Joel A. Van Fossen
@joelvanfossen.bsky.social
Assistant Professor of Philosophy, department of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies (Hosei University). I work on ethics, love, aesthetics, and the history of philosophy.
Pinned
‘Ideally, a person reflects on the reasons they have for loving certain persons and not others, and this reflection allows for the discovery of a deeper, more valuable love.’ buff.ly/3bnLSN9
Photo by Leonard Freed/Magnum.
Photo by Leonard Freed/Magnum.
Check out my article on love and practical wisdom in @psyche.co
Reposted by Joel A. Van Fossen
Rawlsian heterosexual who dates both genders because their own gender is hidden behind the veil of ignorance.
July 13, 2025 at 9:36 AM
Rawlsian heterosexual who dates both genders because their own gender is hidden behind the veil of ignorance.
Reposted by Joel A. Van Fossen
My statement on Donald Trump's threat to deport me and his praise for Eric Adams, who the President "helped out" of legal accountability.
July 1, 2025 at 9:01 PM
My statement on Donald Trump's threat to deport me and his praise for Eric Adams, who the President "helped out" of legal accountability.
Check out my article on love and practical wisdom in @psyche.co
‘Ideally, a person reflects on the reasons they have for loving certain persons and not others, and this reflection allows for the discovery of a deeper, more valuable love.’ buff.ly/3bnLSN9
Photo by Leonard Freed/Magnum.
Photo by Leonard Freed/Magnum.
March 31, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Check out my article on love and practical wisdom in @psyche.co
RIP Robert Paul Wolff
Besides his books and blog, there’s an excellent series of his lectures on Kant, Marx, and Freud that were posted on YouTube several years ago. Definitely worth watching.
youtu.be/35cr_whPC88?...
Besides his books and blog, there’s an excellent series of his lectures on Kant, Marx, and Freud that were posted on YouTube several years ago. Definitely worth watching.
youtu.be/35cr_whPC88?...
Marx, Robert Paul Wolff Lecture 1
YouTube video by Alex Campbell
youtu.be
January 8, 2025 at 1:20 AM
RIP Robert Paul Wolff
Besides his books and blog, there’s an excellent series of his lectures on Kant, Marx, and Freud that were posted on YouTube several years ago. Definitely worth watching.
youtu.be/35cr_whPC88?...
Besides his books and blog, there’s an excellent series of his lectures on Kant, Marx, and Freud that were posted on YouTube several years ago. Definitely worth watching.
youtu.be/35cr_whPC88?...
Very happy to see this review. It’s an excellent book by an excellent philosopher (and person)!
really honored to have reviewed Paul Katsafanas' The Philosophy of Devotion for Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. It's truly one of the most intriguing books in ethics in recent years ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/phil...
Philosophy of Devotion: The Longing for Invulnerable Ideals
Human beings have a wide range of commitments, but we assign some of our commitments a privileged practical, axiological, and epistemic status. The succ...
ndpr.nd.edu
December 3, 2024 at 11:46 AM
Very happy to see this review. It’s an excellent book by an excellent philosopher (and person)!
Reposted by Joel A. Van Fossen
really honored to have reviewed Paul Katsafanas' The Philosophy of Devotion for Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. It's truly one of the most intriguing books in ethics in recent years ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/phil...
Philosophy of Devotion: The Longing for Invulnerable Ideals
Human beings have a wide range of commitments, but we assign some of our commitments a privileged practical, axiological, and epistemic status. The succ...
ndpr.nd.edu
December 3, 2024 at 11:34 AM
really honored to have reviewed Paul Katsafanas' The Philosophy of Devotion for Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews. It's truly one of the most intriguing books in ethics in recent years ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/phil...
Mt Fuji saying hello on the way to the station this morning. It’s nice to see a snowy top once again. This year was the longest snowless peak on record.
November 27, 2024 at 10:33 PM
Mt Fuji saying hello on the way to the station this morning. It’s nice to see a snowy top once again. This year was the longest snowless peak on record.
If you’re a philosopher and you’re ever coming through Tokyo, you should hit up tfap. We have a great group of regular attendees. #philsky
(On a totally unrelated note, I’m presenting there this Friday.)
tf-ap.com
(On a totally unrelated note, I’m presenting there this Friday.)
tf-ap.com
TFAP | Tokyo Forum For Analytic Philosophy
tf-ap.com
November 25, 2024 at 11:17 PM
Reposted by Joel A. Van Fossen
From a local Facebook group, coupled with relevant statistics showing relation between vaccination and infection and death in UK.
November 24, 2024 at 7:20 AM
From a local Facebook group, coupled with relevant statistics showing relation between vaccination and infection and death in UK.
I have a new article out on love. It’s about why we should love people for their valuable qualities and why the importance of grace is often over-estimated.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Finite love
It seems like a problem to say that love can be merited – its value is located in its transcendence of comparative judgments. However, we commonly make judgments about who is and is not worth lovin...
www.tandfonline.com
November 13, 2024 at 7:48 AM
I have a new article out on love. It’s about why we should love people for their valuable qualities and why the importance of grace is often over-estimated.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
Reposted by Joel A. Van Fossen
We're watching the attempted extermination of the Palestinian people, one refugee camp at a time. It's horrific that the world is doing nothing to stop this.
An Israeli strike has reportedly hit Ain al-Hilweh, Lebanon’s largest Palestinian refugee camp.
Israeli troops enter Lebanon as ground operation against Hezbollah launched
Israeli army says ‘limited’ ground operation under way against Hezbollah as air strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs.
www.aljazeera.com
October 1, 2024 at 1:48 AM
We're watching the attempted extermination of the Palestinian people, one refugee camp at a time. It's horrific that the world is doing nothing to stop this.
Reposted by Joel A. Van Fossen
Except that we invented emojis, didn’t we? So maybe it’s a wash?
November 25, 2023 at 2:12 PM
Except that we invented emojis, didn’t we? So maybe it’s a wash?
Reposted by Joel A. Van Fossen
old enough to remember the breathless litigation over whether or not it was credible that the IDF may have possibly bombed 1 (one) hospital
At least 10 people, including children, died in Gaza on Saturday after a drone strike hit the school they were sheltering in, according to local health workers.
At least 10 people killed in drone attack on Gaza school used as shelter | CNN
The Al-Nazla school in Saftawy, on the outskirts of Jabaliya, was being used as a temporary shelter by people – including children – fleeing violence when the strike took place.
www.cnn.com
May 25, 2024 at 9:57 PM
old enough to remember the breathless litigation over whether or not it was credible that the IDF may have possibly bombed 1 (one) hospital
Reposted by Joel A. Van Fossen
We pulled the trigger: The editors of 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺 & 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴 have informed Wiley that we are resigning en masse. We will be starting a new diamond open-access journal with @openlibhums.bsky.social, the same publisher that is now publishing 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺.
#philsky #PolTheory #polisky
#philsky #PolTheory #polisky
Editors at Philosophy & Public Affairs Resign; Will Launch New OA Journal
The executive, associate, and advisory editors and all of the editorial board members of one of the most influential journals in moral and political philosophy, Philosophy & Public Affairs, have resig...
dailynous.com
May 22, 2024 at 11:51 AM
We pulled the trigger: The editors of 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺 & 𝘗𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘤 𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴 have informed Wiley that we are resigning en masse. We will be starting a new diamond open-access journal with @openlibhums.bsky.social, the same publisher that is now publishing 𝘗𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘺.
#philsky #PolTheory #polisky
#philsky #PolTheory #polisky
Reposted by Joel A. Van Fossen
This week - an exciting new area of HPS! Philosophy of the Geosciences, with Aja Watkins & @miguelohn.bsky.social (with dues to @alisabokulich.bsky.social). Consider the challenges of quantifying earthquakes, comparing past & present climate conditions & measuring Earth!
#hps #philsci #histsci ⚒️
#hps #philsci #histsci ⚒️
S3 Ep 10 - Aja Watkins & Miguel Ohnesorge on 'Philosophy of the Geosciences' - The HPS Podcast - Conversations from History, Philosophy and Social Studies of Science
Today we are joined by Miguel Ohnesorge and Aja Watkins to talk about a new subfield of HPS - The Philosophy of the Geosciences. Miguel and Aja recently co-authored an article titled 'What is the Phi...
thehpspodcast.buzzsprout.com
May 16, 2024 at 11:02 PM
This week - an exciting new area of HPS! Philosophy of the Geosciences, with Aja Watkins & @miguelohn.bsky.social (with dues to @alisabokulich.bsky.social). Consider the challenges of quantifying earthquakes, comparing past & present climate conditions & measuring Earth!
#hps #philsci #histsci ⚒️
#hps #philsci #histsci ⚒️
Reposted by Joel A. Van Fossen
“There is no “banality of evil,” and Hannah Arendt, who wrote about it in her Eichmann book, knew the enemy of mankind only from hearsay, saw him only through the glass cage.”
Jean Amery At The Mind’s Limits
Jean Amery At The Mind’s Limits
May 3, 2024 at 8:57 AM
“There is no “banality of evil,” and Hannah Arendt, who wrote about it in her Eichmann book, knew the enemy of mankind only from hearsay, saw him only through the glass cage.”
Jean Amery At The Mind’s Limits
Jean Amery At The Mind’s Limits
Reposted by Joel A. Van Fossen
Two weeks ago, I found out my position at St. Norbert College had been eliminated due to budget cuts: one of 21 faculty positions (13 in the humanities) eliminated at the college so far this year. I was under tenure review, and now I'm not. I have until May, and then my contract will be done.
St. Norbert College AAUP's official response to the college's faculty cuts yesterday, mostly in the Humanities and all untenured or tenure-track faculty. Please read and share, as the narrative currently circulating in the local media mostly cites administration. buttondown.email/SNCAAUP/arch...
AAUP Response to March Cuts
March 9, 2024 For release and distribution. Please share. The SNC chapter of the AAUP writes to express its alarm at the firing of 12 junior faculty...
buttondown.email
March 22, 2024 at 1:48 PM
Two weeks ago, I found out my position at St. Norbert College had been eliminated due to budget cuts: one of 21 faculty positions (13 in the humanities) eliminated at the college so far this year. I was under tenure review, and now I'm not. I have until May, and then my contract will be done.
This news is very unfortunate. I received my BA in philosophy from SNC. A “liberal arts” education without adequate support for the humanities is shameful and goes against the very mission that SNC touts. I’m very disappointed.
Another college "balancing the budget" on the back of the humanities
St. Norbert College in Wisconsin--a Catholic liberal arts college no less--is firing all its assistant professors in the humanities (except in theology!), including both assistant professors of philos...
leiterreports.typepad.com
March 12, 2024 at 3:53 AM
This news is very unfortunate. I received my BA in philosophy from SNC. A “liberal arts” education without adequate support for the humanities is shameful and goes against the very mission that SNC touts. I’m very disappointed.
Reposted by Joel A. Van Fossen
Just landed on a Wikipedia page with information that was obviously incorrect and followed the citation link which directed me to ChatGPT generated news garbage. Wikipedia has long been almost impossibly resilient, but LLMs are really reallllly going to strain this resource
February 23, 2024 at 1:07 AM
Just landed on a Wikipedia page with information that was obviously incorrect and followed the citation link which directed me to ChatGPT generated news garbage. Wikipedia has long been almost impossibly resilient, but LLMs are really reallllly going to strain this resource
Reposted by Joel A. Van Fossen
"What did come as a surprise to me was Raz’s choice of subject matter and the quality of his images. Black-and-white film, varying depths of light and shadow, and intricate details in the natural environment characterise his work."
www.strandmagazine.co.uk/single-post/...
www.strandmagazine.co.uk/single-post/...
Joseph Raz: Philosopher and Photographer
Joseph Raz (1939–2022) was an eminent legal, moral and political philosopher, best known for his seminal work on normativity and reasons for action. In 2011, he joined King’s College London’s Dickson ...
www.strandmagazine.co.uk
February 21, 2024 at 2:02 PM
"What did come as a surprise to me was Raz’s choice of subject matter and the quality of his images. Black-and-white film, varying depths of light and shadow, and intricate details in the natural environment characterise his work."
www.strandmagazine.co.uk/single-post/...
www.strandmagazine.co.uk/single-post/...
Had such a gorgeous walk after lunch on Friday.
December 10, 2023 at 8:28 AM
Had such a gorgeous walk after lunch on Friday.
An interesting contrast teaching in the US vs Japan: students in both tend toward subjectivism in ethics. But in general very strong objectivist aesthetic intuitions here vs US (very limited sample size—these are just the classes I’ve taught)
November 28, 2023 at 9:54 PM
An interesting contrast teaching in the US vs Japan: students in both tend toward subjectivism in ethics. But in general very strong objectivist aesthetic intuitions here vs US (very limited sample size—these are just the classes I’ve taught)
One of the coolest projects I was assigned in grad school was during a grad seminar on Spinoza’s Ethics. We had to deduce an original proposition and proof in Spinoza’s geometric style. It was much harder than I thought but really really interesting.
November 24, 2023 at 1:48 AM
One of the coolest projects I was assigned in grad school was during a grad seminar on Spinoza’s Ethics. We had to deduce an original proposition and proof in Spinoza’s geometric style. It was much harder than I thought but really really interesting.
Reposted by Joel A. Van Fossen
Words cannot tell you how happy I am that this project is finally finished. If you have a few hundred bucks, you could buy a copy.
www.routledge.com/The-Routledg...
www.routledge.com/The-Routledg...
The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Evidence
What one can know depends on one’s evidence. Good scientific theories are supported by evidence. Our experiences provide us with evidence. Any sort of inquiry involves the seeking of evidence. It is...
www.routledge.com
November 16, 2023 at 9:10 PM
Words cannot tell you how happy I am that this project is finally finished. If you have a few hundred bucks, you could buy a copy.
www.routledge.com/The-Routledg...
www.routledge.com/The-Routledg...
There’s a lot of great work on well-being, but there really needs to be more work on rational and ethical egoism. It’s such a prominent view historically, and it’s often thrown out along with psychological egoism.
November 3, 2023 at 1:28 AM
There’s a lot of great work on well-being, but there really needs to be more work on rational and ethical egoism. It’s such a prominent view historically, and it’s often thrown out along with psychological egoism.