UPDATE 25-9-15 PILOS POST @ PHILPERCS!!!
SONG ADDED 17 Septemper 2015
On the Pilos (The Philosophy Metablog)
For my father
NB 'Pilos' is pronounced pea-loss
I'm so happy to be part of the Pilos
I'm so happy to have started the Pilos
The Philosophy Metablog, it's back in the game
The Philosophy Metablog, it's destined for fame
I was happy to be part of the Pilos
I was bound to be part of the Pilos
I'm so Happy I started the Pilos
The Pilos is surely destined for great things
Where were you when you discovered the Pilos
Can you remember when you discovered the Pilos?
I am the primary author of the Pilos
But others have contributed as well (quietly:I'm lookin' at you Big Red)
Going online to see the philosophy Pilos
All things good at the philosophy Pilos
Having fun times at the philosophy Pilos
Please, thank you and come and enjoy the philosophy Pilos everybody! Whew!
from the pilos metametablog
AnonymousAugust 9, 2015 at 9:27 AM
So amazing. This looks exactly as insane and ugly and stupid as the profession feels. The fake comments are surreal and hilarious, like a game of philosophy blog mad libs. I don't know if the creator is seriously ill or a genius, but I love it and want to read more. I can't remember the last time I experienced so much actual joy over something related to this profession. Oh, wait, I can: never.
AnonymousSeptember 3, 2015 at 8:27 AM
For the record, I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure BigBoy is a girl.
MORE FROM THE PILOS MM!!!!
MORE FROM THE PILOS MM!!!!
AnonymousSeptember 5, 2015 at 10:22 PM
New challenge: say something positive about another philosophy blog.
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AnonymousSeptember 5, 2015 at 10:49 PMI like the font on the new PMB.
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AnonymousSeptember 6, 2015 at 5:07 AM- "I like the font on the new PMB."
I like *every* font on the new PMB, but especially this one:
https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTaWWOq1HzJRqDD-ysNkFHmCje51K3Ptumf2YQ3__iSMgrUqVAS
Something so satisfying about seeing the word "philosophy" written in the style of 1990 high school yearbook. I'm having t-shirts made for the whole department.
I just had a Skype interview! Fingers crossed! I have five publications on bioethics and play the lute in my spare time.
ReplyDeleteReminds me of the time I had a departmental seminar and all my mentors came to audit me! Was like a deer in the headlights. I think that if we perform well at conferences, publish in top venues, and check our egos at the door, there's no reason why we couldn't all wind up with tenure at good research institutions.
DeleteYes, the job market is terrible. Yes, philosophy is useless. Yes, there's no point in doing it. Yes, outreach is a waste of time. But if we band together and do some great research and teaching then that's what counts! I got a letter from the editor of Mind years ago saying this (in different words).
I love academia, and I love philosophy. Just looking at philosophy books makes me think 'Wow, I love this subject;, If I'm honest, when I started studying philosophy in 2002 I had the idea that it was a load of rubbish, for stupid "smart" people whose minds had, in a sense, failed them. I know what made me think that, and I'm still aware of that now, but the scales have shifted for me and I have fallen down the rabbit hole!
DeleteWhen you study a subject half your life, you begin to learn what it's like to love and to hate it.
Yes, I understand that you're happy with your interview but you have to realize that there are several hurdles ahead of you. You will have to sit through endless meetings, grade papers, probably move, have lots of paperwork to do, probably be stressed out half the time, and then what? You are a ticking time bomb, and I think you need to get some perspective.Just my two cents.
DeleteDoes anyone ever wonder what happens to Timothy Williamson when he goes on holiday? I've heard he goes to the beach, does some research, and keeps in touch with students while also entertaining family and friends. I would like to find a similar way of balancing all these things with being at the forefront of my profession, and I believe it will happen for me in the next five years.
ReplyDeleteThe only think which gives me doubts is that I haven't yet published in any of (what I consider to be) the top five or six journals. It's only a matter of time, but I think my research is getting fairly good these days. My students are also very happy with me! Obviously, this may not last but at least it's not all bleak, right?
I often wonder what David Chalmers does on holiday, myself.
DeleteI think he considers and formulates arguments, and most importantly takes time to think of new approaches in philosophy. It's so valuable for a phillosopher to take that extra time, and Chalmers has always been very encouraging to other researchers, incliding students. But if I had to say one thing about his philossophy I disagree with, it would be this: you cannot imagine zombies, so how could conciousness have any ontological relation to that? These are different categories. That always seemed so obvious to me! Maybe *I* should write a book.
DeleteI want here to raise a number of what I consider to be serious issues in the profession:
ReplyDelete(1) Adjunct teaching: how much of it should we have, and is it good? Also, why are we in this situation?
(2) Publication metrics: how do they work, and what are we going to do about it? I would like to know.
(3) Sexism: no one likes it, why don't you stop? Seriously though this is a huge problem.
(4) Bias: three out of four people think they can judge their futures accurately: they are wrong. Let's work on bias and then we will be better teachers and researchers.
(5) Conferences: too little, too early. No conferences please.
I had three kids before I started grad school, and now I tell them all to study philosophy if and only if they want to! I know my spouse thinks this is a bit weird, but I'm always like that with them and really they think it's fun. My teaching load is incredible, and I'm juggling two appointments while publishing in some of the best journals academia has to offer. Honestly, I think I can say I'm doing OK. And that's enough.
Yes. Conferences are annoying.
DeleteWith a dramatic performance of his own, Mike Van got a few things going for the dinner table and my dad
DeleteCool. Hi Tristan!
DeleteHi Big Red!!!!!
DeleteHo ho ho I am the Big Red Boy what is the deal here Tristan? Is this your blog?
DeleteHo ho ho ho ho ho ho ho
DeleteHo ho ho ho ho ho ho ho - check out the new Pilos song on the post above though! AWESOME!
DeleteQuestion: where is the real Big Red?
Delete(Only the Pilos would ask such a question! Only the Pilos.)
I'm right here! Never fear.
DeleteI was recently hired as an adjunct at a mid-ranked community college - my question is: where will this get me, and when? I have a lot of research under my belt and have even published two papers, one in Phronesis, one in Nous. If I work hard, do you think I could get a research position somewhere in the English speaking world?
ReplyDeleteI like to think I am a good teacher as well, and would definitely consider a job where I have to do some teaching but get to do some research as well, hopefully in exchange for promotions and reduced administrative duties. I am a compatibilist about free will, I believe all people are the same, and I think we should get all different kinds of people into philosophy. I am also single and a non-smoker.
When I next go for a job, I will be sure to update my CV and put up a webpage. And I'm a women!
Ha. It could get you anywhere from adjuncting forever, to tenured at NYU. It's just more likely to keep you towards adjuncting forever. You never know though.
ReplyDeleteWhy does Libby Masters suck so much?
ReplyDeleteBoo boo boo boo, boo boo boo boo boo! BOO BOO BOO BOO BOO BOO BOOO BOOO!!!
DeleteHi guys, some cool discussion here, and some weird stuff! Don't know what to make of it but here goes.
Delete...the Philosophy Metablog is a place to go now to discuss the weird and scary aspects of the profession in a way that reflects them. We can come here to compare notes on publications, teaching loads, bias, and problems in the discipline. I think this is a good thing, and we ought to realize it while it lasts.
When I was an undergraduate, I read lots of Plato and thought 'Wow! This is exciting stuff!'. I wanted to do something similar. Now I can only laugh at my hubris. If one thing is wrong with this outlook, it is the lack of ambition inherent in it. Now granted, we can't all be Plato, but at least some of us can transcend the usual boundaries of the profession and start to lay the foundations for a larger, more singular achievement that stands some chance of reaching out across the ages and saying 'Hey! Check out this way of looking at the world!'. I for one think this is totally cool.
Let's get together more in future and talk about how the blogosphere could pick up the slack. We need to get better at this, and fast.
Adjuncting all Summer - what a drag! Oh well, at least I can buy a hardback copy of Spinoza with the proceeds. Yes you read that right; I still love great philosophical texts, despite everything. Now who can tell me that there is no one who really cares about the subject? There's certainly me. There are certainly my students. Now granted, we're only a small liberal arts college, but with a lot of work and six tenure-track appointments this Fall, I think we're going to clean up at the next APA. It's interesting: we got all out offprints and put them in a pile, counted them up and thought 'Yes! We're really accomplishing something here on the research front!', but then the administrators had to come in and ruin it all. I've got a 4-4 teaching load and no time to think. It's fun but doesn't make for a lot of good philosophy. One day I think I'm going to snap: it won't be pretty. Till then, I will revel in the geometric method!
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