A philosopher in the U.K. has written to me wondering about the increasing faculty losses at Oxford. This year, of course, one of the few philosophy chairholders at Oxford, John Campbell (philosophy of mind), has decided to decamp for Berkeley. But more striking, according to this philosopher, are the losses at younger levels, “the Fellows” of the various colleges. Quassim Cassam has recently accepted a professorial position at University College London, while Michael Rosen is being recruited by the Government Department at Harvard, and other Fellows are “in negotiations” with various schools.

Here’s what my correspondent offered by way of explanation:

“Why are they leaving? Overworked and underpaid. In the old days an Oxford Fellow would ascend up a pay scale that gave them equivalent salary to a Chair elsewhere, so as not to lead them into temptation. But first, other institutions in the UK have become far more flexible about pay at senior levels, and second people are getting Chairs at an earlier age, so this ‘golden handcuffs’ approach is out of date. They are trying to improve conditions, but for as long as Oxford is essentially a liberal arts college for training elite undergrads (with research as a required but impossible hobby on the side) they are going to struggle to hold ambitious but frustrated people.”

I’d be interested to hear from other UK philosophers on this subject. Send me an e-mail, and, with your permission, I’ll post it, anonymously or otherwise.