dgswaim

Plan L*: Die, reincarnate, re-start decision tree.

I got a hit from some person in Alaska right after I created my account. I know nobody in Alaska. I wouldn't read too much into it.

In all honesty, I probably spend a year adjuncting and working on a killer writing sample and studying to max out the stupid gre and then try one more time. I have one more go left in me if this round doesn't work out, but after that I'll pack up my toys and go home.

It's actually tomorrow morning. I'll be skyping with Anjan Chakravartty (which is terrifying, since he's literally my philosophical idol).

MTV's the real world. Putting a lot of eggs in that basket if this doesn't work out.

Just got an email from ND HPS informing me that they want to interview me to get a better sense of my specific research interests, as they felt that what I'd indicated as my areas of interest in my personal statement were fairly broad. I'm still alive! WOOHOO!!!

Someone posted a Interview for Notre Dame HPS. It was not me. Time keeps ticking away and away, and still no email for an interview. Pretty disappointing. This is my dream program.

Awesome! Still hate Urban Meyer, though.

FSU: I am single and looking.

Someone posted an FSU acceptance. Anyone claiming? I'd be interested in anymore details.

I just looked at your 2016 predictions,and thought you'd like to know that Mizzou will likely come out significantly later than predicted. The DGS there sent an email to applicants a couple weeks back saying they were extending the deadline for applications to Feb 20.

I'm pretty chill about it too. I mean, I figure I'll either get accepted and so go and get a PhD and really get my career started as an academic, or I'll get shut out and go on a murderous rampage. Either way I get to have new experiences, which is nice.

I went with a 12-pager. In trying to make an impression, my intuition was that a compact argument might be to my advantage. Easier to hold the whole argument in one's head that way. Or, that's my rationalization anyway, and I'm sticking to it!

How long is said list? I find that academics usually have a completed infinity of things on their to read list... and, paradoxically, that that completed infinity just grows. Certainly rings true in my case.

Kneale & Kneale, The Development of Logic. Read it. It's the shiznaz.

It's funny to me that you think my drinking is conditional on just deserts........

Working on my thesis and reading "The Expanse" series.

I take the article as confirmation of my null hypothesis of human societies: Nobody actually knows what they're doing or why they're doing it.

I can't imagine that they'd be too much concerned with that.

Seems like a legitimate concern. Ted Sider and Jill North both leaving at the same time (and both to Rutgers, iirc) was a pretty big blow to the department. Richard Boyd has done some interesting stuff in metaphysics (esp. his stuff on theory of reference), but he's getting up there in years. I wanted to apply to Cornell until I found out that Sider and North were leaving. I think those were the two best and most exciting members of the department.

The worst part of being done with my applications is that I have no excuse not to work on my MA thesis.

I'd start canvassing support early in the semester. I'd put out "feelers"in September to see if you get the notion that your profs. will be writing strong letters. I'd ask formally by no later than mid October.

I can try to give an impression of what was in my signature, too. I've already said that my interests are in history and philosophy of biology, general philosophy of science, logic, and metaphysics. I'm interested in the intersection of science and religion, and philosophical theology, too, but less so as time goes on. I completed my BA in 2013 at a small LAC. Had decent success applying to grad school in 2014, and I'm now starting my 2nd year in the MA program at LSU. My thesis work is a critique of versions of naturalized metaphysics that take the unification of science as the basic task of metaphysics, especially in the work of James Ladyman and Don Ross. I'm applying to LOTS of programs. In (roughly) descending order based on interest, the list is as follows: Notre Dame (HPS), U. of Indiana (HPS), Princeton (LPS), Duke, UC Davis, UPenn, Arizona State (HPS), U. of Wisconsin, U. of British Columbia, U. Maryland, U. Minnesota, U. of Utah, U. of Cincinnati, U. of Missouri, Florida State, UT Austin, U. of Washington, U. of South Florida, U. of Oklahoma

Also, why did they get rid of signatures? That's kind of annoying.

That should say Andre Ariew, not Roger. Roger Ariew is at South Florida.