Category: Uncategorized

More details here. Alfred Mele, the philosopher in question, has a very solid reputation, and has published interesting and important theories about agents and actions. I’m sure anything he comes up with will be worth studying. But it is funny to read how his university has tried to spin this news — they are working like mad to get him to say he’ll solve the free will problem, and he keeps cautioning that he doesn’t expect to do quite that.

The givers of the award, the Templeton foundation, have very deep pockets, but as we’ve discussed before, not everyone thinks it’s right to accept their money.

Note the nifty new “Sign me up to receive blog postings by email” button on the right sidebar. Just what you were hoping for!

Sponsored by the Department of Languages, Philosophy, and Speech Communication. This is just for students who have taken courses in the department. You should send in a 150-200 word abstract of your presentation by March 11th. Download the pdf with more submission details here:

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS-2010

I will add that last year this was a lost of fun. We had enough students for a special philosophy session, where discussion was freeflowing and good-natured. I strongly encourage philosophy students to submit an abstract of a paper they wrote for class last term, or one they are working on now.

… has extended its deadline for submissions until January 30th. Submit an abstract and present it at the University of Utah in March! Details on this page.

This is in regard to the current anti-trust lawsuit brought against the NFL which is at the Supreme Court.  An interesting intersection of philosophy (what is it to be a “single entity”) and football.

“In American Needle, the NFL argued that they are a single entity, and thus incapable of violating Section 1 [of the Sherman Act] (because a single entity cannot reach an agreement with itself). The NFL concedes that they do not look like a traditional single entity — that is, a single firm with a single owner. Instead, the NFL argues that they are a single entity because the NFL is a product that can only be created by cooperation among its teams, and none of its teams have any economic value without the league. The NFL’s argument is that the product created by the NFL teams is an interconnected series of games (the regular season) that leads to a playoffs, that eventually produces a Super Bowl champion, and that no individual team can produce this product on its own. Rather, the teams must make a series of agreements with each other–where to play, when to play, under what rules, etc. The NFL believes that this interdependence and need for cooperation renders the league a single entity, and that all of the agreements made by the league and its teams –ranging from scheduling to free agency restrictions to salary cap rules to franchise relocation restrictions –should thus not be subject to scrutiny under Section 1.”