This update is to let you know about a new essay that’s now online in in-press form: “Differential Perspectives: Epistemic Disconnects Surrounding the US Census Bureau’s Use of Differential Privacy.” Click here to read the full essay. When the U.S. Census Bureau announced its intention to modernize its disclosure avoidance procedures for the 2020 Census, it sparked […]
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I’ve been thinking a lot about failure lately. Failure comes in many forms, but I’m especially interested in situations in which people *perceive* something as failing (or about to fail) and the contestations over failure that often arise in such situations. Given this, it’s hard not to be fascinated by all that’s unfolding around Twitter. […]
To φ Or Not To φ by Tanya Kostochka Other Daily Nous Comics / More Info About DN Comics Tanya Kostochka on Twitter
As noted last month, the Department of Philosophy at Birkbeck, University of London and other units there are facing drastic cuts. The department’s graduate (post-graduate, or PGR) students have now written a letter to the administration objecting to the cuts. Kristoffer Ahlstrom-Vij, chair of Philosophy at Birkbeck, explained the severity of the cuts: The worst-case scenario savings targets that have been shared by senior management would involve a faculty reduction of up to 6 FTE in Philosophy. Since not all colleagues are at 1 FTE, this would likely involve a headcount reduction of greater than 6, and potentially 50% of the Department. We are currently working with senior management to, among other things, query the model used to arrive at this savings target, and to impress on them exactly how damaging such a reduction would be for the Department. Most importantly, it would seriously compromise our important and unique mission of providing philosophy education to a wide range of students, including through evening and part-time study, and a highly successful conversion program for students without a formal background in philosophy.
A necessary condition of becoming an Examination (or Prize) Fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, is taking an exam. The exam consists of four three-hour essay tests, or “papers.” Two of these are in your chosen specialist subject—Classical Studies, Law, History, English Literature, Economics, Politics, or Philosophy—and the other two are general tests and ask questions on a variety of topics. What questions have been on the philosophy exams? They change each year. Typically candidates are given around 30 questions for each test, from which they must choose three to answer. The exams cover a variety of philosophical topics, from classic questions to contemporary work. Below are the questions from the two 2022 philosophy exams: PHILOSOPHY I ‘If there is a god, they will look benevolently upon atheists.’ Discuss. Is disability primarily a social phenomenon? Is the principle of bivalence incompatible with free action? ‘Anything that exists is (exactly) one Therefore, to be many is not to exist.’ Discuss. Can there be vague objects? Can there be time without change? Change without time? Is it possible to define truth?
Please use the comments section on this post to share information about 2023 Summer Programs in Philosophy for high school students. If you are organizing such a program, please add a comment to this post that includes: – program name – dates – location (is it currently planned as an online event, physical event, physical event with some online participation, physical event with an online contingency plan?) – contact information – application deadline – a description of the program – link to further information Related: Summer 2023 Programs in Philosophy for Graduate Students and/or PhDs Summer 2023 Programs for Undergraduates
A short article for History UK on recent changes to student loan repayment terms and what happens as inflation continues to erode the value of the undergraduate tuition fee.
The legal right of secession of states, outside of a situation of “classic” colonial occupation, has developed enormously in the last thirty odd years. South Sudan, Montenegro, East Timor, Eritrea, North Macedonia, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Croatia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Ukraine are […]
The post The White Flag Hearing appeared first on Craig Murray.
The logical outcome of the UK’s current political situation is for a large section of Conservative Party MP’s to defect to Keir Starmer’s well right of centre, pro-Brexit, New Labour Party. Every now and then a number of Westminster MPs change party, to long term political effect. In 1886 The Liberal Unionists, opposed to Gladstone’s […]
The post The Great Crossing appeared first on Craig Murray.
UPDATE: Wow The UK has submitted Hassan Nazer’s Winners as its entry for best international feature at the Oscars. Nadira’s first feature film as Producer, Winners, won the Audience Award for best film at the Edinburgh International Film Festival to our (frankly surprised) delight. It will play in London at the Raindance Film Festival on […]
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