Philosophers’ Carnival

Philosophers’ Carnival is a kind of philosophical conference that is held on the web every 3 weeks or so. It’s worth checking out — some items are funny, others serious, and many are very interesting. The permanent site can be found here. The most recent Carnival – which includes a good essay by Daniel Dennett on what kinds of questions are worth pursuing in philosophy – can be found here.

Enjoy!

What’s essential to philosophy?

As the semester comes to an end, you might take a few minutes to ponder this question: what’s essential in a philosophical education? Is it stuff you learn (names, theories, etc), or how to argue, or personal discovery/enrichment? What sort of experience said to you “This is what it’s all about”?

News about students

Here are a few announcements about achievements by our students. (I’m sure I’m missing things, so please send me a note or post a comment!)

• Andrew Blackwell has been awarded the Brett E. Blanch Memorial Scholarship for Philosophy.

• Benny Nyikos successfully presented his honors thesis, “Holding onto Belief,” at the USU Undergraduate Research Symposium.

• Doug Beazer, Brian Morrison, and Joshua Smith were initiated into Phi Sigma Tau, Philosophy’s honor society.

• Chris Healey has been accepted into medical school at Ohio State (he’s waiting to hear from a couple of other schools).

CONGRATULATIONS!

What to put on a T-shirt?

We’re thinking of making some “Philosophy” t-shirts, available in the fall. I’ve suggested they could be black, with a philosophy symbol on the front (like a Greek letter phi) and some snappy, funny, or edgy saying on the back. Any suggestions? Here are some contenders: “It’s the mind that matters”, “The unexamined life sucks”, “Wherever you go, there you are”, “We can only say of what is, that it is”, and my own personal favorite: “What are you afraid of?”