Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog

News and views about philosophy, the academic profession, academic freedom, intellectual culture, and other topics. The world’s most popular philosophy blog, since 2003.

  1. Luis Marxuach's avatar

    ‘Some mathematicians are still wary, however. “The big story now in mathematics is that nobody wants to share anything,” Buckmaster…

  2. James C. Klagge's avatar
  3. Mark's avatar

    Sorry, I don’t follow? The whole point of the open letter is that these AI engines *are* producing innovative solutions…

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  5. Daniel Kaufman's avatar
  6. Daniel Kaufman's avatar
  7. Daniel Kaufman's avatar

It’s not often that Ronald Dworkin and I are invoked in support of the same proposition…

..but a reader points out a rare instance, an appropriately scathing review of a childishly stupid book by a childishly stupid author, one Jonah Goldberg (about whom we had occasion to comment in passing long ago).  The passage in question:

Goldberg falsely saddles liberalism not just with
relativism but with all manner of alleged errors having nothing to do
with liberalism. At one point, he exhumes the likes of Derrida and
Foucault in order to pummel them once more for introducing
postmodernism, deconstruction, and other continental horrors into the
world. What this tiresome routine has to do with liberalism escapes the
reader. From the outset, liberals opposed these fads as fiercely as
conservatives. Just ask Ronald Dworkin or Brian Leiter. Goldberg, like
many movement conservatives, grossly overestimates the influence of
postmodernism, doubtless because avowed nihilists make such good straw
men (if not good theater, as Derrida and Foucault well knew).

Of course, it always make me sad to see Foucault, a genuinely learned man and creative intellect, lumped together with the charlatan Derrida.  But the reviewer is clearly correct that Derridean silliness has nothing to do with liberalism, and precious little to do with anything in the modern university.

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