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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Sep 8

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Reposted by The Journal of Philosophy

Carolyn Dicey Jennings @cdj.bsky.social · Jul 17

“Academic Philosophy Data and Analysis (philosophydata.org), a long running project that collects and analyzes data on graduate experience and employment outcomes for philosophy PhDs, is seeking to expand its leadership…from 1 to 3 directors”

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apda.ghost.io/call-for-dir...

Call for Directors

Academic Philosophy Data and Analysis, a long running project that collects and analyzes data on graduate experience and employment outcomes for philosophy PhDs, is seeking to expand its leadership. W...

apda.ghost.io

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Aug 19

Congratulations to Caspar Jacobs on the selection of his JP paper, "Comparativist Theories or Conspiracy Theories?," for the 2024 Philosopher's Annual!

doi.org/10.5840/jphi...

Abstract of the paper "Comparativist Theories or Conspiracy Theories?" by Caspar Jacobs: Comparativist Theories or Conspiracy Theories?

Although physical theories routinely posit absolute quantities, such as absolute position or intrinsic mass, it seems that only comparative quantities such as distance and mass ratio are observable. But even if there are in fact only distances and mass ratios, the success of absolutist theories means that the world looks just as if there are absolute positions and intrinsic masses. If comparativism is nevertheless true, there is a sense in which this is a cosmic conspiracy: the comparative quantities satisfy certain relations that only absolutism can explain. I show that such cosmic conspiracies are a pervasive feature of comparativist theories. The argument is structurally similar to the well-known No Miracles Argument for scientific realism. Just as anti-realism cannot explain the empirical adequacy of our theories in general, so comparativism cannot explain the empirical adequacy of absolutist theories in particular.

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Aug 1

#newarticle "Alethic Pluralism and Kripkean Truth" by Andrea Iacona, Stefano Romeo, and Lorenzo Rossi

doi.org/10.5840/jphi...

#philosophy #philsky

Article Title: "Alethic Pluralism and Kripkean Truth"; Abstract: According to alethic pluralism, there are different ways of being true, that is, there is a plurality of truth properties, each of which pertains to a specific domain of discourse. This paper shows how such a plurality can be represented in a coherent formal framework by means of a Kripke-style construction that yields intuitively correct extensions for distinct truth predicates. The theory of truth we develop can handle at least three crucial problems that have been raised in connection with alethic pluralism: mixed compounds, mixed inferences, and semantic paradoxes.

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Jul 28

#newarticle "No Easy Road to PSR" by Mohammad Saleh Zarepour

doi.org/10.5840/jphi...

#philosophy #philsky

Abstract: Rehabilitating an argument originally proposed by Leibniz, Michael Della Rocca has offered a new argument for the Principle of Sufficient Reason. A crucial element of this argument is that, for every x, the fact that x does not brutely fail to exist is an untrivial requisite of x’s existence. Criticising this claim, I show that the new argument for PSR fails.

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Jul 28

#newarticle "What Does It Take to Make a Difference? A Reply to Andreas and Günther" by Sander Beckers

doi.org/10.5840/jphi...

#philosophy #philsky

Abstract: Andreas and Günther have recently proposed a difference-making definition of actual causation. In this paper I show that there exist conclusive counterexamples to their definition, by which I mean examples that are unacceptable to everyone, including Andreas and Günther. Concretely, I show that their definition allows c to cause e even when c is not a causal ancestor of e. I then proceed to identify their non-standard definition of causal models as the source of the problem, and argue that there is no viable strategy open to them to fixing it. I conclude that their definition of causation is damaged beyond repair.

The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Jul 28

#newarticle "Idle Questions" by Jens Kipper, Alexander W. Kocurek, and Zeynep Soysal

doi.org/10.5840/jphi...

Abstract: In light of the problem of logical omniscience, some scholars have argued that belief is question-sensitive: agents don’t simply believe propositions but rather believe answers to questions. Hoek (2022) has recently developed a version of this approach on which a belief state is a “web” of questions and answers. Here, we present several challenges to Hoek’s question-sensitive account of belief. First, Hoek’s account is prone to very similar logical omniscience problems as those he claims to address. Second, the link between belief and action he proposes is too rigid. We close by sketching a generalization of the account that can meet these challenges.

The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Jul 28

#openaccess !

The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Jul 28

#newarticle "Resistant Beliefs, Responsive Believers" by Carolina Flores @floresophize.bsky.social

doi.org/10.5840/jphi...

#philosophy #philsky

Abstract: Beliefs can be resistant to evidence. Nonetheless, the orthodox view in epistemology analyzes beliefs as evidence-responsive attitudes. I address this tension by deploying analytical tools on capacities and masking to show that the cognitive science of evidence-resistance supports rather than undermines the orthodox view. In doing so, I argue for the claim that belief requires the capacity for evidence-responsiveness. More precisely, if a subject believes that p, then they have the capacity to rationally respond to evidence bearing on p. Because capacities for evidence-responsiveness are fallible and may be masked, beliefs can be held in the face of counter-evidence. Indeed, I will argue that our best science of belief supports the claim that evidence-resistant beliefs result from masks on evidence-responsiveness capacities. This account of belief not only allows for resistance to evidence, but provides us with a framework for describing and explaining actual cases of evidence-resistance.

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Jun 24

#newarticle

"Ethics and the Limits of Armchair Sociology" by Brendan de Kenessey

doi.org/10.5840/jphi...

Ethics and the Limits of Armchair Sociology - Volume 122, Issue 3, March 2025

Contractualism and rule consequentialism both hold that whether a moral principle is true depends on what would happen if it were generally adopted as a basis for conduct. This paper argues that theor...

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Jun 24

#newarticle #philosophy

Isaac Levi Prize 2024
"Deference Principles for Imprecise Credences" by Giacomo Molinari

doi.org/10.5840/jphi...

Isaac Levi Prize 2024: Deference Principles for Imprecise Credences - Volume 122, Issue 3, March 2025

This essay gives an account of epistemic deference for agents with imprecise credences. I look at the two main imprecise deference principles in the literature, known as Identity Reflection and Pointw...

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Jun 18

#newarticle #philosophy

The 2023 Dewey Lectures: Challenges to Creating an Egalitarian Society

"Lecture III: Ideology, Fantasy, Myth: Inspiration and Cognitive Bias in Hierarchical and Egalitarian Ideologies" - Elizabeth Anderson

doi.org/10.5840/jphi...

Lecture III: Ideology, Fantasy, Myth: Inspiration and Cognitive Bias in Hierarchical and Egalitarian Ideologies - Volume 122, Issue 1/2, January/February 2025

Inegalitarian ideologies that underwrite social hierarchy persuade subordinates to acquiesce to a domination contract by preying on their cognitive and emotional biases and vulnerabilities. Biases in ...

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Jun 18

#newarticle #philosophy

The 2023 Dewey Lectures: Challenges to Creating an Egalitarian Society

"Lecture II: Reconsidering Rousseau's Second Discourse in Light of Contemporary Social Science" - Elizabeth Anderson

doi.org/10.5840/jphi...

Lecture II: Reconsidering Rousseau's Second Discourse in Light of Contemporary Social Science - Volume 122, Issue 1/2, January/February 2025

Rousseau claimed that esteem competition is the central dynamic driving the creation of social hierarchy. Rousseau’s narrative of our step-by-step descent from perfect equality in the state of nature ...

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Jun 18

#newarticle #philosophy

The 2023 Dewey Lectures: Challenges to Creating an Egalitarian Society

"Lecture I: A Dual-Equilibrium Model of Psychologically Sustainable Social Contracts" - Elizabeth Anderson

doi.org/10.5840/jphi...

Lecture I: A Dual-Equilibrium Model of Psychologically Sustainable Social Contracts - Volume 122, Issue 1/2, January/February 2025

Egalitarians have advanced compelling normative critiques of social hierarchy. So why is hierarchy so common? Christopher Boehm argues that humans have disposions to form hierarchies, but can redirect...

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Reposted by The Journal of Philosophy

Justin Weinberg @dailynous.com · Apr 16

A fundraiser has been launched to help pay for the legal expenses of the philosophy major taken by ICE earlier this week, and the Columbia Department of Philosophy has issued a statement about the situation and calling for the university to help him.

Columbia Philosophy Statement on Mahdawi / Fundraiser - Daily Nous

The Department of Philosophy at Columbia University has issued a statement about Mohsen Mahdawi, the philosophy major taken by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) this past Monday. The statement...

dailynous.com

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Mar 20

Index to Volume CXXI (2024) - The Journal of Philosophy

doi.org/10.5840/jphi...

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Index to Volume CXXI - Volume 121, Issue 12, December 2024

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Mar 20

#newarticle "Strawsonian Hard Determinism" by Scott Hill

doi.org/10.5840/jphi...

#philosophy #philsky #PhilSky+

Strawsonian Hard Determinism - Volume 121, Issue 12, December 2024

Strawsonian accounts of moral responsibility are widely associated with opposition to hard determinism. However, it is only a historical accident that these views are bundled together. I show that Str...

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Mar 20

#newarticle "Revenge for Alethic Nihilism" by Bradley Armour-Garb and James A. Woodbridge

doi.org/10.5840/jphi...

#philosophy #philsky #philsky+

Revenge for Alethic Nihilism - Volume 121, Issue 12, December 2024

In

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Mar 20

#newarticle "How Nudging Upsets Autonomy" by David Enoch

doi.org/10.5840/jphi...

#philosophy #philsky #philsky+

How Nudging Upsets Autonomy - Volume 121, Issue 12, December 2024

Everyone suspects that nudging offends against the nudged’s autonomy. But it has proved rather difficult to say why. In this paper I offer a new diagnosis of the tension between even the best cases of...

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Feb 27

#PhilSky
#Philsky+
#philosophy

The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Feb 27

#PhilSky
#Philsky+
#philosophy

The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Feb 27

#newarticle "(Competing?) Formulations of Newtonian Gravitation: Reflections at the Intersection of Interpretation, Methodology, and Equivalence" by Kevin Coffey

www.pdcnet.org/jphil/conten...

(Competing?) Formulations of Newtonian Gravitation: Reflections at the Intersection of Interpretation, Methodology, and Equivalence - Volume 121, Issue 11, November 2024

It is sometimes said there are two ways of formulating Newtonian gravitation theory. On the first, matter gives rise to a gravitational field deflecting bodies from inertial motion within flat spaceti...

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Feb 27

#newarticle "Metacognition of Inferential Transitions" by Nicholas Shea

www.pdcnet.org/jphil/conten...

Metacognition of Inferential Transitions - Volume 121, Issue 11, November 2024

A reasoning process is more than an unfolding causal chain. Although some thoughts cause others in virtue of their contents, paradigmatic cases of personal-level inference involve something more, some...

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Feb 20

Professor Frederick Neuhouser has announced his retirement from the editorial board of The Journal of Philosophy. We thank Professor Neuhouser for his many years of service and his wise counsel.

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The Journal of Philosophy @jrnlofphil.bsky.social · Feb 17

#newarticle
#onlinefirst

"Kripke on Indirect Senses" by Alexander Johnstone Kühnert

www.pdcnet.org/jphil/conten...

#Philosophy
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#PhilosophySky

Kripke on Indirect Senses - published on February 17, 2025

Fregean accounts of indirect sense hold that “Kripke” expresses its ordinary sense in “Kripke was a remarkable philosopher”, but its indirect sense in propositional attitude reports such as “Only fool...

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