Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog

Law prof Michael Dorf on Trump's lawlessness

A remarkable catalogue, that deserves to be shared widely.  Unless the courts, the other branches of government and civil society get serious about this soon, we're doomed.  (As Professor Dorf notes, only one law professor of the 35 that the NYT consulted tried to make excuses for this orgy of lawlessness--Adrian Vermeule of Harvard [see, e.g.,].)

Federal judge frees Columbia philosophy student unlawfully detained by the Trumpistas

Good, but now it remains to be seen what the next move of the fascists will be.

Lateral moves/retirements since the 2024 Philosophical Gourmet Report: 2024-25 edition

In addition to the separate posts announcing (generally tenured) faculty moves, I will keep a running list of all lateral moves (and retirements and deaths) not reflected in the faculty lists for the 2024 PGR (some moves that took place after the 2024 PGR were reflected in the faculty list, because the editors knew of them--the ones listed here were not reflected in the faculty lists evaluators saw).  I will start a new list for each academic year, so that the list does not get unwieldy.    I will move this to the front periodically, putting recent additions in bold.  Untenured lateral moves will be noted as such, otherwise the move is with tenure.  A lateral move is one from one tenure-stream position to another either into or out of a program offering the PhD or terminal MA.  In addition I will list retirements and also deaths of non-emeritus faculty.  Please e-mail me with additions or corrections.

Santiago Amaya (moral psychology, philosophy of action) from the University of Los Andes (Colombia) to Rice University.

Kristin Andrews (philosophy of mind & cognitive science [esp. 'animal minds']) from York University, Toronto to the City University of New York Graduate Center.

Jc Beall (philosophical logic; philosophy of logic, mathematics & language; metaphysics) had to rescind (for personal reasons) acceptance of an offer from the National University of Singapore, so remains at the University of Notre Dame.

Sophia Dandelet (ethics, epistemology) from Cambridge University to the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Jeremy Fantl (epistemology) from the University of Calgary to Ohio State University.

Michael Friedman (Kant, philosophy of science, 20th-century philosophy) took emeritus status at Stanford University in 2024 (and died in 2025).

Sebastian Gardner (Kant, 19th-century German philosophy) retired from University College London in Januray 2025.

Grace Helton (cognitive science, epistemology, moral psychology) from Princeton University (untenured) to the University of Rochester (tenured).

Barry Loewer (philosophy of language & mind, philosophy of physics) will retire from Rutgers University, New Brunswick at the end of the 2024-25 academic year (but will continue to do a graduate seminar for a few years).

Art of the aphorism, part 2

"We are so used to disguising ourselves from others that we end by disguising ourselves from ourselves." --La Rochefoucauld

In Memoriam: Karl Ameriks (1947-2025)

Professor Ameriks, a longtime member of the philosophy faculty at the University of Notre Dame, where he was emeritus, was an internationally renowned expert on Kant and German Idealism.  Comments are open for remembrances from those who knew Professor Ameriks or from those who wish to comment on the significance of his work.

(Thanks to David Gordon and Fritz Warfield for the information.)

DOE's Office of Civil Rights finds Penn in violation of Title IX...

...for letting a trans woman compete on the women's swimmng team.   It's not clear to me what "investigation" was actually undertaken, but at least the proposed remedies do not involve cutting off federal funding for health and science research!   In the annals of th Trump war on universities, this is the least egregious bit of misconduct.

Now the National Science Foundation starts cancelling grants

A report from Northwestern University, but I don't know how widespread this is yet.  The targets at Northwestern are all "DEI"-related in some sense or others.  Are cancellations reaching beyond that, and is this affecting other schools?  Links to more information welcome in the comments.

Virtual dissertation groups, 2025

From Joshua Smart:

Virtual Dissertation Groups (VDG) is shifting to a summer schedule. Open sign ups for this summers’ groups go through Saturday, May 10^th at www.jasmartphilosophy.com/virtual-dissertation-groups.

What it is: Virtual Dissertation Groups is a free service for those currently working on their doctoral dissertations in philosophy departments (or philosophy of science or the like). Since 2014, VDG has connected students from over 30 countries to provide low-stakes peer feedback on dissertation work with a minimal time commitment.

How it works: Dissertators are organized into groups of three, based on information provided about their project/area of work. Once a month for June-August, one of the members takes a turn sending work from their dissertation (3k–6k words) to the other two for feedback. (Feedback is typically in the form of written comments, though some groups choose to have video discussions.)

Why it’s good: While advisors and committees are important, it can be incredibly helpful to discuss one’s work with peers in a lower-stakes environment, and particularly enlightening to do so with those who have a different approach, outlook, or focus. There is even some evidence from psychology that thinking about problems in relation to geographically distant persons can promote creative insights. With students at a variety of programs and from around the world, VDG is a great way to capture some of these benefits!

Signing up is easy, just fill out a few brief questions on your project at www.jasmartphilosophy.com/virtual-dissertation-groups. Hope to see you there!

Art of the aphorism

"Neither the sun nor death can be looked at steadily." --La Rochefoucauld

The media's mostly incompetent coverage of Trump's illegal rampage against the universities

Josh Marshall makes the key point, using the New York Times as his target:

I wanted to point your attention to this recent article from the Times on the battle between Trump and Harvard University. It captures the Times’ feature quality. It contains good factual detail, but it radiates what I can only describe as a Chernobyl-level condescension and contempt, not so much for anything “liberal” but anything not conservative, or not in line with what it terms the “rightward shift of the country” — anything that can be construed as a posture of opposition to Donald Trump. The Harvard board is portrayed as reflexively and out-of-touchedly liberal, repeatedly shocked in a weak-kneed sort of way and yet also, paradoxically, headstrong in its inability to resist outmoded Trump I-era “resistance” thinking. In a few words, weak, out-of-touch and contemptible.

 

There’s not a single mention of the fact that the entire campaign is illegal on its face and an unprecedented and corrupt power grab with no antecedent in the U.S. government’s almost 80-year research-focused partnership with the country’s leading university. But why get stuck in the nitty gritty?

 

The NYT has found the courage to refer, correctly, to Trump's repeating lying about the 2020 election.  Every article should begin by noting that Trump's demands on the universities violate both Title VI and the Constitution, that just as Trump lies he also makes unambiguously unlawful demands on universities, law firms, and othres.  He is a serial law breaker, and always has been (he is, after all, the Holmes Bad Man).

 

(Thanks to Keith Nightenhelser for the pointer.)

 

UPDATE:  Today's NYT, as luck would have it, at least has a strong piece in the opinion section on Trump's lawlessness.  This qoute from Columbia law professor David Pozen sums things up quite well:

More important than any specific example of unconstitutional conduct is the overall pattern. The depth and breadth of this administration’s disregard for civil liberties, political pluralism, the separation of powers and legal constraints of all kinds mark it as an authoritarian regime. That is the crucial thing to see.

Consciousness and the allegedly "unified, objective" world

Philosopher Christian List comments.

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Rory Gallagher, "Bullfrog Blues," live in 1976 and 1980

ORIGINALLY POSTED AUGUST 13, 2016

From the band Taste in the late 1960s, through his solo performances into the 1990s, the great Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher was a "big name" throughout Europe, but never got the same level of recognition on this side of the Atlantic.  A fabulous rock, blues and slide guitarist, as well as phenomenal stage performer, these two versions of one of his live staples, the "Bullfrog Blues," give a fine taste for those not familiar.  The first, from 1976, is a live performance on an old BBC show, in which each member of the band gets his moment in the spotlight:

 

The second version was recorded live in 1979, and is several minutes shorter, because it's all Rory (and the audience)--it doesn't really start until a minute in:

More on the capricious deportation of human beings to the El Salvador concentration camp

A striking account from NYT columnist Michelle Goldberg.

New APA Prize in ethics in honor of Stephen J. White...

...who taught philosophy at Northwestern and died tragically young.

What if AI is making our lives worse?

Philosopher Benjamin Mitchell-Yellin discusses.

Authoritarian rulers need friends in the capitalist class....

...and Shari Redstone, owner of Paramount (which owns CBS), is one.

Law professor Michael Klarman on Congressional Republicans: "One of the most shameful capitulations in American history"

Indeed.

8 philosophers elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences

They are:  Lucy Allais (Johns Hopkins), Noel Carroll (CUNY Graduate Center), Jenann Ismael (Johns Hopkins), Jennifer Lackey (Northwestern), Liam Murphy (NYU), Peter Singer (Princeton), and Oystein Linnebo (Oslo).   In addition, philosopher Harry Brighouse (Wisconsin) was elected in the Education section of the Academy.

Blast from the past: Trump, the fascist wannabe

Back in 2015--I was right about one thing (he wanted to rule as a tyrant) and spectacularly wrong about another!

An interview with Graham Priest about Wittgenstein, paradox...

...truth, and non-Western philosophy.

"The Authoritarian Attack on Truth"

Philosopher Michae Lynch comments.

Statement from Jewish faculty at Northwestern University...

...on the attempts to weaponize anti-semitism to attack academic freedom and university autonomy.

Canadian boycott of American products picking up speed

Predictable and understandable, given the behavior of the monster child.

(Thanks to Charles Bakker for the pointer.)

Advice for universities on how to resist the Trumpistas...

...from Ars Technica.  Some sensible advice, although it's a shame they don't understand the Kalven Report's idea of "institutional neutrality":  academic institutions must, of course, speak out about public issues that affect their ability to function!

Harvard sues the Trumpistas

Harvard's statement, including a link to the complaint.  May they prevail, and quickly!  (I am assuming that the Trumpistas will comply with court decisions.  If that assumption is wrong, then we're all dead, perhaps literally.)

War on the universities, Texas edition

Amazing:

SB 37, authored by Sen. Brandon Creighton, fundamentally reshapes how colleges and universities approach curriculum, course selection and other elements tied to instruction. Among its provisions:

• It establishes a method to file complaints about schools suspected of not complying with such changes 
• It creates a state-appointed committee to assess which core curricula are "foundational" and which could be cut 
• The group would include members appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor  and Texas House speaker—none of whom are required to be students, faculty or university administrators to serve on the committee
• It calls for colleges and universities to end or revise degree programs if the state (under the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board review) deems the programs do not offer a return on investment for students 
• It requires that courses cannot "require or attempt to require a student to adopt any race, sex, or ethnicity or social or political or religious belief is inherently superior to any other." 

Conservatives who believe in the rule of law, 4th Circuit edition

Excellent opinion written by Judge Wilkinson (a Reagan appointee) regarding the wrongful deportation of a Maryland man to El Salvador:

It is difficult in some cases to get to the very heart of the matter. But in this case, it is not hard at all. The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order. Further, it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody that there is nothing that can be done.

This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear....

“Facilitation” [as the Supreme Court required the government to do] does not permit the admittedly erroneous deportation of an individual to the one country’s prisons that the withholding order forbids and, further, to do so in disregard of a court order that the government not so subtly spurns. “Facilitation” does not sanction the abrogation of habeas corpus through the transfer of custody to foreign detention centers in the manner attempted here. Allowing all this would “facilitate” foreign detention more than it would domestic return. It would reduce the rule of law to lawlessness and tarnish the very values for which Americans of diverse views and persuasions have always stood.

The battle for basic freedom and the rule of law is just being "joined" now by the courts, with two district courts laying the foundations for holding govenrment lawyers and officials in contempt and imposing sanctions.  The Supreme Court in the wee hours of Saturday morning also blocked the deportation of more Venezuelans without due process.  (Justices Alito and Thomas, who have almost never met an exericse of executive power they disapproved of, dissented [see Professor Dorf's comments]; but the three justices Trump appointed--Barrett, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh--all joined the majority in issuing this unusual order, one that reflects the awareness of the normal justices that they are not dealing with a normal or law-abiding executive.)

Richard Marshall interviews Jeffrey King about his recent work in philosophy of language...

...at 3:16 AM.

Austria welcoming US academics

A job site here, and a news article (auf Deutsch) here.

"The emergency is here"

Ezra Klein sums it up pretty well and, as far as I can see, he's completely correct:

The crisis is now. It is not six months away. It is not another Supreme Court ruling away from happening. It’s happening now.

Perhaps not to you, not yet. But to others. Real people. We know their names. We know their stories.

The president of the United States is disappearing people to a Salvadoran prison for terrorists. A prison known by its initials — CECOT. A prison built for disappearance. A prison where there is no education or remediation or recreation, because it is a prison that does not intend to release its inhabitants back out into the world. It is a prison where the only way out, in the words of El Salvador’s so-called justice minister, is a coffin.

Harvard Law's Jack Goldsmith (former Office of Legal Counsel under GW Bush) on what has "surprised" him about Trump

Here:

[S]everal things have surprised me. I wasn’t prepared for the extent of the onslaught. It’s really just remarkable how many things they’re doing, especially inside the executive branch, to try to bring complete control of the president.

And I wasn’t expecting the extent of the loyalty tests and the insistence that the president gets to determine what the law is and that there’s no independent legal check....

[The Office of Legal Counsel] has been basically set aside and the White House is interpreting law, and the basic rule appears to be if the president wants to do something, it’s lawful.

That really does seem to be the operating principle. So the extent of that surprises me. The extortionate elements of the administration, the shakedown elements. They remind me of a book I wrote about Hoffa and the mob. That has all surprised me.

If Professor Goldsmith has been following the blog, that last bit would not have surprised him!

Blast from the past: what kind of background needed for graduate work in philosophy of physics?

Back in 2009, with reader discussion.

Trump is so bad, even Thomas Friedman has to notice!

Good for him for using his big platform to say this:

This whole Trump II administration is a cruel farce. Trump ran for another term not because he had any clue how to transform America for the 21st century. He ran in order to stay out of jail and to get revenge on those who, with real evidence, had tried to hold him accountable to the law.....

The world is now seeing Trump’s America for exactly what it is becoming: a rogue state led by an impulsive strongman disconnected from the rule of law and other constitutional American principles and values.

Legal actions on behalf of those whose NEH grants have been terminated?

A scholar elsewhere writes:

Though I haven’t been notified, so I am not completely sure, it seems [my NEH Fellowship] has been terminated. At least that is what I have just now gleaned from the website for my grant. Are you aware of any legal actions by individuals or organizations whose grants have been terminated?

Readers, any information?

Statement of the Columbia Philosophy Department on the federal kidnapping of their student

Here:  

It has come to the attention of members of the Department of Philosophy at Columbia University that one of our students, Mohsen Mahdawi, was detained in Vermont by agents of the Department of Homeland Security.

We express our horror and dismay at the fact that a legal resident of the United States — someone who has been accused of no crime — should be detained in this manner. We would like to convey our sympathy and our support to Mohsen, to his family, and to his friends.

We call upon the Provost and Acting President of Columbia University to assist by all means, including through the provision of material and legal resources, any Columbia student targeted or detained—and seemingly only for having exercised their right to the free and peaceful expression of political opinion.

The case of the man wrongfully deported to El Salvador

The district court judge's patience is wearing thin:  she's laying the foundation for holding the government lawyers in contempt and imposing sanctions.  It's pretty clear, as the judge says, that nothing has been done to "facilitate" the return of the victim here.  The depositions of government officials and lawyers will no doubt confirm this over the next two weeks.  Then the judge will have to act.

ADDENDUM:  As reader Henry Cohen rightly points out to me, since almost all those deported to the El Salvador concentration camp were not afforded due process, their cases may all be as egregious wrongdoings as the case currently garnering all the attention.  

ANOTHER:  See also:  U.S. citizens are next.

Three philosophers win 2025 Guggenheim Fellowships

They are:   James Dwyer (William & Mary), Hannah Ginsborg (Berkeley), and Simon Hutteger (UC Irvine).

Trump's defiance of the courts continues

The Associated Press was still barred from a Trump press conference, despite a court order  Just to be clear: if  Trump does not obey the courts, the courts do have some options.  But when those options are exhausted, then the rule of law is officially over, and the United States is officially a dictatorship.  Courts are the last bulwark for civil society.  Harvard, after all, can't get its federal monies back by sending its militia to DC to seize it.

Another green card holder--a philosophy major at Columbia--kidnapped by federal agents...

...because of his lawful political speech.  A court has already ordered the government to keep the victim in Vermont, where he was attending a citizenship interview.  We will see how this court order fares.

(Thanks to Ruchira Paul for the pointer.)

Leading research universities sue Trump Department of Energy over unlawful withholding of monies

Complaint here.  Plaintiffs include Brown, Caltech, Cornell, Michigan, MIT Illinois, Princeton, and others.  Another hopeful sign, although only if the Trumpistas comply with adverse court decisions!

Harvard Law School negotiation expert advises law firms: do *not* negotiate with Trump

Good advice for universities too.

Some good news: Harvard will *not* capitulate

Harvard President Garber just sent out this message to the Harvard community:

Late Friday night, the administration issued an updated and expanded list of demands, warning that Harvard must comply if we intend to “maintain [our] financial relationship with the federal government.” It makes clear that the intention is not to work with us to address antisemitism in a cooperative and constructive manner. Although some of the demands outlined by the government are aimed at combating antisemitism, the majority represent direct governmental regulation of the “intellectual conditions” at Harvard.
 
I encourage you to read the letter to gain a fuller understanding of the unprecedented demands being made by the federal government to control the Harvard community. They include requirements to “audit” the viewpoints of our student body, faculty, staff, and to “reduc[e] the power” of certain students, faculty, and administrators targeted because of their ideological views. We have informed the administration through our legal counsel that we will not accept their proposed agreement. The University will not surrender its independence or relinquish its constitutional rights.
 
The administration’s prescription goes beyond the power of the federal government. It violates Harvard’s First Amendment rights and exceeds the statutory limits of the government’s authority under Title VI. And it threatens our values as a private institution devoted to the pursuit, production, and dissemination of knowledge. No government—regardless of which party is in power—should dictate what private universities can teach, whom they can admit and hire, and which areas of study and inquiry they can pursue.

Kudos to Harvard and President Garber!  Every university in the country has to join the amicus briefs.

ADDENDUM:  I note that Harvard has tapped as one of its two lawyers, William Burck of Quinn Emmanuel, who has represented Steve Bannon and Trump in other matters.  The other, Robert Hur of King & Spalding, was the independent counsel who prepared the report on Biden's mishandling of classified information.

UPDATE:  The Trumpistas have retaliated by freezing more than $2 billion in grants and contracts.  Harvard will now file suit, I assume.

The moment of truth has arrived: Trump Administration now openly defying a Supreme Court decision...

...regarding a man wrongfully deported to El Salvodor.   The district judge handling this case needs to hold the lawyers in contempt, and then jail them and/or fine them personally until they comply.  (The tinpot dictator of El Salvador is now just doing the bidding of the wannabe tinpot dictator of America.  No one doubts that if Trump told El Salvodor to deliver the victim for return to the US, El Salavdor would instantly comply.)

ADDENDUM:  As this author notes, in the same meeting between Trump and the El Salvador leader, Trump explicitly mentioned deporting citizens.   Since he's already ignoring the courts, nothing will stop him from doing so.

Trump's litany of tyrannical actions...

...so far, but a useful list.

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. 

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.”

"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 move beyond criminals quickly).

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.

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.

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: