April 2025
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The “red line” for the universities with respect to Trump should be “academic freedom”
I agree with my colleague Tom Ginsburg's assessment, although disagree about Columbia: putting a program into receivership at the behst of the government for political reasons is a clear violation of academic freedom.
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Trump “doesn’t give a damn” about anti-semitism
This seems right: “Donald Trump doesn’t give a damn about antisemitism. If he did, he wouldn’t be dining with known antisemites,” Yohnka said. “What Donald Trump cares about is power and nobody criticizing him, and he realizes that academic institutions are going to study his failed policies.”
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Advice to law firms in dealing with Trump: do not negotiate!
Sensible advice from Sheila Heen, a professor of practice and negotiation expert at Harvard Law School: Download Negotiation Strategy Notes for Law Firms Heen April 12 2025. Good advice for universities too! (Thanks to Richard Bales for the pointer.)
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“Little Marco Rubio” (as Trump dubbed him) tells court that the authoritarian government…
MOVING TO FRONT FROM APRIL 10, SINCE THE WICKED NEVER REST …can deport permanent residents of the U.S. if they have the wrong beliefs. Yes, seriously. How long before they get to citizens? UPDATE (4/12/25): These fascists are already talking about deporing U.S. citizens (only "criminals" of course, but even so, it's illegal, and they'll…
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Harvard AAUP chapter (and national AAUP) sue federal government over extortion of Harvard
The lawsuit is here; the "prelimimnary" statement of the facts sums up well the outrageous and unlawful misconduct of the Trumpistas.
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Can international students safely study in the US for an extended period of time?
Probably not. Please explore your options in more civilized countries, given what's happening here.
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Tariff humor
As most readers will know, the monster child, who is as ignorant as he is depraved, imposed tariffs on island countries inhabited mostly by penguins. Hence this amusing item making the rounds on social media:
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Susman Godfrey responds the way all honorable law firms should to Trump’s unlawful threats
Here: Anyone who knows Susman Godfrey knows we believe in the rule of law, and we take seriously our duty to uphold it. This principle guides us now. There is no question that we will fight this unconstitutional order.
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BBVA “Foundations of Knowledge” prize in humanities goes to Philip Kitcher…
…only the third philosopher (along with Noam Chomsky and Peter Singer) to receive this lucrative (400k euros) award, sponsored by the Spanish financial firm of BBVA.
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It’s been three weeks since Columbia University capitulated to Trump’s extortion
Is there any sign they are getting the $400 million? Please post links or information about where the university stands in its effort to recover the illegally withheld monies. UPDATE: As commenters point out, below, the NIH has also cut another $250 million in grants to Columbia since the capitulation! Surely now they have to…
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Andrews from York U/Toronto to CUNY Graduate Center
MOVING TO FRONT FROM APRIL 8–UPDATED Kristin Andrews (philosophy of mind and cognitive science, especially "animal minds"), who holds a Canada Research Chair in York and cognitive science at York University, Toronto, has accepted a senior offer from the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, where she will start this fall. That's…
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Most cited works in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Courtesy of Professor Schwitzgebel. It will be interesting to see how this list changes over time.
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Brown University has a lot of staff (and some faculty) doing DEI work
A Brown undergraduate put together this list–since he's a bit clueless, he thinks these positions are "illegal" (they are not: just because the Trumpistas don't like DEI, doesn't make it illegal). What's stunning is how many there are.
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The latest targets of the Trumpistas
Cornell and Northwestern. Cornell faculty have initiated a letter to their Board of Trustees urging them not to capitulate. The Northwestern President, former Dean of the Law School here (he was a very good Dean), is a lawyer, and I am hopeful he will fight in the courts to put a stop to this lawlessness.
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Philosophy job applicants in 2024
Interesting data from philosopher Charles Lassiter.
I would be interested to hear more about the assumptions that would imply climate change ends civilization within your lifetime.…