Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog

An apt remembrance of Margaret Thatcher...

...from an MP.  It's inconceivable, of course, that a member of the timid American Congress could have given such a speech about Reagan, the President who sent American off the rails.

"Why is so much philosophy so tedious?"

David McNaughton (Florida State) takes up the question (scroll down for the link to the paper). (Thanks to Peter Königs for the pointer.)  

Thoughts from readers?  Comment only if you have read Prof. McNaughton's paper; signed comments will be strongly preferred.

Interesting essay on the "black sheep" of the Frankfurt School family...

...psychologist Erich Fromm.  Strands of Fromm, it has always seemed to me, show up rather clearly in Marcuse (e.g., An Essay on Liberation, although not only there).

Manchester's Tim Bayne Gets Major ERC Grant for Project on Consciousness

Details here.

KCL's David Papineau Interviewed...

...at 3AM.

X-Phil in Action

The video.

Rice makes senior offer to UVA's Gertler--UPDATED

MOVING TO FRONT FROM APRIL 1--SEE UPDATE

Brie Gertler (philosophy of mind), Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Virginia, has a senior offer from the Department of Philosophy at Rice University.  Students interested in philosophy of mind considering either UVA or Rice will want to keep an eye on what happens.

UPDATE:  Professor Gertler has declined the offer, and will remain at UVA.

Currie from Nottingham to York

Gregory Currie, a leading philosopher of art at the University of Nottingham, has accepted a professorial appointment in the Department of Philosophy at the University of York, effective this fall.  This appointment should propel the York Department, which was already strong in aesthetics, into the very top ranks for philosophy of art internationally.

Philosopher Grayling on the Colbert Report

Here.

(Thanks to Thomas Wright for the pointer.)

New UK Citizenship Test

Philosopher Thom Brooks (Durham) is on the case, and has generated a lively public discussion in the UK.

Changing of the guard at the "Pea Soup" ethics blog

More here.

On-line conference on truth next week...

...at the Aristotelian Society site.

Alarming restrictions on academic freedom and free speech in Canadian universities (SEE UPDATE, BELOW)

Philosopher Heather Douglas (Waterloo) has the details.

(Thanks to Ross McKinney for the pointer.)

UPDATE:  As several readers pointed out, the restrictions on speech affect scientists who work fro the government, not at universities.  Sorry for the misleading post title.

Quong from Manchester to Southern California

Jonathan Quong (political philosophy), currently a Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Manchester, has accepted appointment as a tenured Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California, effective this fall.

More discrimination against atheists

Curious story!  (Thanks to Dean Rowan for the pointer.)

Those of us in universities can lose sight of this kind of petty and pernicious discrimination, since where we live, atheism is the norm.

Interesting IHE Piece on Growth in Philosophy at U Conn and USC

Here.

Amelie Rorty to be Visiting Professor at Tufts for 2013-15

Amelie Rorty, who has written widely in philosophy and its history, and whose current work focuses on issues in moral psychology, will be a Visiting Professor of Philosophy at Tufts University for 2013-15, teaching a course each term.  (She had previously held such an appointment at Boston University.)  She will continue also as a Lecturer at Harvard Medical School.

Survey on graduate student compensation at different universities

Elena Spitzer, a grad student at Wisconsin, kindly calls to my attention this useful survey of grad student aid packages, to which relatively few philosophy grad students have contributed as of yet.   Please participate, this could provide very useful information collected in a single place.

Summer research programs/opportunities for high school students?

A reader writes:

Do you know of any intensive summer programs/research opportunities for high school students with a keen interest in pursuing philosophy ?  

I have spent a lot of time on the internet in search for such opportunities (I am not a US citizen) and am yet to find programs that specifically deal with philosophy.

Fischer and the "Immortality Project"...

...at NPR.

Arizona's Michael McKenna at...

...Flickers of Freedom this month.

IHE on the APA Sexual Harassment Initiative

Here.

MIT's Stalnaker, on phased retirement at MIT, will be a Visiting Professor at Columbia

The Columbia announcement here.  Stalnaker will also be teaching at MIT through 2015-16, when he will become emeritus at the end of that academic year.

Immanuel Kant, "party animal"

Who knew?

Teenage tech millionaire plans to study philosophy

Entertaining story here.

(Thanks to Dhananjay Jagannathan for the pointer.)

Why Tolerate Religion? redux

News release from U of C, plus videos for those who might be interested.