Author: nogre

The Practical Ontologist

I’ve launched a new website called The Practical Ontologist. From its about page: Every few hours a computer at a datacenter scans the web for new philosophical content. It then analyzes, processes, and formats the information. This creates an always updating website for easy perusal. I built this site to highlight all the public philosophy that is posted every single day online and as a way for people to discover philosophically oriented websites. While there […]

public philosophy stories 3: Red Hook

This happened at the end of last winter, in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Normally I am nowhere near Red Hook, first because it is near nothing else and also because it is turning more hipster by the day, if not minute. But I was grumpy, so I went and did something out of the ordinary. Now, there were two days that were unseasonably warm, just gorgeous, at the end of winter. This caught us New Yorkers […]

Calendar Fall 2016 Update

A few weeks into the semester and the calendar is packed with events (but no one seems to have told the admin of Rutgers Philosophy Dept. webpage). Traffic to the calendar has continued its slow and steadily rise, with a corresponding rise in repeat visitors, that is, people who come back to check for updates. So, hello to all you new and return users. Feedback is welcome, as are event submissions. I finally got around […]

public philosophy stories 2: Hitting Nirvana

A few weeks ago I was at the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library, at Grand Army Plaza. Like many such institutions, it is littered with lecterns holding massive dictionaries. There was one next to a help desk open to a random page. As I walk up, the staff member looks at me expectantly, but I randomly drop my finger down on the dictionary. I look down at where my finger landed, blink in […]

public philosophy stories, issue 1: Free Muffin

You only have so many skills when you’re 20. I was a few years past that when this happened, but didn’t look it. The cashier at the Brooklyn coffee shop was 20, though, and was caught in a spot of trouble. Some guy in his late 40s took issue with her SNITCH tattoo — Harry Potter, not gangster. He was over-educated and enjoying himself denigrating the book series. She couldn’t abandon her post, less her […]

winter/ spring 2016 calendar update

As per usual, lots of great philosophy talks. I’m still waiting on CUNY to update [updated Feb 1], which is unusual, since they are often first to publish their speaker list. Many departments and groups have been modernizing their websites, too, which is a step forward. Most are not quite there yet, and some departments, apparently, do not even control what goes on their webpage. In this, the 9th(!) year of the NYC Philosophy Calendar, […]

Update Fall 2015

It has been an interesting 2015 for me philosophically. I’ve been writing feverishly because I had something published — to my great surprise — in Analysis. Figure I need something to follow up with. The paper is a modified version of my post Punny Logic, from back in January, and was the top download of both June and July. If you have institutional access, you can click here, else click here for the preprint. Hopefully […]

The Tortoise and the HareLoon

[draft] Achilles glanced up from his writing atop the Tortoise[1] and exclaimed, “Look! The Hare has caught up.” “No,” said the Tortoise apprehensively, “that isn’t the Hare, but the Hare’s all too clever cousin, the HareLoon.” “A real HareLoon! I’ve only ever seen them in pictures.” “Don’t get so worked up. She is always in a hurry but I can never tell if she is coming or going.” “Ah, but you should know the HareLoon […]