Geoffrey Ferrari's blog

Useful advice here.

An excerpt from the article:

What is a thesis? It is a proposition, expressed in a declarative sentence. Here are some examples of theses:

Contrary to popular opinion, David Hume and Immanuel Kant have almost identical views on the role of the mind in empirical knowledge. [This is the thesis of my doctoral dissertation]

God is dead.

God is not dead; he has just been on vacation.

In all situations, I am morally obliged to choose the act that will produce the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people.

Here are some examples of things that are not theses:

Kant and Hume on the role of the mind in empirical knowledge

Nietzsche's view of religion

Act utilitarianism

Each of these is a topic, not a thesis. You cannot write a dissertation defending a topic.

Today (9th July) is the deadline for registering for the 2010 British Postgraduate Philosophy Conference. Details and registration form are online at www.dur.ac.uk/bppa.2010 and you can email your forms to bppa.2010@durham.ac.uk

The registration fee is just *twenty pounds* and includes bed and breakfast and lunch for the duration of the conference, plus the conference dinner and wine reception.

PhD Research Stipend

£13,290 p.a. + tuition fees waiver (full time, 3 years)

Reminder - Closing date for applications: 24 March 2010

An exciting opportunity for postgraduate research has arisen within
the Social Ethics Research Group at the University of Wales, Newport.
The successful candidate will undertake a PhD and participate in the
RESPECT Project, an international and interdisciplinary research
programme funded through the European Commission's Seventh Framework
Programme. We are looking to appoint an enthusiastic and motivated
individual with a strong interest in contemporary academic debates
about respect, tolerance, equality and diversity, and their
application to issues of pressing social and political concern.

For all your philosophy conferences and calls for papers needs, check out http://philosophycfp.blogspot.com/.

A permanent link to this site is now available under the Planet Philosophy menu above. Please note that http://philosophycfp.blogspot.com/ has no affiiliation with the BPPA. It just seems like a very worthwhile resource.

 Critical Legal Conference

10-12 September, Utrecht 2010

 Call for paper and stream proposals

 

“Great Expectations”

Multiple Modernities of Law

 

Keynote speaker: Professor Gunther Teubner

 

Constitutionalising polycontexturality” 

 

For more information, check: 

www.uu.nl/criticallegalconference2010 

 

or email: Bald de Vries or Lyana Francot 

u.devries@uu.nll.francot@uu.nl

 

CUP have made freely available a pdf of D.H. Mellors' classic book, "Matters of Metaphysics". It's available here, and I, for one, am thrilled!

The University of York is pleased to invite applications for the following postgraduate scholarships in Philosophy:

  • One AHRC funded studentship at Doctoral (PhD) level in Philosophy or Political Philosophy
  • Two Graduate Teaching Scholarships for PhD students. These scholarships are tenable for up to three years, subject to satisfactory performance and academic progress. Successful applicants will receive £6,000 p.a. plus fee waiver at the home rate and teach up to 6 hours a week of seminars and tutorials to first-year undergraduates.
  • Two Masters scholarships, one for the MA in Philosophy, Theology and Ethics and one for the MA in the Philosophy of Art and Literature.

How to apply for the AHRC studentship (Closing date 1st March 2010):
http://www.york.ac.uk/graduatestudy/finance/pg_ahrc.htm

How to apply for the MA scholarships (Closing date 30th April 2010):
http://www.york.ac.uk/graduatestudy/finance/pg_master.htm