On Science: Favoring the Philosophical

To their delight or dismay, students new to philosophy quickly learn that the puzzle is paramount in philosophy. Solutions--always many, usually complicated--matter less than the intriguing, confounding puzzles spawning them.

Engineers seek solutions, puzzles mostly annoy. And for scientists?

3 Quarks Daily has an article, "In Praise of Fallibility: Why Science Needs Philosophy", which argues against dogmatism in science and for the extraordinary, if discomfiting, value of the anomalous in scientific inquiry.

The journal Nature has an article describing attempts to broaden graduate training in the sciences--to put 'philosophy' front and center in attaining the 'PhD'.

Ephemeris, Undergraduate Journal of Philosophy

Call for undergraduate papers extended:

We are extending the due date to FEBRUARY 20th.

(We thank those who have submitted work -- our review process is commencing.) ​

Ephemeris is an undergraduate journal of philosophy that is student-run and dedicated to publishing exceptional undergraduate writing grounded in the distinct value and interest of the philosophical endeavor.

Contributions: Contributions are solicited in all areas of the philosophical discipline. Contributions should take the form of essay, article, or short note. Review articles are welcome. Please include a short abstract describing the thesis of the paper and main conclusions.

ATTENTION - SPECIAL SECTION:
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Ephemeris 2018 wIll include a special section on the topic whether it is justifiable in a democracy to implement public policy motivated by personal conviction with an eye to such topics as whether religious citizens and politicians may vote or legislate their religious convictions, whether the state may subsidize religious schools and related topics. We will publish the three best papers we receive in this field.

New Website

...same as the old website. Well, not really. This is a significant upgrade in codebase from the old website, offering improved features and design.

As to features, the most noticeable will be that the site is 'responsive'. That is, it automatically adjusts to whatever size screen--from smart phone to tablet to computer--you happen to view it on. This should make using it on a daily basis much simpler. Further, restricted material is password-protected by a single password, which means students need not have an account on the site to access those pages. They just need a password, provided by their professor.

As to design, the site attempts to strike a balance between promoting/advertising philosophy--the only reason the administration can conceive for having a website, which is why the university website is managed not under academics but under marketing--and ease of access to program and course related materials, including readings, handouts, etc--academic and scholarly purposes, that is to say. To be sure, the front page leans towards promotions. The top navigation bar, however, provides quick access to the whole of the site.