February 2020
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Great moments in obscure rock ‘n’ roll: Fat, “The Shape I’m In,” 1970
Another great number (earlier ones here and here) from the Western Massachusetts band that deserved to be far more successful than they were:
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The U.S. election and the coronavirus
It seems clear the coronavirus pandemic is going to trigger a recession in the U.S. and probably globally, barring a sudden change in the course of its spread. As we know from Achen and Bartels, voters often hold incumbents responsible for bad events, especially if there is any narrative supporting such responsibility (and sometimes even…
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“Nietzsche’s Moral and Political Philosophy,” revised at SEP
This is the third revision I've done since the entry first appeared in 2004. This revision was more substantial than the last one, with a lot of new bibliographical entries and refinements of discussions in several sections, especially sections 1.2, 2, 3 and 4.
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Pembroke (Oxford) philosophy tutor Peter King pleads guilty to producing “indecent” photographs of a child
This is creepy. (Do NOT confuse this creepy "Peter King" with the distinguished historian of medieval philosophy at the University of Toronto with the same name.)
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Five senior hires for Edinburgh
All are coming in as Senior Lecturers; they are: Mahrad Almotahari (metaphysics, philosophy of language), currently Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Illinois, Chicago; Mazviita Chirimuuta (philosophy of neuroscience & perception), Associate Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh; Barry Maguire (moral & politcal philosophy), Assistant Professor of…
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The meaningless “Primary Research Group” survey of “law faculty and staff”
Back in 2015. This "survey" has been making the rounds, despite being obviously meaningless: it is based on a survey of 96 "faculty and staff" in the U.S. and Canada. Only 96! There are some 8,000 law faculty in the United States alone, and I would guess that the 16 law schools in Canada have…
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“Teens for Mayor Pete”
This satirical site captures his vacuity well; an excerpt: POLICIES: Policies are vital to any candidate. In fact, policies are the cornerstone of a Democracy and Democracy is what makes America the country it is today. Health Care In the U.S. some have Health Care, while others do not. Some believe Health Care should be…
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Blast from the past: when a Routledge Companion editor dropped a contributor for alleged wrongdoing
Back in 2016. It's striking that so many of the bad actors in the profession are clustered in the LEMMing areas.
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In Memoriam: Jack Macintosh (1934-2020)
MOVING TO FRONT FROM FEBRUARY 17–UPDATED A longtime member of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Calgary (which he joined in 1966), he was best-known for his work in the history of philosophy and science, especially on Robert Boyle. I will add links to memorial notices as they appear. (Thanks to Mohan Matthen…
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While the fascist Modi and the instinctive fascist Trump schmooze…
…religious riots break out, a clear result of Modi's anti-Muslim animus. (Thanks to Ruchira Paul for the pointer.)
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In Memoriam: Mario Bunge (1919-2020)
A longtime member of the philosophy faculty at McGill University (although originally a physics professor in Argentina), Professor Bunge wrote widely in philosophy of science An obituary from a newspaper in his native Argentina is here (in Spanish). I will add links to other memorial notices as they appear. (Thanks to Marcos Picchio for the…
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Ruling class media v. Bernie Sanders
This is a pretty good video: ADDENDUM: By the way, that's Mimi Rocah who said Bernie "makes her skin crawl" and she doesn't know why. I have an idea: maybe she's an anti-semite? They do tend to have that reaction to gruff, assertive Jews like Bernie.
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Senator Sanders speaks the truth about AIPAC…
…and, of course, AIPAC goes crazy. UPDATE: Senators Warren and Klobuchar, as well as Mayor Pete, are also taking a pass on AIPAC. Remarkable and wonderful!
I respond to this report here https://jasonstanleyantifascist.substack.com/p/on-the-philosophical-muddle-that