June 2023
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Nathan Salmon talks about the philosophy of Saul Kripke…
…at Simply Charly.
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In praise of doing nothing
A short essay on the Romanian philosopher Emil Cioran.
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Blast from the past: “the feminist cause”
Back in 2018.
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Carl Jung did not like Joyce’s “Ulysses”
This is rather amusing: I had an uncle whose thinking was always to the point. One day he stopped me on the street and asked, “Do you know how the devil tortures the souls in hell?” When I said no, he declared, “He keeps them waiting.” And with that he walked away. This remark occurred…
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Another liberal egalitarian philosopher cashes in
Really amazing. At least if she were a Marxist, it would be explicable rational behavior under capitalist conditions. But this is someone who purports to believe in morality and moral obligations. It reminds me of Thomas Nagel's remarkable concession in his review of G.A. Cohen's If You're a Egalitarian, How Come You're So Rich? (that…
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In Memoriam: Robin Downie (1933-2023)
Emeritus Professor of Moral Philosophy at the University of Glasgow, Professor Downie was best-known for his work in ethics and applied ethics. Professor David Bain, current Head of Department at Glasgow, writes: With great sadness, the Philosophy Department at the University of Glasgow would like to register the death of our greatly valued colleague, Robin…
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Great moments in (somewhat) obscure rock ‘n’ roll: Dr. John, “Stack-A-Lee,” 1972
A leading figure of "New Orleans blues," famed for his live performances, this comes from his fifth album, right before his 1973 hit "Right Place Wrong Time": Feel free to post other Dr. John links in the comments, or other New Orleans blues/soul favorites.
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Kirchin from Kent to Leeds
Simon Kirchin (ethics, metaethics), currently Professor of Philosophy at the University of Kent, will become Professor of Applied Ethics at the University of Leeds in January 2024, where he will also be Director of the Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied Centre.
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Philosophy professor Stephen Kershnar sues SUNY-Fredonia for violation of his First Amendment rights…
…by continuing to bar him from campus and teaching. (Earlier coverage.) I hope he prevails. (Kudos to F.I.R.E. for funding his legal case.) UPDATE: You can read the complaint here: Download Kershnar v. Kolison et al Complaint. Paragraph 7 of the complaint actually made me laugh, which is pretty good for a complaint! And it…
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Congratulations to the University of Chicago Law School alumni who made lateral moves this year
They are: *Valena Beety '06 (criminal law & procedure, gender & law) from Arizona State University to Indiana University, Bloomington. *Deepa Das Acevedo '16 (employment law, law & anthropology, law & politics of India) from the University of Alabama to Emory University. *Stephanie Holmes Didwania '09 (criminal law & procedure, intellectual property,…
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In Memoriam: Richard W. Miller (1945-2023)
Professor Miller spent his career at Cornell University, where he was emeritus. His writings ranged widely over philosophy of science, ethics, metaethics, political philosophy and Marx. He wrote some brilliantly synoptic books on all these topics, including Analyzing Marx (which is, oddly, omitted from this obituary). Comments are open for remembrances from those who knew Professor…
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An amusing review of what sounds like a very bad book critiquing “Effective [sic] Altruism”
Richard Yetter Chappell is a partisan of "Effective [sic] Altruism" (i.e., measurable short-term effects altruism), and I am not, but he certainly does a good number on what sounds like a very weak collection of criticisms; an amusing excerpt: At the end of the first chapter (p. 7), we’re told that: "[failing to fund] work…
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Only the good die young, as Billy Joel observed
Henry Kissinger recently turned 100.
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In Memoriam: Henry E. Allison (1937-2023)
MOVING TO FRONT FROM SATURDAY, JUNE 10 Professor Allison, one of the most important and influential Kant scholars of the last fifty years, taught for many years at the University of California, San Diego, before joining Boston University, and then later the University of California, Davis. He was only this year elected to the American…
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Easwaran from Texas A&M to UC Irvine
MOVING TO FRONT FROM SATURDAY, JUNE 10 Kenny Easwaran (formal epistemology, epistemology, logic, philosophy of mathematics), Professor of Philosophy at Texas A&M University, has accepted a senior offer from the Department of Logic & Philosophy of Science at the University of California, Irvine, where he will start this coming academic year. That's a major loss…
Georgy Maksimovich pointed me to this article in Russian: https://novayagazeta.ru/articles/2026/05/25/antisovetskie-filosofskie-kontratseptsii