Someone close to me is relocating soon to Raleigh (from greater Philly). Any opinions on it as a place to live?

We didn’t see this lingering price level effect in sentiment in the 80’s after the sharp drop in the inflation rate, correct? I wonder what accounts for the difference.

Mannequin Pussy: Tiny Desk Concert YouTube video by NPR Music

MP Tiny Desk! m.youtube.com/watch?v=mA_f...

My idea about how to interpret the ‘causal’ part of this differs from the brief discussion from the CST theorists offered here— I will write that up at some point.

Nice to have a digestible video all about Causal Set Theory. #physics #quantumgravity #philsci

youtu.be/5EoZE1rOHAo?...

Coming into the season with him in that spot shows a lack of seriousness.

Great discussion here. #philsci #philsky

Much needed new album from Surfbort! Dani Miller and the gang deliver catchy punk with lyrics that are droll, sometimes silly, but with tons of heart. #punkrock

www.todomusic.net/release/5555...

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Great article!

I think that work tracing the causal structure involved in the biological basis of agency/subjectivity is giving us a shot at this.
(I think trying to conceptualize qualities using formal/math models is a different kettle of fish - separating hard problem into 2 parts is helpful).

In an area (Q interps) where consensus is rare, there seems to be wide agreement that decoherence alone does not solve the measurement problem. I can’t quite tell if there is a new twist here?

Amazing that most of my favorite albums of the last 2 years were produced by this Philly guy!

This is a great event if you know any undergrads that might want to participate. #philsky

Shhh

If I never see a delayed handoff out of the gun again, that would be fine.

Jack Alan Reynolds & Jan Baedke, From Autopoiesis to Symbiotic Entanglement: Rethinking Enactivism Through Metabolism and Microbes - PhilPapers Enactivism has recently faced criticism for either leaning too heavily on philosophical speculation without clear scientific grounding, or relying on quite old empirical work in cognitive science, esp...

An interesting paper arguing that recent research on host-microbiome relations (= "holobiont") creates difficulties for the enactivist program's core notions of autopoesis and autonomy. Doesn't seem like an insuperable challenge, but some work is probably needed here. #philsky #philsci

I thought the reference was to a peer review comment!

2 early fouls sent him to the bench in the 1st.

Wow. This #Indiana football team is a remarkable sports story.

They are hunting Joel on defense.

Part 3

Part 2

I used to post a fair amount on my old blog in the early 2000's. Mostly philosophy but sometimes other topics, too. Here's an example from exactly 20 years ago. Appropriate for Xmas -- talks about reading books on the quest for the historical Jesus.
(unfortunately some of the links are kaput).

Great news

The Greater Philadelphia Philosophy Consortium Undergraduate Conference Call for Papers On April 18, 2026 the University of Delaware will host the 36th annual GPPC Undergraduate Conference. Undergraduates are invited to submit papers of less than 2000 words on any topic of philosophical interest. The deadline for paper submission is January 31, 2026. Notices of acceptance will be sent by March 1, 2026. Papers should be prepared as a PDF document to be reviewed anonymously. Please include a cover page with your name, university affiliation, and the paper title. Do not include any identifying information in the body of your paper, except for the title. Please send your papers & questions to: thegppc@gmail.com

Call for Papers!

On April 18, 2026, the University of Delaware will host the annual GPPC Undergraduate Conference. Papers (less than 2000 words) may be submitted on any topic of philosophical interest. The deadline for submission is 1/31/26. See additional information on the flyer.

I wonder if you are similarly skeptical about Wigner’s friend (and extended versions of it) where we imagine humans and labs in superposition?

Since I had put this out there I need to add one more: the Die Spitz debut album (from September). Powerful young band: 3 of the members trade off lead vocals and principal songwriting, covering multiple punk/hard rock styles. #punkrock

I do think 'panqualityism' is the more defensible cousin of panpsychism. This implies that one sees subjectivity/agency ultimately succumbing to scientific explanation, but also that the natural world has a qualitative character that outruns our abstract models of its causal web.

A short post for giving season.
stephenesser.com/top-charity-...