Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog

Texas Public Policy Foundation's New Mission: To Destroy Higher Education in Texas

Jonathan Kvanvig (Baylor) comments on the latest idiocy to emanate from the far right neanderthals at the Foundation.   Amusingly, Bill Peacock, one of the intellectual heavyweights at the Foundation, shows up in the comments to post some boilerplate nonsense.

Anywhere out of this world, said Baudelaire, and he hadn't even heard of the Texas Public Policy Foundation!

You would think with an omniscient, omnipotent being on their side...

believers could do better than this.

Social Security Reality Check

Here:

The Congressional Budget Office shows [Social Security] can pay all future benefits through the year 2044 with no changes whatsoever. Even after that date the shortfalls are relatively minor. If we instituted a fix in 2030 that is comparable to the one put in place in 1983 it would leave the program fully solvent out to the 22nd century.

Nussbaum on Education in China and Singapore

Here.  Hopefully her former colleague, President Obama, will pay attention!

Dummett Wins 4th Lauener Prize for Outstanding Oeuvre in Analytical Philosophy

The prize announcement is here (click on "Award/Symposium 2010" for details).  Previous winners are Ruth Barcan Marcus (Emerita, Yale), Dagfinn Folledal (Stanford/Oslo) and Patrick Suppes (Emeritus, Stanford).

Musical tribute to Jack Smart

Geoff Brennan on vocals, Kit Fine on piano.

Scruton to Take Up Part-Time Post at St. Andrews

Roger Scruton (aesthetics, moral and political philosophy) will take up a quarter-time Professorial Fellowship at the University of St. Andrews, with appointments in the Department of Philosophy and the Centre for Ethics, Philosophy and Public Affairs.

Mental Illness and Autonomy

Philosophers enter the fray.

(Thanks to Thomas Nadelhoffer for the pointer.)

The Pope vs. Simon Blackburn and Leslie Green...

...on "the Dictatorship of Relativism."  I suspect my friend Green's chances for advancement in the Catholic Church hierarchy are now seriously diminished.

"Crises of Capitalism"

Animated!  And instructive on several points.

(Thanks to Jim Nichols for the pointer.)