Administrative Don’t use my uni email [do] 27 Jan 202319 Apr 2023 Although I am an Honorary Fellow at the University of Melbourne, now that I am no longer employed, the IT department begs to differ, so I have lost my uni email access for a while. Later: IT and the uni have permitted me to be listed as an honorary fellow… Continue Reading
Philosophy My Absent Career 14: The final decline 26 Jan 202326 Jan 2023 Once the Critical Reasoning project was done (a bit too early due to funding being overspent), I was adrift again, and (quite literally) checking out local bridges to sleep under once my flat was taken away. Fortunately one of the folk in the project was savvier than I and pointed… Continue Reading
Philosophy My Absent Career 13: Critical mass 17 Jan 202318 Jan 2023 Having taught critical reasoning and studied the usual logic for philosophy undergrads, I felt that I had a pretty good understanding of logic and reasoning, at least without getting into modal logics and other such aberrations. Not for the first or last time I mistook confidence for competence. Neil Thomason,… Continue Reading
Academe My Absent Career 12: The aged aged man 6 Jan 20236 Jan 2023 Suddenly I was out of work, I could not rejoin the postdoc, and I had to move to Sydney once again, to see if I could find anything. I did do some teaching at UNSW, but that was about it. I was in dire straits. And the Straits of Dire… Continue Reading
Philosophy Advice to a student about essays 5 Jan 20235 Jan 2023 In between my absent career path, I just wrote this in reply to a student who wanted advice on their assignments, as they got around 70% for the subject I just taught them. Many of my students were science or STEM students, and essays are hard for them. This is… Continue Reading
Philosophy My Absent Career 11: Minding the kids 3 Jan 20233 Jan 2023 Then something happened. A position came up for a lecturer at Bond University. Paul suggested I apply, as lectureships in Australia in philosophy are like honest politicians, only a few exist. I did, and to my surprise I got the job. Of course, this meant I had to surrender my… Continue Reading
Epistemology My Absent Career 10: Contra Quality 1 Jan 20231 Jan 2023 So, taking this extreme parsimony approach leads me to sharply distinguish between things that are and things we think there are. A good many of our most favoured ideas are projective. Qualia are the primary example for me (because I first learned of them as an undergraduate). For those who… Continue Reading
Philosophy My Absent Career 9: Quale before me 30 Dec 20221 Jan 2023 I should pause for a minute before launching into the episode that finally scuttled my academic ambitions (of earning money), I should explain my absolute lack of interest in qualia, souls, spirits, ethereal minds, and moral realities. When I lost my faith, it wasn’t just an intellectual decision. It never… Continue Reading
Philosophy My Absent Career 8: A second chance 22 Dec 20221 Jan 2023 So, at this point I am now 50 or so, doing my postdoc at UQ with Paul Griffiths, and living with my family just pre-separation (the divorce came a few years later). Two things happened. The first is that I started to gain confidence, Now, this may shock those who… Continue Reading
Philosophy My Absent Career 7: Whately and an epiphany 21 Dec 20221 Jan 2023 My time at Queensland initially was among the best of my life, although I did miss my kids a lot. I moved up for a year before the family arrived (pre-divorce), and lived in a really nice part of Brisbane (it would be churlish to say, the only really nice… Continue Reading