Philosophy Order “Understanding Species” now! 28 Feb 202328 Feb 2023 So US is due in April, and Cambridge just sent me the flyer below. Notice how cheap this book is! You can buy 50 for each of your intro to philosophy and history of biology students and still be able to buy end of semester beers! And if you order… Continue Reading
Epistemology Who invented worldviews? 5 Feb 20235 Feb 2023 As a young man/teenager, I heard a lot about worldviews, and didn’t think much of it. The philosophers talked about them, the theologians talked about them, and the gurus talked about them. It was always a choice between worldviews. But it was at best only vaguely communicated by these great… Continue Reading
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