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Leo Strauss was mostly a charlatan, redux
Longtime readers will know that there are three characters who get called “philosophers” that I really think are a disgrace: Jacques Derrida, Ayn Rand, and Leo Strauss. They each have acolytes, who hate me for saying out loud what any serious scholar or philosopher knows. Rand is most obviously an ignorant buffoon, but Derrida and…
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Gordon Barnes talks about applied epistemology…
…with Spencer Case.
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Which AI-writing detector is best?
A reader calls my attention to this article about Pangram. Curious to hear from readers about their experiences with AI-writing detection programs, whether Pangram, or others.
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Free University of Brussels rescinds appointment of strident anti-Israeli, pro-Palestinian academic
I can’t see having a meal with Harry Pettit, who seems a bit morally depraved, but his political speech is probably lawful even in a jurisdiction with typical EU hate speech laws (see, e.g.). In any case, barring a legal judgment against him, it seems to me the VUB has clearly violated his rights, including…
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University of Florida “College Republicans,” i.e., the Hitler Youth League
Amazing. In fact, they do have a First Amendment right to be Nazis. The U.S. position on “hate speech” may soon come home to roost.
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In Memoriam: W.D. Hart (1943-2026)
Professor Hart, well-known for his work in philosophy of mathematics and philosophical logic, was emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he taught for nearly two decades, after a comparably long stint at University College London. This is from the UIC memorial notice: The philosopher W. D. Hart, age 83, died in Mexico…
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Discussion of philosophical topics and philosophers over time
Neat charts from Eric Schwitzgebel. Comments are open over there.
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No wonder you’re paranoid, everyone really is out to get you
Philosopher Alex Byrne recounts a curious experience with a book review that was rejected by NDPR. I’ve been on the editorial board of NDPR from the beginning (25 yeras now!), and I think the current editor, Chris Shields, has done an admirable job. But Shields and his precedecessors almost never overrode the recommendations of members…
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Israeli law professor sued for defamation in small claims court…
…for basically calling (with ample justification) a racist far right Israeli settler a student of the Nazis. The small claims court, remarkably, foudn in favor of the plaintiff. Professor Harel of the Hebrew University, the defendant, kindly shares this account of the case and what it tells us about the state of Israeli society: Not…
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“General jurisprudence” in U.S. law schools
Anyone working in legal philosophy who has spent time in Europe or other civil law countries (especially) is aware that most law faculties there typically have entire departments of jurisprudence, with multiple faculty. The historical explanation for this enviable state of affairs is no doubt complex, although the huge influence of Hans Kelsen, the Austrian…
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Controversy about Nathan Cofnas, once again
Previously the controversy was at Cambridge, now Dr. Cofnas has been appointed as a post-doc at the University of Ghent in Belgium, and perhaps predictably, some faculty and students are calling for his appointment to be terminated because of his racist views. This would, of course, be a serious violation of academic freedom: he was…
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Indemnification clauses in book contracts?
Philosopher Mark Navin writes: I just walked away from a book contract with Routledge over an indemnity clause. What do you think is going on with these clauses? Routledge recently approached me to write a second edition of my vaccine ethics book (Values and Vaccine Refusal). The contract contained an indemnity clause (Clause 14.2, pasted…
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“The philosopher who learned to bust unions”
Ann Cudd, President of Portland State University, once again.
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Levinstein from Illinois/Urbana to Anthropic (!)
Ben Levinstein (epistemology, decision theory, philosophy of AI), Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, has been on leave at Anthropic, the LLM company, and will be leaving Illinois this fall to continue work there. I know that AI companies do hire philosophers, but is this the first time a tenured…
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Brendan Carr, authoritarian hatchet man at the FCC
What a disgrace this man is. Media accurately reporting on the disaster of the attack on Iran are being threatened with losing their license. Meanwhile plutocrat Ellison is looking to turn CNN into the “Fox Fascist News Network,” just like he has destroyed CBS.
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Information about jobs in Asia?
Following up on this post, readers might also benefit from information about how to find out what jobs are available in Asia. It might also be useful to hear about the state of academic freedom in the various Asian countries for which there is job market information, especially China (which continues to invest in higher…
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Donald Trump, the most ignorant President in the history of the U.S., was warned even by his hand-picked general…
…about how Iran would respond to an attack. But that did not deter the imbecile. Now his only hope domestically is to sabotage the elections this fall. Rest assured he will try to do so.
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In Memoriam: Jurgen Habermas (1929-2026)
Professor Habermas was the transitional figure between the original Frankfurt School of critical theory of Horkheimer, Adorno, and Marcuse and its modern manifestation as normative moral and political philosophy, of the kind familiar in the Anglophone tradition. Comments are open for remembrances from those who knew Professor Habermas or for those who wish to comment…
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How Hitler came to see “moral purpose” in war as “weakness”
Timely coverage.
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Information on the European job market in philosophy?
MOVING TO FRONT FROM APRIL 2025–STILL HIGHLY RELEVANT, FOR THE OBVIOUS REASONS A philosophy PhD student, concerned about the political situation in the US, writes: “My questions about the European market are pretty basic: I’d want to know where jobs/post-docs are posted, whether there is any discernable hiring season, if the materials that European applications…
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Klenk from Delft to UTN
Michael Klenk (metaethics, normative ethics, ethics of technology), Assistant Professor of Philosophy at TU Delft, has accepted appointment as Professor of Practical Philosophy at the University of Technology Nuremberg (UTN), effective April 2026. (UTN is the first newly founded public university in Bavaria since 1978 and aims to integrate the liberal arts and social sciences…
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In Memoriam: Susan Haack (1945-2026)
Professor Haack was a well-known contributor to epistemology and philosophy of logic, who started her academic career at the University of Warwick, and spent the bulk of her career (since 1990) at the University of Miami, where she taught in both the philosophy department and law school. There is a brief memorial notice from Miami…
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New in online scams: “book clubs” that want to feature your recently published academic book (UPDATED)
I received the following regarding my new book: From: Heather Podruchny <info.sf.bestseller.book.club@gmail.com>Sent: Sunday, March 8, 2026 5:56 PMTo: Brian Leiter <bleiter@uchicago.edu>Subject: Invitation: Analyzing the “Realist Point of View” with the SF Bestseller Book Club Dear Brian Leiter, I hope this finds you well. My name is Heather Podruchny, and I’m the organizer of the SF…
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36% decline in student visas issued under Trump…
…during May and June 2025 (crucial months) according to CHE. The decline was even higher in some countries, like India. This is probably a combination of foreign students rethinking their interest in studying in the U.S., given the serial violations of the free speech rights of foreign students by the Trump Administration, and more vetting…
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Reality is *not* a “controlled hallucination”
Philosopher Evan Thompson comments on a recent misconceived idea of some neuroscientists.
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Trump, MAGA, fascism, once again
Philosopher David Livingstone Smith reviews some evidence. With the war of aggression against Iran, Trump is getting much closer to the paradigm.
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Professional organizations of humanists (but not the APA) file motion for summary judgment (i.e., a decision in their favor based on the law and facts)…
…to restore NEH funding. As the NYT reports, discovery uncovered that Elon Musk and his DOGE automatons used ChatGPT to identify grants to be rescinded. (Thanks to Hayley Cotter for the pointer.)
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Americans more likely to view fellow citizens as “morally bad” compared to citizens…
…in two dozen other countries. Great job Rupert Murdoch!
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Oklahoma legislature advances legislation to end tenure for all hires after 2027, including at the public research universities
The legislature has decided to do the Governor one better, and destroy the research universities, as well as the other state colleges and universities. Of course, Oklahoma may also inspire a race to the bottom with other red states. Tenure is a form of non-monetary compensation, so at some point there will be pressure to…
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Speaking of fundamentalist fanatics…
…they’re in the U.S. army too, and offering the troops a Biblical interpretation of the attack on Iran. Given that Pete “pass the bottle” Hegseth is one of them, one can only wonder where this is heading… (Thanks to John Bussanich for the pointer.)
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When a prominent U.S. politician who blows with the political winds starts calling Israel an apartheid state…
…then Israel is heading for real trouble.
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Profiles in real courage: Yanir Mohammed
She fought for the rights of girls and women in Iraq against religious fundamentalists and the other forces of partiarchal reaction, only to be murdered by them. One is reminded, once again, of what RAWA said on the second anniversary of 9/11.
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Thomasson redux
A propos this, here’s a much friendlier (and more informative) review by Huw Price, a “fellow traveller,” as it were.
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Philosopher Ann Cudd, now Portland State President, has written extensively on oppression…
…but it’s not had any effect on her praxis! This is a devastating analysis by a Portland State professor, that brings Cudd’s philosophical work to bear on how she has treated faculty and programs at PSU. An excerpt: In Analyzing Oppression, Cudd is clear that the most dangerous form of oppression operates through economic forces that…
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The rule of law in America hangs on (UPDATED)
Not in international affairs, of course, where it never did,but domestically: the Trumipistas are abandoning their efforts to coerce law firms in violation of the 1st and 5th Amendments of the Constitution. Kudos to Perkins Coie, Wilmer Hale, Susman Godrey, and Jenner & Block. And eternal shame to Paul Weiss, the first to capitulate. UPDATE:…
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Ali Larijani, Kant scholar?
Jim Holt and Moti Gorin have both pointed out to me that the Wikipedia page for Ali Larijani (one of the most powerful political figures in Iran, not yet killed) reports that he has a Ph.D. in “Western Philosophy” and that he has published books on Kant, Saul Kripke, and David Lewis. There is an…
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“From a Realist Point of View” exists!
(UPDATE: Amazon is currently selling the hardcover at an 18% discount [I don’t know why, but I’m not complaining!] I received my copies the other day here in Chicago. More information. A couple of devoted souls even bought it on Amazon (despite the price!). (It was ranked about 8 million a week ago.) My thanks!…
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Trump the war-monger, redux
No more “dovish” opposition to “forever wars” from the unhinged monster child. He’s even prepared to put “boots on the ground“! This war is already deeply unpopular , and if he sends troops in, there will be a popular revolt I expect. As I wrote back in 2016: Trump has the classic “Mafia mentality”…[which] will…
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Narrative and moral identity
Philosopher Marya Schechtman discusses.
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> I’m sure many other practical philosophy teachers feel the same way, but thirty years ago I simply would not…
I was fortunate enough to be taught logic by Timothy Smiley as an undergraduate at Cambridge. His lectures were wonderfully…
My first reaction was that this was going to be a semi-popular, magazine-type article. So I first looked for the…
Hmmm… (Much to chew on.)
https://youtu.be/G29DXfcdhBg I’m sure many other practical philosophy teachers feel the same way, but thirty years ago I simply would not…
Dear Terence (if I may) We are rather wandering off-topic, but yes I stand by my relatively low estimate of…
Given your recent interests, Mark, here’s what I would read next: Charles Guignon, Heidegger and the Problem of Knowledge. It…