August 2023
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Memorial conference at Princeton for Gilbert Harman
September 30-October 1.
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Blast from the past: David Segal’s hatchet job on law schools (in the NYT)
Back in 2011. It really is amazing how incompetent that piece was. (It appears the hack who wrote it still writes for the NYT!)
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Great moment in (somewhat) obscure rock ‘n’ roll: “Comin’ Home,” 1971
The duo Delaney & Bonnie had a lot of prominent friends with whom they played, and they enjoyed some modest success in the late 1960s and early 1970s, mostly for work with Eric Clapton. This is a song co-written with Clapton, which they recorded live with Clapton, but also in this studio version, which I…
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“Realist Jurisprudence: Selected Essays” in Spanish
Coming this fall, courtesy of Professor Francisco Mora-Sifuentes (a legal philosopher at the University of Guanajuato in Mexico) and published by Zela Grupo Editorial, the leading South American publisher of legal philosophy. These are Spanish translations of different English essays of mine on realist jurisprudence from the last dozen years or so:
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Hurka Fest at the University of Toronto
Coming up September 8-9, in honor of his retirement. (Readers know that I do not generally post conference announcements, but I do make an exception for memorial events and for events like this in honor of distinguished senior figures in the field.)
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Suspicious job search in philosophy at the University of Genoa
A philosopher in Italy (not in Genoa) called these search materials to my attention, referring to the outcome of the search as an "academic scandal." (My thanks to this philosopher for help translating the materials). Briefly, the Department of Philosophy at Genoa advertised a position in history of philosophy. There were 32 applicants, including two…
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“The Elephant in the Room” in the debate over “judicial reform” in Israel
A powerful statement signed by many leading Israeli academics (including philosopher David Enoch, among others): We, academics and other public figures from Israel/Palestine and abroad, call attention to the direct link between Israel’s recent attack on the judiciary and its illegal occupation of millions of Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Palestinian people lack almost all…
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Professor Lawsky’s spread sheet of hiring schools and hiring plans: now searchable!
Professor Lawksy (Northwestern) writes: I keep a spreadsheet each year of law school hiring committees and hiring plans [Noted here–BL]. It's available through PrawfsBlawg and here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1TC_5Vr_pi_28-V0JLCvO7ArIDkopzW2gpXXaU-epFEY/edit#gid=0 I've now written a tool that allows people to filter this spreadsheet by subject areas, locations, and entry level vs. lateral and download customized spreadsheets with just their…
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Steven Salaita is now back in academia
I was pleased to see that Professor Salaita has (finally) found an academic position, as Professor of English at the American University in Cairo. Readers may recall that Professor Salaita was unlawfully fired by the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign for his constitutionally protected speech; his subsequent lawsuit generated a settlement, but he himself was driving…
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First the “heckler’s veto,” now the “lone wolf’s veto”
SUNY Fredonia still does not want to let philosopher Stephan Kershnar (earlier coverage) back on campus, arguing in court that "the potential unseen threat from some lone 'pseudo warrior' quietly planning a violent attack on campus – triggered by Kershnar’s return" justifies excluding him: Assistant Attorney General Jennifer Metzger Kimura, representing the university, said the…
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Philosopher Edward Halper talks about Aristotelian metaphysics…
…with Richard Marshall at 3:16 AM.
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Could LLMs become conscious?
Philosopher David Chalmers, a leading philosopher of mind, explores the question.
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ABA recommends academic credit, or pay, for law review student editors
Seems reasonable, and I expect it will be credit.
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The bloodbath at West Virginia University [sic]
MOVING TO FRONT FROM YESTERDAY–SOME VERY INTERESTING COMMENTS (SEE ESP. #1 AND #2); MORE WELCOME We noted earlier this summer the mismanagement that precipitated this crisis, but now the details are coming into focus, with dozens of programs, including philosophy, affected. As CHE reports: In the face of a $45-million deficit, the university’s leadership has…
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Great moments in (not so obscure) rock ‘n’ roll: Robbie Robertson memorial edition
Best-known as the guitarist and primary composer for The Band, he died this week at 80. The first two albums by The Band really are "classics" in the rock 'n' roll genre. Here's two of my favorite songs, each written by Robertson, from those albums. First, "Chest Fever" from 1968:
David J. Gunkel «Person, Thing, Robot: A Moral and Legal Ontology for the 21st Century and Beyond» (MIT, 2023) Link:…