February 2025
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Annals of craven cowardice, Hunter College edition
The Governor of New York is a disgrace, but so are the Hunter College officials who rolled over on their core responsibility to academic freedom so quickly: The Hunter College job listing for Palestinian studies called for scholars who could “take a critical lens” to issues including “settler colonialism, genocide, human rights, apartheid” and other…
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More on the monster child’s obsession with Canada
Suitably cutting, especially about those pathetic American media ideologists who treat this grotesque display seriously. (Thanks to Evan Thompson for the pointer.)
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More signs of the times: Northwestern University to make 10% cuts in non-personnel expenditures, and to scrutinize future hiring and pay raises centrally
Here. Northwestern is a top 20 recipient of NIH funding, but the announcement also notes concern about the effect of an increased endowment tax.
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An interview in Portuguese about legal realism, the American constitutional crisis, naturalism, and other topics…
…in a leading Brazilian newspaper, Estadão. I was in Brazil last week for some lectures and seminars on legal philosophy, at the Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo and the University of Sao Paulo. I learned many very interesting things, which I'll write more about in the near future. Below the fold, a photo of me…
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Heading for the doors of America
Not surprising: On February 8, German newsmagazine Der Spiegel reported that the Max Planck Society—one of the world’s top scientific research institutions—is experiencing an uptick in applications from American scientists. Its president said the society regards the U.S. as “a new talent pool” at a time when the Trump administration seeks to cut billions in…
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More on the collapse of the AAUP…
…from law professor Matthew Finkin, a leading authority on the law of academic freedom (among other topics).
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Will the SCOTUS conservative super-majority side with Trump on Presidential power?
An analysis from my colleague Aziz Huq.
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Canadian philosophy and American imperialism…
…at the APA blog. (Thanks to Trevor Sanderson for the pointer.)
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Stephenson from Southampton to LMU Munich
Andrew Stephenson (Kant, philosophy of mind, epistemology, logic), Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Southampton, will take up a position in philosophy ("Associate Professor" equivalent; "W2 Professor" in Munich's system) at LMU Munich in August 2025.
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Advice to prospective PhD students in light of…well, everything!
Philosophy PhD student Charles Bakker writes: I have always appreciated your efforts to help prospective graduate students make informed decisions as they consider which philosophy programs to apply to. In light of where things are at currently in our field – the shuttering of philosophy departments around the world, the attacks on academia by the…
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Determinism
The blog, from philosopher Stephen Maitzen.
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If Trump defies the courts, what can the courts do?
A very informative piece by two NYU law professors. Because court orders are usually directed at particular officials within agencies, courts can cause those miscreants some pain, including imposing financial penalties they have to pay in their personal capacity. At the end of the day, of course, law runs out, and the best protection is…
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Trump’s war on Canada: Canadians are not amused
Quite understandably: (Thanks to Paul Russell for the pointer.)
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Open access philosophy books: a thread
MOVING TO FRONT FROM FEBRUARY 3–MORE LINKS TO 'OPEN ACCESS' BOOKS WELCOME (new links at #24, below) I've been periodically announcing open access books, sometimes in the Cambridge Elements series, where books are available for free for a couple of weeks or a month upon publication, and sometimes books for which authors have paid for permanet…
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In Memoriam: David Keyt (1930-2025)
Professor Keyt, a longtime member of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Washington in Seattle, where he was emeritus, died January 31. He was well-known for his work on ancient moral and political philosophy. Comments are open for remembrances from those who knew Professor Keyt or for those who wish to comment on…
I haven’t listened to this interview, but Hurlburt’s usual claim in print is that people engage in inner speech around…