October 2023
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In Memoriam: Hans Albert (1921-2023)
A German philosopher of science, and social science, Professor Albert was a philosophical ally of Karl Popper, and defender of "critical rationalism," perhaps best-known for his role in the "positivism" debate in German philosophy in the 1960s. He spent most of his career at the University of Mannheim. There is an obituary in German here. …
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Israeli scholar at Oxford who signed letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza…
…has a lecture cancelled at Liverpool Hope University, since he has "incorrect" views on the issue du jour. This is a good way for Liverpool Hope to broadcast to the world that it is not a serious academic institution! This purge is happening in the U.S. too (I'll have more to say soon about this…
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Memorial conference for Penelope Mackie…
…at the University of Nottingham next July. (Thanks to Neil Sinclair for the pointer.)
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More recollections of Putnam and Quine
A propos yesterday's post, Ned Block posted an amusing recollection at van Fraassen's blog: I took a course with Putnam as a sophomore at MIT in 1962 and then one or two courses every semester until I graduated in 1964. He was brilliant then in a way that seemed almost other-worldly, a geyser spouting ideas.…
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A conversation with Daniel Dennett…
…at Prospect Magazine.
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Double-digit drop in real law professor pay confirmed by second data source (Michael Simkovic)
My previous post presented data showing that law professor pay has declined 24 percent in real terms from 2013 to 2022 using figures from the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics Report.* Restoring law professor pay to 2013 levels would require at least a 31 percent increase in…
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Roundup of Israel/Gaza links for October 24
Philosopher Oded Na'aman (Hebrew U) on "demands and refusals of empathy" in the wake of October 7. (Professor Na'aman also wrote [prior to October 7] about his own moral regrets for his role in the Occupation of the West Bank.) (Thanks to Aaron Garrett for this pointer.) Oxford academics (including many philosophers) call on the…
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On Quine and Putnam
More distinctive recollections and observations from Bas van Fraassen.
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Blast from the past: Law & economics, and “elite” law schools
Back in 2011, and still relevant.
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“Books Deals” of the week via Publishers Weekly
One of these authors is not like the others (i.e., he's a philosopher).
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Some illuminating material on Sartre
On FB, philosopher Jake McNulty calls my attention to a page devoted to Sartre, created by Paul Vincent Spade, a philosopher (now emeritus) at Indiana University at Bloomington, best-known for his work on medieval philosophy. His notes from a fall 1995 graduate seminar on Sartre are especially instructive. It's great that Professor Spade has made…
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Blast from the past: Best Anglophone moral philosophers since 1945
Back in 2016, with reader discussion.
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Roundup of Israel/Gaza links for October 22
The Bedouin bus driver who saved 30 young Israelis from the Hamas massacre at the "rave" The "logic" behind the Israeli siege of Gaza and the looming disease threat to Gaza residents The "war on water" in Gaza
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The UChicago Kalven Report and the Israel/Gaza catastrophe
The Kalven Report, whose lead author was a leading First Amendment scholar at Chicago, has once again come to the fore, in the wake of the Hamas butchery in Israel and the ensuing Israeli attack on Gaza. (Anyone who cares what I think about all this can see my other blog, or the letter I…
[…] Brian Leiter has posted on the question: “The answer is still `emphatically’ yes. Lawprof Sloan Speck reviews some recent research…