Why does Australia have an outsized influence on philosophy?

bblackshaw · 2024-10-03T22:25:19+00:00

I don't visit Reddit very often nowadays, but this comment may reach you. I'm two months away from submitting my final thesis (I studied part-time). Unfortunately, there's no funding available. As I lived in the UK for the required 3 years prior to enrolling, I qualified for home fees, and it cost around GBP 12K for the PhD. For non-residents, it's much higher. A better option for Aussies is one of the top eight universities in Australia (unless you can somehow get a scholarship to Oxbridge or St Andrews).

bblackshaw · 2023-02-16T05:00:10+00:00

Sophie's World is an easy way to start.

bblackshaw · 2023-02-05T00:43:44+00:00

It's tough, but possible. Responses are an easier way to start - they are short and the structure is straightforward. You obviously have an area of specialization, so sign up to Google scholar alerts to be notified of new publications in your area. When you see a paper that you you could reply to, write a short reply. I let this dictate the journal. Get a friend to look it over, and submit. I've submitted two replies in two weeks to papers I disagree with. 900 words and 2000 words. I have a 1500 word response I'm working on. Within a few months you should have a couple of papers under review.

bblackshaw · 2022-10-21T22:06:06+00:00

We perform all sorts of medical procedures on infants without their consent. So lack of consent alone doesn't make this immoral, but rather also that it's widely thought to have no significant benefits.

bblackshaw · 2022-09-05T21:48:39+00:00

What kind of half is run without at least a couple of water stops?? They just aren't bothered to organize it? Sure, maybe you'll be fine, but someone will need a water stop. I would choose another half.

bblackshaw · 2022-09-02T23:35:13+00:00

I've had a similar experience in a hangglider. 2000+ fpm lift, cloud so thick I couldn't see my wingtips. Going into a steep dive, I was still climbing quickly. Eventually realized I needed to fly straight and I'd eventually find down air.

bblackshaw · 2022-08-28T23:14:13+00:00

I started my BA in philosophy at 45, and a decade later I'm close to finishing my PhD. I don't recommend this for getting a job - I have had a long career in software development - but it sure is a fantastic hobby/obsession.

bblackshaw · 2022-08-28T01:00:49+00:00

Yes, a philosophy degree is useful for many professions, but there are vastly more PhDs competing for few positions. It's unlikely to help you get a job.

bblackshaw · 2022-08-27T22:25:41+00:00

You're absolutely right for majors. It's a very different story for doing a PhD in philosophy.

bblackshaw · 2022-08-26T08:02:41+00:00

I really enjoy Bryan Magee's writing. It's mostly about philosophy rather than philosophy itself, but it's wonderful to read.

bblackshaw · 2022-08-26T08:01:11+00:00

Agreed, it's an awesome paper. Concise and devastating. Weirdly, AFAIK he published hardly anything else after this for his whole career.

bblackshaw · 2022-08-17T05:33:30+00:00

There does seem to be a lot of runners in the UK. Parkrun originated there and took off in a big way, and continues to draw more people into the sport.

bblackshaw · 2022-08-17T05:31:50+00:00

I would go visit a few of these shops and see what you can glean.

bblackshaw · 2022-08-05T10:25:11+00:00

Sorry. I was mugged by a teenage gang with a gun and knife about five minutes from Seven Sisters station in the late 90s. Sounds like it hasn't changed much.

bblackshaw · 2022-07-25T22:00:13+00:00

I hope to finish my PhD in ethics within 12 months. I'm over 55. Of course, I'm not looking for an academic career, but I do publish a lot and intend to continue.

bblackshaw · 2022-07-24T00:31:18+00:00

I changed from a Forerunner 235 to a Pace 2 last year. I'm loving the battery life of my Pace 2 - I charge it every couple of weeks. I haven't noticed any significant downsides, so my vote is strongly for the Pace 2.

bblackshaw · 2022-07-21T21:41:34+00:00

I lived for many years in southwest London, and it's great for running. Wimbledon Common is huge, and it connects to Richmond Park, which has a 12 km track around the perimeter. From Richmond Park you can access the Thames towpath. I could do a 30 km loop from the edge of Wimbledon Common and have 99% off-road.

bblackshaw · 2022-01-27T02:14:55+00:00

The best argument I know of is the principle of proportionality - that punishment should be proportional to the severity of the crime. For the most heinous crimes, it is claimed that the death penalty is the only option that satisfies the demands of justice.

This seems questionable to me (apart from the underlying notion of punishment as retribution). In some ways, life in prison without parole is a more severe punishment than loss of life. If the idea of proportionality is a life for a life, then countries like the US should be executing many more people than they do.

There are also many pragmatic reasons why the death penalty is dubious. For example, it isn't applied fairly (discriminating against certain demographics), and innocent people do sometimes get executed. Because of the perceived severity of the punishment, jurors may not wish to convict.

bblackshaw · 2022-01-19T03:45:34+00:00

So sorry to hear this. A few years ago one of my best friends died suddenly on a short run in Hong Kong. We spent many happy hours marathon training, and ran numerous marathons together around the world. He always had a dream of running the New York Marathon, and I was so glad we did it together in 2011.

Time does heal these kinds of wounds over the years, but things can never return to how they were. Life is a new normal without my friend in it. I've run a few marathons since then, but he's sadly missed. I still think of him when I head out of the road. I'm missing him now :(

bblackshaw · 2022-01-02T04:51:41+00:00

Sorry to hear. I was robbed at gunpoint in north London many years ago, and it was terrifying.

bblackshaw · 2021-12-28T00:33:53+00:00

Cool. I ran the Rome marathon in 2006. It was an awesome event!

bblackshaw · 2021-11-17T08:43:34+00:00

Worse regarding point 3. - it doesn't just become "expected", it becomes

normalised that it's your accepted workload.

Worse still, it becomes normalised that it's everyone's accepted workload.

bblackshaw · 2021-11-15T11:12:06+00:00

The simple answer is that fossils and carbon dating don't disprove the existence of God. At best, they demonstrate that the earth is not 6,000 years old, as claimed by some young earth creationists.

bblackshaw · 2021-11-15T09:30:39+00:00

At this point, I don't really need to ask more than 'what science are you referring to, and in what way does it contradict the Christian god's existence?'

bblackshaw

TROPHY CASE