CHARLES LASSITER, PHILOSOPHY, GONZAGA UNIVERSITY
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CHARLES LASSITER, PHILOSOPHY, GONZAGA UNIVERSITY

Philosophy by number:
reporting on the job market in academic philosophy

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What is the PGR supposed to measure? Part 3

12/18/2019

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There aren't arguments here but rather a disclaimer. Leiter will sometimes use the language of "taking down" the PGR or of a "slave revolt" among philosophers at lower-ranked PGR schools (on reflection I'm not 100% sure on this but it seems on-brand). Honestly, I give roughly zero fucks if I ever work at a ranked institution. That's not a thing that will add to my quality of life. My big concern is that the PGR is being sold as a ranking system and a guide to choosing grad programs. Now that's true: it's a ranking of programs based on surveys of philosophers. But whether it's a good guide to choosing a grad program is an entirely different ball of wax. Go back to the brewery analogy: if your tastes are for Rainier and PBR, then you're not going to care about the latest microbrew out of Portland, OR. You might like it. Or not. But it's your tasting that determines the liking, not the preferences of experts. And to say that the tastes of the experts are normative is worrisome. The experts might like the microbrew but it's not the case that you're failing if you don't. 

Anyhow, I'm not looking to replace or "take down" the PGR. I still have to wash the dishes no matter whether the PGR implodes tomorrow or becomes mandatory reading for undergrads. My main concern is for us as a group of professionals to get a better sense of what the data are telling us.

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    About me

    I do mind and epistemology and have an irrational interest in data analysis and agent-based modeling. This blog is about job market analyses.

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