June 2021
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Chronic underfunding at UC Riverside
An open letter from departments chairs in the college of arts, humanities and social sciences.
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Vaccines and the Delta variant, and what lies ahead for America
Informative Twitter thread from a physician at the University of California, San Francisco; an excerpt: If you’re fully vaxxed, I wouldn’t be too worried, especially if you’re in a highly vaxxed region.… [U]nvaxxed may well do OK for a while, probably through summer [due to the large number of vaccinated people]. But fall/winter now scares…
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If only there were a theory that could explain why both political parties and the media complain more about shortages of cheap labor than about poverty and bad working conditions
It's a damned mystery, that's for sure: Reports that low-wage employers were having trouble filling open jobs sent Republican policymakers into a tizzy and led at least 25 Republican governors — and one Democratic governor — to announce plans to cut off expanded unemployment benefits early. Chipotle said that it would increase prices by about…
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AALS Section on Jurisprudence seeks mentors and mentees
Mihailis Diamantis (Iowa) asked me to share this, which I'm happy to do: The AALS Section on Jurisprudence runs a mentorship program for pre-tenure-track scholars. They seek both mentors and mentees who work on philosophy and law, broadly construed. Mentors will provide guidance on the job market process and feedback on at least one substantial…
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Call by ABA for comments on significant proposed changes to standards pertaining to “non-discrimination and equal opportunity” and “curriculum”
MOVING TO FRONT FROM JUNE 1–TWO MORE WEEKS TO SUBMIT COMMENTS TO THE ABA! The proposed changes are available here. Written comments on the proposals should be addressed to: Scott Bales, Council Chair. Please send comments to Fernando Mariduena (Fernando.Mariduena@americanbar.org) by June 28, 2021. I am going to offer a few observations of my own…
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Great moments in live rock ‘n’ roll: Deep Purple, “Lazy,” 1972
This was the best Deep Purple line-up, recorded live from a tour in Scandinavia after the Machine Head album: Ritchie Blackmore on guitar, Jon Lord on keyboards, Ian Gillan on vocals.
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OUP will no longer print its own books…
MOVING TO FRONT FROM JUNE 10: UPDATED …after more than 500 years of printing! UPDATE: Rob Tempio, the philosopher editor at PUP, points out to me that the printing press being closed only produced booklets, flyers, brochures, newsletters, etc., not OUP monographs.
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Philosophy as the “handmaiden of the human resources” department
Amusingly apt description of this, in an essay by philosopher Justin E.H. Smith (Paris 7) mostly concerned with literature.
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Congratulations to the University of Chicago Law School Class of 2021!
It's been a pleasure and a privilege to teach such talented young men and women, and I am sure I speak for all of my colleagues in wishing you much professional success and personal happiness in the years ahead!
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Sen. Joe Manchin’s Trolley Problem
This is funny, even if Sen. Manchin is not! (Thanks to David Zimmerman for the pointer.)
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Blast from the past: a discussion of reader polls about the importance of different parts of philosophy
Back in 2014. (Some later polls: experimental philosophy; feminist philosophy; history of analytic philosophy.)
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Hawaii legislature moves to eliminate salary for tenured professor
While Republican legislatures are (rightly) attracting attention for their attempts to violate the constitutional and academic freedom rights of faculty at state universities, the threats to these rights are becoming an increasingly "bi-partisan" problem (recall, e.g., it was the Democratic legislature in California that pushed for the unlawful "diversity statements"); this shocking move by the…
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Interesting UK decision under their Equality Act…
…which protects people from being discriminated against in employment for their "religious and philosophical beliefs"–in this case, beliefs in some tenets of gender critical feminism. This is a much stronger employment protection than American workers enjoy. (Thanks to James Ladyman for the pointer.)
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Richard Marshall interviews Anya Plutynski (Wash U/St. Louis)…
…at 3:16 AM. Quite interesting: is cancer a natural kind? and other questions.
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In Memoriam: Joseph Margolis (1924-2021)
A longtime member of the faculty at Temple University, Professor Margolis wrote very widely in philosophy, perhaps being best-known for his version of pragmatism and his contributions to aesthetics. I will add links to memorial notices as they appear. (Thanks to Noel Carroll for the information about Professor Margolis's death.)
Don’t click the transcript – it’s a mis-transcription that makes Harvey sound unhinged. The bit of it that’s visible without…