New post on karaoke and djing and being vulnerable in aesthetic community.
New post on karaoke and djing and being vulnerable in aesthetic community.
photo of a hard taco from taco bell with a shell made from doritos. the shell-shaped wrapper says "Taco Bell: TACO on the inside. Doritos on the outside."
of COURSE there's a technology the left is excited about
Say goodbye to seeing your life as a big narrative and embrace the wisdom of thinking of life as a bunch of experimental eras!
Absolutely loved this piece.
Calling all Swiftie philosophers and also everyone else: here is a little essay on using personal 'eras' to structure our lives. No need for grand life narratives or pernicious identity labels--just adopt an era and then move on. (h/t to @floresophize.bsky.social)
open.substack.com/pub/nickrigg...
This duet cover of Radiohead's "Creep", between a son and his Shastriya Sangeet classically trained mother, is the mash-up I didn't know how much I needed in my life. Totally spontaneous sobbing may have taken place.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZoH...
photo of Pam Bondi testifying in the foreground as a group of 7 women and 1 men raise their hands
Likely-historic photo by NBC News of all the Epstein victims asked to raise their hands if they've not yet been asked to meet with the DOJ as Bondi testifies in foreground
PUNJUSTIFIED -- A meditation on puns and punners.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
The Dudette abides.
I loved Martin Rikerβs novel The Guest Lecture. There are a few novels that make you feel utterly stuck in someoneβs headβperhaps the best is Fosseβs epic Septologyβand Rikerβs novel nails the claustrophobic feeling, laced with a too-familiar academic anxiety. Here's a sort-of review at GET SOME.
Glad to see this out!!
Frozen 2 > Frozen 1 fight me
philpapers.org/archive/RIGA...
Are you swimming in year-end lists? Are you inundated with rankings of books, albums, movies, and all sorts of aesthetic goods? Are you grumpy about it or unsure how you should feel? Do you maybe feel a little urge to issue your *own* ranking? Fear not friend. I have just the paper for you! [link β]
Another life goal achieved: getting the word βparty-poopingβ published in a 150-year-old philosophy journal. "Can't Kill the Vibe: Against Hope in Aesthetic Discourse" is now published online. doi.org/10.1093/mind...
My paper βAesthetic Value and the Practice of Aesthetic Valuingβ won the 2026 Arthur Danto Prize, and there will be a symposium on the paper at the upcoming Eastern APA with @rkubala.bsky.social and @kennywalden.bsky.social. I hope my fellow conferencefolk will join us!
Seems right π
New paper of mineβIβve been a huge fan of Rob Hopkinsβs paper βHow to Be a Pessimist about Aesthetic Testimonyβ (J. Phil 2011) since it came out. This is my attempt to slightly tweak and polish his βUnuseability Pessimismβ to harness its full power.
That shirt isnβt exactly giving βleft wing nutβ.
Can I vote?
Just wanted to share this wonderful news: The Lebowitz Prize went to aesthetics for the first time in its history. Congratulations to @domlopes.bsky.social and Samantha! I can't wait to see what they do together!
www.pbk.org/2025-lebowit...
I can swim like a grasfl dolphin can you? by my daughter Kate at age six
The Awesomeness of Bad Art
I love bad art.
Gather some friends and create some bad music. Cruise in a car covered with graffiti doodles. Hand a five-year-old crayons and free time and see what weirdness emerges.
Something worth celebrating happens. Although the art is "bad" in one sense -- 1/
Youβre reading so many great books!!
I'm lucky to have them as philosophy-buds, even though they're wrong. And there's more work to do!
A highlight of last year was getting to talk with them about these issues, once in NYC and again in Sweden. I have learned a lot from them and our discussions have been, for me, ideal philosophy: fun, challenging, friendly, respectful, insightful, and productive.
New paper forthcoming in Mind--my response to Nat Hansen @nathansen.bsky.social and Zed Adams's paper on aesthetic discourse (βThe Hope of Agreement: Against Vibing Accounts of Aesthetic Judgment," Mind, 2023).
philpapers.org/rec/RIGCKT?f...
I support this message!
Also I got to meet Karen Stohr and Will Fleisher! Youβre lucky to have such great philosophers as colleagues!!
It was great. Sympathetic and thoughtful comments from Jonathan Fine and Jamie Ryerson and a really fun discussion. Afterward, we went out to lunch with Ryerson and he told us more about Sydney Morgenbesser than I knew was possible.
Hats off to Alex for organizing an excellent conference!!