Oakland University Department of Philosophy

11/06/2019

Reminder: Please join us for a talk by Lindsay Brainard (Calvin College), "How to Explain How Possibly," 11/7 at 3PM, 225 Hannah Hall.

10/30/2019

Please join us for a talk by Lindsay Brainard (Calvin College), "How to Explain How Possibly," 11/7 at 3PM, 225 Hannah Hall.

10/24/2019

Oakland University students, join us!

10/17/2019

New course!

10/14/2019

10/08/2019

This week! Colloquium: Rosemary Twomey, Queens College CUNY will be presenting on "Final Causes in Aristotle's Psychology", Friday October 11th, 5PM, in 185 MSC

10/04/2019

mms.tveyes.com

Mark Rigstad, the chair of our philosophy department, spoke with WWJ News radio about the United Nations International Day of Non-Violence. You can hear the interview at the link below:

https://tinyurl.com/y24fwnpx

10/03/2019

Final Ethics Bowl at Oakland University.mpeg

Ethics Bowl, the movie, by Nicole Diroff and friends...
https://drive.google.com/file/d/18XlsY7MH33HxsnRgJsQAgvTAevyCZvwN/view

09/23/2019

OU, OUWB professors’ efforts to move the bar on clinical ethics practices gains Mayo Clinic support

OU, OUWB professors’ efforts to move the bar on clinical ethics practices gains Mayo Clinic support:

https://www.oakland.edu/oumagazine/news/OUWB/ou-ouwb-professors-efforts-to-move-the-bar-on-clinical-ethics-practices-gains-mayo-clinic-support

For the authors of “Treatment Over Objection — Moral Reasons for Reluctance,” the hope is to further the conversation about the requirements of humanistic medicine

09/18/2019

Colloquium: Rosemary Twomey, Queens College CUNY, will be presenting on "Final Causes in Aristotle's Psychology", Friday October 11th, 5PM, in 185 MSC.

08/19/2019

Drunk Metaphysics Memes from a Possible World

08/04/2019

Philosophy Camp 2.0 happened last week, and it was excellent! More posts to follow...

06/17/2019

OU's Philosophy Camp is still accepting registrants, and spots are filling up!

Last month our camp staff visited Avondale High School and led several classes through a series of questions designed to make them think critically about their lives and their beliefs. We're calling these brief visits "Philosophy Takeovers".

If you know someone who might be interested in Philosophy Camp, or if you know a teacher who wants her classroom taken over by philosophy undergrads -- yeah, we've got that.

Sign up for camp here: https://www.oakland.edu/phil/hs-outreach/

06/17/2019

Mark Cuban says studying philosophy may soon be worth more than computer science—here's why

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/20/mark-cuban-philosophy-degree-will-be-worth-more-than-computer-science.html

Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban explains why college students should consider a degree in philosophy over computer science.

05/31/2019

Can robots think? What are the rewards and dangers of AI? Are our minds computers? If so, what kind? Prof. McDonald is teaching an new online course on these topics, Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence, in Winter 2020.

05/21/2019

The era of "Philosophy Takeovers" has begun! A handful of philosophy undergrads at OU are visiting local high schools and taking over the classroom with the wisdom of ages. Let us know if you know a teacher who might be interested!

And tons of credit goes to Ian, Nicole, Quinn, Ciara, Maggie, and Sam!

AHS students in Rick Kreinbring's class and Colin Campbell's class were treated to a fascinating experience thanks to some Oakland University Philosophy students who walked our students through a discussion to demonstrate the value of critical thinking and making arguments. The OU students also made the point that philosophy is at the root of all learning and it has a place across all disciplines regardless of the specific area of study. Shout out to the OU students Samantha, Maggie and Nicole!

05/07/2019

oakland.edu

Oakland University Department of Philosophy News Letter:

https://oakland.edu/Assets/Oakland/phil/files-and-documents/PHL-19759_Connect_newsletter.pdf

04/28/2019

Teaching applied ethics — surveying the students.

Harry Brighouse shares student survey responses from his applied ethics courses…

http://crookedtimber.org/2019/04/28/teaching-applied-ethics-surveying-the-students/

I teach a standard Contemporary Moral Issues/Applied Ethics course once a year, usually in the Spring, in lecture format, usually with 80-100 students (but this year with 170). Normally about 70% o…

04/27/2019

Congratulations philosophy grads!

04/25/2019

Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence is being offered for the first time ever at OU, as an online course, in Winter 2020. Can a computer or robot think or be conscious? What do computers tell us about the nature of our own minds? What are the ethical implications of AI?

04/10/2019

Trust a better tool than shaming when it comes to changing anti-vaccine views, says OU professor

Oakland University Philosophy Professor Mark Navin appeared today on Stateside on NPR-Michigan Radio. In light of the current outbreak of measles in Michigan, Professor Navin discussed vaccine refusal:

https://www.michiganradio.org/post/trust-better-tool-shaming-when-it-comes-changing-anti-vaccine-views-says-ou-professor

The measles outbreak continues, and the number of cases in Michighan is climbing. There are now 41 cases confirmed to date in Oakland, Wayne, and Washtenaw

04/04/2019

Why ‘worthless’ humanities degrees may set you up for life

http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20190401-why-worthless-humanities-degrees-may-set-you-up-for-life

Why bother with degrees like History or English? Here’s why the liberal arts could leave you better prepared for employment than you think.

04/01/2019

04/01/2019

Explore questions about who you are and how your identity impacts your interaction with the world. Learn from college-level instructors in a week of philosophical discussion and interactive sessions.
More info at: https://www.oakland.edu/phil/hs-outreach/
Sign up at: https://tinyurl.com/y5dndnaq

03/31/2019

Interview: Professor Rob Sparrow and Professor Ron Arkin

https://www.abc.net.au/lateline/interview:-professor-rob-sparrow-and-professor-ron/8791428

David Lipson speaks to ethicist at Monash University Professor Rob Sparrow and Professor Ron Arkin, roboticist and robo-ethicist from Georgia Tech in the US about the rapid rate of growth in artificial intelligence and its implications.

03/25/2019

Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence is being offered for the first time ever at OU, as an online course, in Winter 2020. Can a computer or robot think or be conscious? What do computers tell us about the nature of our own minds? What are the ethical implications of AI?

03/23/2019

www.parrhesiajournal.org

“The Metaphysics of Dust” by Gaston Bachelard

http://www.parrhesiajournal.org/parrhesia31/parrhesia31_bachelard.pdf

03/21/2019

This Friday: OU Philosophy Colloquium—Chris Pincock (The Ohio State University), "Some Truths About Explanation & Idealization," Friday March 22 at 5PM in MSC 168.

03/17/2019

oakland.edu

Registration for classes begins tomorrow! Check out our 2019-2020 course offerings:

https://oakland.edu/Assets/Oakland/phil/files-and-documents/Brochure%201920%20Final%20Draft.pdf

03/15/2019

Leonard Bernstein’s Masterful Lectures on Music (11+ Hours of Video Recorded at Harvard in 1973)

http://www.openculture.com/2012/03/leonard_bernsteins_masterful_lectures_on_music.html

In 1972, the composer Leonard Bernstein returned to Harvard, his alma mater, to serve as the Charles Eliot Norton Professor of Poetry, with 'Poetry' being defined in the broadest sense.

03/13/2019

The second annual OU Philosophy Camp is coming up in July 2019. Spread the word, and encourage people to sign up!

Our theme is identity. What does it mean to have an “identity”? What sorts of questions arise from the notions of identity and change? How does your identity impact your interaction with the world? With Oakland’s outstanding faculty and undergraduate students we will search for answers through means of lecture, discussion, and recreational activity.

More information: https://www.oakland.edu/phil/hs-outreach/
Sign up for our mailing list: https://tinyurl.com/y5dndnaq

03/11/2019

Join Us! On Thursday March 28th at 7:30, Dr. Kwame Anthony Appiah will be our Burke Lecturer. Appiah is a world-renowned philosopher who will be focusing on the connection between identity and racism and how we can utilize our understanding of that connection to address racism in our society. Lecture at 7:30 Banquet Rooms of the OC. Reception to follow. (Call the philosophy department to RSVP or leave a comment!)

03/10/2019

Come join us Friday for Helga Varden on “Sex, Love, and Gender: A Kantian Theory.” 3/15, 4PM in 242 Elliott Hall. Co-sponsored by Oakland Women and Gender Studies.

03/07/2019

oakland.edu

Registration for classes starts soon! For more information on philosophy course offerings, see our 2019-2020 course brochure:

https://oakland.edu/Assets/Oakland/phil/files-and-documents/Brochure%201920%20Final%20Draft.pdf

02/25/2019

Einstein got it – philosophy and science do go hand in hand | Kenan Malik

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2019/feb/24/einstein-got-it-philosophy-and-science-do-go-hand-in-hand

Shame on those scientists who are unwilling to embrace the importance of philosophers

02/21/2019

Fixing Tech’s Ethics Problem Starts in the Classroom

https://www.thenation.com/article/teaching-technology-ethics-big-data-algorithms-artificial-intelligence/

In the age of big data, some universities are trying to train future technologists to consider the implications of tools before they’re used.

02/13/2019

Is philosophy simply harder than science?

"Most people don’t enjoy banging their heads against nasty paradoxes. It’s a dirty job, but someone has to do it. Given this, it is unsurprising that philosophical problems aren’t easy to settle. The difficulty of philosophy doesn’t stem from its peculiar subject matter or the inadequacy of its methods, but simply from the fact that it takes on the hard questions."

https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/public/philosophy-simply-harder-science/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1550069548

What’s the purpose of philosophy? Alfred North Whitehead characterized it as a series of footnotes to Plato. You can see his point. On the surface, we don’t seem to have progressed much in the two and a half millennia since Plato wrote his dialogues. Today’s philosophers still struggle with ma...

02/13/2019

The Oakland University Philosophy Department is participating in the OU Giving Challenge. We're competing with the University of Detroit Mercy to see who gives the most donations. And what's the best way to donate? Give to the philosophy department, of course!

When you give to the university, make sure to use one of the following fund numbers:

Philosophy Department Gifts: 37524
Philosophy Department Scholarship Gift Fund: 30055

https://www.oakland.edu/givingchallenge/

02/12/2019

‘If Man is dead, everything is possible!’ – an early interview with Michel Foucault | Aeon Videos

‘If Man is dead, everything is possible!’ – an early interview with Michel Foucault | Aeon Videos

Roughly a decade before publishing his two most famous treatises on power – Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison (1975) and The History of Sexuality, Volume One (1976) – the French philosopher Michel Foucault rose to prominence with The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human Scie...

01/31/2019

Why Americans Are the Weirdest People in the World

https://psmag.com/social-justice/joe-henrich-weird-ultimatum-game-shaking-up-psychology-economics-53135

Joe Henrich and his colleagues are shaking the foundations of psychology and economics—and hoping to change the way social scientists think about human behavior and culture.

01/22/2019

Best of Philosophy | Journals | Oxford Academic

Oakland University philosophy professor Joyce Havstad is featured in the Best of 2018 list from Oxford University Press. OUP has recognized her article "Messy Chemical Kinds," published in The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, as one of the very best articles published in that journal in 2018. Congratulations to Professor Havstad!

https://academic.oup.com/journals/pages/best_of_philosophy

Explore a roundup of the best of recent philosophy scholarship. As 2018 draws to a close we’re taking a look back over a year of publishing and have curated this reading list of each journal's most popular 2018 articles.

01/09/2019

Make a Gift

Oakland University has a Center for Ethics. You can donate to it here: https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1001/04-giving/index.aspx?sid=1001&gid=4&pgid=1902&cid=4186&appealcode=WSCU&dids=2970

01/04/2019

WINTER 2019 COLLOQUIUM SERIES

Friday, January 18, 5:00-7:00 p.m. MSC 168
Aleksy Tarasenko-Struc "Objectification & Domination"

Tuesday, February 26, 12:00-12:50 p.m. - 372 MSC, (11:30-12:00 p.m. 368 MSC, refreshments and conversation) Sharon Berry, "Mathematical Knowledge and the Access Problem"

Friday, March 15, 4:00-6:00 p.m. EH 242 Helga Varden, "Sex, Love & Gender: A Kantian Theory"

Tuesday, March 19, 5:00-7:00 p.m. MSC 168 Hartry Field, Title TBD

Friday, March 22, 5:00-7:00 p.m. Location MSC 168
Chris Pincock, "Some Truths About Explanation & Idealization"

Friday, April 19, 5:00-7:00 p.m. Oakland Center, Ambassador A, Geoffrey Hellman, "Extending the Iterative Conception of Set: A Height-Potentialist Perspective"

12/31/2018

The Philosopher Redefining Equality

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/01/07/the-philosopher-redefining-equality

Elizabeth Anderson thinks we’ve misunderstood the basis of a free and fair society.

12/30/2018

I know how she feels. Do I therefore know what it's like to be a bat?

https://organizations.utep.edu/portals/1475/nagel_bat.pdf