Chronicle of Higher Education. December 11, 2011 We have devoted our lives to philosophy. We want the field to survive and, if possible, prosper. But it is increasingly doubtful that academic philosophy can thrive in an era of declining budgets, soaring debts, antipathy to tax increases, and new technologies such as distance education. Of course, … [continue reading]
Author Archives: Z
“I Sure Don’t Need to Read This”: One Way of Dismissing APP. APP's Non-Readers Talk Back! Too.
“I’m afraid I don’t like your manner,” he said, using the edge of his voice. “I’ve had complaints about it,” I said. “But nothing seems to do any good.” –Philip Marlowe* *In R. Chandler, Farewell My Lovely (New York: First Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, 1992), p. 51. APP Editors’ note: Y’All is a tenured full professor … [continue reading]
APP is Not Alone 4: “The Fragmentation of Philosophy, The Road to Reintegration” (AC.EDU Re-Post) By Susan Haack.
Münster Lecture, Universität Münster, November 2013. Forthcoming soon in E.M. Jung and J. Göhner (eds.), Susan Haack: Reintegrating Philosophy (Springer Verlag), and also posted on Academia.edu. … every fact leads to every other …. . Only men do not yet see how, always. And your business is to make plainer the way from some one … [continue reading]
APP is Not Alone 3: “The Ph.D. Octopus” (Harvard Monthly Re-Post) By William James.
Harvard Monthly, 1903 Some years ago we had at our Harvard Graduate School a very brilliant student of Philosophy, who, after leaving us and supporting himself by literary labor for three years, received an appointment to teach English Literature at a sister-institution of learning. The governors of this institution, however, had no sooner communicated the … [continue reading]
Philosoflicks 3: On the Metaphysics of Puppets.
WHAT IS A PHILOSOFLICK? In “Let’s Make More Movies,” the epistemological anarchist Paul Feyerabend wrote this: The separation of subjects that is such a pronounced characteristic of modern philosophy is … not altogether undesirable. It is a step on the way to a more satisfactory type of myth. What is needed to proceed further is … [continue reading]
APP is Not Alone 2: “Making Philosophy Matter—Or Else” (CHE Re-Post) By Lee McIntyre.
Lee C. McIntyre is a Research Fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University and an Instructor in Ethics at Harvard Extension School. Chronicle of Higher Education, 2011 In March administrators at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas announced that, because of budget cuts, the entire department of philosophy … [continue reading]
APP is Not Alone 1: “When Philosophy Lost its Way” (NYT Re-Post) By Robert Frodeman & Adam Briggle.
New York Times 11 January 2016 Robert Frodeman and Adam Briggle teach in the department of philosophy and religion and the University of North Texas. They are co-authors of the forthcoming “Socrates Tenured: The Institutions of 21st-Century Philosophy.” The history of Western philosophy can be presented in a number of ways. It can be told … [continue reading]
Some Remarks on Russell’s Metaphilosophy. An Edgy Essay by Boethius, With a Postcript by Z (Re-edited, January 2018)
1. The Essay, by Boethius. I’ve been reading Russell here and there recently, mostly late stuff from 1942-67, with an eye to studying his metaphilosophy. There’s at least one common metaphilosophical thread with “The value of philosophy” from 1912, one thing I’ve noticed in the tone and substance of Russell’s criticism of philosophy I’d group … [continue reading]
My APA Presidential Address. (Re-Edited December 2017)
Members of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association, I’m deeply, deeply humbled by this Presidential honor. So deeply, deeply humbled am I. I mean, I’m so deeply, deeply humbled that it’s really hard to get over it. But I digress. As I philosophically reflected on the question of life, the universe, and everything, … [continue reading]
Genuine Puzzlement: A Philosopher of Science Talks Back! to APP, & Z Replies with an Analogy. A Conversation Between PoS and Z.
APP Editors’ Note: PoS is a philosopher of science and an associate professor in a non-US subsidiary of a top-ranked US philosophy department. PoS: Your website is down, I guess professionalism is good for something after all… Z: Re website functionality: Sorry! It seems to be working fine now. Re professionalism: You might find this … [continue reading]