Various Christmas Points

Recent events have led me to produce this Christmas blog post. I would like to list the following points:

- Triple-blind review
- WIttgenstein would not survive today
- RIP Jerry Fodor
- Philosophy is not such a method as a way of living
- My dog Jocone has reading Justin Weinberg articles and growing bigger everyday.
- Thanking Brian Leiter for wishing us a Merry Christmas.
- Histphil behooves us to think deeper about our own methodological presuppositions.
- Reading the history of philosophy, I was sruck by how many perspectives we have "silences".
- Philosophy for childrean
- An "existential threat" to our higher education impulses.
- Please do not make any false or inaccurate comments in the comments.

Thank you all for reading the Philosophy Metablog this year, and I will wish you a happy new one in the year to come. Please do not make any errors in the comments. This has been happening more and more recently and even little Jocone is beginning to wilt under all the strain.

"I have a 4-3 teaching load too!

Early Career Thread #1 - Job Tips

This was going to be cross-posted at Philosopher's Cocoon but I decided we should keep it to ourselfs here are the Pilos, so that we get a strategic advantage over Marcus, Amanda and Pendaran. Eat our dust! We will soon outrank you.

I wanted to take this thread to apply to all thinkers early in their university career who would like to get a better "feel" for how to behave in department meetings, job talks, interviews, and colloquia. As a way to begin broaching this topic, I thought I'd list a number of "dot points" which people have talked to me over the years. If you have any others please go in the comments, but no false statements (or Liar-like sentences!).

- Try to keep other hobbies. I was in a real "slump" recently and playing my bongos and screaming was the only thing that kept me out of it.

- If someone asks you a question, ask them if you can take some time to think about the answer. They have been surprisingly understanding when I say this, and usually I don't ever have to answe.

- Look at the seniors in your institution and think about what they say, sure, but also think about how things will look down the track when I am older.












- Send your papers out to people as little presents with wrapping paper. I used to just email my colleagues my new work, and they all but ignored it. So my wife helped me come up with a better presentation, and now when I come down the corridor with my "parcels" of new knowledge, people know to smile and say thank you, and when you're early career, this can really be a game changer.

- Talk about your family and pets with your new colleagues. I directed my supervisor to a picture of Jocone, and our meetings went better after that.

Here's little Jocone brushing up on these tips! Now go forth and multiply!!