June 2026
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Blast from the past: What is cancel culture?
Back in 2020, when the Wokerati and the New Infantilism still reigned supreme (including in philosophy). Compared to the predations of Trumpian authoritarianism, one feels almost nostalgic for those annoying, juvenile characters of yesteryear.
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Speaking of the intellectual decline of the humanities
The arrival of the “Boghossian Report” reminds me of this post from several years back, in which English faculty are, alas, over-represented.
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Philosopher Daniel Greco is training AI systems to replace him
He explains at CHE. An excerpt: [O]ne of my main takeaways from gig work [for AI companies] over the last few months is just how hard it is to catch the most sophisticated frontier LLMs in philosophical blunders. When ChatGPT first emerged, a common pastime among my philosopher friends was posting screenshots on social media of its…
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Great moments in obscure rock ‘n’ roll: Hotlegs, “Neanderthal Man,” 1970
A hit in Britain (but not the U.S.), “Hotlegs” subsequently rebranded (and enjoyed considerable success) as the band 10cc.
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Congratulations to the University of Chicago Law School Class of 2026
It was a pleasure and privilege to teach such talented young men and women. I join all my colleagues in wishing you much happiness and success in the years ahead!
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The “Boghossian Report” on the state of scholarship in the humanities and humanistic social sciences (UPDATED)
The full report is here, and there is a collection of choice excerpts here. Readers of Professor Boghossian’s Fear of Knowledge* will recognize themes from that book in the report. (Of course, it has to be open to scholars to defend relativism and constructivism, especially since relativism and constructivism in some domains are probably true!)…
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“Growing market demand for ontologists”
A software engineer comments.
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The end of SSRN
Professor Bainbridge comments.
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The war on academic freedom at Texas Tech, another ongoing saga
What a disaster: About half of Texas Tech University faculty members who responded to a recent survey said they’ve changed their course content — without being asked — to comply with policies restricting how they can teach about race, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Another quarter reported they’d done so at administrators’ request, and…
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In Memoriam: Virginia Held (1929-2026)
Professor Held, who was emerita at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, was best-known for her influential work on the ethics of care, but wrote widely in political and feminist philosophy. Comments are open for remembrances from those who knew Professor Held or for those who would like…
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Financial crisis at the New School in NYC, tenured faculty being fired
According to CHE, the New School in NYC, has handed layoff notices to about 15 percent of its employees, marking the latest in a series of cost-cutting measures it’s taken to rectify a budget deficit last reported at $48 million. The New School, a private institution known for its progressive history, is also consolidating its…
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Trump’s war on democracy and the rule of law, an ongoing saga
Former FBI agents have created a support network for current agents because, [t]his administration is firing and intimidating Special Agents, Intelligence Analysts, and professional staff for blatantly partisan reasons. Political leaders are using the FBI’s authority to open poorly predicated investigations to interfere with elections, advance ideological goals, and seek vengeance. Please remember that the…
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Abuse of Title VI at Penn to target “anti-semitism”
An account here. We have noted the weaponization of Title VI (which began with Biden!) in the past.
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NYC mayor was right to skip the “Israel Parade”…
…which was really a parade celebrating the far right, racist, and pro-apartheid political leadership of Israel.
I would note that there are a lot of structural reasons why senior staff might produce less research than people…