Philosophy
We're in the middle of a job search and that means reading lots of letters of recommendation. Every once in a while, you get one from an extremely influential and therefore famous philosopher. So, when one of our applicants had a letter from Jurgen Habermas, I did start thinking about all the names that have passed by us in our last several searches: Derrida, Searle, Putnam, real philosophical rock stars, thinkers bound for the pantheon of greats. If we had a philosophers hall of fame, these folks would be easy first ballot shoo-ins.
Now, the procedure for handling search materials is that they need to be kept for three years in case of legal questions regarding the fairness of the search process and then they are shredded so that confidential bits of information, like letters of recommendation, cease to be.
Suppose as a hobby, I collected the autographs of famous intellectuals. Here are prime examples that are bound for the shredder. Would it be morally acceptable to save the signatures? I wouldn't be stealing them FROM anyone, they were just going to be destroyed. Why not save something of value? We could cut them off the letter so none of the information would survive, just the signature. Would that be o.k.? Suppose I then turned around and tried to sell it on eBay to other intellectual autograph seekers, would that be o.k.? Would it make a difference if I waited five years or until the person passed away?
- Is There A Hippocratic Type Obligation To Write A Bad Rec Letter?
It's recommendation season and as I write a number of rec letters for former students and colleagues who are very much qualified for the graduate school and/or employment opportunities for which they are applying (don't worry A Stranger --it was...
- Autographs
LilBro just got back from a conference in Orlando and, of course, brought the fam to spend some Disney time. One of the regular events at the park is getting autographs from the characters. Are these real autographs? Apparently, it does not matter who...
- Please Sign On The Dotted Line
Suppose you are house sitting for a friend and something important comes in the mail that needs to be taken care of immediately, something that requires a signature. You call your vacationing friend and explain the situation and the friend says that it...
- Fame, Doubt--lewis Carroll
"Lewis Carroll Hated Fame So Much, He Sometimes Regretted Writing Alice" by Lauren DavisApril 18th, 2014 io9 Charles Dodgson, the author and mathematician better known as Lewis Carroll, wrote about a young girl lost in surreal dreamscapes. But Dodgson...
- No Government Funding For Seti!
Arecibo Observatory Puerto Rico Sorry, I have to display a thumbs down on any government financing for the SETI project and the use of the radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico--direct or indirect. NASA slowly pulled out of the project...
Philosophy
Finders Keepers?: The Ethics of Scavaging
We're in the middle of a job search and that means reading lots of letters of recommendation. Every once in a while, you get one from an extremely influential and therefore famous philosopher. So, when one of our applicants had a letter from Jurgen Habermas, I did start thinking about all the names that have passed by us in our last several searches: Derrida, Searle, Putnam, real philosophical rock stars, thinkers bound for the pantheon of greats. If we had a philosophers hall of fame, these folks would be easy first ballot shoo-ins.
Now, the procedure for handling search materials is that they need to be kept for three years in case of legal questions regarding the fairness of the search process and then they are shredded so that confidential bits of information, like letters of recommendation, cease to be.
Suppose as a hobby, I collected the autographs of famous intellectuals. Here are prime examples that are bound for the shredder. Would it be morally acceptable to save the signatures? I wouldn't be stealing them FROM anyone, they were just going to be destroyed. Why not save something of value? We could cut them off the letter so none of the information would survive, just the signature. Would that be o.k.? Suppose I then turned around and tried to sell it on eBay to other intellectual autograph seekers, would that be o.k.? Would it make a difference if I waited five years or until the person passed away?
- Is There A Hippocratic Type Obligation To Write A Bad Rec Letter?
It's recommendation season and as I write a number of rec letters for former students and colleagues who are very much qualified for the graduate school and/or employment opportunities for which they are applying (don't worry A Stranger --it was...
- Autographs
LilBro just got back from a conference in Orlando and, of course, brought the fam to spend some Disney time. One of the regular events at the park is getting autographs from the characters. Are these real autographs? Apparently, it does not matter who...
- Please Sign On The Dotted Line
Suppose you are house sitting for a friend and something important comes in the mail that needs to be taken care of immediately, something that requires a signature. You call your vacationing friend and explain the situation and the friend says that it...
- Fame, Doubt--lewis Carroll
"Lewis Carroll Hated Fame So Much, He Sometimes Regretted Writing Alice" by Lauren DavisApril 18th, 2014 io9 Charles Dodgson, the author and mathematician better known as Lewis Carroll, wrote about a young girl lost in surreal dreamscapes. But Dodgson...
- No Government Funding For Seti!
Arecibo Observatory Puerto Rico Sorry, I have to display a thumbs down on any government financing for the SETI project and the use of the radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico--direct or indirect. NASA slowly pulled out of the project...