I sometimes think about how some of the greatest philosophy books ever written were well under 50,000 words. We should have more books like that. #philsky

Post a banger that is not in English. The empiricist’s mantra: Esse ist percipi

Me: next class we’ll cover Duhem ch 1-4. Me (today): lectures 1.5 hours on Duhem’s first sentence. #philsci

A lot of philosophy of science since ages ago (by which I mean since Carnap, whenever that was) is what I decided this week to call “pragmatic conventionalism.” And what I realized, literally in front of my classes, was that pragmatic conventionalism looked a whole lot different when…

Me: [doing dishes] offsrping (gr12) asks, (nonchalantly, mind you) “I’m writing an essay, and I wonder, so what is ‘abject naturalism’ exactly?” Me: [setting the scrubber down] Oh, well, let’s start with naturalism. That’s the idea that the only processes in the world are the natural ones…

It’s sometime surprising what students get really into in my classes given that my University has a really strong early emphasis on literary training. In my class of 60 this morning, the number of minds melted by our discussion of the naturalistic fallacy was shocking… delightful actually.

Tomorrow’s #philsci lecture notes: We‘ll spend 30 minutes digesting Russell with a writing and peer review exercise, then I’ll lecture for an hour on pg 1 of Hempel’s Philosophy of Natural Science.

In my critical thinking course, I'm trying to impress on the class the variety of styles or argument that are available and how different they can be. Today we discussed the arguments portrayed in the Guernica, The death of Murat, and the Luncheon on the Green.

Gonna wrap up the prophets tomorrow (Russell’s Problems of Philosophy) and going to start in on the gospel. Feeling nervous. The weight!

Preparing my lecture for tomorrow on Russell’s The Problems of Philosophy and I feel like it’s such a guilty pleasure. In fact, my course is starting off with Russell, then reading Hempel, then Duhem. Course title should be “Studies in my fave authors.”

Holy smokes, the HOPOS listserv sure went bleak. I’m sure I’m behind the times, and I’ve always known certain, ahem, characters are malign, but wow. #philsci

Boomer parents will talk to you on speaker about the most sensitive topics all while 17 of their friends are sitting there in the room and then be flabbergasted when you point out that they violated your trust.

Me, in the past, when I taught at research focused places… facing course evals… oh no, I didn’t do so well, I got 4/5 but that’s better by 5/10 than department average. Now, just had the best class of my career so far and students were like, ya, bro was good, he checked most of the boxes

I had a rough term last, healt—wise. I got my course evaluations today and for some reason I was feeling brave and so I faced them... all in all, not bad… pretty good if I’m being honest… considering

Was hoping to ring in the new year, but this afternoon I wringed it in (wrecked my car). Damn.

But first, a history of thinking a history of what headlines say is history history

Anonymous peer review in the age of AI slop or…

Might fuck around and have my #Philsci students read some Discworld next term.

We had a 26C temp warmup today. but the snow is so heavy I didn’t even open my door. 😅 whole household been so sick, might fuck around tomorrow and go out to get more NyQuil, but that’s the extent of my bravery.

fam and I were so sick Xmas day. Finally felt up for making the turkey tonight. We ate 1/5 and now I don’t know what to do ahhh

Oh goody, another paper about that thing which folks like to invoke which covers over a multitude of epistemic sins… mathematically structure. Yes, tell me more about all the things this magic can cure. But, please, don’t ever feel the need to actually unpack what it is.

Dear Santa, I know it's too late, but I've actually been a good boy this year and so if you have it your heart to send me a belated "good boy, you work hard to further the love of learning" christmas present, I'd sure really super awful dog dare love for you send me a set of Haywood Golf irons...

I was ill this past week and so I only just now got my grading finished and grades uploaded. just before the final deadline. Really frustrated it ended up being so stressful and I couldn't enjoy christmas eve with my kids. They got to enjoy grumpy dad on xmas eve. booo

The present in physics or in my experience? In physics, now isn’t interpersonally defined. In my experience, now isn’t infinitely small, nor is it discrete. But in neither is it past present and future all at once. I need an IAI click bait trigger warning label.

Note to self: When you teach the problem of induction at a commuter campus, the example that your justification that your car is where you think you left it is that it always has been in the past is a powerful one. 💪 Keep using!

We’re not in a simulation because if we were, the question of the truth of the simulation hypothesis would lead to an endless spinning beachball.

I still have one more stack of exams to grade. Ahhhhh

Folks often diss on philosophy because we don't answer their questions. I get it. It's frustrating. But at the same time, what do you want and why?

Ended the semester of my #philsci course reading Goodman, Kuhn and Ruth Hubbard. A student gave me the most wonderful gift.

Why only 2? Get more bang for your buck: how the big bang of big bangs banged bigly (infinity of bangers)

I'm not having a shitAI day grading papers. Nope. I'm not at all rethinking *gestures wildly*

I just got around to reviewing the author agreement for the forthcoming "Comprehensive Philosophy of Science" textbook series. Holy cow! Comprehensive is right!!!! What an undertaking from the editors! @miguelohn.bsky.social

S The bsky is the worst ever in terms of autocorrect makes it sound like 👍 you have look like I’d like it idiotic and a bit like 👍 chubby too. How did the do it?

This app is absolutely unusable. Cmon bsky. Make something I can actually compose a message in. When the cursor flashes two lines below where it’s actually editing, how can I not make a fool of myself?

As they handed in their final, I told them “this is the end, of your penitence, this is the end of your sadness and pain” ❤️

It’s weird teaching Logic.

This but it’s every humanities department being closed.

If I had a philosophical time machine, one thing I'd do is go back and try to convince JL Austin to do a number on "Might should" I'd then visit Anscombe and try to convince her to write about "If only" I'd then come back to the present to visit LA Paul to learn about her work...

A student just sent me this… Might have to design a course on the logic of counterfactuals just to get more mileage from this!

To the grannies of the world… It’s final exam season. I’m sorry for your impending doom. The disproportionate loss of grandmas every December is heartbreaking.

I really love spicy food. Today I splurged for lunch and ran around the block to Dave's Hot Chicken. I went for it, order the Reaper spice level. I always get the extra hot. How much hotter could it be? Well... let me tell you. It can be soooo much hotter. Holy shit!

Historical figures can of course just have been both completely wrong and thoroughly confused. But I love it when students craft an example that makes the historical figure not stupid and wrong, but, rather, wrong but asking the right question. [Thinking about Descartes' Physics today!] #philsci

I've used email since the Telnet days. My inbox is a dumpster fire, but that's not because I'm incapable of opening emails, replying, forwarding and so on. It's truly a work of art that Microsoft has made me now incompetent. Somehow I now reply to myself multiple times per day. How'd you do it?

Imposter syndrome is when you’re coaching your seminar students through the reluctance to send you drafts you can give them feedback on as if your own mentors aren’t trying to do the same thing with you.

That feel when you get the 90% needed on the 5 hour HR/IT training challenge exam and so get to skip the mind-numb

It’s late in the term, maybe I should be concerned, let’s check the calendar. December. No, srsly, what month is it. December. No, there’s no way. December. But… It’s fucking December, y’all. WTF? Where did the semester go? Exam services already wants the final exam? What year is this? Who am I?

I wish golf club manufacturers would send me some love the way Oxford Press does, haha hint hint. #LABgolf, send me a review copy, I’ll write you a proper academic review of your OZ putter with 34” length, 70degree lie angle, 2 degree press handle haha

I have a confession to make. I changed my mind last second this morning and completely winged it for an hour and a half talking about Feyerabend. And… sadly, my students and I seemed to enjoy it very much. oh no, what do I do? #wondersnevercease #philsci

On the philosophical hinge: or, the metaphor that ChatGPT can’t avoid for philosophy student essay prompts.

I want to write a book wherein I do about an event split between science writing and philosophy of science writing about the origin of the solar system. now that I’ve lost my mind, who do I talk to? how do I find a home for such a thing?