Opening Moves Some sociologists of science carry Kuhn’s claim that theories (or theoretically grounded “paradigms”) are prior to observation much further. In particular, they recast the vocabulary of “prior beliefs” into the language of sociology: every scientific belief or commitment should be explained as the satisfaction of earlier sociological “interests.” Such interests may range from … [continue reading]
Monthly Archives: June 2019
Smithereens: Reflections in a Black Mirror.
**Major Black Mirror spoilers ahead!** Last week, in the course of a single afternoon, two different people swerved and then bumped into me because their eyes were glued to their cell phones. Annoyed, but always trying to find some humor in things, I thought to myself, “should I just yell out ‘Smithereens!’ whenever this happens?” … [continue reading]
Identity Ad Absurdum: A Critique of the Cultural Appropriation Argument.
THINKING FOR A LIVING: A PHILOSOPHER’S NOTEBOOK (SECOND SERIES, INSTALLMENT 13) PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS IN THE SECOND SERIES #12: Neo-Kantianism and anti-Kantianism: a primer for contemporary philosophers. #11: From Bertrand Russell to Brazilian carnaval: how to make the world as it could be made. #10: The crisis in higher education–what is to be done? #9: Philosophy … [continue reading]
Fortune Cookies.
May cut into strips and insert in next recipe for deep-fried life* New roofs and new trees are a new sky. New sky renews the heart. New actions renew the mind. Together they are a renaissance. To look straight ahead is as simple as putting on a mask. The road to hell may be paved … [continue reading]
On Paul Bali’s “How I Got Fired By The Ryerson Philosophy Department.”
Nemo: I just read Paul Bali’s “How I Got Fired By The Ryerson Philosophy Department.” I imagine this situation is all too common and vastly under-reported; most people would be devastated, depressed and cowed and perhaps few would have resisted the process. I wonder what was the agenda of the instigator of this affair, the … [continue reading]
Captions #2–The Cartesian Corollary.
Previous Installments of Captions: #1: Captions (To The Cartoons We Live)–In Defense of Captions & A Curriculum Vitae. Should you want to think about a queen this day or that – I might suggest Queen Rina Cristina is the one for you. The one you want to think about, that is. This is the story … [continue reading]
How I Got Fired By The Ryerson Philosophy Department.
Overview I’ve been fired by the Ryerson University Philosophy Department. My Chair sends his regrets that “it has come to this.” He acknowledges I’ve “been here for a long time and taught well over the years.” Technically, I’m simply not being “re-hired” for Fall 2019. An advantage of the sessional regime, for the administration, is … [continue reading]
Borderless Philosophy 2 (2019), Featuring Works By Susan Haack, Jay Bernstein, Carlo Cellucci, Gottlob Frege, Andreas Keller, Kenneth Macpherson, Otto Paans, Roberto Pereira, Michael Szpakowski, and Robert Whyte.
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Susan Haack, “The Academic-Publication Racket: Whatever Happened to Authors’ Rights?,” 1-21. 2. Jay Bernstein, “Notes on Revolution Now: Kant, Balibar, Adorno,” 22-46. 3. Carlo Cellucci, “The Most Urgent Task of Philosophy Today,” 47-75. 4. Gottlob Frege, “On the Scientific Justification of a Concept Script,” 76-94. 5. Andreas Keller, “A Note on … [continue reading]