November 2005
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“The Fourth Circuit is a Constitution-free zone”
Jack Balkin (Law, Yale) on the government’s decision to finally charge Jose Padilla–the American citizen spirited away to a military brig three years ago by order of the Dear Leader–is illuminating: Today the U.S. government formally indicted Jose Padilla, an American citizen arrested in the United States who had been held as an enemy combatant…
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The Coming War on Iran?
Let us hope this analysis is mistaken. Alas, we’ve had to consider this topic before.
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The classroom of the future
Stephen Bainbridge (Law, UCLA) has the amusing details.
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Goebbels Had Nothing on These Guys…or the Latest in Bush Rationalizations for War and Tyranny
I suppose I should comment on Bush’s attempt last week to rationalize his war crimes and impeachable offenses, though it is hard to know what to say. That people didn’t burst into laughter while listening to this audacious tissue of lies, half-truths, and fantastic allegations is, itself, rather remarkable, and indicative of the extent to…
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Where Tenure-Track Faculty at the Top 20 U.S. Departments 2005-06 Got Their PhD,
We haven’t compiled this data in awhile. For purposes of this list, the “top 20” graduate faculties surveyed were NYU, Princeton, Rutgers, Michigan, Pittsburgh (both philosophy and HPS), Stanford, MIT, Harvard, Columbia, UCLA, Texas, Cornell, Berkeley, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Arizona, Brown, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, Chicago, and CUNY. Bear in mind, of course,…
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Campaign to Save California Death Row Inmate Tookie Williams
Philosopher Philip Gasper has the pertinent details here and here.
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Transfer to “Top Five” Law School to Get Into Teaching?
A law student writes: I am currently a 1L at [a top ten law school by just about all measures], and I think that I’m interested in pursuing a career in teaching. The blogs I’ve read on seeking a job in academics suggest that it’s preferable to go to a top 5 school. If I’m…
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Nietzsche Studies: Where the Action Is
When I last wrote about Nietzsche studies, it was to grouse about some unhappy developments; here I want to write more constructively and also to inaugurate an on-going series on different areas of philosophy, where I’ll invite different philosophers to address "where the action is" in their subfield. Last week, I was talking with one…
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Friday Poem: “Becalmed”
Becalmed Night descends on whining kneesThe reckless children roam belowFearless as ants though less purposefulProlonging their giddy play inAn epiphany of youth and death A purple wine upon the shallow hillsHistoric Hudson nuzzling by the landBecalmed in Tarrytown as I too amSeeking music’s absolution for my silenceBach’s thirty variations on a smileMy sole companions in…
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A New Hiring Tactic: Reader Reaction Sought
After last weeke’s "faculty recruitment conference" for new law teachers (otherwise known as the "meat market"), there has been much talk about a new recruitment tactic by Northwestern, described to me by colleagues at Illinois and Texas as follows: Northwestern offers to fly back a "hot" candidate prior to the "meat market" on the condition…
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The Prerequisites for Tyranny: Torture and the Elimination fo Habeas Corpus
This makes the Republicans, of course, the party of tyranny: Habeas corpus prevents authorities from detaining a person indefinitely without charges; the guarantee of habeas corpus ensures that no one can imprison you without a trial. The Bush administration wants the power to detain indefinitely anyone it declares to be an enemy combatant or a…
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Guardian Apologizes for Smearing Chomsky, and Removes the Offending Interview from Its Site: Will Emma Brockes and Oliver Kamm Be Able to Show Their Faces in Public Again?
It appears that the entirely correct protests against The Guardian’s smearing of Noam Chomsky in an "interview" by journalist Emma Brockes (who one may hope will now find a new profession, where she can conduct herself honorably) have been successful: The Guardian has apologized and retracted the entire interview. What will be interesting now is…
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Philosopher Boghossian, Courted by Princeton, Will Stay at NYU
Paul Boghossian (philosophy of language and mind, epistemology), who has played a major role in building up the Department at New York University over the last decade, has decided not to accept the senior offer voted by the Princeton Department.
I only just learned of Barry’s passing, and I’m enormously saddened at the news. I wrote my PhD on his…