities. Philosophy is used as a central example. [UPDATE: You can watch Schwartz's 2010 address, "Wise Up: Restoring Wisdom to Universities", online.]

• Philosophical Counseling
  — Washington Post (Aug 22)
  
  Feature article on the growing field of philosophical counseling. Related: Q&A with a practicing philosophical counselor. Also, here.

• Interview with Mary Midgley
  — The Journal (UK) (Aug 24)
  
  Interview with philosopher Mary Midgley who, at age 91, discusses her life, education, and current philosophical concerns.

• Praise, Blame and the Economy
  — NY Times (Aug 23)
  
  Philosopher Gary Gutting discusses the challenges and pitfalls of crediting or blaming politicians for the rising or falling economies they preside over.

• "My People Perish for Lack of Philosophy"
  — Daily Independent (Nigeria) (Aug 22)
  
  In this public address, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Kolawole Olu-Owolabi, of the University of Ibadan [Nigeria] makes an impassioned plea for the importance of philosophy education. Part 1, Part 2.

• Applied Philosophy: Journalism
  — Metro West Daily (Aug 23)
  
  Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Amy Ellis Nutt, talks about how her interest in and pursuit of philosophy informs her journalistic interests.

• Badici: On the Compatibility Between Euclidean Geometry and Hume's Denial of Infinite Divisibility
  — Hume Studies
  
  In the Treatise, David Hume denies the thesis that extension is infinitely divisible, even though it can be derived as a theorem of Euclidean geometry. This clearly shows that he rejects some of the theorems of Euclidean geometry. What is less clear is the extent to which he thinks geometry needs to be revised. It has been argued that Hume's rejection of infinite divisibility entails that most of the familiar theorems of Euclidean geometry, including the Pythagorean theorem and the bisection theorem, are false, a view that is normally associated with Berkeley's earlier writings.I argue that Hume's denial of infinite divisibility is not incompatible with the Pythagorean theorem and other central theorems of [Euclidean geometry]. [No online access]
  
  Emil Badici (Texas A&M)(UF PhD) "On the Compatibility Between Euclidean Geometry and Hume's Denial of Infinite Divisibility." Hume Studies 34 (2010): 231-244.

• Confessions of an Ex-Moralist
  — NY Times (Aug 21)
  
  Philosopher Joel Marks recounts a personal path through several turning points in his relationship to faith and morality.

• 93% of All Wikipedia Pages Lead to Philosophy
  — News.com.au (Aug 22)
  
  "Many readers probably already know about the "philosophy game" — in which you choose a random Wikipedia entry and, by following the first link [that is not in parentheses or italics] on each page, see how long it takes to get to Philosophy . . . But now, someone's actually run the numbers on it." It turns out 93% of all Wikipedia pages will take you to the entry for Philosophy if you follow such a link-walk. In short, everything leads back to philosophy. You can also read about it on Wikipedia.

• Applied Philosophy: Modelling
  — New Zealand Herald (Aug 22)
  
  Philosophy student, Penny Pickard, is a leading fashion model in her native New Zealand. In this interview, she talks about her career, modelling as work, and objectification.

• Philosopher Wins Best Theological Book Award
  — Czech Position (Aug 19)
  
  Czech philosopher, TomᚠHalνk (Charles University), won the award for his book, Patience with God. This is the first time the annual prize, awarded by the European Society of Catholic Theology, has honored a writer from Eastern Europe.

• Philosophy in Mexico in Peril
  — Asoc. Filosofica de Mexico (Aug 8)
  
  An open letter to the President of Mexico and the Minister of Education was published in the newspaper La Jornada. The letter, signed by an extensive list of philosophers in Mexico, protests the governments move to eliminate philosophy as well as other subjects in the humanities from the high school curriculum. The newspaper article in Spanish, and in translation.

• The 10-Minute Puzzle Podcast
  — Univ Aberdeen
  
  "The 10-Minute Puzzle is a podcast series dedicated to presenting in a clear, concise, and accessible manner central problems that engage contemporary philosophy. "

• New Books in Philosophy Podcast
  — NBN Phil
  
  A new podcast program featuring the authors of new philosophy books interviewed by the two philosopher hosts of the program.

• Applied Philosophy: TV Comedy
  — Deadline: Hollywood (Aug 12)
  
  Philosophy doctoral student, Luka Jones Yovetich (USC) has landed a starring role in a new NBC comedy series, 'BFF'.

News Items from Summer 2011

• Democracy is a Non-Profit Organization
  — The Australian (Aug 12)
  
  Philosopher Martha Nussbaum in her recent book, "Not For Profit", argues that the erosion of liberal arts education in tough economic times is a dangerous mistake. "Eager for national profit, nations and their systems of education are heedlessly discarding skills that are needed to keep democracies alive." "Education matters but the arts and humanities matter more."

• Sidling Up to Difference
  — Am. Public Media (Aug 4)
  
  Philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah—whose parents' marriage inspired the movie Guess Who's Coming to Dinner—talks about disarming moral hostilities in America now. On the syndicated public radio program On Being. [audio]

• Trying to Live Forever
  — NY Times (Aug 9)
  
  "Almost every day I read about a new medical study that says I would be healthier if, for example, I ate more fish, drank red rather than white wine, took enchinacea, or began practicing yoga. Do such studies represent a significant body of knowledge that I should pay attention to?" Philosopher Gary Gutting considers the question.

• Plato's Symposium on Stage
  — Times of Malta (Aug 10)
  
  Review of a performance at the University of Malta of Is-Simposju— a free adaptation of portions of Plato's Symposium on the subject of love.

• Applied Philosophy: Beautiful Salami
  — STL Today (Aug 10)
  
  Philosophy majors Ben Poremba and Mark Sanfilippo (UMSL) operate what has been called the best salumeria in the country, Salume Beddu ("beautiful salami"). See also Olmstead's essay in Forbes. [These articles will not make very good reading for vegetarians.]

• Poetry, Medium and Message
  — NY Times (Jul 31)
  
  Philosopher Ernie Lepore discusses poetic meaning.

• Are Your Political Opponents Crazy?
  — NY Times (Aug 2)
  
  Philosopher Gary Gutting asks the titular question.

• Social Development and Human Capabilities
  — BBC (Jul 27)
  
  Thinking Aloud' program host, Laurie Taylor interviews philosopher Martha Nussbaum on her proposal for measuring the development of countries in terms that go beyond their GDP and looks to the flourishing of human capabilities. [Audio; aired 27 July 2011]

• Smart Move
  — Chron of Higher Ed (Jul 17)
  
  Damon Horowitz, the in-house philosopher at Google, explains why the study of philosophy (and the humanities more generally) is a smart move, how he came to see that, and how it improved his own career path. [Update: Video of Horowitz' speaking at Stanford.]

• The Philosophy of Viagra
  — Chron of Higher Ed (Jul 20)
  
  The Philosophy of Viagra—15 essays offering "smart, wide-ranging perspectives on how Viagra gives rise to classic philosophical concerns." The book "appears not in the kind of "Philosophy and Popular Culture" series that usually offers such a volume but in Rodopi's..."Value Inquiry Book Series." That may account for the high seriousness of many of its essays."

• Sandel on Colbert Report
  — Comedy Central (Jul 20)
  
  Philosopher Michael Sandel's appearance on The Colbert Report

• Using Philosophy to Create a Vocabulary of Pain
  — Stanford School of Medicine (Jul 26)
  
  "Recognizing the need to develop a vocabulary of pain, University at Buffalo psychiatrist Werner Ceusters, MD, has turned to ontology – a branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of being or existence."

• What Role for Religion in Politics?
  — NY Times (Jul 27)
  
  Philosopher Gary Gutting considers what is the appropriate role for religion in politics.

• Maze of Moral Relativism
  — NY Times (Jul 24)
  
  Philosopher Paul Boghossian discusses moral relativism. [Update: Stanley Fish gives a provocative response, and Boghossian a singing rejoinder.]

• Arguing from the Facts
  — NY Times (Jul 6)
  
  Philosopher Gary Gutting considers how difficult it is on all sides to argue from the facts. A recent debate about federal budget plans serves as a case in point.

• UF Philosophy in World Rankings
  — QS Site
  
  We note in passing that in the first worldwide ranking of academic departments, the Philosophy Department at UF has been ranked among the top 150 programs in the world. Programs are scored on three factors: i) academic reputation by others in the field, ii) quality (employability) of graduates, and iii) numbers of citations in academic journals. [While we like to hear this sort of thing, we hasten to add that such rankings should always be taken with a grain of salt.]

• The Moral Logic of Survivor Guilt
  — NT Times (Jul 3)
  
  Soldiers often suffer survivor guilt -- thoughts that you could have or should done otherwise, though in fact you did nothing wrong. Some feel guilt for not having been there to help a fellow soldier when they are far from the battelfield. The feelings of guilt often seem irrational but irrepressable. Philosopher Nancy Sherman explores the issues and uncovers the moral logic of survivor guilt.

• Justice Breyer on Philosopher JL Austin
  — The Browser (
  
  Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer names philosopher JL Austin's How to Do Things With Words among his choice of five books which have been for him intellectually formative.

• The Social Side of Reasoning
  — NY Times (Jun 29)
  
  Philosopher Gary Gutting discusses how reasoning shapes up differently in isolation and in groups.

• Gender Set-Ups
  — NPR (Jun 24)
  
  Philosopher Alva Noλ discusses recent results which show that when people are asked to think of themselves (or even just imagine themselves) under different types (male, female, colege student, cheerleader, professor) they later perform differently on tests.

• Medicare: Facts and Convictions
  — NY Times (Jun 22)
  
  Philosopher Gary Gutting discusses recent debates about and plans for Medicare.

• Epistemology and the End of the World
  — NY Times (Jun 16)
  
  Philosopher Gary Gutting turns a philosophical eye toward one man's claim to know that the rapture would occue on May 21, 2011.

• The Ways of Silencing
  — NY Times (Jun 25)
  
  Philosopher Jason Stanley discusses the ills of political discourse that aims only to silence its opposition.

• Philosophy with Children
  — Sydney Morning Herald (Jun 26)
  
  Elementary students of the Philosophy with Children program at Bondi Public are applying the rigours of philosophical inquiry. ''"We do ethics but we also do the other tenets of philosophy. We do logic. We do aesthetics. We do political philosophy and we also do metaphysics and epistemology.'' [Teachers there have also] taught philosophy to... parents, who were suddenly confronted by their children applying critical reasoning to why they have to eat their greens, go to bed or obey their parents.

• Plato and Pythagoras Save Life
  — Psychology Today (Apr 21)
  
  "After my post-coma resurrection, I was desperate to better understand the universe and my purpose within it; I guess that a near-death experience will do that to a person. I would go on to embark on an amazing and transformative journey as I discovered--almost by chance--the way of ancient Greek metaphysical philosophy."

• More Major in Philosophy
  — UC Berkeley (May 10)
  
  Across the country, students continue to choose Philosophy as a major in increasing numbers. In a recent news release, the philosophy program at UC Berkeley reports a 74% increase in majors. Cf. also this companion piece in the San Francisco Business Times. "We can dissect an argument, be effective communicators, figure out what's wrong. . . We have a unique skill set that cushions us for whatever we want to do." We are reminded of a 2008 study which showed that when philosophy majors hit the job market, their % increase in earnings over ten years is the highest.

• The Philosopher in Love
  — NY Times (May 6)
  
  On his 300th birthday, the story of philosopher David Hume's greatest love.

• Cogito Ergo Sum [Audio]
  — BBC (Apr 28)
  
  Three philosophers discuss with BBC host, Melvyn Bragg, what is undoubtedly the most famous statement in philosophy. [Audio]

• Aristotle's Poetics [Audio]
  — BBC (Jan 27)
  
  Three scholars discuss Aristotle's hugely influential Poetics—the earliest surviving work of literary theory. A professor of Philosophy, of Classics, and of Greek talk to BBC host, Melvyn Bragg. [Audio]

• Lost Wittgenstein Archive Uncovered
  — The Guardian (Apr 26)
  
  "In the rarefied world of Wittgenstein scholarship it is little short of astonishing: an untapped, lost archive of original material...The Cambridge academic Prof Arthur Gibson revealed on Tuesday that he had spent much of the past three years working his way through an archive of Ludwig Wittgenstein material which disappeared in the chaos of the second world war."

• Philosophy at Greenwich in Danger
  — Times Higher Education (Apr 6)
  
  Efforts are underway to save the philosophy programme at University of Greenwich. The administration has halted the induction of philosophy majors. "The British Philosophical Association has written to the university in protest. In a letter sent on behalf of a group of 44 philosophers, including 26 heads of department, Helen Beebee, director of the association, urges the university to reconsider." UPDATE: Students at the University of Greenwich have for a second time occupied a campus building in protest of the move. Cf. also The Save Greenwich Philosophy campaign site.

• Hume With a View
  — The Scotsman (Apr 28)
  
  An exhibition to mark the 300th anniversary of David Hume's birth gives a side to the great philosopher never before put on public display.

• Philosophy Journal Issue 'Evolution and Its Rivals' Sparks Controversy
  — Inside Higher Ed (Apr 20)
  
  "When Synthese, an academic journal that focuses on the philosophy of science, set out to tackle the combustible topics of evolution, creation and intelligent design in a special issue, some controversy was perhaps inevitable. Sure enough, the resulting edition of the journal..caused an uproar, including calls from some academics to boycott Synthese entirely. But the anger wasn't provoked by any of the articles . . ."

• The Philosophical Breakfast Club
  — Science News (Apr 28)
  
  Philosopher of science Laura Snyder's book, The Philosophical Breakfast Club, "recounts the lives of four young very influential men who came to know one another while attending Cambridge University in England in the early 19th century...Charles Babbage, John Herschel, William Whewell, and Richard Jones." Meeting regularly for Sunday breakfast, their shared interest in "observation, facts, and theory in areas from mathematics and physics to art and philosophy" would [change] science and academia..forever." Cf also and also.

• Applied Philosophy: Arts Management
  — Sydney Morning Herald (Apr 25)
  
  Philosophy major, Esther Anatolitis, is CEO of Melbourne Fringe and has big ideas about how government funding of the arts should change. The Melbourne Fringe is an annual festival involving 4000 performers doing 300 shows for some half a million people.

• Locke Wins: Visual and Tactile Spatial Senses are Linked Only by Experience
  — NY Times (Apr 25)
  
  "If a blind person were suddenly able to see, would he be able to recognize by sight the shape of an object he previously knew only by touch? Presented with a cube and a globe, could he tell which was which just by looking?" In the 17th century, philosopher John Locke famously said 'no'. "Dozens of philosophers have since considered the problem, among them George Berkeley, Gottfried Leibniz, Voltaire, Diderot, Adam Smith and William James." 18th century attempts to settle the question experimentally were variously flawed. Now, MIT researchers believe they have finally experimentally confirmed that Locke was right.

• Philosophy in Danger at UNR
  — APA
  
  "With the good news that we have received about Philosophy at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas comes bad news about Philosophy at the University of Nevada at Reno. The current administrative response to budget cuts at UNR projects eliminating both the small masters program (the only graduate program in Philosophy in Nevada) and the undergraduate major, along with reducing the department from seven to three members." The APA is encouraging members to support philosophy in Nevada by writing the UNR Administration.

• Philosophy Program at UNLV has been Saved
  — APA
  
  "The [American Philosophy Association] has been informed that the Philosophy Department at UNLV appears to be safe under current proposals. Executive Director, David Schrader, received a letter from UNLV Dean of Liberal Arts, Dr. Chris Hudgins, outlining the current situation (posted with Dr. Hudgins' permission)." Hudgins letter suggests that the letter-writing campaign in support of philosophy in Nevada played an important role in saving the program.

News Items from Spring 2011

• Applied Philosophy: Becoming the Most Human Human
  — NY Times (Mar 18)
  
  Writer and philosophy major Brian Christian's book, 'The Most Human Human', recounts the author's odyssey when he set out to take the Turing Test—in which humans and A.I. software compete to be declared human by a panel of interrogators. Christian's goal--to win the ultimate prize on the human side by being declared the Most Human Human.

• Philosophy for an Economic Downturn
  — Independent News [Ireland] (Mar 20)
  
  A review of the book 'The Consolations of Philosophy: Reflections in an Economic Downturn', edited by Paul O'Grady.

• Univ Nevada Philosophy Dept Named in Cut
  — Las Vegas Sun (Mar 29)
  
  The Philosophy department at University of Nevada's Philosophy Department is threatened with elimination. A columnist for the Las Vegas Sun tries to point out the irony involved. [The American Philosophical Association has issued a statement decrying the proposed cut. [According to the UNLV student paper, The Rebel Yell, a UNLV student has organized a Facebook page and is calling for students to declare Philosophy as their major—even if only in protest.] UPDATE: Philosophy at UNLV has been saved due in good measure to a letter-writing campaign.

• Reading Spinoza's Ethics
  — The Guardian (28 Mar)
  
  Clare Carlisle completes her eight part essay series on Spinoza.

• Philosophy Education in Prison
  — Patheos.com (Mar 27)
  
  An interview with philosopher, Andrew Chignell (Cornell), who is teaching a philosophy course to inmates at a maximum-security prison in upstate New York. The class is part of a sucessful prison education program—the recidivism rate in maximum-security is 60%, but falls to 15% for students who have been through the program. Audio of the interview is also available.

• Protests Help Save Keele Philosophy Courses
  — BBC (Mar 25)
  
  "Keele University in north Staffordshire has reversed its plans to drop philosophy studies following protests across the country." See also the article on the Keele student protest in Staffordshire Sentinel. UPDATE: See also "Philosophy at Keele has been Saved."

• Applied Philosophy: Champion of Debate
  — Kansas City Star (Mar 24)
  
  Beth Mendelhall, a philosophy and political science major at Kansas State, has been named debater of the year. She and her teammate, Derek Ziegler, also a philosophy and political science major from K State, were also the winning team in this national competition which involved debating teams from 50 US colleges.

• Vatican Calls for Greater Philosophy Education
  — Catholic Online (Mar 23)
  
  In a recent decree, the Vatican is calling for more study of philosophy and logic for theologians and priests. "Christianity presupposes a harmony between God and human reason. The importance of philosophy is linked directly with the human desire to know the truth and to organize it," Cardinal Grocholewski explained...The Decree on the Reform of Ecclesiastical Studies of Philosophy," also emphasizes the importance of logic -- "a discipline that structures reason."

• Schock Prize Goes to Hilary Putnam
  — [Prize site]
  
  The 2011 Schock Prize in Logic and Philosophy has been awarded to philosopher Hilary Putnam.

• Free Will Studies
  — NY Times (Mar 21)
  
  This article recounts some recent research on free will. For example, some studies suggests robust connections between our moral behavior and the degree to which people believe (or are told) their choices are their own to make.

• Mindreading Animals
  — Brooklyn College (Mar 4)
  
  Philosopher Robert Lurz aims to design the experimentum crucis for animal understanding—tests which might decisively show if animals like chimpanzees, dogs, and ravens understand that other animals have minds and emotive states.

• A Philosophic Tutelage
  — AnnArbor.com (Mar 6)
  
  Columnist and philosophy major Frances Kai-Hwa Wang recalls her philosophic tutelage under the guidance of philosopher John Searle.

• To Read, But Not to See
  — NPR (Mar 4)
  
  A short reflection on reading by philosopher Alva Noλ.

• Thomas Kuhn Threw an Ashtray at my Head
  — NY Times (Mar 6)
  
  Filmaker Errol Morris recalls his encounters with philosophers Thomas Kuhn and Saul Kripke from his graduate school days in the History and Philosophy of Science program at Princeton. In the first two of five installments, he discusses the ideas of both. Part 1. Part 2.

• Lessons from Watson on Jeopardy
  — NPR (Feb 18)
  
  Philosopher Alva Noλ reflects on just what we should conclude from the recent victory of AI over human on the game-show Jeopardy.

• Graham Priest on Florida Student Philosophy Blog
  — Florida Student Philosophy Blog (Feb 23)
  
  The Florida Student Philosophy Blog recently interviewed philosopher Graham Priest

• Young Philosophers Tithing for Charities
  — Chron Higher Ed (Feb 13)
  
  The Chronicle of Higher Education covers the story (noted here last semester) about three Rutgers philosophy grad students who have pledged to give to charity as much as half their income -- for life. See also the related CHE article on Giving What We Can. CHE access requires on-campus access or subscription.

• A Little Philosophy is a Dangerous Thing
  — NPR (Feb 4)
  
  Philosopher Alva Noι argues that the claim that science has obsoleted philosophy made by Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow in The Grand Design is highly ironic, since the authors are engaged in philosophy not physics when they defend the "model-theoretic realism" of the book, and, moreover, they seem to be unaware that the view they espouse has a long history in philosophy where it has been developed and debated.

• Philosopher Sean Kelly on Colbert Report
  — Colbert Report (Feb 2)
  
  Stephen Colbert interviews philosopher Sean Kelly (Harvard) about what is sacred -- a central theme of his new book, co-authored with Hubert Dreyfus (Berkeley), All Things Shining. Also available here

• Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love
  — [Book site]
  
  "Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love paints brief but entertaining portraits of great thinkers whose words we repeat – but whose decisions we should avoid at all costs." This new compendium recounts the romantic failures of 37 philosophers and other intellectuals -- including many thinkers from the philosophical canon. (Written by a non-philosopher.)

• Applied Philosophy: Biology
  — St. Edwards University (Feb 1)
  
  Undergraduate James McCann credits his philosophy major with giving him his award-winning edge in his other major: biology. Cf. Mr. McCann's efforts were also recently noted in New York Times.

• In Defense of Political Philosophy
  — Harvard Crimson (Feb 2)
  
  Harvard student, Benjamin Hand, argues for the role of political philosophy as foundational for political studies.

• Hume at 300 and the Scottish Enlightenment
  — BBC (Jan 24)
  
  The University of Edinburgh is celebrating the 300th anniversary of the birth of philosopher David Hume with a year-long series of events. "Hume and his associates were at the heart of the Scottish Enlightenment. During the 18th Century, Edinburgh became the focus of an outpouring of intellectual, literary and scientific achievements by figures such as Hume, economist Adam Smith and the physicist and chemist Joseph Black. Many of the key Enlightenment academics promoted a belief in the ability of people to think for themselves rather than simply believing what they were told." See also local reportage in The Southern Reporter

• Social Mobility: Upsides and Down
  — BBC (Jan 26)
  
  Philosopher Mark Vernon considers the virtues and pitfalls. (Part of a BBC series on modern ethical dilemmas.)

• Should Christian B&B's Be Required to Accept Gay Couples?
  — BBC (Jan 25)
  
  "Everyone in British society enjoys equal protection of their right to live the way they choose. But what if this impinges on the way someone else lives their life? Consider a tough case that's been in the news. Should Christian hoteliers be forced, by law, to offer hospitality to a gay couple?" Philosopher Mark Vernon discusses the question. (Part of a BBC series on modern ethical dilemmas.)

• Should Bankers Get Big Bonuses? Aristotle, Kant, and Bentham weigh in
  — BBC (Jan 24)
  
  Is it fair and just to pay bankers big bonuses? Aristotle, Kant, and Jeremy Bentham weigh in. (Part of a BBC series on modern ethical dilemmas.)

• The Return of Philosophy
  — Wall Street Journal (Jan 23)
  
  Philosopher Anthony Grayling gives four tips in "How to Become a Philosopher: A Beginner's Guide" at the Jaipur Literature Festival (India)

• The Philosophical Novel
  — NY Times (Jan 20)
  
  Editor James Ryerson reflects on the philosophical novel and philosopher novelists.

• Senator Promotes Philosophy for Competitive Edge
  — MSNBC (Jan 25)
  
  Arizona senator David Schapira (D-Tempe) "is pushing to add philosophy to a list of courses that qualify schools for grants under a program intended to make Arizona students more competitive."

• Philosophy Class Launches Int'l Philosophy Journal
  — Ball State (Jan 18)
  
  A philosophy journal created by Ball State philosophy students through an immersive learning class last semester received the Prize for Excellence and Innovation in Philosophy Programs from the American Philosophical Association and Philosophy Documentation Center. The journal, called "Stance: An International Undergraduate Philosophy Journal," includes papers written by undergraduate philosophy students from around the world.'

• Wittgenstein and David Foster Wallace
  — Slate (Dec 12)
  
  "An introduction to Wallace's undergraduate honor thesis in philosophy, which has just been published by Columbia University Press as 'Fate, Time, and Language: An Essay on Free Will.'"

• Examined Lives
  — NPR (Jan 12)
  
  A review of James Miller's book 'Examined Lives' which tells of the lives of twelve philosophers. [Also: Miller's book receives a lovely retort in this Salon review.] Also reviewed in The Economist

• Philosopher Ranked 16th Best Job to Have
  — Jobs Rated
  
  This, according to the annual ranking by Jobs Rated. Sounds great, but 16th is actually a drop from its earlier ranking of 12th best. Interestingly, most of the visitors' comments posted in response to this report concern the entry for Philosopher. Also of interest is what Jobs Rated thinks the job of a professional philosopher is: "Studies questions concerning the nature of intellectual concepts, and attempts to construct rational theories concerning our understanding of the world around us."

• Philosopher Manages Billions in High Finance
  — Bloomberg Markets (Jan 6)
  
  Philosopher Don Brownstein -- a metaphysician at the University of Kansas -- left academia after 20 years and is now managing billion dollar portfolios which are outperforming even in these times. '"I'm here to argue," Brownstein says in a three-hour interview that ranged from ancient Greek philosophers Parmenides and Plato to foreclosures in Florida. "I'm in charge of pontification and arguing."'

• How Do You Craft a Fair Policy, If You Don't Know What Fairness Is?
  — Guardian (Jan 3)
  
  Simple answer: You don't -- and that's the point. Philosopher Angie Hobbs uses the example of fairness to show why we need the understandings philosophy provides in political and public discourse. [audio]

• Where 1/3 of All Students Study Philosophy
  — NPR (Jan 4)
  
  "As state universities cut back on humanities programs in order to deal with budget shortfalls, LaGuardia Community College in Queens, N.Y., is going in the opposite direction. At LaGuardia, philosophy is king: of the 17,000 matriculated students, 4,500 are taking philosophy . . . The real task [says college president, Peter Katopes,] "is giving students the opportunity to really understand the context of their lives, and you do that through the humanities. If you do even a cursory survey of successful CEOs, you will know that an unbelievable number of them did their undergraduate degrees in English or philosophy or history."" [Includes audio.]

• Telling Right From Wrong
  — NY Times (Dec 21)
  
  This edition of "The Lives They Lived" series focusses on philosopher Philippa Foot.

• On Forgiveness
  — NT Times (Dec 26)
  
  Philosopher Charles Griswold discusses what forgiveness is and when it is appropriate.

• Philosophy Ranks Highest Over All Humanities and Social Sciences
  — Discover (Dec 10)
  
  Based on an analysis of GRE scores broken down by discipline, Razib Khan concludes that philosophers are the smartest in the humanities. That may be a tendentious reading of the data, but there is no doubt that students going into philosophy are a highly distinguished group. The pool of philosophy applicants ranks higher than any other discipline in both verbal and writing scores as well as the highest in quantitative score over all humanities and social sciences. However one takes these results, the charts on this site are interesting and the position of Philosophy in them is indeed striking.

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