ICYMI (Philosophy) Daily Digest report

As much as I am relieved that much attention has been brought to Israel's siege on Gaza (and Russia's invasion of Ukraine), I am saddened that the deaths of so many other innocent people in war, conflict, and ethnic cleansing, do not make the top of the fold of the newspaper.

The Civil War in Myanmar continues, with the humanitarian situation spiraling out of control, 180,000 people have already died since the war broke out a few years ago: https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2024/03/myanmar-human-rights-situation-has-morphed-never-ending-nightmare

Sudan may also be headed toward a partially man-made famine (just as in Gaza), due to the Civil War there: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/24/world/africa/sudan-civil-war-atrocities-un.html

170 people, including women and children, were reported executed by Islamist militias in Burkina Faso: https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/04/africa/dozens-executed-three-burkina-faso-villages-intl/index.html

Back as an undergrad, I remember taking a communications class where the slogan of the teacher was always 'The media can't tell you what to think, but it can tell you what to think *about*'. (Of course now I'd add: What you more frequently think about changes what you think.)

It's a good lesson to keep in mind when directing our political energies.
[Of course followers of this account will know that I am very concerned about what is going on in Gaza! This isn't intended as 'whataboutism'.]

This coming Thursday, March 7, 2024, 3:30pm MST: The Calgary Mathematics and Philosophy lecture will be delivered by David Spivak (Topos Institute): "How Can Math Promote Life?" Hybrid event; abstract and registration at https://ucalgary.ca/mathphil/

Latest papers: Stefano Vincini takes a sympathetic approach toward Campbell’s relationalism and provides support by means of a naturalistic theory of the individuation of joint-attentional states https://doi.org/10.1080/09515089.2024.2318421 @psychology #philosophy

Here's a Sadler's Lectures podcast episode on an important topic Kant discusses early on in his Prolegomena: what's the relation between that work & his earlier Critique of Pure Reason?

https://soundcloud.com/gregorybsadler/immanuel-kant-prolegomena-the-prolegomena-and-the-first-critique
#Kant #Podcast #Critique #Prolegomena #Metaphysics #Critique #Reason

Interesting short essay on some of A.E. Van Vogt's works, his approach, and his background. Read it for the first time today

https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/fix-up-artist-the-chaotic-sf-of-a-e-van-vogt/

Not saying I'd simply start shooting myself. But . . after the second time some young wannabe tough guys started talking smack about grabbing our old dog Amica when we were out at night for last outs, I started carrying a spring-loaded baton here when I'd walk her

“None the less the financial factor in the conduct of the modern university is continually growing in importance, and very serious problems arise in adjusting this factor to strict educational ideals. Money is absolutely indispensable as a means. But it is only a means. The danger lies in the difficulty of making money adequate as a means, and yet keeping it in its place—not permitting it to usurp any of the functions of control which belong only to educational purposes.” — John Dewey, “Academic Freedom” (1902, MW 2: 63)

There's been a big update to the SEP article on provability logic

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/logic-provability/

A classic shot from Caroline Coon’s collection ‘Nothing to Lose: Punk 1970s’ pub by Cafe Royal Books

www.caferoyalbooks.com

Clare Carlisle is giving the 2024 Gifford Lectures at St Andrews, from Tuesday March 19. The series is entitled “Transcendence for Beginners: Life Writing and Philosophy”

Further details can be found here: https://gifford.wp.st-andrews.ac.uk/gifford-lectures-2024/

BSPS || The Function of Biochemical Functions | Francesca Bellazzi

https://www.thebsps.org/short-reads/the-function-of-biochemical-functions-bellazzi/

You know how a throw/scarf (in this case a hap) slowly grows with each row, and at the end it takes half an hour to knit one row... and then you get to the edge of the pattern, and it has one row of kfb in EACH stitch, and after that another 12 rows of k1p1 in slight variations, before bind-off...

This is going to take some #knitting!

Especially as I made the largest size, even added some rows because I'm afraid it will come out too small to really wrap myself in it... being a XL size person.

Freude? Keine Zeit!

Erholung muss auch warten.

Lebensentscheidungen ebenfalls.

Wissenschaft hat Priorität!

Wer dauernd wichtige Dinge aufschiebt, stellt später leider oft fest: Sie lassen sich nicht mehr nachholen.

Mein Plädoyer gegen das Aufschieben von Erfreulichem: Heute in meinem Newsletter! #ArbeitInDerWiss

https://open.substack.com/pub/arbeitinderwissenschaft/p/besser-jetzt-als-nie-warum-wir-freude?r=26dsaw&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

When my oldest turns 4, she is to say goodbye to her toddler-group and go to the real school... and tradition is that they give small gifts to the other children and the teachers.

I am thinking about making each child one of these small donuts. And add a package of raisins or something.

Maybe too much work? One hour per donut...

#knitting @knitting

@knitting

Free pattern by the way, only I'm using DK yarn on 3.5mm needles instead, as my aim is not having super small ones. Although still small enough as small presents.

Ravelry link: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tiny-little-doughnut

For those of you in or near #Leuven, we are organizing our yearly #Philosophy Festival on Saturday 30th of March, with a program in Dutch & English.
I will be having a conversation with writer and naturalist Helen Macdonald. You might know them from 'H is for Hawk' or the recent science fiction novel 'Prophet' (coauthored with Sin Blaché): https://hiw.kuleuven.be/apps/CMS/feestvandefilosofie/conversation-helen-macdonald-sylvia-wenmackers/
Full program and ticket info: https://hiw.kuleuven.be/apps/CMS/feestvandefilosofie/
:boost_requested: #FeestVanDeFilosofie #KULeuven