Browsing All Posts filed under »profession«

Meet ‘Most People’

November 12, 2018 by

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We often talk about the need for diversity in philosophy in general, but we also need diversity in our lives. (I know it sounds corny, hear me out.) What I mean is that it’s important to have friends and acquaintances from diverse backgrounds and with varying perspectives. This is important when doing research, thinking about […]

Congratulations to our Founding Editor: Dr. Justin Caouette

October 2, 2018 by

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Bridgewater State University recently published a profile of our very own Dr. Justin Caouette outlining what many people close to him already know: Justin is currently making a difference in the lives of students attending BSU. Many of us (myself included) who are first generation college students–students with neither parent having attended college–are often faced […]

Job Market Problems

September 28, 2018 by

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*Since drafting this post, I have moved to take a temporary job to be near my non-academic partner. I’ve decided to keep this post general, but hope to write about that experience once I’ve settled in properly. In this post, I’m going to talk about a couple of issues with the philosophy job market that […]

Talking to (other) Grad Students

August 7, 2018 by

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Thanks to Justin Caouette, I’ve been on Twitter for a little over a year and there’s something I’ve noticed about the way we talk to other early career researchers/teachers or the way advice is given to early career people: everyone assumes the structures and terminology are roughly the same as they are in their own […]

Russell and Philosophy in Real Life

May 10, 2018 by

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Bertrand Russell (May 18th 1872-February 2nd 1970) writes in the prologue of his autobiography “What I Have Lived For”: Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and […]

Failures in teaching, discipline

November 21, 2017 by

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A few notes before I get into the nitty gritty of this issue: I’m a graduate student at the University of Calgary, a member of the university’s Graduate Student Association (our union), and the president of the philosophy department’s affiliated Graduate Student Association chapter. Nothing I say in this post is made in those roles; […]

A Philosophy for Talking about Philosophy

September 19, 2017 by

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Some people become philosophers (or academics, more generally) because they want to be able to teach; they want to be experts in a subject and engage with the world and influence the beliefs and actions of others in a positive way. I think that’s a great and admirable reason to become an academic; I have […]

Public Philosophy in the PhD

June 4, 2017 by

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We in the philosophy blogosophere (especially) frequently discuss whether activities like blogging, podcasting, and other public philosophy activities or projects should count toward tenure. I fall squarely in the `yes’ camp – engaging audiences outside of our professional circles is vitally important for the discipline. And the APA officially agrees. It is also important for […]

Philosopher-Scientists, Scientist-Philosophers and Philosopher- Philosophers: An Exercise in Futurology

April 17, 2017 by

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Futurology comprises the study of possible futures and, as such, it is a cheap thing: it does not require much to speculate about how things can be in the years to come. Futurology also produces inaccurate predictions most of the time, which could render this post useless. Nevertheless, here I am concerned with the future […]

Free Speech and Safe Space

September 22, 2016 by

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I’ve debated for a little while about whether or not to write about the ongoing cultural discussion on “free speech” and “safe space” protections on campuses. Of course, this seems a large and timely topic, given the presence of the University of Chicago letter. (I will come to the Chicago letter a bit late in […]

Mentoring Program for Women in Philosophy: A Question from a Candidate

August 30, 2016 by

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Since I am entering the job market this year, I recently signed up for the Job Candidate Mentoring Program for Women in Philosophy.  Job candidates are paired with junior faculty and can also be grouped with other candidates for peer support.  I’m excited to be a part of this program and glad to see a […]

The Dark Side of Philosophy

July 14, 2016 by

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I have spent some time thinking, writing and talking about how philosophers have valuable skills that are sorely needed outside academia (see www.mikesteiner.ca for relevant posts). I’ve also provided advice for how philosophers can sell themselves in order to get good jobs in the business world. In general, I’m a fan of philosophy and truly […]

New Contributor: Mike Steiner

July 13, 2016 by

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I had the pleasure of meeting Mike during his presentation for UCalgary grads on philosophy and the industry job market.  He shared valuable information concerning how to create a professional resume, explained the transferable skills one gains from philosophy, and ultimately demystified industry job postings and jargon.  Mike’s perspective on how philosophy translates outside of […]

Philosopher’s Cocoon: Seeking Philosophical Mentors

June 9, 2016 by

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Helen De Cruz and Marcus Arvan are seeking mentors for their Philosopher’s Cocoon Job-Market Mentoring Project. The philosophy job market is a tough place (I’ve applied to a few jobs over the past year or so) and this project seeks to help as much as a project can help during this difficult process. Below is a […]

Summer Productivity and Relaxation: We Really Can Have It All

May 25, 2016 by

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While thinking about how the month of May has zoomed by and engaging in a quasi-productive procrastination on the Daily Nous website, I conveniently stumbled upon a post concerning how to actually work during the summer. Here are some highlights from this hilarious, but scarily accurate article that truly resonated with my ‘summer self.’ Going […]

Philosophy and Industry: We Have Transferable Skills

May 20, 2016 by

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Over the last year I’ve been thinking about how to identify and present the transferable skills one gains from philosophy.  Recently Mike Steiner, a UCalgary alumnus, gave a presentation to grads in our department concerning his experience with the non-academic job market.  Mike demystified the process of applying for jobs in industry. Although many of […]