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A right-wing super PAC’s website on Donald Trump
Here, including ads and text. Some of the ads could be borrowed verbatim by the Democrats come the fall, but others just make clear that the likely nominee of the Republican Party has a long history of liberal positions, which might turn off the increasingly mythical "conservative" voters, but won't matter to many of those…
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Romney on Trump
Philosopher Ben Burgis comments. Amusing.
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More on attacks on free speech on campus…
…from The Atlantic, commenting on a recent debate at Yale, which included philosopher Jason Stanley, whose intervention, alas, appears again not to have been helpful from the account given. Interestingly, the "there is no free speech problem on campus" position lost in a landslide with the audience after the debate!
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And now a Platonic take on Trump
Here. (Thanks to Jim Nichols for the pointer.)
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American political circus, CNN edition: “Donald Trump defends size of his penis”
The actual headline. Seriously. Can a testimonial from his current purchased spouse be far behind?
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Another take on the Trump phenomenon…
…from journalist Chris Hedges; an excerpt: College-educated elites, on behalf of corporations, carried out the savage neoliberal assault on the working poor. Now they are being made to pay. Their duplicity—embodied in politicians such as Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama—succeeded for decades. These elites, many from East Coast Ivy League schools, spoke the…
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An amusing Matt Taibbi rant about Trump, the Repugs, and the 2016 election…
…which has a few genuine insights as well (note that it was written prior to Super Tuesday, but I only just saw it).
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Colorado PhD student seeking help with unexpected medical expenses
Philosopher Alastair Norcross (Colorado) writes: I have a rather unusual request. One of our graduate students suffered a quite serious injury (through no fault of his own) recently, and is facing considerable out-of-pocket medical bills (the health insurance for our graduate students is fairly paltry). David Boonin has set up a gofundme page on his…
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Fricker from Sheffield to CUNY Graduate Center
Miranda Fricker (ethics, epistemology, feminist philosophy), Professor of Philosophy at the University of Sheffield, has accepted a full-time senior offer from the MA/PhD Program in Philosophy at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, to begin this fall. (She will retain an affiliation with Sheffield.) With the additions of Charles Mills from Northwestern…
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KCL’s Leif Wenar talks about his book “Blood Oil”…
…with Robert Talisse (Vanderbilt).
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Rodriguez-Blanco from Birmingham to Surrey
Veronica Rodriguez-Blanco, a legal philosopher on the law faculty at the University of Birmingham, has accepted a new Chair in legal philosophy at the University of Surrey, which is making several other appointments in the area with an aim to building up one of the largest legal theory groups in Britain.
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German university education is free!
But what you don't hear much about is what German higher education is like. As the author notes, most faculty are not tenured; indeed, it is not uncommon for aspiring faculty not to find out if they will get a permanent position until they're in their 40s–and even then, many don't. Of course, for those…
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Best Anglophone philosophers of law since 1945?
The latest poll; once again, age 60 was used as the cut off for living legal philosophers (thus omitting, e.g., important contemporary legal philospohres like John Gardner, Leslie Green and W.J. Waluchow). While Americans vote in 12 states for President, philosphers can vote on something really important! If you're not a philosopher of law, or someone…
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Some good news: Mount St. Mary’s Simon Newman has “quit”
IHE has the details.
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How Trump will destroy the Republican party
More sober analysis from Robert Paul Wolff.
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John Oliver finally does what’s needed on Donald Drumpf
You'll have to watch the video to find out. The billionaires that are trying to run the country should pay to run this 20-minute clip around the clock for a few weeks.
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New Books in February
Authors and/or publishers kindly sent me these new books this month: The Meaning of Science: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science by Tim Lewens (Basic Books, 2016). Critical Voter: Using the Next Election to Make Yourself (and Your Kids) Smarter by Jonathan Haber (Degree of Freedom Press, 2016). Humanity in a Creative Universe by…
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Not nearly as bad as the Salaita case at the University of Illinois, but the University of Missouri clearly behaved badly…
…and in violation of its own procedures in the way it dismissed Assistant Professor Melissa Click. Just to be clear about the differences from the Salaita case: Click was not a tenured professor, and she was not fired for her scholarly or political views. Click pretty clearly did engage in inappropriate conduct, but she was still…
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Shakespeare on Trump…
…with a stealth appearance by Karl Marx. UPDATE: A propos the preceding, needless to say I also agree with this.
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In Memoriam: Jose Benardete (1928-2016)
His passing was announced on the Facebook page devoted to memorable stories about Professor Benardete, who was emeritus in the Department of Philosophy at Syracuse University. I will add links to memorial notices when they appear.
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University of Houston offers advice to faculty once students start carrying guns in class
Here. UPDATE: Philosopher Justin Coates (Houston) writes: [I]t was someone in the faculty senate and not the university that offered the advice to UH faculty that you linked to this morning. I’m certainly no fan of the new law—it’s absurd. But I also think that some of the fear-mongering of my colleagues goes too far (a…
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The decline of religion in America…
…and its political implications, especially for the Republicans.
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Rumfitt from Birmingham to Oxford
Ian Rumfitt (philosophy of language, logic & math), currently Professor of Philosophy at the University of Birmingham, has also been elected to a Senior Research Fellowship at All Souls College, Oxford University.
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Oxford’s Professor of Jurisprudence, John Gardner, to take up Senior Research Fellowship at All Souls College
The Professorship in Jurisprudence, at University College, is the one previously held by H.L.A. Hart; to take up the Senior Research Fellowship at All Souls, Professor Gardner–perhaps best-known for his work in philosophy of criminal law, though he has written widely in legal and moral philosophy–will have to resign that post. There is one other…
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FIRE’s “ten worst” colleges and universities for attacking freedom of expression in the last year
All deserving, several we commented on at length in the past year. (Thanks to Dean Rowan for the pointer.)
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Bruyahaha update: Brian Bruya published a purportedly “scholarly” article about the PGR…
…in a heretofore obscure journal called Metaphilosophy. The article was incompetent, as I first noticed and as David Wallace (Oxford) confirmed in detail. There was also, of course, the little matter of the article's defamation of those who produced the PGR–me and Brit, as well as the Advisory Board–as really being racists and sexists. I…
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More on the APA’s purported statement on “bullying and harassment”
Predictably, I suppose, some pontificators on social media are mystified that the irresponsible APA statement could be at all controversial. Indeed, philosopher Jenny Saul (Sheffield) has reiterated her view that controversy about the statement reflects badly on the state of the profession. My view is, unsurprisingly, different: the absence of controversy in certain parts of academic philosophy is what suggests…
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What is “the Establishment”?
More intelligent commentary from Professor Wolff.
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Here’s a Trump-Hitler comparison…
…that is apt and substantive, from philosopher David Livingstone Smith.
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Best Anglophone philosophers of action since 1945?
Our latest poll, concerning philosophers of action in the post-WWII period. I'll permit write-ins for a bit, just in case there are some egregious omissions. Remember, for living philosophers, they must be over 60 in 2016 to be eligible. Get to it! UPDATE: I've closed the write-ins. I do wish folks would bother to check…
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American political circus: Nevada post-mortem
In light of Trump's surprisingly strong showing in a caucus state (Nevada), I think the prospect of his getting the Republican nomination is now very real. It is true I endorsed him early on for this "honor," but the fact that two-thirds of Republican voters overall have continued to prefer someone else (for more than…
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In Memoriam: Hugh McCann (1942-2016)
A leading contributor to the philosophies of action and religion, in particular, Professor McCann taught for many years at Texas A&M University. I will add links to memorial notices as they appear.
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A plausible diagnosis of why Trump has fared so well with Republican voters…
…with an apt nod as well to the Berlusconi phenomenon.
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The latest on the persecution of Turkish academics…
…from MESA. Comments open for more information, links etc.
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More on Krugman’s crack-up regarding economist Gerald Friedman
A good summary of the absurd misbehavior.
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Yet another critique of “effective [sic] altruism”…
…from political theorist Lisa Herzog (Frankfurt). (Thanks to Phil Gasper for the pointer.)



Free Robot Labour: Marx, Automation, and the Future of AI by Jamie Terence Kelly https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-032-26782-5 Palgrave Macmillan, 2026 Permanently Open…