The Philosophers' Cocoon

A safe and supportive forum for philosophers.

Owned & Moderated by Marcus Arvan (University of Tampa)

Contact: marvan@ut.edu

Blog mission & moderation policy

IMPORTANT NOTE on how to ensure anonymity in commenting
Job-Market Reporting Thread (2025-26)
Job-Market Discussion Thread (2026-27)

  2. As we approach the US job market season again, can anyone with any insight into the matter say anything about…

recent posts

about

  • What to do about an R&R submitted last year still labeled “editor assigned”?

    In our new “how can we help you?” thread, a reader writes:

    I would be very grateful for advice about a revise-and-resubmit situation.

    A paper I submitted to a well-regarded philosophy journal has gone through more than one round of revisions. After the most recent decision, one referee recommended acceptance, while another thought the paper had improved but requested further substantial revisions. I completed and submitted the revised version at the end of last year. Since then, the manuscript status has remained at “Editor assigned”. About a month ago, I sent a polite status inquiry through the journal’s submission system, but I have not received a reply.

    I am now trying to think clearly about what to do next. In an ordinary case, if a paper had been sitting for this long with no update and no response to an inquiry, I might start considering withdrawing and submitting elsewhere. But because this is already a later-stage R&R at a reasonably prestigious journal, withdrawing feels risky: I may be giving up a real chance at acceptance and starting over from scratch elsewhere.

    So my questions are: How long is it reasonable to wait in a case like this? At what point, if any, would it be appropriate to send a second inquiry, perhaps to the editorial office rather than only through the handling editor? And when, if ever, does it make sense to withdraw a paper from a good journal after multiple rounds of revision because of prolonged silence?

    I would especially appreciate hearing from people who have been in similar situations, either as authors, referees, or editors.

    I suppose it could be that the paper has been sent out to reviewers but has not been updated within the system–but it is concerning that the journal didn’t respond to a polite inquiry.

    What do readers think?

    4

  • (Alternatives to) social annotation assignments in the age of AI?

    In our new “how can we help you?” thread, a reader writes:

    As the fall semester approaches, I am rethinking some of my assignments in light of the rampant use of AI. In the past, I have used Perusall’s social annotation software in assignments designed to get students to pay closer attention to the texts we are reading and to show them that these texts can be interpreted in different ways. However, I am rethinking these assignments in light of AI use. So my question is, does anyone have any suggestions on how to make students less prone to using AI on social annotation assignments. If not, does anyone have an suggestions for alternate assignments, or in class writing prompts that might achieve similar learning goals?

    I’ve never tried out social annotation assignments, so I’m not in a position to offer any tips.

    Do any readers have helpful tips to share?

    3

  • Grappling with burnout (while ABD)?

    A reader writes in by email:

    How do people know if the burnout is only a phase?

    This is about being burned out at the end of the PhD. I’m entering my fifth year, which is technically the last year I can stay in the program, and everything is hinging on me finishing my thesis (which is a manuscript instead of a collection of chapters). I’m feeling less and less passionate about philosophy and what I do specifically for many reasons. The work I’m doing in my thesis is extremely difficult, making me feel like I don’t know anything and I don’t know how to write, progressing at a snail pace. I also feel an immense fatigue and jadedness by the fact that my work is dragging because I have to work so much on the side to earn a living at the same time (I was not lucky enough to ever win a SSHRC grant for instance). Some issues in my dating life also prevent me from focusing 100% on my thesis. I also feel like I’m reading less and less and I’m not as willing to talk about philosophy with others as before. My advisor and my department are absent figures. As a result of that, I tend to disregard the massive achievements I reached in my career so far (e.g.: getting two publications, a few forthcoming too, establishing good connections with other scholars, traveling for work, etc.) and I’m not willing as much anymore to put my career before my personal life – which used to be the opposite ever since I studied philosophy in undergrad. I used to be a machine and now I’m not anymore.

    My feeling of being burned out really accentuated itself in June. I’m just wondering if some people have experienced something similar and, if so, what made them able to be confident that it was just a phase in life and not some creeping revelation about a turning point in their life. In other words, would I ever be able to confidently tell when it’s time for me to stop and to look for something else in life? Looking back, philosophy has always been my whole life and I never questioned my ambitions ever before. I don’t know if this is a serious change in me or just a difficult period that will pass.

    I’m so sorry the OP is going through this, and I empathize deeply. When I started this blog in 2012, I wrote a few posts about some similar struggles that I went though. I barely made it through, and over the years I’ve also known a lot of other grad students–both in philosophy and in other fields–who had similar struggles. The ABD stage of grad school is simply really tough.

    I don’t know of any good way to know whether burnout is just a phase. Truth be told, I’ve had several bouts of burnout over my career (one pretty recently in fact). Each time I’ve sincerely wondered whether it was permanent–and, like the OP, whether I should stop and look for something else in life. I’ve always eventually found my way through–but it was admittedly very hard to see any light at the end of the tunnel at the time. I basically just had to be patient with and kind to myself (at least, as kind as I could manage). And yes, I did look at/seriously consider alternatives to a career in philosophy.

    I’m not sure that I have great tips for the OP, but if they are looking to rekindle their love of philosophy, then they might consider trying to work on other things alongside the dissertation. In my experience, dissertations can simply be soul crushing–this massive thing that you have to do–that can sap all enjoyment out of philosophy. Are there any philosophical ideas that the OP has that excite them that they could spend maybe an hour a day writing about besides the dissertation? Obviously, everyone is different, but this approach worked wonders for me when I lost my love of philosophy.

    Do other readers have any helpful tips or experiences to share?

    11

  • How can we help you? (August 2026)

    Now that it’s August, it’s time for a new “how can we help you?” thread.

    For those of you unfamiliar with this series, this is a chance for you to post openly or anonymously in the comments section below on anything you could use help with related to the profession. After you post your query in the comments, I will then post new threads for readers to discuss your query. 

    As usual, feel free to ask questions on anything (within the Cocoon’s mission) that you could use help with. Ask away – we’re here to help! 

    Finally, a quick reminder of the following RULE: Please do not submit replies to other comments in this thread. It makes these threads unwieldy and difficult for me to keep track of. If you’d like to respond to a comment in this thread, please wait until I dedicate a new post to the person’s query myself and comment in that thread instead! I have not been enforcing this rule consistently recently, but need to recommit to it as it has been hard to manage these threads. Thanks!

    23