Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog

Philosopher Now Only the 16th Best Career (Down from 12th)

But still better than economist!

(Thanks to Eric Morton for the pointer.)

From Professor of Metaphysics to Billionaire Hedgefund Manager

Here's a story one doesn't hear every day.  Perhaps he might be persuaded to endow a few hundred teaching positions in philosophy around the country?

(Thanks to Jeff Gordon for the pointer.)

UPDATE:  Steve Gross (Johns Hopkins) points out that, "According to PhilPapers, a Donald Brownstein published two papers in 2008. Assuming it's the same guy, seems he's keeping up his philosophy interests too.

Donald Brownstein (2008). Denoting, Corresponding and Facts. Theoria 42 (1-3):115-138.

Donald Brownstein (2008). Troubles with Plantinga's Actualism. Theoria 51 (3):174-189."

CORRECTION:  Reader Mack Sullivan writes:  "I really enjoyed the story on Donald Brownstein this morning.  However, I did check the dates on those issues of Theoria, and the latest one was in the mid-80s (Issue 51 was in 1985).  So, for whatever strange reason, the papers were uploaded in 2008, but they were published while he still taught philosophy."

APA Interviews vs. Skype: Survey Results

"Young Philosopher" has compiled a very informative document with the results of the survey; here are  Word and RTF versions:

Download APA vs Skype Survey Results

Download APA vs Skype Survey Results

"Young Philosopher" has also been invited by InsideHigherEd to write about these issues, drawing on the survey results.  He welcomes feedback on the survey.  There's a lot in the survey document, so do print it out and read it carefully before weighing in.

"A Philosopher of Religion Calls It Quits"

A nice write-up of last year's brouhaha about the decision by Keith Parsons (Houston) to stop working on philosophy of religion.

Philosophy Thriving at LaGuardia Community College in New York!

A nice story here--kudos to the LCC philosophers!

(Thanks to Matthew Pianalto for the pointer.)

Why publish journal articles?

Thom Brooks (Newcastle) offers some answers, and invites others.

How Other Academic Job Markets Are Faring This Year

English, History and Economics.  My guess is that Philosophy is looking most like English at the moment.  I'm sure it's a great relief to everyone that there are more jobs for economists this year, given the fabulous predictive track record of the discipline.  And of course the biggest growth in demand was for "mathematical and quantitative methods," since no ideologically driven pseudo-science is complete without formal trappings!

Which thinkers have had the most influence on the European left?

The results of this survey are quite curious, and not only because an American, Paul Krugman, ranks first.  But there's Zizek at third (!), and a couple of other philosophers (Habermas, which makes sense, also David Held) make appearances. 

A survey about hiring practices and costs

MOVING TO FRONT FROM 1/1, IN CASE ANYONE MISSED IT

Our "Young Philosopher"--whose argument in favor of using Skype stimulated an excellent and informative discussion--has now set up a survey aimed at both job seekers and those doing the hiring (search committee members and department chairs) intended to elicit both information about costs and views of philosophers and job candidates about current practices and the alternatives.   It seems to me a well-designed set of questions that will yield very useful information, that will be posted here in due course.  I do know the identity of "Young Philosopher" and will vouch for his integrity and reliability.  I urge readers to participate.

"The Offensive Internet: Speech, Privacy, and Reputation"

Stanley Fish actually has a pretty good overview of this new volume edited by my colleagues Saul Levmore and Martha Nussbaum, and to which I am one of the contributors.  One caveat:  Fish overplays the anonymity issue relative to its centrality in the volume (though it is central to Levmore's excellent paper, which I highly recommend, and which I blogged about awhile back).  If there's a general theme, it isn't that anonymity should be eliminated (that isn't my view, for example) but that ordinary tort law, whose constitutional status isn't in doubt, should apply in cyberspace.  Current law, remarkably, exempts cyberspace from large parts of tort law (but not from copyright law, oddly).   My essay and John Deigh's also take up philosophical questions about the value of free speech, and whether and how free speech values are implicated in the regulation of cyberspace (and, in my case, the possible liability of Google for its role in disseminating tortious material).  Martha Nussbaum's essay is the other very philosophical piece in the volume, taking up the cyber-harassment of women and issues of objectification (and even ressentiment).  In any case, some readers might find the volume of interest.

UPDATE:  This is an even better account of the book's main themes.

Nazis Disproportionately Censored Philosophers

Details about a recent article here.

(Thanks to Bernard Kobes for the pointer.)

UPDATE:   This is also relevant.

Back to the Greeks: How to "Whoosh Up"

Judging from these two high-profile, popular reviews, that's a main theme of Hubert Dreyfus's and Sean Kelly's new book All Things Shining, which I've not read or seen in draft.  Comments from readers who've actually read some or all of the book?

Just a reminder, in case anyone forgot:

the Republican Party of 2011 is still a weird mix of clinical insanity and criminal irresponsibility. 

The Most Cited Articles from "Ethics" Over the Last Generation or So

Thom Brooks (Newcastle) has the details.

Gaza's Youth Manifesto for Change

You should read it.

Excellent NY Times Memorial for Philippa Foot: Kudos to James Ryerson

I think this is the best and most accurate piece on a philosopher I've ever seen in the New York Times.  Since we pick on journalists a lot, let us take a moment to extend congratulations to James Ryerson, the author, for having done an excellent piece of writing for a popular audience about a philosopher's life and work.