May 2023
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Stephen Mulhall did not like Derek Parfit’s way of doing philosophy…
…so, unsurprisingly, he did not much like a biography of Parfit. There were a couple of apt criticisms of the philosophy and the philosopher. For example: [A]lthough Parfit’s favoured method for pursuing and refining ethical thinking presents itself as open to all whatever their ethical stance, it actually incorporates a subtle but pervasive bias against…
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A celebration of the life and work of Maria Rosa Antognazza on June 14…
…at King's College, London. (The earlier memorial announcement.)
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Poitier meets Plato
MOVING TO FRONT FROM MAY 22–SEE UPDATE From his 1964 album: (Thanks to Rob Tempio for the pointer.) UPDATE: There is a digital version of the full album here. (Thanks to Neil Jahren for the pointer.)
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Wash U/St. Louis professor being recruited for UT Austin’s new “free enterprise” think tank…
…turns down offer because of the attack on tenure. Will the awful Texas Lt. Governor, who championed the think tank and the attack on tenure, pick up this market signal? (Thanks to Humphreys McGee for the pointer.)
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St. Norbert College philosophy professor strikes it rich…
…on the game show Jeopardy! A quarter million dollars! (Thanks to Phil Gasper for the pointer.)
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The Republican war on K-12 education: South Carolina edition
Here, with interesting history of race relations in South Carolina, and an appropriate skewering of Viktor DeSantis's slimy and stupid hitman Christopher Rufo. (Thanks to Jason Stanley for the pointer.)
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Year-long initiative on free speech and academic freedom at UC Irvine
Announcement here. UC Irvine Chancellor Howard Gillman has written widely on these issues. University of Chicago recently created a new "Forum" on these topics, to be led by my law colleague Tom Ginsburg. He has already been running a series of talks on these issues (I gave one on "The Law and Philosophy of Academic…
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Texas tenure battle continues
We'll find out by Friday whether Texas will destroy its public research universities or not. The bill that passed the Texas Senate will eliminate tenure for all new hires; the bill that passed the Texas House preserves tenure, but permits termination for some non-traditional reasons that are ripe for abuse, such as “conduct involving moral…
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Silicon Valley, Elon Musk, and the popularity of eugenics
Interesting and creepy. To be clear, I'm not wholly opposed to eugenics: people like Elon Musk should not be allowed to reproduce. (Thanks to Phil Gasper for the pointer.)
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Would you choose to live forever?
Philosopher John Martin Fischer discusses the topic for a popular audience.
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Three law professors elected to the American Philosophical Society
They are: James Forman (Yale), Catharine MacKinnon (Michigan), and Dorothy Roberts (Penn).
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Great moments in obscure rock ‘n’ roll: The Third Power, “Gettin’ Together,” 1970
Another number from this Michigan band's only album, this is the lead track:
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UC Santa Cruz being sued over its unlawful “diversity” statement requirement for job applicants
A news release here, and the complaint is here. The plaintiff claims that the state is imposing unconstitutional conditions on job applicants in violation of their First Amendment rights, as well as engaging in unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination (I have emphasized the latter).
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One philosopher elected to American Philosophical Society
He is philosopher of science and biology John Dupre at the University of Exeter.
If knowledge is sociologically conditioned, then what, exactly, happens to the truth-status of the sociology of knowledge itself? This is…