April 2023
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The legislation that will “blow up” Texas universities
Academic freedom expert Keith Whittington reviews the pending legislation. (Link now fixed.)
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Not everyone is thrilled with Ken Griffin’s $300 million naming gift to Harvard’s Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
(Link now fixed) Amusing and not surprising, since it is an embarrassment: Theda R. Skocpol, a Government and Sociology professor and former GSAS dean, slammed the decision in an email to The Crimson. “I am absolutely disgusted at the sale of the GSAS name to a multi billionaire who works in US politics today to…
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The new Israeli Spinoza documentary…
…and its relevance today. (Earlier coverage.) (Thanks to Curtis Franks for the pointer.)
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Tentative deal reached to end Rutgers strike
News here. The strike began Monday, and was primarily an effort by the tenure-stream faculty to secure better wages and working conditions for the non-tenure-stream faculty. UPDATE: The AAUP-AFT chapter representing the Rutgers workers has sent out the following email to membership regarding the "framework" for a final agreement: Crucially, this Framework is not a…
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Great moments in obscure rock ‘n’ roll: Spooky Tooth, “Hangman Hang My Shell on a Tree,” 1969
The concluding number of this terrific, but under-recognized British hard/progressive rock band (with one American, Gary Wright, of later "Dream Weaver" fame in the 1970s), this is the concluding number of their best album, Spooky Two:
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Richard Marshall interviews Steven Hales…
…at 3:16 AM, and they discuss Nietzsche, relativism, luck, and more.
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Crowdfunding campaign to support efforts by UCU members to challenge the mismanagement of the UK academic pension scheme in court
Philosopher Jason Konek (Bristol) writes: As I'm sure you know, the University and College Union (which represents a large number of academic staff at UK universities) has engaged in a number of industrial actions over pension cuts since 2018. Some members of UCU (Dr Neil Davies, Dr Ewan McGaughey) have managed to secure a hearing…
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Georgia secedes from civilization
The Governor has signed a law permitting folks to carry handguns without a license or a background check. That should work out really well! Apparently if the Constitution had mentioned a "right to drive," there would be no licensing requirement for drivers either. America is doomed.
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“Seeing fast and thinking slow”
An informative review of Ned Block's latest book by psychologist Chaz Firestone and philosopher Ian Phillips (both Johns Hopkins).
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One reason why it is hard to take the American Philosophical Association seriously…
…is that it still has on the books a "Code of Conduct" that violates the First Amendment rights of faculty at public universities and the academic freedom rights of all faculty. Perhaps current leadership will rectify this professional embarrassment, and repeal this Code and enact a normal one, like most other professional organizations.
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Among the stuff ChatGPT makes up…
…are false accusations of sexual haraassment against innocent individuals!
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New faculty group on academic freedom at Harvard established
Here. We've had a similar group at Chicago for a couple of years. Are there other such groups on other campuses? Please post links in the comments. (Thanks to Ned Hall for the pointer about the new Harvard group.)
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College accreditation agencies now flexing their muscles for “diversity”
From CHE: The six-year graduation rate for [California Lutheran University's ] Hispanic students, who make up 40 percent of its 2,800 undergraduates, is equal to that of white and Asian American students, at about 75 percent. That sets the university apart from most others: Nationally, about 54 percent of Hispanic students graduate within six years.…
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Harvard’s entire faculty of arts & sciences not even worth three times more than the University of Chicago economics department
$125 million to name the economics department here, $300 million to name the entire graduate school of arts & sciences at Harvard. The market speaks!
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Nietzsche on nihilism
Philosopher Kaitlyn Creasy comments. I agree with a lot of this, although I don't think it captures the causes of the risk of "suicidal nihilism" that Nietzsche discusses in the Third Essay of the Genealogy.
I just published in the new PPA and can say it was one of the most difficult, rigorous R&R’s of…