June 2024
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2016 deja vu all over again (UPDATED)
MOVING TO FRONT FROM FEBRUARY 12 OF THIS YEAR, UPDATED It was obvious to me in 2016 that Hillary Clinton was an awful candidate–an opportunistic fake (like her philandering husband), whose only real qualification was her name and resulting institutional connections–and yet it seemed to me inconceivable that Trump could beat her, given how awful…
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Hacking/cyber attacks at Cambridge University have now spread to Cambridge University Press (UPDATED)
Earlier news reports noted the earlier attacks on units of Cambridge University, but apparently it has spread to Cambridge University Press, bringing editorial and production activities to a halt. I have not seen a news report about the latter, but CUP has told some authors about the problems, which have affected thousands of CUP computers…
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In addition to the summer blogging quasi-hiatus, I’m also checking email less often…
…and while I will of course be responding to emails related to my work responsibilities, other stuff may take longer. I'll still try to catch time-sensitive matters that are blog-related. With the Marx book delivered to the press, I have another book project (on realism in legal and political theory) that I really want to…
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The end of academic freedom in Florida? The courts will decide
As I feared, Florida is indeed pushing the envelope on Garcetti and taking the position that faculty speech in the classroom at a public university is under the control of the state government: Last Friday, Cooper told the three 11th Circuit judges that professors’ speech in the classroom is government speech, and “the state, when…
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Huddleston from Warwick to Notre Dame
Andrew Huddleston (19th & 20th-century Continental philosophy [esp. Nietzsche], aesthetics, ethics), Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick, will become Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, effective July 2025.
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Briggs from Stanford to Chicago
Ray (R.A.) Briggs (epistemology, metaphysics, decision theory, logic), currently Professor of Philosophy at Stanford University, will become Professor of Philosophy at the University of Chicago starting in 2024-25.
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Philosopher and logician Warren Goldfarb makes TMZ celebrity gossip site…
…for the strangest reason. He's certainly taking it in good humor: "I'm delighted to see that logic, so often derided as a dry subject, has finally been recognized for its romantic potential!"
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Scopus’s list of top philosophy journals includes in the top ten…
…three fake journals–which matters since many international ranking metrics use the Scopus list. Remarkable! Scopus Pocus! If only all rankings were as honest and transparent as the PGR! (Thanks to Bennett Gilbert for flagging this catastrophe for me.)
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Philosophy (and other humanities fields) under threat at UNC-Asheville
There is a letter-writing campaign in support of the program here. UPDATE: My friend and colleague Martha Nussbaum kindly gave permission to share the letter she sent to UNC-Asheville: Download Nussbaum letter to UNC-Asheville (003)
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Summer quasi-hiatus and advertising
MOVING TO FRONT FROM MAY 29 As I've done in recent years, I will reduce blogging substantially during June and July and to a lesser extent in August as well. I'll still post periodically, especially about things that are time-sensitive (like the expected draft faculty lists for the fall 2024 PGR), but please do not…
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Metablog redux
The last of the "metablogs”—Internet fora for anonymous discussion–ended in 2018, after its creator was exposed. It's now come to my attention that rumors are circulating about current members of the profession as responsible for it. In fact, the creator of the metablog left the academy entirely. I recently corresponded with this person, who reached…
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Another decision by the super-legislature that contributes to the U.S. being unlivable
What a disgrace to civilization. Read the dissent to see how disgraceful and unnecessary this is.
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Rob Kar at Illinois to be new co-editor of the PGR with Christopher Pynes
I'm very pleased to report that Robin Kar, Professor of Law and Philosophy at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign (where he is also currently the Interim Head of the Philosophy Department), has agreed to join Professor Christopher Pynes as the co-editor of the next Philosophical Gourmet Report for 24-25. Professors Kar and Pynes are just…
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In Memoriam: Robert Bolton (1940-2024)
A longtime member of the Department of Philosophy at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, where he was emeritus, Professor Bolton was a specialist in ancient philosophy, particularly known for his writings on issues about metaphysics and science. Comments are open for remembrances from those who knew Professor Bolton or for those who wish to comment on…
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In Memoriam: Nuel Belnap, Jr. (1930-2024)
Professor Belnap, a leading figure in logic and philosophical logic who spent most of his career at the University of Pittsburgh, where he was emeritus, died yesterday. His former student and colleague, Anil Gupta, kindly shared the obituary, posted below the fold:
There is a lot to reflect on here but, having already commented enough, I won’t. Just one thing on climate…