you pull him out of the chair and drag him across the street?
Jody McIntyre was pulled from his wheelchair twice; Jender has a link to the same one as that below, though from a clearer point of view. It is horrific. The clip below goes onto an interview that is well worth watching.
One could weep:
The irony here is too much. But here goes.
CFP: Copenhagen Conference on Epistemic Inclusiveness and Trust
Their starting point: “It is sometimes maintained that increased inclusiveness on part of epistemic practices generally leads to decreased accuracy of output. This idea, moreover, fuels the intuition that, were it not for important moral and political reservations, the proper approach to all matters epistemic would be that of a minority of entrenched experts….[But] Surely, the relation between inclusiveness and accuracy cannot be a strictly inverse one; matters have to be more complicated than that.”
(2) Two of my favorites among the questions they pose:
(a) what is the relation between … the inclusion of traditionally marginalized groups in the sciences and scientific progress?
(b) in contexts where there is something to the idea that increased inclusiveness leads to decreased accuracy, how are we to think about the role that trust plays for those excluded from epistemic practices upon which they may, nevertheless, have to depend upon epistemically?
Confirmed speakers include Alvin Goldman (Rutgers), Paul Faulkner (Sheffield), Ronald de Sousa (Toronto), Kirk Michaelian (Jean-Nicod), and Duncan Pritchard (Edinburgh).
One wonders if they know the extent to which excellent women philosophers have addressed these questions? There is a call for papers (see link), so one could go with the intention of taking them on. NOT my idea of fun.
Republicans and conservative Democrats blocked a provision in the Defense Authorizations bill that would have begun the process of repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. But there is still another path to repealing this discriminatory policy.
A standalone bill to allow gay, lesbian and bisexual service members to serve with integrity has been introduced in the Senate–and we have the necessary votes to pass repeal if we can bring this bill to the floor.
The Senate is scheduled to adjourn within days. If they do so without repealing Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the prospects for a legislative repeal grow dim
Go here to sign.
You might have missed it, with all the news of attacks on the Prince’s car. But the UK police have been behaving appallingly– among other things, causing brain damage then not helping the victim to get medical attention, and pulling a journalist out of his wheelchair.
Enraging.
Students Found to Lie on Course Evaluations
A new study of students at the University of Northern Iowa and Southeastern Oklahoma University has found that about one-third of students said that they had been untruthful on faculty evaluations they submit at the end of courses, The Des Moines Register reported. While students admitted to fudging the truth both to bolster professors they liked and to bring down those they disliked, the latter kind of fabrication was more common.
Have your say here.
UPDATE: The comments on this post contain some pretty decisive criticisms of what Ms says below. Do have a look.
…these are the lessons My Little Pony teaches girls:
* Magical white ponies are suited for leadership; black ponies are suited to be servants.
* Stop learning! You will overcome any obstacle by resorting to strength in numbers (of friends).
* Girls that wear rainbows are butch.
* You need the government (ideally a monarch invested with supreme ultimate power and a phallic symbol strapped to her forehead) to tell you what to do with your life.
Perhaps not a good seasonal gift idea, then. How about people put some good alternative suggestions in comments?
(Thanks, Jender-Parents!)
Help make this song the UK’s Christmas Number One by buying it on i-Tunes. Proceeds will go to groups hard-hit by the cuts.
For more, go here.
Feminist Philosophers 