I came across an interesting post by Adam over at Sophistpundit called Being a Scholar When You Can’t be a Scientist. The author argues that, although disciplines like history and philosophy are not sciences, there exist relevant virtues to be honored in their practice: humility, transparency of method, engaging extensive sources, and clarity of presentation. …
Category Archives: teaching
teaching philosophy: possibility vs. plausibility
Here’s something with which I’ve noticed intro to philosophy students tend to struggle: the difference between it being possible that a theory is true, and the theory’s being plausible. Example: In the course I’m TAing this semester, one of the topics we discussed is the nature of value. In virtue of what does anything have …
business-izing higher ed: I’m not scared
A few days back, this post about higher ed in the UK appeared over on one of my favorite blogs, Feminist Philosophers. Here’s the big quote: “Business secretary wants students and parents to be treated more like customers in proposals to overhaul higher education.” The original poster worries that “universities get put under a great …
