February 2024
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Viehoff from NYU to Berkeley
Daniel Viehoff (moral & political philosophy), Associate Professor of Philosophy at New York University has accepted a tenured appointment as Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, effective July 2024. (He will also have a courtesy appointment in law at Berkeley.) Joining Johann Frick, Niko Kolodny, and Jay Wallace (among others), this…
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A triumph for democracy in Wisconsin
Voters will now get to pick their representatives, rather than representatives (i.e., Republicans) picking their voters. This should be good news for the public universities as well, who have suffered under minority rule by the Repugs.
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Memorial event for Harry Frankfurt at UC Riverside
In the afternoon on March 9, participation by Zoom is possible with registration.
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Trump’s “Brownshirts”
They're out there, and not just on January 6, 2021: [A]re you aware how much the constant threat of violence, principally from MAGA sources, is now warping American politics? If you wonder why so few people in red America seem to stand up directly against the MAGA movement, are you aware of the price they…
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Paul Campos, University of Colorado settle lawsuit
The lawsuit noted last summer has settled, it appears on the basis of the retaliation claim. Professor Campos received $60,000, and his law firm received $100,000. On the retaliation allegation, Professor Kerr had surmised last summer that the University would argue that removing Campos from a committee assignment wasn't retaliation for his complaining of discrimination…
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Great moments in rock ‘n’ roll covers: Belly does Jimi Hendrix
Belly is best-known for their early 90s hit "Feed the Tree," but they also did this fine cover in 1994 of Hendrix's 1967 "Are You Experienced?" song: Feel free to add links to your favorite Hendrix covers in the comments.
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Memorial conference in honor of Stephen Gaukroger at the University of Sydney next week
Here. It looks like participation via Zoom is possible with registration. (Thanks to Aaron Garrett for the pointer.)
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From the bowels of right-wing crazyland
Apparently they've convinced themselves the Minneapolis officer who murdered George Floyd acted legally. One thing I learned from the preceding takedown of their pathological weirdness is that being able to speak doesn't mean you're able to breathe!
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Yale faculty in favor of Yale being a university
A new website. Only one philosopher (Daniel Greco) has signed on so far, but I trust others will. UPDATE: Now there's a "rejoinder" letter from Yale faculty, signed, so far, by two philosophers (Robin Dembroff, Jason Stanley). We'll see how the tally evolves! ANOTHER: Law professor Paul Horwitz writes with an apt observation: "What I…
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“What are Australian philosophers thinking?”
A radio interview with the author of a new book of interviews with Australian philosophers or philosophers currently working in Australia, including Peter Singer, Greg Restall (no longer in Australia), Kristie Miller, Moira Gatens, Dalia Nassar, and Seth Lazar, among others.
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Blast from the past: Greer, Green, and the Thought Police, Redux
Back in 2015. What a spectacle that was; at least the biggest nut job in that episode has left the profession.
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A different take on Alasdair MacIntyre
A propos this review essay by Jonathan Rée, a philosopher in Europe, whose opinion I trust, writes with a rather different take: I was at that lecture that Rée mentions [at the start of his review], and it is testament to his intellectual weakness that he perceived any semblance of modesty in MacIntyre’s revolting reflections.…
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“Frontiers” of AI ethics
An interesting essay by philosopher Seth Lazar, who, unlike a lot of folks who write about this topic, clearly knows a lot about AI! One striking excerpt: LLMs are trained to predict the next token. So generative agents have no mind, no self. They are excellent simulations of human agency. They can simulate friendship, among…
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How Trump thinks, redux
As we have noted in the past, Trump thinks like a Mafioso. So to understand Trump, watch this interview with Anthony Casso, who eventually became boss of the Lucchese crime family in NYC, and was notorious (a "homocidal maniac") even by Mafia standards. See especially Mr. Casso's comments on the families of his victims around…
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Blast from the past: Best introductory texts in political philosophy?
Back in 2019, with reader suggestions.
I only just learned of Barry’s passing, and I’m enormously saddened at the news. I wrote my PhD on his…