14 Takeaways from the Virtual Pacific APA 14 Takeaways from the Virtual Pacific APA Colin Marshall, University of Washington (Last edited: 4/17/2026) I had the honor of serving as Program Chair for this year’s Pacific APA conference, which ...

Some thoughts about virtual conferencing - focused on the Pacific APA (which I chaired), but some of the points may extend to other professional organizations.

At our department's APA Watch Party now - a few undergrads, grad students, and faculty all eating cookies and watching Duncan Pritchard talk about AI and education. Done right, an online conference can build community.

I'm doing one at the University of Washington, with inspiration from: blog.apaonline.org/2025/12/04/our-apa-central-watch-party-experience/

Host a Watch Party. 2026 APA Pacific Division Virtual Meeting April 8-12. Watch party registration is available to philosophy departments, clubs, and other groups.

Register to host a watch party for your philosophy department, club, or other group during the Pacific Division meeting! Watch party registration is just $100 until March 30. Learn more: bit.ly/4rbpD12 #APAPacific26

Thanks for sharing this, Carrie, and for agreeing to be part of it. This is going to be an important session - I hope you and others feel free to speak candidly about the APA's decision, and what the (ethically) best way forward is.

The book cover is out! This project consumed much of my brain for several years, and I learned a ton working on it.

Thanks so much, Amy!!! (The official release is in Sept., but the Intro is on PhilArchive).

The APA's decision to cancel was procedurally questionable, at best. Hundreds of APA members petitioned in favor of the experiment, which was ended ahead of schedule. There was no survey or general discussion about the decision to cancel.

An eye-opening article from a friend of mine about the left / right divide. I found it really illuminating, especially in explaining some of the contempt between the two.

The final post in our series on why various philosophers support virtual conferences. This one is by the amazing Kino Zhao, and get to the heart one of the key questions I've wrestled with...

I Renounced My Affiliation & Came Out | I Changed My Mind Ep. 5 YouTube video by Brief But Spectacular

A really powerful story about persuasion, with great reflections about identity, kindness, compassion, and confrontation. Definitely worth ~20 minutes of your day.

I can't find an appropriate emoji for this. Maybe a mix between a barf face and an eye-roll?

That's great - congrats, David!!!

Fellow academics: Ever considered doing a Watch Party for a virtual conference? Last February, Mark Brennan organized an extremely successful watch party for undergrads at Northern Virginia Community College. I asked him how he pulled it off - here's his answer. blog.apaonline.org/2025/12/04/o...

A really nice post by Jenna Donohue on virtual conferences. She focuses on the American Philosophical Association's 2026 Pacific meeting, though her points generalize.

Are virtual conferences a good idea? A short, co-authored dialogue laying out some of the ethical issues:

How Jane Goodall's Explanation for Persuading People Who Disagree With You Is Backed by Science Beyond her many scientific contributions, she was also a model for how to communicate across differences.

How Jane Goodall’s Explanation for Persuading People Who Disagree With You Is Backed by Science

Beyond her many scientific contributions, she was also a model for how to communicate across differences.

www.inc.com/jessica-stil...

Academia.edu - Find Research Papers, Topics, Researchers Academia.edu is the platform to share, find, and explore 50 Million research papers. Join us to accelerate your research needs & academic interests.

Thanks for the heads-up about this. I just deleted my academia[dot]edu account.

Very understandable, Samantha. Can I make a plug for the 2026 Pacific APA, though, which will be virtual? I agreed to be the Program Chair for it, in part, because the virtual format offers the only opportunity for some philosophers to network.

What’s Brewing for the 2026 Pacific APA Online Conference The APA Pacific Division Program Committee and Executive Committee are working diligently to make the 2026 Pacific Division Meeting (held online only April 8–12, 2026) to be more than just the in-pers...

Philosophers: the 2026 Pacific APA has some new submission options. If you've got some early-stage projects, please consider submitting something for 'Workshop' or 'Lightning' sessions. We're trying out new ways of making the online APA meeting useful to as many people as possible.

Young Schopenhauer. Old Schopenhauer would have goaded his followers into doing it for him.

Thanks, Karl! And thanks for your awesome chapter.

American academics: is your university or department doing anything to improve its public image? We have a PR problem, but it seems like a fixable one: it's just a myth that we're brainwashing the youth with CRT or Marxism.

Why Are Liberal Professors More Conservative On Campus? (guest post) - Daily Nous "Academics pride themselves on critical thinking and intellectual virtues. But intellectual honesty demands that we recognize when we are applying principles selectively." In the following guest post,...

A provocative and thoughtful post by @joshdmay.bsky.social

Thanks, Neil! I reposted with (I think) a working link.

Empathy can take a toll – but 2 philosophers explain why we should see it as a strength Empathy affords us a more accurate understanding of others’ experiences and emotions. Just like pain, it can be hard to bear – but that’s also the source of its strength.

A short, co-authored piece with Emad Atiq, giving a metaethical response to recent criticisms of empathy from Musk and others.

Empathy can take a toll – but 2 philosophers explain why we should see it as a strength Empathy affords us a more accurate understanding of others’ experiences and emotions. Just like pain, it can be hard to bear – but that’s also the source of its strength.

theconversation.com/empathy-can-...

"human stupidity, perversity, and depravity appear in every country in a different form... Disgusted with one, we praise another, until we become disgusted with that one too. - Every nation mocks the other, and all are right." -Schopenhauer

Academics: My university (UW) recently hatched a plan for widespread layoffs of department-level staff. The plan is both immoral and imprudent. But it's bringing faculty, staff, and students together in ways I've never seen before...

So sorry to hear this!