September 2017
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Great moments in obscure rock ‘n’ roll: Cactus, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Children,” 1971
Here's another from the American and less polished version of Led Zeppelin, best-known for their covers of other songs, but with an occasional memorable original, like this one from their second album: And here's a great cover of an old Howlin' Wolf number, from their third album (also 1971):
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New Books in September
Authors and/or publishers kindly sent me these new books this month: The Infidel and the Professor: David Hume, Adam Smith, and the Friendship that Shaped Modern Thought by Dennis C. Rasmussen (Princeton University Press, 2017). Kafka's Indictment of Modern Law by Douglas E. Litowitz (University Press of Kansas, 2017). Vanguard of the Revolution: The Global…
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The growing mismatch between jobs for philosophers and what the leading PhD programs emphasize, or, the so-called “core” is dying
PhilJobs is starting to fill up with ads, though not as many ads as one would like to see (at least not yet). But what is striking is the pattern in areas of interest: lots of value theory and history of philosophy (esp. early modern, but also a fair bit of 19th-century), some currently "trendy" areas like philosophy…
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How should a Dean who understands academic freedom respond to public controversy about faculty writing?
So we know from the unhappy example of Dean Ferruolo throwing a faculty member under the bus what not to do: you don't publish a statement on the homepage of the school singling out a faculty member's work, declare that not only do you, as Dean, disagree with it, but suggest that these are pariah…
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Soon-to-be Senator Roy Moore is a theocrat and a lunatic…
…so let's not pretend otherwise.
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Will computers ever match human intelligence?
Philosopher David Chalmers and others discuss.
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Who could fail to take pleasure in the revelation that this right-wing SOB–who wanted to steal medical care from the needy–has been indulging himself…
…on public money? Of course, that's what the entire ruling class does, but not so obviously!
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Saudia Arabia progressing by leaps and bounds…
…out of the middle ages and into the early 20th-century. Did Saddam really deserve to hang more than the fascist theocrats on the Arabian Peninsula?
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Amusing annals of pettiness
Over at the "safe space" philosophy blog run by Justin Weinberg, I was surprised to learn that 3 of its 6 ads under "paid advertisements" are, in fact, not paid advertisements, but gratis gifts of the editor (one to himself).* This may be a reflection of the rise of Facebook-as-blog noted the other day, or a consequence…
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“Diversity blather” watch
From IHE: It’s easy to understand why so many colleges want to increase their share of faculty members who are underrepresented minorities: research suggests that cultural diversity means diversity of thought and experience — boons to any intellectual enterprise — and both minority and white students benefit from learning from professors who look like them,…
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Monsanto ghostwriting for Hoover Institute Fellow
Wow. If these allegations pan out, I wonder what the Hoover Institute will do? Hoover does have some serious right-leaning academics affiliated with it, but it also has more than its share of second-rate hacks. I am unfamiliar with this particular person, so have no idea which camp he is in. (Thanks to Scott Weiner for…
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The second FAR distribution came out today…
…with only 55 new applicants for faculty positions. Altogether, there are fewer than 500 candidates seeking law teaching positions this year, one of the lowest totals I can recall. There are some indications that hiring is up this year–or at least interviewing–but it's too early to say for sure.
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How readers use Facebook
In a bit less than 24 hours, we got about 400 responses to the poll on how readers use Facebook; here are the results: Which of the following best describes how you use Facebook? Selection Votes Almost entirely for sharing personal stuff: photos, family news, etc. 37% 149 Almost entirely for professoinal purposes:…
I respond to this report here https://jasonstanleyantifascist.substack.com/p/on-the-philosophical-muddle-that