If a philosophy conference happens in an empty room, does it make a difference?
This week’s Philosophy Conference is already well under way by the time you’re reading this, and it’s very likely you’re not there. The reason you’re probably not there is simple statistics: Only about 20 people will show up for the two-day event, which features a wide variety of papers written by guest undergraduate students, as well as notable Keynote Speaker Noel Carroll, who will be giving a presentation on humor and morality. In a school of roughly 2,600 undergraduate students, that’s approximately 0.7 percent of the student body, or one...