Been inactive on this platform for a while, but it looks like a critical mass of people from the other place might be making their way over in the next days/weeks. Cautiously optimistic that we can get a good thing going over here!
Cartoon of Maxwell’s Demon.
Maxwell's Demon was born OTD in 1867 in a letter to Peter Guthrie Tait. M called it only a “finite being.”
Lord Kelvin named it a “demon,” presumably referring to its apparently unearthly power to (locally and temporarily) violate the second law of thermodynamics.
#HistSci #philsci #complexity🧪
It’s such a joy to see students engage deeply with and take ownership of course material!
One of my students is writing what’s shaping up to be a brilliant paper: drawing on their knowledge of organic chemistry (which they know much better than I!) and arguing against a fundamentalist reduction of ochem to physics using material by Nancy Cartwright that we discussed in class.
In class today we talked about how to write a philosophy paper, and at the end we read through and critiqued a paper I wrote my freshman year of undergrad. Once the students overcame their diffidence it was SO much fun—will definitely do this again in future semesters
Screenshot of a tweet from MC Hammer about Don Howard’s article “Albert Einstein as a Philosopher of Science”
MC Hammer has a track record of good taste when it comes to philosophy of science—his mention of @donhoward.bsky.social has become an important part of Notre Dame HPS lore.
Just received an amazing email from a senior scholar re: dissertation related things. I’m so grateful for those who invest their time, energy, and talent in supporting those of us who are just getting started in philosophy.
Yep! Excited that Don is joining us here 🔵🌤️
A black and white cat with green eyes lying on a wooden chair in the sunshine
Annie says hi! Rest well!
Thank you for sharing this, Rachel! I love it!
I saw a particularly egregious example of p-hacking recently. I always think back to the FiveThirtyEight p-hacking simulator that shows just how easy it is to do. projects.fivethirtyeight.com/p-hacking/
Autumnal baked good round 2: sourdough pumpkin bread. So incredibly good I didn’t get a picture before we’d eaten almost half of it. Trust me on this one, sourdough friends. littlespoonfarm.com/sourdough-pu...
Evelyn Fox Keller was one of the first women in HPS whose work I encountered, and she remains an inspiration for me. May she rest in peace.
alas. Perhaps in your meditations you will realize that despite the loyalties you feel to both, ND is clearly more beloved by God and therefore worthy of your support today
Baked pumpkin maple scones for tonight’s football game watch. Autumn is officially here 🍂
sent two papers off for review in the last 24 hours! Obviously this is not a sustainable pace but the serotonin levels are off the charts
praying for her (and for you)! 🙏
Lorelai Gilmore saying “I need coffee in an IV”
pbs.twimg.com/media/DCEFFG...
You got this Rachel! 🙌🔥
but what if the vibes *are* the content?
(my answer, for the record: Google Plus)
Painting of the Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio
Today is the feast of St Matthew! Every time I return to this depiction of him, I find more to contemplate.
Some of my favorite things besides philosophy are exploring the Midwestern outdoors, South Bend local history, baking, gardening, and liturgical music. Hence my cover photo: the St Joseph river, one of my very favorite places to be!
Hi Bluesky! A bit about me:
I’m in the 4th year of my PhD in History and Philosophy of Science at Notre Dame. I work on idealization in scientific models (with some crossover into aesthetics too!) and also have a deep love for the history of natural philosophy (spanning the past few millennia!)