Onlife

I seem to be the only philosopher among the ca. 200 people invited to this year SciFoo . Flattering, certainly, but perhaps also evidence of the marginal nature of philosophy? I wonder. I arrived with great expectations. This is a unconference or, as they say, the wiki of all conferences. Free thinking, free association, chatting and discussing about anything, sodas and food anytime you wish, great facilities at Google place. The program takes shape by having invitees volunteering to chair or organise sessions on the spot, or giving presentations on anything they would like to talk and get a discussion about. It sounded too good to miss it. I accepted and took the flight from Chicago , where I was for NACAP anyway. Getting here is not easy, the nearest truly international airport being LA, but, with some effort, I found the hotel. Nice place. On Friday (yesterday) I had the disconcerting experience of realising I did not know anyone, if not by name, fame, or wiki profile. G...