July 2022
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Trump’s plan to fill the federal civil service with lackeys in a second term
This is how fascism works at the micro-level.
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Five philosophers elected to British Academy
They are: Richard Bradley (LSE) and Quassim Cassam (Warwick), as Fellows; and Pauline Kleingeld (Groningen), Deborah Mayo (Virginia Tech), and Wlodek Rabinowicz (Lund), as Corresponding Fellows.
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When you can’t tell what’s a parody and what isn’t
This exchange has been circulating on social media. My first reaction was that this had to be a parody of mindless identity politics, but in fact the participants actually believe their nonsense. God help the universities if too many people like this gain a foothold. (No doubt there are instances of "indigenous knowledge" that are…
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On growing up in communist Albania, and the aftermath
Lea Ypi (LSE) is interviewed about her recent book.
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Blast from the past: co-authorship in philosophy
A discussion, back in 2013.
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Robert Cummins, the philosopher of mind and psychology, has made his articles available for free…
…at his website (scroll down). It includes such gems as his amusing critique of reflective equilibrium as a method.
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Law schools hiring in 2022-23 can announce their plans/needs…
…at the annual Prawfs thread, courtesy of Professor Lawsky.
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Penn Dean calls for “major sanctions” (which could include termination) against tenured law professor
The Dean's letter is here: Download Request for Hearing Board Formation for Amy Wax– PENNCHARGES. The AFA has now sent a letter to the Penn President in response. A few observations of my own: 1. The AFA is correct that the bulk of complaints in Dean Ruger's letter pertain to extramural speech by Professor Wax,…
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The latest on the case of Professor Wax at Penn…
—including Dean Ruger's letter, the AFA letter, and my own comments on the academic freedom issues.
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Pebbles can make landslides
Nice reflections from Robert Paul Wolff on his life and activism.
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More signs of the times: actual left policy analyst leaves Center for American Progress for AEI…
…because the Center for American Progress is suffering from neoliberal wokeness (much like the academy in this regard, and recall this and also this): “My perspective is, the single most important thing to focus on in the social system is the economic system,” he tells me. “It’s class"…. To hear Teixeira tell it, CAP, and…
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Great moments in obscure rock ‘n’ roll: Hollywood Brats, “Then He Kissed Me,” 1973
Another British "glam rock" and proto-punk band of the early 1970s that had little success, although remains well-known among afficionados of the genre; this is from their one and only album:
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“In Defense of Linguistic Luddism”
Gorin v. Manne. Rather amusing. (On Twitter, Oliver Traldi [Notre Dame] has coined the term "Mannesplaining" for Professor Manne's style of scolding/instructing.)
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Ivana Trump (the monster child’s first wife) has died, and Sarah Palin was a fan…
…back in 1996! This article (as far as I can tell it is genuine) has been circulating on social media.
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Travels abroad, and some observations about philosophy
In June, I traveled overseas for the first time since 2019 (and I managed not to get Covid!). London, Dublin, Amsterdam, and Bucharest were my airport destinations; Oxford University, University College Dublin, University of Amsterdam, and Dimitri Cantemir Christian University my academic hosts. The events were ISNS in Oxford; a mini-conference on Nietzsche at UCD…
All about class.