March 2016
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Funny NY Times column on the crazies running for the Republican nomination for President
From Gail Collins: One thing that all these guys have in common is a desire to put themselves in charge of the reproductive rights of the entire female half of the country. Trump used to be pro-choice, but he “evolved” at some undisclosed point in the 21st century. Ted Cruz opposes abortion even in cases…
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The latest in religious right ugliness: transgender people and bathrooms
Appropriately scathing commentary from law professor Tobias Wolff (Penn).
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Comedy Central’s complete Trump v. Sanders debate
At last! (Thanks to Theo Nyreröd for the pointer.)
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In Memoriam: Justin Leiber (1938-2016)
At the time of his death, he was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Florida State University, and also taught for many years at the University of Houston. There is more information about his work here. (Thanks to John Schwenkler for the information and links.)
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This is funny…
…but strictly for "mature" readers with an adolescent sense of humor.
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Girls, Women, and Philosophy
Some of you may remember that when I blogged here last fall, I ruffled some feathers with my women and philosophy post. My primary criticism was that the discipline isn't doing a good job of reaching out to and encouraging young girls and women who may be interested in studying philosophy. But, rather than having that…
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Have you been bullied or harassed by Mark Lance (Georgetown) on social media?
I don't plan on getting into the habit of following the lead of the APA, but I've heard now from several graduate students and junior faculty that they've been bullied and harassed by philosopher Mark Lance (Georgetown) on various social media platforms, especially Facebook, that I thought it was time to raise the issue in…
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Jury Rejects Fraud Claim by 9 to 3 in Alaburda v. Thomas Jefferson School of Law (Michael Simkovic)
Details were reported in the San Diego Union Tribune, by CBS news, by the Times of San Diego, by Fox 5 and by the Seattle Times. CBS News reported as follows: "Alaburda filed her lawsuit in 2011, seeking $125,000 in damages on claims of false advertising and misrepresentations by TJSL and an order preventing it from misleading students.…
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Evaluating Philosophy Programs: A Cautionary Tale about the IBHE
The Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) requires that state universities report annually on what used to be called “low productivity programs” in compliance with the Illinois Public Act 097-0610. They then use this information to determine if the contribution of each program is “educationally and economically justified.” The IBHE has no regulatory authority over…
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A shrewd diagnosis of the pathologies of the juvenile “left” in universities from a young person committed to its objectives
Here; an excerpt: I used to endorse a particular brand of politics that is prevalent at McGill and in Montreal more widely. It is a fusion of a certain kind of anti-oppressive politics and a certain kind of radical leftist politics. This particular brand of politics begins with good intentions and noble causes, but metastasizes…
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Promoting Philosophy
As the spouse of a philosopher, I often find myself acting as a sort of ambassador for you lot. People don’t know what you do, what it is, or why it’s important. And, while it’s fantastic that a group of cool kids write pieces for the NYT, those people I mentioned above—the ones who don’t…
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An interview with CUNY’s Jesse Prinz
Here, and it's very interesting along a number of dimensions. One excerpt: Almost everything that I do involves the idea that experience can transform human minds. We are, by nature, unnatural. I am wary of biophilia—that is, of uncritical efforts to explain human universals and differences by appeal to fixed biological traits. Experience shapes all…
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Academic philosophy is very white…
…but this seems to me an unlikely explanation, because it isn't how work is actually evaluated (at least not in the fields I've worked in over the years). Armchair speculation like this, unhinged from actual evidence, and especially when circulated in the popular media which thrives on nonsense like this, doesn't seem very helpful for…
I’m a mathematician who works in AI, and although I’m not directly involved, what I hear from my colleagues is…