February 2026
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So in the first two months of 2026, Donald Trump…
…has kidnapped the sovereign of one country and murdered the sovereign of another country. It doesn’t matter that these sovereigns were bad people. Our sovereign is a bad person too, but there are good reasons to think there should be prohibitions on some countries kidnapping and murdering the sovereigns of other countries based on their…
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A searchable index of philosophy book reviews
This is an amazing resource, from philosopher Matt Zwolinski. As he explains: “It currently covers nearly 80,000 reviews across 170+ journals, going back to the 1890s. It includes book symposia and a small but growing selection of reviews in non-academic sources (e.g. Times Literary Supplement, New York Review of Books, London Review of Books, The…
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In Memoriam: David C. Hoy (1944-2026)
Professor Hoy, who was emeritus at the University of California at Santa Cruz, was a leading expert on 20th-century Continental philosophy, including hermeneutics, critical theory, and post-structuralism. He started his career teaching at Princeton University in the 1970s. Comments are open for remembrances from those who knew Professor Hoy or for those who would like…
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Ohio State’s “Civics” Center now paying students to take its classes and attend its events
Remarkable. (See the earlier discussion of these proliferating centers, whose political litmus test hiring procedures are lawsuits waiting to happen.) (Thanks to Marc Lange for the pointer.)
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Whenever the NYT interviews “ordinary” voters, one is reminded that Achen & Bartels are right (link fixed)
Consider these reactions to Trump’s recent “State of the Union” address. Ms. Metz, the nursing student from Arizona, and Mr. Ciampi, the retiree from Arizona, are particularly remarkable. They know nothing, so can be told anything. Or as Ezra Pound used to say (before he went crazy), “You cannot talk to the ignorant about lies,…
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“Pink slime” fake news websites: a case study of the right-wing propaganda machine
The ideologists of the right never rest, and one of their tools is to dress up propaganda and lies as “news.” This expose is very illuminating.
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Being “rational” under conditions of uncertainty
Philosopher Adam Elga discusses at Preposterous Universe with Sean Carroll.
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Larry Summers, who consulted Jeffrey Epstein, about how to get a professional mentee to have sex with him…
…resigns from Harvard. The NYT doesn’t clearly state the headline fact. Of course not, sine Summers is (was?) a member of the supposedly prudent wing of the ruling class.
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Disgraceful administrative misconduct at Virginia State University
They unlawfully fired tenured faculty, treated them like garbage, and couldn’t even follow their own procedures. The only people who should be fired are the administrators responsible for this travesty. One hopes a court will step in and implement some adult supervision at VSU, as well as award compensation to the mistreated faculty. (Thanks to…
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Being a law Dean in the age of AI
Dan Rodriguez, the former Dean at Northwestern and San Diego, comments.
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Philosophy of AI explained…
…at the “Explaining AI” podcast, relying on a paper by two philosophers (which is now forthcoming in Philosophical Studies).
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Habermas on the “Axial age”
I was intrigued by this review by Andrew Buchwalter of volume 3 of Habermas’s huge history of philosophy. In particular, I was struck by Professor Buchwalter’s description of Habermas’s discussion of the so-called “Axial Age”: Occurring in the period between 800 and 200 BCE, the Axial Age reflected the ascendance of the major world religions,…
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In Memoriam: Elizabeth Spelman (1945-2025)
Professor Spelman, who was emerita at Smith College, where she taught for many years, died at the end of 2025. She was an early, and influential, figure in feminist philosophy, where she wrote widely. There is an obituary here. Comments are open for remembrances from those who knew Professor Spelman or for those who wish…
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AI generates Trump’s “state of the union” address
Not bad, and probably more coherent than what he will say this evening. I do not plan on listening. UPDATE: Philosopher Peter Klein asked ChatGBT5.2 to write the Democratic response. It follows: Democratic Response to the 2026 State of the Union Delivered by Governor Abigail Spanberger Good evening. I speak to you not only as…
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In Memoriam: Hide Ishiguro (1931-2026)
(MOVING TO FRONT FROM LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON, 2/20/26) Professor Ishiguro, who was emerita at Kyoto University in her native Japan, also taught for many years at University College London and Columbia University, before returning to Japan. She was best-known for her work on Leibniz, and also wrote on Wittgenstein. Comments are open for remembrances from…
The irony here is that both Ben and Paul are fighting the wrong battle — like dinosaurs before the meteor…