Nathan Ballantyne
@nathanballantyne.bsky.social
Prof of Philosophy, Cognition, and Culture at @ASU. Research on bias, expertise, disagreement, and open-minded thinking. Author of Knowing Our Limits (Oxford).
Desert kit fox
September 1, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Desert kit fox
Course readers are back in style
August 29, 2025 at 12:38 AM
Course readers are back in style
Here’s the best poem ever written about John Rawls.
April 23, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Here’s the best poem ever written about John Rawls.
Everybody chill out and take an epistemology pill
February 3, 2025 at 7:57 PM
Everybody chill out and take an epistemology pill
Theateritis: “the tendency of military commanders to look only at the needs of their own theater of operation, and not at the requirements of fighting the war as a whole.”
February 1, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Theateritis: “the tendency of military commanders to look only at the needs of their own theater of operation, and not at the requirements of fighting the war as a whole.”
“Never trust anyone”
January 12, 2025 at 10:26 PM
“Never trust anyone”
I once owned a copy of the real fake book. Seriously. halleonard-coverimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wl/00240221-...
January 12, 2025 at 8:07 PM
I once owned a copy of the real fake book. Seriously. halleonard-coverimages.s3.amazonaws.com/wl/00240221-...
Philosophy, according to Irwin Edman (1896–1954), a professor at Columbia University, is “a peculiarly serious and comprehensive kind of poetry.”
December 21, 2024 at 5:24 PM
Philosophy, according to Irwin Edman (1896–1954), a professor at Columbia University, is “a peculiarly serious and comprehensive kind of poetry.”
Richard Cartwright, a well-regarded philosopher who spent most of his career at MIT, got into graduate school with this recommendation letter as a part of his application.
December 21, 2024 at 8:13 AM
Richard Cartwright, a well-regarded philosopher who spent most of his career at MIT, got into graduate school with this recommendation letter as a part of his application.
A photo of the young James Ross, included with his application.
December 21, 2024 at 7:40 AM
A photo of the young James Ross, included with his application.
An audacious grad school application cover letter from James Ross, who taught at UPenn until his death in 2010.
“The application asks what my future plens and ambitions may be. In a word they are this: to become the finest and most influential professor of philosophy in the country.”
“The application asks what my future plens and ambitions may be. In a word they are this: to become the finest and most influential professor of philosophy in the country.”
December 21, 2024 at 7:31 AM
An audacious grad school application cover letter from James Ross, who taught at UPenn until his death in 2010.
“The application asks what my future plens and ambitions may be. In a word they are this: to become the finest and most influential professor of philosophy in the country.”
“The application asks what my future plens and ambitions may be. In a word they are this: to become the finest and most influential professor of philosophy in the country.”
Arizona lawn art
December 10, 2024 at 5:00 PM
Arizona lawn art
Epistemologists talking about hands!
December 5, 2024 at 6:48 PM
Epistemologists talking about hands!
Nothing new under the sun
November 30, 2024 at 3:58 PM
Nothing new under the sun
In 1988, Roderick Chisholm received an honorary doctorate from his own university. The text here was written by Jim Van Cleve, one of Chisholm’s colleagues.
November 25, 2024 at 4:28 PM
In 1988, Roderick Chisholm received an honorary doctorate from his own university. The text here was written by Jim Van Cleve, one of Chisholm’s colleagues.
Bring back old-fashioned recommendation letters.
November 23, 2024 at 7:51 AM
Bring back old-fashioned recommendation letters.
In 1963, Herbert Feigl was co-editing a collection of important articles in analytic philosophy and noted, confidentially, his low opinion about Wilfrid Sellars’ work. He also mentioned that Carnap, Nagel, and Hempel “complain about the tantalizing obscurity” of Sellars’ prose.
November 22, 2024 at 8:47 PM
In 1963, Herbert Feigl was co-editing a collection of important articles in analytic philosophy and noted, confidentially, his low opinion about Wilfrid Sellars’ work. He also mentioned that Carnap, Nagel, and Hempel “complain about the tantalizing obscurity” of Sellars’ prose.
Roderick Chisholm (1916–99) was once a high school student.
November 21, 2024 at 1:05 AM
Roderick Chisholm (1916–99) was once a high school student.
Rawls, Nozick, and Cavell are buried within steps of each other.
November 10, 2024 at 7:06 PM
Rawls, Nozick, and Cavell are buried within steps of each other.