September 2009
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Swine Flu on Campus–an Update
This is an illuminating chart from the American College Health Association. Swine flu continues to increase nationwide, but there are still big differences between parts of the country, most connected to how long school has been in session. At the high end, we see 'attack' rates of swine flu of over 100 per 10,000 students…
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The RAE’s Successor: the REF!
A quick gloss here. Any U.K. philosophers have any idea what it really means?
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Either Buckingham University or Its Vice-Chancellor is Finished
One hopes. He explains himself here, though this looks to me like post-hoc rationalization of humor that revealed a bit too much about the humorist. But perhaps not.
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Does Having Publications Hurt a Candidate for Jobs at Schools Whose Primary Mission is Teaching?
Reader Matt Barker writes: John Basl has an interesting post on his Normal Science blog about whether publications do or should count against those applying to teaching-focused jobs. It would be nice to have this noted on the Leiter blog, and to ask faculty in teaching-focused departments whether they (even sometimes) count publications against a…
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Best Schools in Law & Economics?
The last poll generated sufficient interest, that it's time for another scientifically infallible blog poll: rank the ten best faculties in the area of law & economics. As with the earlier poll, I've listed more than ten faculties, but I'm pretty confident no faculty omitted would make it into the top ten. Again, you are given…
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USC’s Elyn Saks Awarded Lucrative MacArthur Fellowship
Her colleague Mary Dudziak has links and details.
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Linnebo from Bristol to Birkbeck
Øystein Linnebo (philosophy of logic and mathematics, metaphysics, philosophy of language), Reader in Philosophy at the University of Bristol, has accepted a permanent post in Philosophy at Birkbeck College, University of London.
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Safranek and Other Former Ave Maria Law Faculty Settle with Pizza Magnate Monaghan
Details here. It looks to me like a complete vindication of Safranek and the others, and a suitable rebuke to the nutty Tom Monaghan and former Dean Dobranski, who did his bidding.
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Krugman v. Cochrane Through the Eyes of the Philosophers
Philosophers of science and economics generally take a dimmer view of economics (epecially macroeconomics) than the practitioners, including those in law schools. The Krugman v. Cochrane dispute about the failure of "Chicago School" macroeconomics in the current financial crisis is an interesting case study of the problems afflicting macroeconomics. Alexander Rosenberg, a leading philosopher of…
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Alex Rosenberg on Cochrane and Economics
Alexander Rosenberg (Duke), as most readers will know, is a leading philosopher of science, especially of biology and economics, and author of a devastating critique of economics, Economics: Mathematical Politics or Science of Diminshing Returns? (University of Chicago Press), which won the 1993 Lakatos Prize in Philosophy of Science from the London School of Economics. …
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Which law schools have the best faculties in constitutional law and theory?
We haven't had some polling amusement in awhile, so here's a new poll: rank the top ten law faculties in constitutional law and theory (excluding constitutional criminal procedure). We've provided 17 choices, and I'm pretty confident no faculty omitted would make it into the top ten, though I'm sure some omitted faculties would make the…
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Three Mid-Career Philosophers Win Australian Future Fellowships
The Australian Research Council has announced the first 200 "Future Fellowships," five-year fellowships for mid-career researchers. Three philosophers are among the winners: Jacquie Broad (Monash) for a project on Mary Astell; Jonathan Schaffer (ANU) for a project in epistemology; and Jeremy Moss (Melbourne) for a project on climate justice.
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Friday Poem: “Things”
Things Lately I’m struggling To recollect Things And when I do They’re things from long ago Not the near things that slip away Unexpectedly I remembered Running to my father up an incline I was six “Daddy,” I yelled That was odd For I never saw him again Recalled fresh…
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Volcker on Economics
A propos our topic du jour, here is former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker: I recently commented to some of my economist friends that I’m not aware of any large contribution that economic science has made to central banking in the last 50 years or so. Our ability to forecast is still very limited. The…
I respond to this report here https://jasonstanleyantifascist.substack.com/p/on-the-philosophical-muddle-that