April 2024
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Gardiner from Tennessee to Tulane
Georgi Gardiner (epistemology, meta-philosophy, social philosophy), Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Tennessee, has accepted appointment as Associate Professor of Philosophy and Gender & Sexuality Studies at Tulane University, effective this August.
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Plato’s burial place? And Plato’s last evening
Here and here, according to newly deciphered scrolls thought unreadable due to volcanic ash. Not sure what to make of this, other than Plato apparently was a stickler for rhythm (see the second link for more). (Thanks to Eric Wolf and Thomas Smith for the pointers.)
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A turn for the worse at Columbia University
Yesterday, protesters broke into a building on campus (smashing windows in the process), and have barricaded themselves inside. They have now committed several crimes (vandalism/destruction of property, trespass, perhaps others) and will almost certainly be arrested. An unfortunate turn of events.
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Law review publication contracts with unreasonable terms
Another reason not to publish in student-edited law reviews, I guess.
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On recent protests and arrests at the University of Texas at Austin
A graduate student in philosophy there writes: State troopers and big police presence did not return the next day, and students and faculty gathered again for protest. Criminal charges have been dropped against 57 people arrested, but DPS is launching a criminal investigation against the arrested Fox 7 cameraman. The university will allow arrested students…
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It’s 40 years since the famous Davidson conference at Rutgers
You can see the remarkable program for the event organized by Ernie LePore here: Davidson, Quine, Putnam, Kripke, Kim, Higginbotham, Dummett, Hacking, Antony, Tennant, McGinn, Bennett, Follesdal, Tye, Jackson, Chisholm, Harman, Johnston, Elster, Tversky, Bratman, Jeffrey, Grandy, Levi, Rovane, Bilgrami, Peacocke, A. Baier, Schiffer, Sosa, Lycan, McDowell, van Fraassen and many others. The resulting two…
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On the SCOTUS oral argument in “Trump v. United States” (i.e., the Presidential immunity case)
Apt commentary from Cornell law professor Michael Dorf; from the opening paragraph: The positions staked out by the Court's most conservative Justices were themselves Trumpian, not so much in their audacity or mendacity but in their prolixity. It is impossible to interview Trump because while the interviewer tries to fact-check any given false statement (e.g.,…
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“Parfit could make you eat shit”
Now I know that's some clickbait in the title, but philosopher Misha Valdman has a serious point to make (and some good anecdotes about Parfit) at his new substack with his wife, also a philosopher, Sarah Valdman.
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Deja vu all over again: the right-wing war on college campuses, from the 1960s/early 70s to today
Some apt comparisons. (Thanks to David Ozonoff for the pointer.)
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Yale faculty letter in support of students arrested by police
Here. Philosophy signatories include Stephen Darwall, Robin Dembroff, Lily Hu, Brad Inwood, Thomas Pogge, and Jason Stanley, among the names I spotted. Based on what I know about what happened at Yale, I would have signed this letter as well were I there.
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Campus protests and excessive police responses
What we are witnessing on various campuses–Columbia, NYU, UT Austin, Emory and others–is a predictable consequence of the campaign by the awful Congresswoman Foxx to terrorize universities into suppressing pro-Palestinian speech. This video from Emory is representative: an economics professor, concerned by the way the police are manhandling a student, tries to intervene, which police…
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Tennessee school teachers may now carry guns
Remarkable. When I think about what I hate most about this country, the gun craziness looms large. No civilized society makes it so easy to carry guns. If you think your kindergarten teacher needs to be armed to protect the little kids from mass murder by a gun-carrying maniac, that is decisive evidence that your…
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Statement by the Columbia Philosophy Department about recent events on their campus
Pretty sensible and seems quite right: The Philosophy Department is concerned for the safety, academic progress, and rights of our students. We condemn all forms of hate speech, harassment, and incitements to violence. We also regard it as quite implausible that erecting a tent on a lawn constitutes a clear and present danger, and we…
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Cambridge University college (Emmanuel) dismisses philosophy Fellow because his views conflict with DEI (UPDATED)
MOVING TO FRONT FROM APRIL 23–UPDATED Peter Singer describes what happened here, and a brief news item is here. Emmanuel College has really disgraced itself; will Cambridge University follow suit? (We’ve discussed Dr. Cofnas’s views before. His views do conflict with DEI, but any college that thinks that justifies rescinding an appointment has no commitment…
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“No one buys books”
This is depressing, based on data revealed during a DOJ suit opposing a book publisher merger.
I respond to this report here https://jasonstanleyantifascist.substack.com/p/on-the-philosophical-muddle-that