February 2016
-
John Oliver finally does what’s needed on Donald Drumpf
You'll have to watch the video to find out. The billionaires that are trying to run the country should pay to run this 20-minute clip around the clock for a few weeks.
-
New Books in February
Authors and/or publishers kindly sent me these new books this month: The Meaning of Science: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science by Tim Lewens (Basic Books, 2016). Critical Voter: Using the Next Election to Make Yourself (and Your Kids) Smarter by Jonathan Haber (Degree of Freedom Press, 2016). Humanity in a Creative Universe by…
-
Not nearly as bad as the Salaita case at the University of Illinois, but the University of Missouri clearly behaved badly…
…and in violation of its own procedures in the way it dismissed Assistant Professor Melissa Click. Just to be clear about the differences from the Salaita case: Click was not a tenured professor, and she was not fired for her scholarly or political views. Click pretty clearly did engage in inappropriate conduct, but she was still…
-
Shakespeare on Trump…
…with a stealth appearance by Karl Marx. UPDATE: A propos the preceding, needless to say I also agree with this.
-
In Memoriam: Jose Benardete (1928-2016)
His passing was announced on the Facebook page devoted to memorable stories about Professor Benardete, who was emeritus in the Department of Philosophy at Syracuse University. I will add links to memorial notices when they appear.
-
University of Houston offers advice to faculty once students start carrying guns in class
Here. UPDATE: Philosopher Justin Coates (Houston) writes: [I]t was someone in the faculty senate and not the university that offered the advice to UH faculty that you linked to this morning. I’m certainly no fan of the new law—it’s absurd. But I also think that some of the fear-mongering of my colleagues goes too far (a…
-
The decline of religion in America…
…and its political implications, especially for the Republicans.
-
Best Anglophone philosophers of action since 1945?
So with over 300 votes cast in our most recent poll, here's the top 20 (recall that for living philosophers, only those 60 or older were included; Paul Russell, alas, was wrongly omitted): 1. G.E.M. Anscombe (Condorcet winner: wins contests with all other choices) 2. Donald Davidson loses to G.E.M. Anscombe by 142–74 3. Harry Frankfurt loses to…
-
Rumfitt from Birmingham to Oxford
Ian Rumfitt (philosophy of language, logic & math), currently Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham, has also been elected to a Senior Research Fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford University.
-
Oxford’s Professor of Jurisprudence, John Gardner, to take up Senior Research Fellowship at All Souls College
The Professorship in Jurisprudence, at University College, is the one previously held by H.L.A. Hart; to take up the Senior Research Fellowship at All Souls, Professor Gardner–perhaps best-known for his work in philosophy of criminal law, though he has written widely in legal and moral philosophy–will have to resign that post. There is one other…
-
FIRE’s “ten worst” colleges and universities for attacking freedom of expression in the last year
All deserving, several we commented on at length in the past year. (Thanks to Dean Rowan for the pointer.)
-
Bruyahaha update: Brian Bruya published a purportedly “scholarly” article about the PGR…
…in a heretofore obscure journal called Metaphilosophy. The article was incompetent, as I first noticed and as David Wallace (Oxford) confirmed in detail. There was also, of course, the little matter of the article's defamation of those who produced the PGR–me and Brit, as well as the Advisory Board–as really being racists and sexists. I…
I only just learned of Barry’s passing, and I’m enormously saddened at the news. I wrote my PhD on his…