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Nisenbaum, Noble from Syracuse to Berkeley
Karin Nisenbaum (Kant, German Idealism, Jewish philosophy) and Christopher Noble (ancient philosophy), both Associate Professors of Philosophy at Syracuse University, have accepted appointments at the University of California at Berkeley, effective January 1, 2027. Nisenbaum will be an Associate Professor in the Philosophy Department and the Eda Pell and Moses David Kuflik Professor of Jewish…
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Scam watch: “Book Carnival”
Linguist Geoffrey Pullum (Edinburgh) shares another: The WAMC scam is aimed at tempting authors to think they have a publicity opportunity. A recent novel version of it involves an independently established website rather than one filched from some other organization. Yet it is just as much of a fraud. I recently received an email containing a polished and glowing summary of…
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The declining “labor share” of income
A central forecast of Marx’s was that capitalism would produce technological innovations that would displace human labor, gradually immiserating those who have only their labor power to sell. Marx thought this would happen much sooner than it actually has, but it has started to happen. We discussed this in Chapter IV of our Marx, including,…
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“The Basics of Philosophy,” a new film from Paul Schrader…
…who wrote the screenplays for Taxi Driver and Raging Bull, among other movies. Philosopher Cheyney Ryan kindly shared this description of the plot (spoilers!): The film centers on John Jorrisen, played by Jack Huston, a respected philosophy professor at a liberal-arts college. He teaches philosophy as though it can clarify the basic moral questions of…
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In Memoriam: Robert Alexy (1945-2026)
Professor Alexy, who was emeritus at the University of Kiel in Germany (where he spent most of his academic career), was better-known and quite influential throughout the civil law world (and especially in South America) for his formal theory of proportionality and balancing in constitutional adjudication. He was also a defender of an anti-positivist theory…
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One *real* radio book show flags the scamers impersonating them
Useful about how these scams work. As this radio station notes, you can report these emails to the Federal Trade Commission: reportfraud.ftc.gov. I assume you should just forward the scammer’s email. (Thanks to Sebastian Greve for the pointer.)
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Great moments in (what won’t be) obscure rock ‘n’ roll (for long): Amani Burnham, “Bluejay,” and other songs, 2026
This young guy seems destined for success in the contemporary blues rock world. Unlike Hendrix, he often plays without a pick, but in other respects, the Hendrix influence is apparent:
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“AI Philosophy Competition”
I’m pretty ambivalent about this, so have been sitting on it for a few days. The details are here, and readers might as well decide for themselves whether it’s worth their time. The competition has a panel of good judges, albeit with a skew to fairly technical areas of philosophy, where one might expect LLMs…
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Scam watch: Thomas Pynchon edition
Hayley Cotter, an English professor at U Mass/Amherst, shares the latest gem: Von: Thomas Pynchon <thomaspynchon.author8@gmail.com>Date: Do., 3. Sept. 2026 um 03:17 UhrSubject: Appreciation for Your WorkTo: [email address omitted] Dear Hayley, I hope this note finds you well. I recently spent time with Poetics of the Legal Sea in English Renaissance Literature, and I was moved…
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“Public Scholars” project at Wake Forest University…
…which aims to train natural scientists, social scientists, and philosophers to communicate with the public (with support from the Templeton Foundation and led by philosopher Christian Miller).
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PGR update, and some advice for prospective students about how to look at PhD programs in terms of “peer clusters”
The PGR editors, Professors Kar and Pynes, tell me the plan is to do a new set of PGR surveys in fall 2027 (the last report was for 2024-25). I’ve been tracking faculty moves since then (see this post and follow the links therein). I know from email correspondence that students are very interested in…
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Scam watch continues: fake offers to translate
Philosopher Eric Winsberg shares this gem. He contacted the real Professor Bernofsky at her university email address who confirmed this is a fraud (note, once again, the gmail address): From: Susan Bernofsky <bernofskysusan@gmail.com>Sent: 27 August 2026 07:50To: Eric Winsberg [omitted]Subject: A German-language opportunity for *Philosophy and Climate Science* Dear Eric, Your book Philosophy and Climate…
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How the Trumpistas silence internal critics
Not quite the “night of the long knives,” but a similar spirit!
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From the working class to academic philosophy
A quite interesting essay by philosopher Duncan Pritchard (UC Irvine); some excerpts: I grew up in what was once the industrial heartlands of England, in the Midlands city of Wolverhampton. The industry is now long gone, and in its wake there’s a lot of economic hardship. Growing up I didn’t know anyone from where we…
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Princeton’s Daniel Garber elected to the American Philosophical Society
A bit belated (this was announced last May).
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“What do you do when you do jurisprudence? Challenges and New Paths”
MOVING TO FRONT–THIS EVENT IS COMING UP NEXT WEEK This upcoming roundtable at the UK chapter of the IVR (the international association for legal philosophy), organized by Daniel Murata (Surrey), will be online, for those who might be interested:
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Cottrell from Edinburgh/York U to Toronto
Jonathan Cottrell (early modern philosophy, esp. Hume), previously a permanent member of academic staff at the University of Edinburgh and, most recently, a visiting faculty member at York University, Toronto (where his wife, the philosopher of law Maggie O’Brien, teaches), has taken up a tenured position this fall as Associate Professor at the University of…
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More scams targetting philosophers
Ned Block shares this one: From: Ryan NYC Philosophy <ryanphilosophynyc@gmail.com> Subject: Invitation to Feature Your Book The Border Between Seeing and Thinking in Our NYC Philosophy & Psychology Readers Community Date: August 31, 2026 at 10:49:44 PM EDT To: [omitted] Dear Professor Ned, Few questions in the philosophy of mind are as fundamental as understanding where…
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Profiles in real courage: Florimond “Duke” DuSossoit
He parachuted into Nazi-occupied Hungary, in order to be captured and then fool the Nazis into thinking the allied invasion was coming in the Balkans. It worked. (Thanks to Jason Bell for the pointer.)
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A new policy on advertising MA and PhD programs
MOVING TO FRONT FROM JANUARY 29, 2026 (as a reminder) Going forward, I am only going to take ads from programs that I think are worth considering (the PGR will be a pretty good benchmark for that, but schools should feel free to ask me). Because many prospective students look to the blog for guidance…
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The latest transparent scam (from a gmail address, of course, using a real journalist’s name)
In today’s inbox (at least this scammer puts the $$$ request up front): From: Stig Abell <stigabell.timesradio@gmail.com>Date: August 31, 2026 at 10:08:54 AM CDTTo: Brian Leiter <bleiter@uchicago.edu>Subject: Invitation to discuss From a Realist Point of View on Times Radio Dear Professor Leiter, I hope you’re well. I’m Stig Abell, a host and broadcaster with Times Radio.…
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Trump Administration targets ABA’s role as an “accreditor” of law schools
CHE reports: A report from the Education Department is recommending that the accrediting arm of the American Bar Association lose its federal recognition. If approved, the accrediting agency, called the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, would no longer be eligible to serve as a gatekeeper of federal financial…
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How is post-tenure review working at your (public) university?
Post-tenure review started proliferating more than a quarter-century ago, but has picked up speed in recent years. It might be useful to hear about people’s experiences. You can post anonymously, but you must use a valid email address, and it must be your university email address if you are going to name the university or…
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Philosopher’s Annual: from the literature of 2025
Via Patrick Grim (who remains as “executive editor ” of PA, but has turned over editor duties for this volume to Daniel Singer): The Philosopher’s Annual volume 45 from the literature of 2025 Evan Behrle, “Desert and Economic Interdependence,” from the Journal of Philosophy Sam Berstler, “The Structure of Open Secrets,” from the Philosophical Review…
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Universities get a (partial) reprieve on the 100k H-1B visas, but international students will still face potential obsctacles
IHE reports: After a federal court struck down the Trump administration’s effort to levy a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, the Department of Homeland Security is trying a different approach to impose a similar fee. Under a proposal released Monday, new H-1B visa petitions will have to pay $103,265 in addition to the…
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Why I did not sign the most recent open letter in support of Nathan Cofnas’s “academic freedom” [sic]
CHE reports on the letter here; I’ve sent CHE the following letter to the editor: I signed two earlier letters defending the academic freedom rights of Nathan Cofnas, since the principles of academic freedom encompass racist scholarship, as long as it meets the standards of the applicable discipline, and even if it is of dubious…
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Some skepticism about AI enthusiasm among philosophers
MOVING TO FRONT FROM AUG. 24–A LIVELY AND INTERESTING DISCUSSION IN THE COMMENT THREAD (ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS WELCOME) Philosopher Dan Kaufman writes: Over the last year, philosophy social media has discussed a number of academic philosophers who are actively embracing AI in their research. Perusing these posts — and the comments that follow — reveals a…
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Anonymous person falsely accuses junior scholar of using generative AI in writing an article in the online, open access journal “Political Philosophy”
The journal responds, appropriately, here. Folks should be a lot more cautious before throwing these accusations around!
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Searle on P.F. Strawson
Galen Strawson kindly shared this address John Searle gave at a memorial for Peter Strawson, which includes, among other things, a charming description of tutorials with Strawson: Early on, Searle writes that while studying at Oxford in 1954-55, I attended lectures and seminars not only by Peter, but by J L Austin,Paul Grice, Isaiah Berlin,…
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Israel is now bad for the Jews
A more nuanced assessment (than my title) from UCLA professor Dov Waxman: 1. We must unequivocally condemn antisemitic acts against Jews and not make excuses for those who commit them. 2. We also need to acknowledge that Israel’s actions fuel much (but not all) of the anger and hatred directed against Jews nowadays. 3. Conflating…
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Here’s how the Republican steal the midterm elections in the House
Law professor Michael Dorf discusses.
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Advertising update
There is at least one first or second spot available each month this fall at present. Email me at bleiter-at-uchicago-dot-edu for more information.
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Life in authoritarian America, a case in point
To be clear, American has done this kind of authoritarian shit before, but far less of it since the 1970s.
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In Memoriam: Gabriele Taylor (1927-2026)
Dr. Taylor, who spent her career at Oxford University, where she was a fellow and tutor at St. Anne’s College, was best-known for her work in moral psychology and the philosophy of emotions. The St. Anne’s memorial notice is here. Philosopher Roger Crisp, who called this to my attention, notes that, “Her collected essays, as…
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Blast from the past: “How Trump Can Attack Higher Education: A Guide”
Back in 2024, and, sadly, it was prescient. While Title VI has, indeed, played a very large role, I did not anticipate the sheer lawless way the Trumpistas would deploy it (i.e., no investigation, no process, just going straight to suspension of federal monies).
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Against viewpoint diversity
A scholar at Johns Hopkins, Lisa Siraganian, makes seven useful points!
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Johns Hopkins President Ron Daniels’ continuing war on academic freedom
First he was involved in the Trump Administration’s document calling for a massive violation of academic freedom, and now he intends to take the war on academic freedom to every department at Hopkins by pushing for “a shift in the recruitment of faculty,” partnering with the conservative American Enterprise Institute in order “to move with…
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Nathan Cofnas probably is in violation of Ghent’s “Code of Ethics”…
…as this piece argues (with some pretty choice quotes from Dr. Cofnas), but the Ghent “Code of Ethics” is obviously incompatible with academic freedom, so my conclusion is that researchers at the University of Ghent do not have academic freedom with respect to the topics the Code touches. (This Twitter thread about Dr. Cofnas’s work…
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The works of Professor Alexy will continue to inform and shape legal discourse for a long time. Rest In Peace.
It is so sad. His lectures were just like his major work (A Theory of Constitutional Rights) — simply different…
I would note that there are a lot of structural reasons why senior staff might produce less research than people…
There is a slippery inference from the premise that we have struggled to converge on important philosophical truths to the…
I can corroborate Jason’s remarks about the UW System’s implementation of post-tenure review. In part because I was a participant…
The Wisconsin legislature made UW system implement post-tenure (5-year) reviews several years ago. The statutory requirements were fed into the…
Wish Professor Robert Alexy R.I.P.