Maverick Philosopher

Footnotes to Plato from the foothills of the Superstition Mountains

Category: Academia

  • On Making a Splash and Making a Dent

    Years ago an acquaintance wrote me about a book he had published which, he said, had "made quite a splash." The metaphor is unfortunately double-edged. When an object hits the water it makes a splash. But only moments later the water returns to its quiescent state as if nothing had happened. Perhaps it would have…

  • Amy Wax on Free Speech

    I am afraid Professor Wax does not appreciate what she is up against. She writes, It is well documented that American universities today, more than ever before, are dominated by academics on the left end of the political spectrum. How should these academics handle opinions that depart, even quite sharply, from their “politically correct” views?…

  • Catholic Higher Education is a Joke

    Here is yet another example: The College of the Holy Cross [Worcester, Mass.] is mulling whether to shed its century-old sports symbol the “Crusader” out of concerns the image of a Christian warrior might be offensive to Muslims. Why not go all the way and remove the crucifixes as well? More proof that there is…

  • From the Mail: Sane Student Comments on Academic Decline

    George writes, Not so long ago I was about to take a philosophy 101 class at a community college in Arizona, but the professor, who I later was told spends a substantial amount of time talking about "white privilege," was going to make it about the "sociology of philosophy." He explicitly said on day one…

  • Time to Defund the Humanities in Public ‘Universities’?

    A strong case can be made.

  • Latest Georgetown University Outrage

    More proof that leftists are termites: Georgetown’s website proclaims it is “the oldest Catholic and Jesuit institute of higher learning in the United States” and is “deeply rooted in the Catholic faith.” One campus group is learning, however, Georgetown’s roots might not be deep enough. Love Saxa is a recognized student group on the Georgetown campus, and…

  • Infinity and Mathematics Education

    Time for a re-post. This first appeared in these pages on 18 August 2010. ……………………. A reader writes, Regarding your post about Cantor, Morris Kline, and potentially vs. actually infinite sets: I was a math major in college, so I do know a little about math (unlike philosophy where I'm a rank newbie); on the other hand, I…

  • Should There be University Courses on Beat Generation Authors?

    From a longer essay: I've read my fair share of [William S. ] Burroughs and I concur [with Patrick Kurp] that his stuff is trash: Junkie, Naked Lunch, The Soft Machine, Exterminator.  All in my library.  But there is a place for literary trash.  It has its uses as do the pathologist's  slides and samples.  But…

  • Alberto Brandolini’s Bullshit Asymmetry Principle and Vallicella’s First and Second Corollaries

    Here: The amount of energy needed to refute bullshit is an order of magnitude bigger than to produce it. The pseudo-precision of 'energy' and 'order of magnitude' aside — in what units is this 'energy' measured ? — the idea is a good one. Vallicella's First Corollary: The amount of effort needed to grade and…

  • “Why I Left Academic Philosophy”

    Interesting. Take it with several grains of salt and factor in the fact that it is by a 'transwoman.' The following is borne out by my experience: But ultimately I don't need academic philosophy to do philosophy. My blogging over the past ten years has reached a larger audience than I could ever hope to achieve…

  • Who Killed the Liberal Arts?

    What in the world happened to the liberal arts? A degree in the humanities used to transmit the knowledge and wisdom imbued in the works of great Western artists, writers, musicians and thinkers like Shakespeare and Mozart. But today, that same degree stresses Western racism, sexism, imperialism, and other ills and sins that reinforce a…

  • Higher Education or Higher Enstupidation?

    In case you haven't yet had your fill of academic insanity, take a gander at Heather MacDonald's Higher Ed's Latest Taboo is 'Bourgeois Norms.' Apparently, such norms are white-supremacist, misogynistic, and homophobic.  And what norms might these be? Why, "hard work, self-discipline, marriage and respect for authority." Apparently you are a 'racist' if you advise…

  • Abdication of Authority by University Admins? Or Something Worse?

    Just over the transom by someone  in the trenches of academe: I wonder if it's true as you say that "the authorities abdicate." When I read things like this — they seem to come up about once a week now, or once a day — I don't think there are authorities just abdicating.  No, it…

  • Academic Insanity at Boise State

    The authorities abdicate and the collapse of the universities continues apace. Another example: At Boise State University, in deep-red Idaho, a group of students is demanding that the university fire political scientist Scott Yenor for his scholarship on the intellectual history of feminism and the transgender movement. Even worse, some administrators are piling on.

  • The Decline of the West Proceeds Apace: Reed College

    I arise from a blissful session on the black mat, 3:10 – 4:00 AM, only to log on and find: Under pressure from student protesters, Reed College in Portland, Oregon is considering whether or not to continue requiring freshmen to take a Western civilization course. Once again, abdication of authority on the part of university…