January 2020
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Hillary Clinton really is an appalling shill for the prudent wing of the ruling class…
…as this makes clear. ADDENDUM: Some useful context.
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And now: Rousseau on Twitter…
…with help from politcal theorist Boris Litvin (Stetson). UPDATE: And a skeptical response from a Rousseau scholar on Twitter.
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Malik on Scruton…
…at The Guardian. Of the various criticisms of Scruton, this seems to me the most measured and strongest version I've seen in the popular media. (Here's an unmeasured critical comment: a number of years ago, I picked up the new edition of Scruton's purported critique of "new left" thinkers. It was sophomoric, almost beyond belief…
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Historian Clayborne Carson (Stanford) interviewed about the NYT 1619 Project and what is called the “Civil Rights Movement”
Here; an excerpt: Q. 100 years after the Civil War this mass movement of very oppressed people takes place in the American South and then, as you said, it also grips the big cities. Why does it happen when it happens? Why in the 1960s? A. …Among the most important changes leading to the articulation…
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A preview of what Hein citation rankings might look like (courtesy of Ted Sichelman)
Recently, Professors Paul Heald (Illinois) and Ted Sichelman (San Diego) released law school faculty rankings that combined SSRN downloads and HeinOnline citations (here). (I'm skeptical about the value of SSRN rankings, as I've noted many times in the past: e.g., here and here). In their study, Heald and Sichelman included Hein-only rankings, combining both historical (all-time) and…
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Best introductory texts in philosophy of mind?
MOVING TO FRONT FROM JANUARY 16–MORE COMMENTS WELCOME Continuing with our new series about the best introductory texts in various areas of philosophy, I now invite readers to name what they think are the best introductory texts in philosophy of mind. As before, don't just name a text, but say something about why you think…
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Peer-reviewed journal publishes a peer-reviewed paper some people don’t like…
…so it's time for a petition, which, after 24 hours and despite being linked from the Daily Snooze this morning, has only some two dozen signatories. (UPDATE: after 48 hours, 48 signatories!) It was launched by famed Twitter tough guy Mark Alfano (Macquarie), seen here threatening the paper's author, graduate student Nathan Cofnas (Oxford) (says…
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Preposterous philosophical views: the poll results
With more than 1300 votes in last Friday's poll, here are the results for "most" to "least" preposterous philosophical view: 1. External world skepticism (Condorcet winner: wins contests with all other choices) 2. Realism about possible worlds loses to External world skepticism by 621–597 3. Panpsychism loses to External world skepticism by 640–574, loses to Realism about possible…
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A report from Australia about the bushfires ravaging the country
Michael Matthews, an Australian in Sydney and editor of the newsletter of The Society for the History and Philosophy of Science and Science Teaching, shares a personal account on p. 3 here. (Thanks to Michael Ruse for the pointer.)
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Rousseau on impeachment…
…with some help from David Lay Williams (DePaul).
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Jacobson from Michigan to Colorado/Boulder
Daniel Jacobson (ethics, metaethics, moral psychology, aesthetics, political philosophy), Professor of Philosophy at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, has accepted a senior offer from the Department of Philosophy at the University of Colorado, Boulder, where he will hold the first endowed chair (the Benson Professorship) in that department beginning fall 2020. In addition, he…
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Great moments in obscure rock ‘n’ roll: The Factory, “Gone,” 1968
British psychedelic band that released two singles and enjoyed no recognition at the time; this is the B-side of one of the two singles (which I rather prefer to the A-side, "Path Through the Forest"):
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Which currently fashionable philosophical view is the most preposterous?
Regarding my quip about panpsychism the other day, philosopher Mohan Matthen (Toronto) writes: "Goff anticipates your objection, which is the first listed in his SEP entry, under the title, 'Objections to Panpsychism: The Incredulous Stare.' I happen to think that the Incredulous Stare holds water though, because it’s beyond crazy to argue a priori for…
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Speaking of people defamed by the media, let’s not forget the horrendous treatment of Yale PhD student Sarah Braasch
We've noted before the raw deal Ms. Braasch got in the media in the misnamed "Napping while Black" story. Particularly striking is that her exoneration by Yale from the charges of racially motivated harassment received almost no media coverage, even though the whole alleged story was supposed to be about racially motivated harassment and calling…
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Harvard Law professor Larry Lessig sues NYT for defamation
Good for him. Given the terrible state of American law–which is more favorable to defamers than any other legal jurisdiction in a democratic society–he will have an uphill battle.
I respond to this report here https://jasonstanleyantifascist.substack.com/p/on-the-philosophical-muddle-that