Leiter Reports: A Philosophy Blog

Blast from the past: by what time on April 15 must students accept admissions offers?

We discussed it back in 2017.

Robert Paul Wolff on "The Future of Socialism"

Parts One and Two (with a third to come).   Well-informed and interesting, as always.

Index of all the Richard Marshall interviews with philosophers...

...at his new site.

Books you should have read but haven't

Adam Patterson, a PhD student at Syracuse University, writes with a fun idea:

I've recently learned of a game philosophers play at dinners: philosophers say what books that they are embarrassed to have not read in their area. For example, I heard a metaphysician say that s/he was embarrassed to not have yet read Material Beings or The Nature of Necessity.

I think a poll to see what books in what areas philosophers would think is most embarrassing to have not read would be fun and interesting.

I told Mr. Patterson that, rather than a poll, which would be hard to design, I'd open this for comments from readers.  I'll start:   I've never read all of A Theory of Justice. But how many people have I wonder?   If you want to post anonymous or pseudonymously, please at least indicate what area of philosophy you work in.

Morton from City College/CUNY to North Carolina

Jennifer Morton (philosophy of action, moral & political philosophy, philosophy of education), Associate Professor of Philosophy at the City College of New York and the City University of New York Graduate Center, has accepted a tenured offer from the Department of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she will start as Associate Professor in January 2020.

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Jeronimo, "Understanding," 1971

German hard rock band that had some success in Europe in the early 1970s.  This song is a bit atypical, and better than their standard fare (which I found a bit tedious):

 

Sue Prideaux's biography of Nietzsche

I review it in the current Times Literary Supplement, although most of it is behind their paywall.  Short version:  she's a good, lively and entertaining writer, but doesn't understand much about his philosophical work.  As I write at the end: 

I have studied Nietzsche for more than three decades, and I very much enjoyed this biography, but it is not for those wanting to learn something about the philosophy. Prideaux’s discussions of his ideas are, at best, superficial, at worst, wrong.  Readers who know a lot about Nietzsche, or simply enjoy the juicy soap opera of the lives of great thinkers, will find this book appealing. The former can draw sounder connections between the life and the ideas than Prideaux, while the latter can perhaps take solace in the “human, all-too-human” (as Nietzsche would say) character of genius.

The attack on the Hungarian Academy of Sciences by the fascists in Hungary, and other mischief

And all this is happening while the EU does nothing.  As the author notes:

Hungary has committed suicide in plain sight, and it has done so with the inept assistance of the European Union – while the rest of the member states stand by and watch helplessly. The death dance of democracy has begun again, just like in the 20th century, by painting human rights, freedom of the press, judicial independence, science and art to be political questions. By portraying facts and reality as a matter of threatened identity. And by depicting hate and violations of the law as moral obligations. This is not just taking place within the EU, this is the EU itself, living up to the delirious nightmares of the far right. What right-wing nationalists call "bureaucrats taking away national identities" means, in practice, that Brussels continues to provide full financial support even as mentally ill rulers dictate the destruction of entire countries – their art, literature and science – in the name of resisting interference in domestic affairs, and by keeping borders open for those chased away. The mass moral hysteria of Hungarian political conservativism is the driving force of the cold civil war that has been battering Hungary since 2002.

The irony (albeit a dangerous one) here in the U.S. is that it's precisely those who imagine themselves to be "progressives" (and not fascists) who treat "science and art" as "political questions," and specialize in pleading "threatened [or vulnerable] identity" as the justification for just about anything.  (Recall the discussion of the academic lunatics on Twitter asserting that all scholarly citations are "political.")

Regarding the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the author writes:

The most recent victim was Central European University, but now, it is the turn of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Orbán's attacks usually start with a hateful press campaign against un-Hungarianness; in the case of the Academy, the prelude was an attack on "degenerate" gender studies as a representation of lazy humanities and therefore superfluous. It is followed by an extremely rapid legal and/or financial trick, rendering the victim dysfunctional – withholding the budget of the Academy, for example. Next, prominent Fidesz politicians reinforce the fabricated narrative by focusing on complex, incomprehensible and meaningless technical details. It is enough to confuse outsiders, but for those familiar with the matter, it is based on blatant lies to such a degree that it precludes any discussion....

Then, under the pretext of negotiations (which never actually took place in the case of the CEU), the whole matter is stalled until what's left of the opposition press loses interest and the public gets used to the underlying arguments of the government narrative (basic research is unnecessary, humanities are for liberals on the leftist fringe, gender studies spread homosexuality and the government's intervention isn't really much of a shift at all). After a few months, the original plan is carried out under the guise of a compromise solution: Every conciliatory step from the victim is used against her, the noise from the tired press and the confused public grows ever quieter and the government presents itself as being the solution to the conflict it generated in the first place. The fate of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, the country's beholder of intellectual capital, appears to be sealed, because in the coming EU fiscal period support will primarily be available for innovation and research, and a directly controlled structure is necessary for Orbán to appropriate the funds.

(Thanks to Balazs Gyenis for the pointer.)

Daughters of actress indicted in college admissions scandal will not be permitted to withdraw from USC

Interesting.  My guess is USC wants to secure information from them about the scam, and then to expel them, rather than permitting them to leave on their own terms.  But that's just my best guess.

(Thanks to Robert McGarvey for the pointer.)

Wisconsin/Stevens Point reverses course and will remain a university with liberal arts offerings

A pleasant bit of news!

2019 Stanton Prize in Philosophy & Psychology goes to Michigan's Chandra Sripada

You can see a list of past Stanton Prize winners here (the 2019 announcement is not yet up), and learn more about Professor Sripada's work here.

Lots of new junior appointments (tenure-track and post-docs) at PhilJobs

Add yours!

Philosopher Roger Scruton sacked as government housing adviser in Britain

Not a surprise.  (Coverage from last fall.)

"Certain Doubts," long-running epistemology blog, comes to an end

Announcement from philosopher Jonathan Kvanvig (Wash U/St. Louis) here.

Four philosophers win Guggenheim Fellowships

They are:  Agnes Callard (Chicago), Robert Pippin (Chicago), Henry Richardson (Georgetown), and Miriam Solomon (Temple).

(Thanks to Paul Weithman for the pointer.)

Blast from the past: Schopenhauer on anonymity

Back in 2005.  Schopenhauer is obviously correct:  "For a man to wrap himself up and draw his hat over his face, and then fall upon people who are walking about without any disguise—this is not the part of a gentleman, it is the part of a scoundrel and a knave." 

Advertising update

I've got one spot at each level open in May, as well as spots throughout the summer (although some top spots are taken), but as in prior years, I will be doing less blogging in the summer, and more to the point, I'm going to cut back in May this year, because I'm a bit overwhelmed with professional and personal obligations:  to students, to journals, to colleagues, and to family. Since I will be posting somewhat less often, top spots will be only $500, 2nd from the top $400, and 3rd from the top $300, and these will be the rates through the end of August.   E-mail me for more details.  Thanks.

ADDENDUM:  And you can see blog traffic statistics here.

Kant, Rawls, and philosophy and local government

An interview with South Bend, Indiana Mayor Peter Buttigieg, courtesy of the University of Notre Dame.

(Thanks to Mike Morissey and several others who sent this along [apologies for losing track of those who shared it].)

 

Stanford expels student connected to the admissions scandal

Unsurprising.

(Thanks to Jay Mullen for the pointer.)

Going into debt for a PhD or an MA in philosophy

Perhaps it's worth reiterating something I've said in the past:  don't acquire debt to get a PhD or MA in philosophy, it's just too risky a proposition given the academic job market.   Good programs that really want you will offer funding, meaning, tuition waiver and living stipend.   This is worth emphasizing regarding MA programs in particular, since funding packages vary quite a bit.   Take a fully funded offer at any of the excellent terminal MA programs over an offer that requires you to pay tuition, unless you won't acquire debt to do so.  Tufts, in particular, while it has an excellent faculty, often requires admitted students to pay non-trivial amounts of tuition.  If you can go fully funded to Northern Illinois, Georgia State, or Wisconsin/Milwaukee, I'd recommend going there, unless there is a really compelling intellectual reason to prefer Tufts.

ADDENDUM:  It's true, as someone pointed out to me, that Wisconsin/Milwaukee has suffered some notable faculty losses (e.g., Magaret Atherton has retired, while Ted Hinchman and Andrea  Westlund moved to Florida State), but it's still a strong terminal MA program faculty.  Prospective students should ask about hiring plans.

Finlay from USC to ACU

Stephen Finlay (metaethics), Professor of Philosophy at the University of Southern California, has accepted a senior offer from the  Australian Catholic University in Melbourne, where he will direct the new Institute for Philosophy, a research-only institute, which will be doing a good bit of hiring in the coming years.  Finlay will continue to be in residence about two months each year at USC from 2020 onwards, and teaching a graduate seminar during that time.

ADDENDUM:  I should note that the ACU already has some quite productive, younger philosophers making a name for themselves in metathics (e.g., David Killoren, Richard Rowland), so choosing a distinguished senior figure in the field like Finlay to lead the Institue is, indeed, a wise case of playing to strength.

Philosopher Daniel Silvermint explains why it's OK to call a professional philosopher a "piece of shit" and "vile fucking human""

Good thing he earned a PhD to develop this level of insight.  And see also. 

ADDENDUM: Leave it to Justin Weinberg to show up on my Twitter feed asserting that Silvermint didn't mean what he said, and to declare the evidence adduced as "misleading."  (The link is above:  search hard for Silvermint's judgment that Shalfiei acted wrongly in deploying vulgar epithets worthy of Donald Trump at another philosopher.  The whole display is a transparent rationalization of the wrongful conduct, starting from the fabrication that there was an "attack" by Professor Lawford-Smith.)  Weinberg apparently didn't get the message last time:  I don't want to "wrestle with pigs," so I've had to block him on Twitter.

AND TWO MORE:   First, dozens of people have asked Professor Silvermint over the last 48 hours to explain or identify the "attack" that allegedly provoked the vulgar epithets directed at Professor Lawford-Smith.   There has been no response, and for the obvious reason:  there was no attack.  Second, someone discovered that during my sixteen years on social media, I once referred to an anonymous person on the Internet (seriously)--who had actually been attacking and defaming me at length and for quite awhile--as a "vile piece of garbage."  They neglected to mention I deleted the comment not long after, since it was made in anger and I thought better of it, despite their hiding behind a mask while abusing me and others (they are still pretty vile, judging from their twitter feed).  In any case, no one, that I'm aware of, defended my deleted tweet (I had no Silvermints coming to my defense) and plenty criticized it at the time.  

Philosophy at Rockefeller University in the 1960s and 1970s

Philosopher James Klagge (Virginia Tech) has put together a page of information and links about the short-lived but stellar PhD programs in philosophy and logic at Rockefeller University in New York City.  He writes:  "It is a small but significant part of the history of analytic philosophy in the 20th century.  I have had input from a number of those involved in the programs, but it is still a work in progress.  Additions or corrections can be sent to me at jklagge@vt.edu."

Notre Dame's Christopher Shields interviewed...

...by Richard Marshall at 3:16 am.

Well-being across cultures

Interesting journal issue.

Could Jordan Peterson (or any other faculty member) be disciplined by their university for failing to honor their student's preferred form of address (including pronouns)?

Les Green (Oxford) argues, correctly I think, that the answer is 'yes.'  Academic freedom does not protect speech in the classroom that constitutes sexual or racial harassment; nor does it protect speech in the classroom that undermines the pedagogical environment by demeaning and humiliating students, even if not otherwise unlawful.

Your U.S. tax dollars NOT at work

Those who voted for Trump own this one.  No doubt Trump thinks the Iranian victims are vile animals.

"Anywhere out of this world," said Baudelaire.

(Thanks to Kaave Lajevardi for the pointer.)

 

Great moments in obscure rock 'n' roll: Warhorse, "St. Louis," 1970

British hard rock band formed by ex-Deep Purple bassist Nick Simper, this was the single from their debut album (a cover of a song by The Easybeats):

 

Website for the philosopher Lester Hunt

Professor Hunt, who is emeritus at Wisconsin, and well-known for his work in moral philosophy and related areas, wrote the following on Facebook (which he gave me permission to share):  "My university recently forced me to take my entire web site (which is rather large) off its server and put it on Google Sites. Ironically, this means that google searches never lead to my site any longer, because it is now a "new" site and doesn't rate because nobody has visited it. Could you please click on the link< I need to get some page views or it will be as if the site never existed! Weird but true."  I offered to put this here, to help Lester Hunt's page and the many links to his work from disappearing from Internet searches!

Boys-Stones from Durham to Toronto

George Boys-Stones, Professor of Ancient Philosophy at the University of Durham, has accepted a senior offer from the Departments of Classics and Philospohy at the University of Toronto for 2019-20; Toronto already has one of the strongest programs in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy in the Anglophone world, and this appointment will further solidify that status.

Lachlan Murdoch, the new reactionary head of Fox News, was a Princeton philosophy major...

...writing on Kant and Hegel under Beatrice Longuenesse and who also took David Lewis's time travel course (Alan Hajek [now at the ANU] was his preceptor!)  Now, of course, he is a wicked person responsible for much that is wrong with the world.

 

Philosophy of race

Philosopher Quayshawn Spencer (Penn) talks about his undergraduate course on the subject.

Mediocre white people from around the world to gather in Finland to share delusions

Won't this be a lovely event?

Blast from the past: Most-cited Anglophone philosophy books published since WWII...

...back in 2017.

More college admissions scandal? Harvard fencing coach may be in trouble

Details here.  Short version:  rich father overpays by hundreds of thousands of dollars for fencing coach's house, and then his son is admitted to Harvard to play on the fencing team.

Anti-lesbian discrimination at LGBT Facebook group for philosophers

Two lesbian philosophers--Holly Lawford-Smith and Louise Moody--are removed from the group by Rebecca Kukla (Georgetown) after merely mentioning philosopher Kathleen Stock (Sussex).

UPDATE:  Two different readers sent along the unhinged reaction of Keyvan Shefiei, another charming PhD student self-destructing on social media:

ADDENDUM:  An amazing response to being called out for their unhinged behavior.  Among the philosophers sympathizing with Shalfiei, who apparently think it's fine to call another philosopher a "piece of shit" and a "vile fucking human," are Daniel Silvermint (Connecticut), Fiona Schick (CUNY), Amy Marvin (Oregon), Audrey Yap (Victoria), Joshua Habgood-Coote (Bristol), and Nathaneal Smith (Rochester), among others.

AND ANOTHER:  You can't make this stuff up:  a person who calls another philosopher a "piece of shit" and a"vile fucking human" is calling me "abusive" for calling attention to their abusive behavior.   The only good news is that this kind of misconduct is still a fringe phenomenon, but we can't allow it to become normalized.

Significant omissions at the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy

Jimmy Goodrich, a PhD student in philosophy at Rutgers, writes with a useful question:

This didn’t strike me as directly relevant to your recent post asking readers about the relative merits of already existing SEP articles, but I thought it might also be interesting and helpful to have readers note what they take to be glaring omissions in the SEP. After all, the SEP is extremely detailed about some topics, but pretty sparse about others.

For example: Both analytical and normative issues concerning power (political, social, etc.) are largely overlooked with the exception of an article on feminist perspectives on power and a separate one on domination, both of which are quite good. However, there’s a rich tradition which explicitly discusses power from both analytical and normative perspectives from Aristotle to Spinoza to Nietzsche to Weber to plenty of other 19th and 20th century thinkers. And yet, no entry is present to detail this or any other tradition which sees an important role for a concept of social or political power which isn’t identical to (or very nearly identical to) domination. It seems to me that there’s at least one if not two or three independent articles here.

I’d be very interested to learn whether others have found omissions they’d consider to be glaring. And perhaps this would be useful to the SEP editors as well.

I agree with Mr. Goodrich about the kind of article on power he suggests:  that would be wonderful.  Additional suggestions welcome:  again, full name and valid e-mail address, and explain, as Mr. Goodrich helpfully did, why the entry in question would be a welcome edition, what themes/authors it might cover, etc.

To reiterate something remarked on in the other thread, more than once:  SEP is great and very comprehensive; Ed Zalta has done yeaoman's work in maintaining and developing it.  Thanks to Professor Zalta and all those who have contributed to it, editors and authors.

What is the most democratic resolution to the Brexit crisis?

Ten academics comment, including philosophers Rae Langton, A.C. Grayling, Katherine Hawley, and Robert Talisse, among others.

Indoctrination watch: the case of Rupert Murdoch's empire of media misniformation

A detailed report from the NYT.

Maduro's Venezuela

A critical, and well-documented, account from philosopher Peter Ludlow.

Another list of philosophers on Twitter...

...by the ratio of followers to following (the more folks one follows, the more followers one generally has, when all else is equal, so this list reflects those who follow far fewer than follow them).  After seeing the lists here, I asked Kelly Truelove, the creator, about this and he promptly pointed me to it.

Blast from the past: On New York bluntness

Two years ago.

The *real* Socrates

A useful and amusing short essay about sources other than Plato regarding Socrates.

Best Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy entries?

A reader writes:

I was wondering if it is possible to ask the readers of your blog to share what they take to be the best entries on Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. It would be very helpful to have such a ranking given that many of them are not very good and it would be nice to know in advance which ones are good and which are not.

I will required a FULL NAME and a valid e-mail address for comments on this thread.   Don't simply list an entry, say a few sentences about what makes it a good one.  This will be more helpful to my correspondents and to other readers.

On secession, and Brexit

Political theorist David Miller (Oxford) comments.

Turkish voters: "Fuck you, Ergodan"

God bless them, even if S/He doesn't exist.

Robots on trial for their crimes

Well, not really, but an interesting discussion of free will and responsibility if they were!

Vranas talks about "Time Travel"...

...courtesy of Wisconsin Public Television.

More on Contrapoints on Gender Critical feminism

Philosopher Holly Lawford-Smith (Melbourne) responds in detail to the video we noted yesterday.

UC Davis defends First Amendment rights of faculty member, and also invokes Trump's executive order on free speech

The Chancellor's response to the fascist in the state legislature sponsoring legislation to fire the offending faculty member; this part is delicious:

In addition to existing state and federal constitutional requirements, the university is subject to President Trump’s March 22, 2019, executive order directing federal agencies to take steps to ensure that institutions receiving federal research or education grants promote free inquiry in a manner consistent with applicable law, including the First Amendment. Failure to protect the First Amendment rights of university faculty could not only lead to legal consequences for violating the Constitution, but also could result in a loss of federal funding which is critical to the university’s research and teaching mission. Accordingly, the university will not proceed with review or investigation of concerns regarding Professor Clover’s public statements.

(Thanks to Jonathan Kramnick for the pointer.)