Charts and graphs of test scores

I warmly recommend the site Daily Nous (clever name, too!). It features a lot of “inside the philosophy profession” stuff that is less interesting, but also a lot of fun items: cartoons, interviews, popular essays, and so on. They also have a page documenting how philosophy majors perform on standardized tests, as well as mid-career earnings. I knew phil majors did well on these things, but the results are even better than I thought – check them out.

It’s probably not fair for philosophy, as an undergraduate major, to take full credit for these successes. Philosophy deals with abstract, tricky problems and questions, and chances are that anyone interested in these things will do well on standardized tests, whatever the end up majoring in. But I do think it’s true that whatever level of relevant ability you have when you start out in a philosophy program, the program will elevate that ability considerably (and maybe even more so than many other majors). In short, studying philosophy makes bright people brighter. It would be nice to say it makes them wiser, happier, and more moral as well – but does it? There’s an interesting discussion to have!

David Bentley Hart on artificial intelligence

Of interest to all, but perhaps especially to those in Huenemann’s Philosophy of Mind course:

David Bentley Hart explains why the mind is not like a  computer and why mind and its activities cannot be reduced to material processes.

Here is a longer treatment.

Hat tip to USU alum Cam Davis for this link.

 

Two events on Tuesday

Tomorrow (Tuesday) will abound in philosophical events. Everyone is welcome!

At 3:oo p.m., in Huntsman Hall 122, we will have the “Superhero Symposium“. Join in a discussion of the cultural and philosophical dimensions of leaping buildings in a single bound!

At 7:00 p.m., in Main 119, we will have “Flash! Philosophy“. Students will offer brief presentations of captivating and perhaps quirky ideas so that we can all delight in the fun of discussing them. I’m not exactly sure what’s coming, but I’ve heard talk of several ideas, including the ontology of sandwiches. (Speaking of which….)