Let’s say that one 'publishes for the cycle' when and only when one publishes a stand-alone, single- or multi-authored article in each of The Philosophical Review, Noûs, Mind, Philosophy and Phenomenological Research, and The Journal of Philosophy, informally and semi-formally recognized as academic philosophy's "Top 5" generalist journals.
Think of a philosopher publishing for the cycle like a baseball player “hitting for the cycle”, or hitting a single, double, triple, and home run in one game. Hitting for the cycle isn’t the best thing a player can do for their team (Cf. hitting four home runs), but it’s impressive in its own way.
This website displays philosophers' cycles and a ranking of philosophy departments in terms of them.
| Rank | Institution | Cyclers | Total Cycles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Univ. of Southern California (USC) | Gallow (1), Hawthorne (4), Russell (1) | 6 |
| 02 | Princeton University | Johnston (1), Nebel (2) | 3 |
| 03 | University of Colorado, Boulder | Huemer (1), Pasnau (1) | 2 |
| 03 | New York University (NYU) | Hopkins (1), Mandelkern (1) | 2 |
| 03 | Rutgers University | Schaffer (1), Sider (1) | 2 |
| 03 | University of Texas at Austin | Schoenfield (1), Tye (1) | 2 |
| 03 | University of Virgina (UVA) | Merricks (2) | 2 |
| 04 | University of Amsterdam | Douven (1) | 1 |
| 04 | University of California, Riverside | Fischer (1) | 1 |
| 04 | Cornell University | Shoemaker (1) | 1 |
| 04 | University of Glasgow | Boylan (1) | 1 |
| 04 | University of Maryland, College Park | Santorio (1) | 1 |
| 04 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | Hedden (1) | 1 |
| 04 | University of Notre Dame | Audi (1) | 1 |
| 04 | University of Oxford | Enoch (1) | 1 |
| 04 | University of St Andrews | D'Ambrosio (1) | 1 |
| 04 | Yale University | Greco (1) | 1 |
| 05 | Remaining ~3k philosophy departments | ~30k philosophers (0) | 0 |
Some philosophical sub-disciplines have a specialty journal (or two) that is widely recognized as publishing the best work in those particular sub-disciplines. This section will, over time, list such sub-disciplines and any cyclers who have also published (original articles) in the associated specialty journal(s).
| Span | Philosopher | Years |
|---|---|---|
| 4 yrs | J. Dmitri Gallow | 2020–2024 |
| 5 yrs | Matt Mandelkern | 2019–2024 |
| 6 yrs | Justin D'Ambrosio | 2019–2025 |
| 7 yrs | Jake Nebel (C2) | 2019–present |
| 7 yrs | David Boylan | 2017–2024 |
| 7 yrs | Daniel Greco | 2012–2019 |
| 8 yrs | Jake Nebel (C1) | 2018–present |
| 8 yrs | Brian Hedden | 2016–2024 |
| 9 yrs | Jonathan Schaffer | 2001–2010 |
| 9 yrs | Paolo Santorio | 2016–2025 |
| 10 yrs | Jeffrey Sanford Russell | 2013–2023 |
| 11 yrs | Ted Sider | 1995–2006 |
| 12 yrs | Michael Tye | 1982–1994 |
| 13 yrs | Miriam Schoenfield | 2012–2025 |
| 13 yrs | Trenton Merricks (C2) | 1998–2011 |
| 13 yrs | Igor Douven | 1999–2012 |
| 15 yrs | Trenton Merricks (C1) | 1994–2009 |
| 17 yrs | Robert Hopkins | 1994–2011 |
| 17 yrs | David Shoemaker | 2007–2024 |
| 18 yrs | John Hawthorne (C1) | 1996–2014 |
| 18 yrs | Robert Pasnau | 2004–2022 |
| 18 yrs | David Enoch | 2006–2024 |
| 19 yrs | John Hawthorne (C2) | 1997–2016 |
| 21 yrs | Michael Huemer | 2000–2021 |
| 21 yrs | John Hawthorne (C4) | 2004–2025 |
| 24 yrs | Mark Johnston | 1992–2016 |
| 24 yrs | John Hawthorne (C3) | 2000–2024 |
| 29 yrs | John Martin Fischer | 1982–2011 |
| 49 yrs | Robert Audi | 1973–2022 |
Three philosophers managed to place three cycle papers in a single calendar year.
A slight majority of cycles (15 of 29) are built entirely from solo-authored papers: Gallow, Tye, Huemer, Hopkins, Mandelkern, Audi, Johnston, Schaffer, Sider, Merricks (both cycles), Pasnau, Santorio, D'Ambrosio, and Douven. On the other end, none of Hawthorne's four cycles is entirely solo—16 of his 20 cycle papers are co-authored, drawing on 17 distinct co-authors.
Four pairs of cyclers have co-authored cycle papers with each other:
2024 saw 7 cycle completions alone—the biggest single year on record. Michael Tye was the sole 1990s cycler; 17 cycles have been completed in the 2020s so far.
Hawthorne is responsible for 4 of 29 total cycles—about 14%. He has more cycles than 15 of the 17 ranked departments. The next closest are Nebel and Merricks, each with 2.
Miriam Schoenfield is the only woman to have completed the cycle. Four cyclers are based outside the US: Boylan (Glasgow), D'Ambrosio (St Andrews), Enoch (Oxford), and Douven (Amsterdam)—three in the UK and one in continental Europe. Zero cyclers are currently based in Asia or Australasia.
A rough categorization of the 145 cycle papers by area (based on titles):
Notably absent: political philosophy, philosophy of science, and applied ethics.