I've noticed in academic Twitter and the academic world in general, this almost obsession with telling students that they shouldn't go into to get a PhD because the job market is so tight. It's like everybody feels like it's their solemn duty to do that. And I'm not in favor of doing that. Our job is to give them the information, but also to inspire them if they want to do it,. But setting that aside, why is this seem to be particular to academia? Or is it particular to academia?"
David and Tamler argue about William James' classic essay "The Will to Believe." What's more important - avoiding falsehood or discovering truth? When (if ever) is it rational to believe anything without enough evidence? What about beliefs that we can't be agnostic about? Are there hypotheses that we have to believe in order for them to come true? Does James successfully demonstrate that faith can be rational?
Plus, a philosopher at Apple who's not allowed to talk to the media - what are they hiding? And why are academics constantly telling students that academia is a nightmare?
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