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It's on the problem of University education, not undergraduate education, so it isn't directly relevant to my normal topics, but Mark Taylor's op-ed yesterday points out a commonly-known number of problems with the university model. His suggestions for fixing those problems include:

1. Restructure the curriculum, beginning with graduate programs and proceeding as quickly as possible to undergraduate programs. The division-of-labor model of separate departments is obsolete and must be replaced with a curriculum structured like a web or complex adaptive network. Responsible teaching and scholarship must become cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural.

2. Abolish permanent departments, even for undergraduate education, and create problem-focused programs.

3. Increase collaboration among institutions.

Op-Ed Contributor - End the University as We Know It - NYTimes.com

I think I've heard this somewhere before. Wait. Maybe... Evergreen? Or was it Dewey? Or my long-suffering alma mater Antioch? Or just the basic notion of liberal education for which all small, liberal arts colleges strive? Maybe he should have just said "Don't go to universities. Go to colleges." And saved the planet all that ink and paper.

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The always insightful Mark Liberman over at Language Log has an excellent post debunking, and then tracking, the 'Twitter will make you amoral' story from last week.  All I wonder is why aren't we--i.e. teachers of the philosophy of science--not doing this?

Language Log » Debasing the coinage of rational inquiry: a case study

This one should really be included in any standard CT course:
Appeal to Ridicule and Ad Hominem « Comrade PhysioProf
That is, if one teaches at a school where one won't get fired for making students read "adult" language...

It's true. The story is now up:
UL undergrad philosophy program to be discontinued | theadvertiser.com | The Advertiser

Istvan Berkeley, list manager of Philosop, just alerted us to the possibility of termination of the Philosophy Program at ULa-Lafayette. The minutes for the board of regents meeting are here:
Board of Regents' Academic and Student Affairs Committee Meeting
The first PDF document (http://www.regents.state.la.us/Board/Agenda/2009/04/AApdfs/Agenda%20Item...), page 14 lists Phil for Termination pg 92 contains the rationale.

Istvan suggests writing Dr. Sally Clausen, the Commissioner of Higher Education in support of the department. Her e-mail address is sclausen@uls.state.la.us.

I usually avoid ethical topics on this blog because there are too many to follow and ethics isn't my area of interest or teaching. However, I noticed this article in the Chronicle today by Robert J Sternberg, dean and professor of psychology at Tufts:

A New Model for Teaching Ethical Behavior - ChronicleReview.com

...eight steps of behaving ethically:

1. Recognize that there is an event to react to.
2. Define the event as having an ethical dimension.
3. Decide that the ethical dimension is significant.
4. Take responsibility for generating an ethical solution to the problem.
5. Figure out what abstract ethical rule(s) might apply to the problem.
6. Decide how abstract ethical rules actually apply to the problem, in order to suggest a concrete solution.
7. Formulate an ethical solution, at the same time possibly preparing to counteract contextual forces that might lead you to act unethically.
8. Act.

Seriously. This is "New"?  Like... to Plato?  Honestly. What is "new" here? The idea of putting them into a checklist? How can teaching students to follow a prescribed checklist possibly train students to "Take responsibility" (3) or "Recognize" that ethical issues arise where they might not expect them (1)?  read more »

These are not my best work, but I'll post them anyway. THESE ARE VERY MUCH DRAFT status. There is, for example, no 'reset' button. So you'll have to reload the page to start over.  I'll post the updates when I get the chance (i.e. if no one comes to my office hours today).

Platonic Events Static Link

Aristotlean Events Static Link

A-Series Static Link

B-Series Static Link  read more »

I've collected all my Flash-based logic tools under one page for easy distribution. I post these here as I come up with new revisions, but it is good to have a simple repository available:

Dr. Peter Bradley - Logic Tools

I found this article on 'ModernGhana.com,' which attributes the new President's (Atta Mills) policies and behavior to his philosophical training. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to establish if he actually has a degree in Phil, or if he is a 'hobbyist' Philosopher.  Ghana has a history of politicians with philosophic interests - Appiah's father was involved with the independence movement.  

The introductory paragraph, however, is worth reading on its own:

President Atta Mills and the Ghanaian Members of Parliaments - modernghana.com/feature article

Philosophers are very interesting and peculiar people to deal with because they usually do not take things at face value. They tend to be experimenters and so they always trying to test hypotheses or theories in their day to days work. They have a propensity to be people that always test theories to find out whether the theories are well fitted to observation or not. In their quest to find the truth, they can come up with the same truth which indicates the truth that other scientists through experimentation and testing have discovered. They may also question the validity of certain theories, and by so doing come up with different results that may be different from the established truth gained by scientists.  read more »

The SF State news ran a story today about Bas van Fraassen and Isabell Peschard joining the faculty:
Campus adds philosophy of science emphasis SF State News - San Francisco State University

There isn't much to go on in this brief story from the Camden New Journal, but it sounds interesting.  I wonder if our old friends the Philosophy Shop are involved?

Camden News: Philosophy in Primary Schools | Eleanor Palmer School | Tufnell Park | Fleet Primary | Gospel Oak | Andrew Mennear

Camden’s schools chief, Conservative councillor Andrew Mennear, has backed a trial scheme at two primary schools to encourage children as young as five to discuss the scholastic whys and wherefores of philosophy.

The David Brooks article on what we might call 'empirically informed emotivism' and/or recent work in 'Experimental Philosophy', but he decided to call 'The Death of Philosophy' provoked a but of chatter in the academic blog-o-sphere. Here are a few of the better blog's responses:

Pharyngula: Building an argument on emotional biases happens, but that doesn't make it true

Language Log » An inquiry concerning the principles of morals

Gene Expression: The biological roots of moral sentiments?

I'll add more as I find them.

UPDATE 4/17

A letter to the editor from the Salt Lake Tribune:

Misreads Philosophy

Student group says McPhee should resign | www.tennessean.com | The Tennessean

Students Question MTSU Budget Cuts - Education News Story - WSMV Nashville

Mia Wood has an interesting commentary in the LA Community College Examiner arguing that the roll of Philosophy Professor at Community Colleges is analogous to Socrates' gadfly. While it reads sometimes like statement of teaching philosophy required by many schools in the application process, it is worth looking at. Consider:

LA Community College Examiner: The examined life, public service, and philosophy in the community college

In this environment, the community college philosophy instructor is both a servant of the public and the academic discipline known as Philosophy. This philosopher’s salary is paid by city or state taxes, but in order for her to truly fulfill her obligations to her fellow citizens, her loyalty must be to her discipline. If it is not, those obligations will not be met. So, despite the fact that many community college students want nothing to do with philosophy — it doesn’t seem relevant to job training; if anything, it’s just a stupid class that has to be passed in order to get the degree that will get them the job that gets them the paycheck that allows them to pay their bills… — the philosophy instructor must act as the Socratic gadfly.

Kankakee County Circuit Court Judge Michael Kick:

Web exclusive: Judge Kick says his job is ‘as good as it gets' - The Daily Journal

Kick is a self-described philosophy nut. His love of philosophy texts began in childhood, and he continued his study of it in college. Kick said he was “looking for principles” to lead his life....

Philosophy is “a search for truth ... things that are universally true,” he said. “And the dominant theme in philosophy is justice. That’s always been one of my primary interests — justice and fairness.”

And intellectual leader behind Scottish Nationalism, Sir Neil MacCormick:

Sir Neil MacCormick - Telegraph

From Glasgow High School, Neil went first to Glasgow University, taking a First in Philosophy and English Literature, then to Balliol College, Oxford, where he took a First in Jurisprudence and was president of the Union in 1965.

David Brooks' column 'The End of Philosophy' is now the most emailed story on nytimes.com. He claims:

Today, many psychologists, cognitive scientists and even philosophers embrace a different view of morality. In this view, moral thinking is more like aesthetics.

Op-Ed Columnist - The End of Philosophy - NYTimes.com

This is all fine and good - but seriously, he doesn't mention any ACTUAL PHILOSOPHERS in his discussion. Where is John Doris? Jesse Prinz? Shaun Nichols?  People who have actually addressed this view philosophically?

We often hear (and talk) about moments while reading Phil that change the way a student looks at everything. I found this variation on the theme the other day:

Spuds pave the way for budding chef - JSOnline

The philosophy courses were just as stimulating, as thought-provoking debate was right up my contrary alley.

About three-quarters of the way through the year, I was at my apartment on Locust and Weil. Having just finished a design project during the day, I was studying philosophy when dinner time came around.

I was feeling especially euphoric, because through all my years as a student, I never really enjoyed studying. This year, however, I enjoyed everything about these courses.

I put down my book, went into the kitchen and grabbed a large cast-iron Griswold (my only sauté pan), heated it up and poured a bit of oil on the bottom. I took out some leftover boiled red potatoes, green onions and garlic and started a crispy American fry potato dish that my roommate Tom made regularly.

As the potatoes were getting golden brown, my euphoria went into hyperspace.

I like food - Hume did as well - but I've never before read such a direct connection between the life of the mind and the life of the palate!

Philosophy is still on the chopping block, this time being considered for a 'merger' with another department. The story contains this quote from a Philosophy / Applied Math double major who is facing the dissolution of BOTH of her departments:

McPhee knocked over plan for cuts | www.tennessean.com | The Tennessean

"The MTSU Philosophy Department is the first time I was ever challenged. It made me think differently and made me a better member of society,"

Well, here's part of the answer:

Philosophy is really stupid, really - Opinions

Second, Philosophy majors are annoying! All they do is ramble on and on about stupid things. Then, if you try to argue against them they never listen to reason. Their only goal is to support irrational beliefs and disagree with everyone they talk to.

Yes, the author is an idiot. And yes, he is probably trying to provoke a response. But it is worth considering his view as containing insight into what is wrong with Philosophy as a discipline.

I've been slammed for the past few days putting the finishing touches on our general education assessment of critical thinking for this year. Sorry for the lack of 'philosophy in the news' posts - I've collected some juicy ones, but haven't had the opportunity to post them yet. Perhaps tomorrow.

Anyway, I'm talking about Hume on cause later today, so this is a good time to post some old demonstrations of causal perception:

Collision (static link)

Collision with spatial displacement (static link)

Collision with temporal displacement (static link)  read more »