Call for Abstracts The British Society for the Theory of Knowledge invites contributions to its 2026 conference (Exeter College, University of Oxford, 2nd-4th 09 2026). bstk.org.uk/events.html Please submit abstracts (500 words, suitable for blind review) to [email protected] by April 30 2026.

The strikes on Iran are blatantly illegal. I explained in June why the strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities were unlawful under US and international law. Everything I wrote then is true today, but this is a far larger assault with far graver consequences. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/23/o...

It seems that some thought it a war on clear writing.

Chris Ranalli and I are organising a workshop on the "Politics of Scepticism" at VU Amsterdam, 23-24th June. Registration is free but you need to contact me ([email protected]) or Chris Ranalli ([email protected]) if you want to attend.

Interesting, maybe they should teach this topic in schools

This is really important (via @annamillsoer.bsky.social ): the effect of AI/LLM cheating on online teaching will have real effects on the opportunity that many working-class people have to study college material. If these degrees become worthless b/c of rampant cheating we lose a real resource.

How AI could trigger an economic doom loop (according to a financial firm's viral memo) www.vox.com/politics/480...

Can we assume research participants accept the stipulations of vignettes? This paper reports that moral dilemma decisions varied according to how much people seemed to believe stipulations (e.g., that intervening would actually save five people). doi.org/10.1017/S193... #xPhi

New Gallup survey of college students asks questions about the speech environment on campus, and whether they feel they belong, and the results seem . . . not bad? gallup.com/analytics/64...

Our department has abandoned all essay-writing and take-home assessment at undergraduate level. We agree on the harm, but take the view that allowing widespread cheating is worse. We cannot graduate a class of 50 or 80% frauds. I would hope medical schools don't do it, philosophy shouldn't either.

Is this bad

I know I know, context is critical, it's not the students' fault they are being sold this, sophisticated thoughts are needed about how to design a future we all want in higher education, etc. etc..... But holy shit this makes me fucking furious

Mindscape 345 | Adam Elga on Being Rational in a Very Large Universe. That means multiverses, computer simulations, and our old friends the Boltzmann Brains. #Mindscape www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2026...

i don’t apply if the cv has to be formatted differently so no, not highly agentic

Shuringa getting a richly-deserved kicking here

Glenn Greenwald back on Substack

Is Alex Rails at the Central APA Meeting?

In sociology courses at Florida’s public colleges, classroom discussions of institutions that “oppress persons of color” and several other topics are now forbidden by the government.

The Canadian Journal of Philosophy will now be Open-Access for all authors. www.cambridge.org/core/journal...

I still do not understand why some people are incapable of grasping the fact that TWO things can be bad, especially at different times.

Scene: 1978. A Manitoba Winter At Night. Pat: “What are you working on, Paul?” Paul: Hits Bong. “Something amazing. Wanna hear?” Pat: “You betcha.” Paul: Recites all of Section 5 of Eliminative Materialism and the Propositional Attitudes. Pat: “ . . .” Reaches for bong.

If you were to create a philosophy of LLM course, what kinds of things would you cover? My thoughts in thread, but eager to hear what others would do

Isaiah Zagar made Philadelphia, and in turn the world, a more beautiful place to live. May his memory be a blessing.

Scene: 1978. A Manitoba Winter At Night. Pat: “What are you working on, Paul?” Paul: Hits Bong. “Something amazing. Wanna hear?” Pat: “You betcha.” Paul: Recites all of Section 5 of Eliminative Materialism and the Propositional Attitudes. Pat: “ . . .” Reaches for bong.

I think you meant uibersatzenmaxxing.

going for subtle and nuanced with undergraduates

In an attempt to demonstrate that philosophy is a "fact-based" discipline that makes progress, a philosopher offers up “200 straightforward facts directly about philosophical matters that virtually all philosophers know and non-philosophers don’t know.”

going for subtle and nuanced with undergraduates

This spring the GPPC is co-sponsoring several symposia, conferences, workshops, and talks. Please see our website for details! thegppc.wordpress.com/2025-2026-pr...

The Spring 2026 Norton Lecture will be given by Dr. Peter Railton (Michigan Philosophy) on March 13th. His title is "Living with Artificial Agents." Further details here events.udel.edu/event/living...

👉 New publication Guido Melchior, “Infinite Regresses: The Confusion Between Stopping Problems and Starting Problems”, in Journal of Philosophy (forthcoming). The established view about regress problems has it that they, roughly speaking, come in only one variety, is mistaken. Read the paper 👇

Some academics are still doing what academics should do.

Just submitted online testimony to the board of regents opposing this. Gonna paste the text of it below:

A transcendental argument for the indispensability of semantic internalism.

Horrific cost of DOGE cuts: If current projected US foreign aid cuts remain in place, by 2030 "the projected excess deaths would be 9.4 million (95% UI 6.2–12.6) overall and 2.5 million (1.8–3.2) among children younger than 5 years." www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

My paper on the original meaning of birthright citizenship is now published

Very excited to share our fourth "explainer video". (Refresher: these are ~5 min animations introducing applied epistemology concepts for a wide audience.) This one's on ignorance, featuring a script by Jessie Munton! Please share & consider using in teaching! www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOj3...

Academics have spoken about the importance of diversity in an industry where turnover is slow and tenure is long. What went underdiscussed is when hiring crossed the line and the possible repercussions if this private thumb on the scale ever came to light. https://chroni.cl/4aa0Cxu

We often talk as if things can benefit or harm groups, such as states and corporations. But do groups have well-being? In a new paper for the Philosophical Quarterly, UOI's DPhil student Rei Takahashi explores group well-being and the consciousness requirement. philpapers.org/rec/TAKGWA

Interesting interviews with Trump voters.

Ferris Buehler’s Layoff!

Feel like pure shit just want her* back *feallsanachd

Another patient evisceration by Peter Ludlow.

Just learned about this: rentahuman.ai AI bots can rent a human to do things AI systems can’t do, such as sign papers. There are over 100,000 people on the site who are paid for their work.

Another patient evisceration by Peter Ludlow.