May 2004
-
The Case Against Gay Marriage
This strikes me as pretty decisive. Seriously, penguins: think about it. (Thanks to Robert Crouch [Biomedical Ethics, McGill] for the pointer.)
-
Why the US Attacked Iraq
Here’s David Bernstein (George Mason Law) from the right-wing Volokh Conspiracy putting it clearly and directly: “I did support the war to remove Saddam and provide a lesson to others in the Arab world what becomes of leaders who defy the U.S., try to acquire WMDs, etc….I was hopeful that those who suggested that the…
-
Funny Chun
Chun the Unavoidable has a whole series of laugh-while-you-cry political posts, including: “James Inhofe Would Beat Kerry Resoundingly“; Victor Hanson’s “cognitive dissonant meltdown”; “Kerry is the most pitiful candidate the Democratic Party has ever nominated, and I’m not even sure he can carry his home state. Remember that Kerry barely was able to beat Weld…
-
The Future for Philosophy…
…is coming soon. Details here and here. Since the corrected proofs are just going back to OUP, September publication is more likely than June or July.
-
Slavery and the University of Alabama
Legal historian Alfred Brophy at the University of Alabama School of Law recently led a successful campaign to get the University to apologize for its role in supporting slavery. As he writes: “The UA Faculty Senate has recently apologized for the role of the faculty in the slave system before the Civil War. The case…
-
John Kerry ought to listen to Ralph Nader
From the Houston Chronicle: “A part of the problem,” Nader said in an interview last week, “is that the Democrats have become too cautious — too indentured to the same money the Republicans are dialing for. Kerry’s consultants and handlers are telling him to tone it down, and he has. For example, he’s now saying…
-
Yale Law & Poli Sci Make Bid for Alec Stone Sweet at Oxford
The Law School and Political Science Department at Yale University have made a joint offer to Alec Stone Sweet at Oxford University, who specializes in the law and politics of European integration, as well as comparative law, politics and courts.
-
A Psychologist’s Perspective on Abu Ghraib…
…is here. Recalling the famous “Stanford Prison Experiment,” he notes, “[I]t seems that the contrast of power which is particularly evident in prison settings between guards and prisoners is a breeding ground for cruelty. Even Stanford University students randomly assigned to each role, who were presumably bright, ‘normal’ individuals, fell easily into the roles of…
-
“The Crimes at Abu Ghraib are not the Worst”
More here, via LewRockewell.com. A sample: “U.S. forces have expended thousands of cluster munitions in Iraq, often in heavily populated places. (In the Karbala-Hillah area alone, U.S. teams had destroyed by late August last year more than 31,000 unexploded bomblets ‘that landed on fields, homes, factories and roads . . . many were in populated…
-
Grady to Step Down as George Mason Dean
This news a bit belated, but noteworthy anyway: Mark Grady, the successful Dean of the law school at George Mason University since 1997, will be stepping down this summer: story here. Grady, who came to George Mason from UCLA, recruited his former Northwestern colleague Daniel Polsby to the faculty, as well as constitutional law and…
-
Rational Choice Theorist Bicchieri from Carnegie-Mellon to Penn
Cristina Bicchieri at Carnegie-Mellon University has accepted appointment as Professor of Philosophy and Decision Science and Director of the Philosophy, Politics & Economics Program at the University of Pennsylvania, starting in July. Bicchieri works at the intersection of game and rational choice theory and moral and political philosophy, and is coming to Penn with the…
-
On the ground in Iraq
Independent journalist Dahr Jamail offers a gripping perspective on the ground in Iraq; his site is the place for the news not deemed fit to print by the mainstream media.
-
More Hiring by Temple Philosophy
Temple had a busy year of lateral hiring; in addition to Noel Carroll, the Philosophy Department also hired, to the tenured ranks, two scholars interested in issues at the intersection of philosophy and race: Lewis Gordon from the Africana Studies Department at Brown University and Paul Taylor, currently an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the…
-
Philosopher of Art Carroll from Wisconsin to Temple
Noel Carroll (philosophy of art) at the University of Wisconsin at Madison has accepted a senior offer from Temple University, where he will join several others philosophers working in and around aesthetics, including Philip Alperson, Susan Feagin, Joseph Margolis, and Richard Shusterman.
-
Megalomaniacs in M&E?
Interesting remarks from a leading young philosopher working in “metaphysics & epistemology” (broadly understood, as it usually is in these discussions, to include also philosophy of language and mind). All names have been omitted, to protect the innocent (and the guilty): “I think there is a bad problem with senior people in M&E currently. Basically,…
People should understand what precipitated my remarks here at Leiter Reports. Also, a few replies and comments on the conversation:…