June 2022
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On “left” and “right” neoliberalism and the diversity industry
An interview with Walter Benn Michaels at Jacobin from 2011, but still timely; some excerpts: The differentiation between left and right neoliberalism doesn’t really undermine the way it which it is deeply unified in its commitment to competitive markets and to the state’s role in maintaining competitive markets. For me the distinction is that “left…
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Millenial narcissism, redux: “overly sensitive, overly fragile, and no sense of priorities” and “Democracy dies in dumbness”
Bill Maher's pretty funny (and typically off color) take on the Felicia Sonmez fiasco at the Washington Post:
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Remembrances of Joseph Raz
A website at Oxford collects them. (The original memorial notice here also includes some recollections.)
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Philosophy’s declining significance on the French Baccalaureate exams
Here; an excerpt: Under a reform introduced by President Macron’s government, the philosophy paper counts for between 4 and 8 per cent of the overall Baccalauréat mark, compared with up to 18 per cent until 2020. Marie Perret, chairwoman of the Association of Philosophy Teachers, said the discipline had been reduced to a “derisory” place in the French…
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Great moments in obscure rock ‘n’ roll: Duffy, “Running Away,” 1973
British rock band, that enjoyed some success on the Continent, before fading into oblivion; this is a great tune from their debut album:
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Blogging hiatus
I'll resume more regular blogging in early August, but between now and then I'll only put up things that are particularly noteworthy or time-sensitive. I'll also update the laterals list as needed. I wish readers a productive seven weeks or so until my return!
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Two philosophers elected to the American Philosophical Society
They are: Anita Allen (Penn) and Peter Godfrey-Smith (Sydney).
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Blast from the past: “How Trump Thinks”
Back in 2016. Law professor David Noll (Rutgers) reminded me of it on Twitter, noting that it had (alas) "held up extremely well" as an analysis of the monster child.
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Oberman from Edinburgh to LSE
Kieran Oberman (ethics, applied ethics), previously Senior Lecturer in Politics at the University of Edinburgh, has taken up a position as Associate Professor of Philosophy at the London School of Economics.
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“Some Realism about Political and Legal Philosophy”
A draft now on SSRN; the abstract below the fold:
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Double jeopardy, again
A propos this, SCOTUS has just held that: "The Double Jeopardy Clause does not bar successive prosecutions of distinct offenses arising from a single act, even if a single sovereign prosecutes them." And they're talking about the state, of course, not a private university!
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Philosophy at Roehampton under threat
You can sign a petition in support of the program, and find other informamtion, here; an excerpt: Managers at the University of Roehampton are threatening to close the BA Philosophy programme and the MA in Practical Philosophy, and reduce the number of philosophy staff from five to three. These plans are part of proposed redundancies…
I’d like to pose a question. Let’s be pessimistic for the moment, and assume AI *does* destroy the university, at…