August 2022
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Mind, body, and illness
Philosopher Tom Stern (UCL) comments. (Some readers will recall I am not a fan of his Nietzsche work, but I quite enjoyed this essay.)
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In Memoriam: Paul Humphreys (1950-2022)
MOVING TO FRONT FROM SATURDAY, AUGUST 13–UPDATED Well-known for his wide-ranging work in philosophy of science, Professor Humphreys taught philosophy at the University of Virginia from 1978 until his death, where he rose to the rank of Commonwealth Professor of Philosophy. There is a full list of his publications here, and an obituary is here. …
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India was actually the first country to ban “The Satanic Verses”
MOVING TO FRONT FROM YESTERDAY–UPDATED Longtime reader Ruchira Paul writes "that the Indian government led by the Congress Party banned The Satanic Verses months before Ayatollah Khomeini issued his fatwa. Had it not been for South Asian Muslims rioting (never having read the book), the dying Iranian cleric may never have even heard of Rushdie's…
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Two sides to every issue: the civilized and the barbaric
From CNN: [S]everal hardline Iranian newspapers poured praise on Matar [Rushdie's assailant] on Saturday, including the conservative Kayhan newspaper, whose editor-in-chief is appointed by [Ayatollah] Khamenei. "A thousand bravos, a hundred God blesses. His hand must be kissed… Bravo to the warrior and dutiful man who attacked the Apostate and wicked Salman Rushdie. The…
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Great moments in obscure rock ‘n’ roll: Curved Air, “It Happened Today,” 1970
British progressive band, that enjoyed some modest success in the U.K. in the early 1970s, this single came from their debut album:
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In Memoriam: Paul Snowdon (1946-2022)
Well-known for his work on the metaphysics of persons and the nature of perception, among other topics, Professor Snowdon was at the time of his death Emeritus Grote Professor of Philosophy of Mind and Logic at University College London. Prior to moving to UCL in 2001, he taught for several decades at Oxford University. There…
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Japanese “comfort women” and the North Korean connection
The discussion continues. The long abstract gives a good overview of the argument. (Earlier coverage here and here.)
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The “Elucidations” philosophy podcast is now posting transcripts of prior episodes
Here, including episodes with Agnes Callard, R.A. Briggs, Steven Nadler, Chike Jeffers, Nethanel Lipshitz, and others.
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Trump’s “Brownshirts” now threatening judge who signed off on the warrant to search his property
First we had the stormtrooper riot at the Capitol, and now we have threats against federal officials, including judges: Far-right extremists on pro-Donald Trump message boards and social networks are making violent, antisemitic threats against the judge who reportedly signed the warrant that allowed the FBI to search the former president's Mar-a-Lago property in Florida. …
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Philosophers Scott Aikin and Robert Talisse (both Vanderbilt) make it into the Edsall column at the NYT on “belief polarization”
Here. The usual sources for Edsall are social scientists and sometimes law professors.
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The AALS springs another surprise on job seekers
The first round FAR forms were due yesterday. The AALS has continued its tradition of springing surprises on job seekers. The last two years the surprise was, first, abandoning the old FAR form, and then, the next year, reinstating it, with some minor modifications (most notably, eliminating the secondary list of teaching interests). This year's…
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Korsgaard’s Dewey Lecture
MOVING TO FRONT FROM YESTERDAY–A COUPLE OF COMMENTS WERE CAUGHT IN THE SPAM FILTER, THEY HAVE NOW APPEARED The text is here, and there is much that is interesting. I excerpt some of her remarks about pressure to publish and the pernicious effects of peer review: Young people are expected to produce an absurdly large…
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The University of Akron “bloodbath”
We noted the (ultimately unsuccessful) efforts of fired faculty to seek legal redress last year; the CHE now has this account: [F]or the 96 faculty members who were part of the “reduction in force,” moving on has been nearly impossible. They call themselves “the RIF,” pronounced like “riff.” They see themselves as the human toll…
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In Memoriam: Geoffrey Brennan (1944-2022)
MOVING TO FRONT, ORIGINALLY POSTED JULY 29–UPDATED A trained economist, Professor Brennan wrote widely in moral and political philosophy, and on practical and theoretical issues that arise at the intersection of politics, philosophy, and economics. He was, most recently, a member of the School of Philosophy at the Australian National University, and taught philosophy at…
Jacob Barrett, Ideal and Non- Ideal Theory (Cambridge University Press, 2026) Part of the Elements in Political Philosophy series. Permanently…