Already the "buzz" among philosophers is that the election of the absurd Schwarzenegger, in a state already facing enormous problems, is going to lead philosophers in California, especially at UC system campuses, to start thinking about leaving. We'll see whether Schwarzenegger can pull a "Thatcher."
(Question: which two people did the most for philosophy in the U.S. in the 20th-century? Answer: Adolf Hitler and Margaret Thatcher. Hitler sent Carnap, Hempel, Adorno, Reichenbach etc. fleeing to the United States; Thatcher sent McDowell, McGinn, Peacocke, Blackburn (for awhile), etc. fleeing to the United States.)
UPDATES: Over at Crooked Timber, a poster points out that, "If this was known ahead of time [i.e., that philosophers might leave], Arnie might have picked up a few percentage points…." Indeed! The hypothesis struck me as odd, but I truly heard it.
Meanwhile, a philosopher at a University of California campus writes with the following thoughts:
"California is indeed ripe for an egghead exodus, but I doubt Arnold will have much to do with. Most important is that the finances don't add up; the wage/cost of living disparity has been a disaster here for some time. Say an associate professor of philosophy makes 65k. By the old formula, she can afford a house in the neighborhood of 200k. (I don't know what the new formula is, but no doubt the UC recruits with one.) In [CA city omitted], a nice 2 bedroom bungalow downtown can be well upwards of 500k. The 200k she can afford, by contrast, buys something quite nice in Columbus, Ithaca, etc. The situation is similar at most of the UC sites.
"Perhaps it was worth it to live in CA under these financial conditions when K-12 and UC were among the best in the world. K-12 is long gone, and our students show it, with the result that UC is not far behind. Add the recent financial implosion to the mix, with it's effects on hiring, infrastructure , etc., and doubling your buying power by retrenching to fly-over country starts to look pretty good."
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