Thomas D. Carroll

Sign at Zhejiang University for the School of Philosophy (and History and Literature)

Wittgenstein conference signs

Official photo for the conference

Photo of Wittgenstein scholars

I'm at the Chinese Wittgenstein Society's conference in Hangzhou.

Heard many great papers today & got to meet scholars whose work I know. Was great to meet up with my former dissertation director, Juliet Floyd. Even got to road-test a new project I'm working on. Looking forward to tomorrow!

Cover for conference program for the Wittgenstein symposium in Hangzhou.

Looking forward to the Seventh International Wittgenstein Symposium at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou this weekend.

I'll be giving a short paper: "AI, Ethics, and Forms of Life."

And here's a short clip of Ken Vandermark Edition Redux --

Here's a short clip of Satoko Fujii and Joe Fonda

After a showing of the Ken Vandermark documentary "Musician" (2007 -- by Daniel Kraus), Vandermark came forward for some Q&A.

B10 concert space at OCT Loft

Joe Fonda and Satoko Fugii performing at the OCT-Loft Jazz fest

The Ken Vandermark Edition Redux performing at the OCT-Loft Jazz fest

I went to the Jazz Festival at OCT-Loft in Shenzhen yesterday. Got to see two amazing groups: Joe Fonda and Satoko Fujii & Ken Vandermark Edition Redux

Lewis Gordon on Frantz Fanon - our latest Philosophy Bites interview philosophybites.com/podcast/lewi...

YouTube video by Art Blakey - Topic The Chess Players (Remastered 2005)

You know what rules? Wayne Shorter’s solo on “The Chess Players” youtu.be/fI0S6ioserI?...

YouTube video by Ahmad Jamal - Topic But Not For Me (Live At The Pershing Lounge/1958)

Late jazz pianist Ahmad Jamal enjoyed playing ballads believing it took years of lived experience to truly master them. Jamal’s popular 1958 version of the Gershwin tune “But Not for Me” from the Live at the Pershing Lounge album. #Jazz #JazzMusic m.youtube.com/watch?v=jsC2...

Oh yeah, same in Shenzhen. I’m from the SF Bay Area, so this temperature is great

YouTube video by DAngeloVEVO D'Angelo and The Vanguard - The Charade (Audio)

youtu.be/T3CunfPYkME?...

Marc Benioff wants troops in S.F.? There’s a path back to sanity, and it’s close to home Marc Benioff called for the National Guard in S.F. The city doesn’t need the military on its streets. It needs the Salesforce founder to follow his grandfather’s example, Peter Hartlaub...

“This city is a complicated place, but I’ve found two truths: The Golden Age is a myth and San Francisco is never “over.””

Great read from @peterhartlaub.bsky.social, San Francisco’s historian/hype-man extraordinaire.

www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/m...

In the latest episode in our series on belief, we’re exploring the surprising revival of shamanism in China, which has made a comeback despite Mao's best efforts at eradication. Ritual healers and spirit mediums are tapping into online believers and a public thirst for authentic spirituality. (1/3)

"Helen de Cruz (1978–2025): an academic and personal tribute" *Religious Studies* Published online 2025:1-4.
doi.org/10.1017/S003...
@helendecruz.net

Typhoon Ragasa is bringing some intense rain and wind to Shenzhen. Not clear when the rain will end, if ever...

I have a new open access article out today in AGATHEOS: European Journal for Philosophy of Religion -- "Wittgenstein, Religious Diversity, and Communicative Reticence"

publicera.kb.se/aejpr/articl...

View of the lower campus of CUHK-Shenzhen just after sunset

another view of the campus of CUHK-Shenzhen just after sunset

Here's a view of the CUHK-Shenzhen campus right after sunset (and after several days of intense rain brought by a tropical storm)

Makes me miss Boston!

Philosophy Grad Student from China Deported upon Arrival in US - Daily Nous A 22-year-old student from China who had traveled from China to Texas to study philosophy at the University of Houston was detained upon arrival in the state, questioned, and deported back to China 36...

Officials deport a student from China who had a full scholarship to study philosophy at the University of Houston, 36 hours after he lands in Texas.

James Baldwin’s Lesson for Teachers in a Time of Turmoil Rigorous lessons are not mutually exclusive from culturally and politically relevant ones.

“Let’s begin by saying that we are living through a very dangerous time.” So opens “A Talk to Teachers,” which James Baldwin delivered to a group of educators in October, 1963.

On Certainty: The New Translation <p><b>The German text, with a facing English translation by P. M. S. Hacker</b></p> <p>Ludwig Wittgenstein's <i>On Certainty</i> collects the final notes of one of the twentieth century&rsquo;s most ...

Very curious about this new translation...

www.wiley.com/en-us/On+Cer...

The Trouble with Chinese Cookbooks | China Books Review Despite the difficulty of translating Chinese cuisine for Western readers, Chinese cookbooks continue to sell. But just as their form has changed over the decades, so too has their mission.

Jen Lin-Liu thinks we're going about Chinese cookbooks all wrong... read this tour de force essay on everyone's favorite China book: their cookbook.

chinabooksreview.com/2025/08/21/c...

As a past contributor I join the chorus of concern about the problems the Shanghai Literary Review is having with its institutonal partner, Duke Kunshan University’s Humanities Research Centre. A poor show that will hopefully be resolved by Duke Kunshan HRC sooner rather than later….

This beautiful book is now out! It's freely available as an open-access ebook (thanks to funding from @templetonrelig.bsky.social):

www.bloomsburycollections.com/monograph?do...

Engaging Philosophies of Religion How can philosophy of religion become more diverse in content and method? How can we take a multiplicity of stories into account and teach a truly inclusive phi…

www.bloomsbury.com/us/engaging-...

On the sensitivity of "magic," "supernatural," & "tradition":

'The ghosts became illusions created by feng shui. It’s a commonly used trick, where the blatantly supernatural is thinly disguised as an element of “traditional Chinese medicine” or qigong, both of which have official approval.'

View of the National Museum of African American History and Culture

Quote by James Baldwin on an interior wall of the museum: "The Great Force of History comes from the fact that we carry it within us, are unconsciously controlled by it...History is literally present in all that we do."

Display case on Black Liberation Theology

Display case on the history of hip-hop

The NMAAHC is an incredible museum. Here are a few photos from a visit to the museum a couple of years ago.

And here's a link to the change.org petition to defend it:
chng.it/ypcqxPNdjq

Sign the Petition Defend the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture

Please share Petition for museum
www.change.org/p/defend-the...

Weekly Wrap Up - August 15, 2025 In this Weekly Wrap Up, Eddie discusses the current political landscape, focusing on the threats to democracy posed by Donald Trump and his administration. He emphasizes the need for active engagement...

www.anativeson.org/p/weekly-wra...

Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes - Watch the documentary now! | American Masters | PBS Experience the groundbreaking sounds of bebop pioneer and virtuoso composer Max Roach.

...and this is the PBS documentary "Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes" -- part of the American Masters program.

www.pbs.org/wnet/america...

YouTube video by Clifford Brown - Topic Coronado

Ever since watching this great Max Roach documentary on PBS, I've been exploring parts of Roach's career. Lately, I've been listening to his work from the mid 50s with Clifford Brown, and I can't believe I'm only discovering it now. So good!

youtu.be/D--TjUPKat4?...