authoritarianism

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Authoritarianism & Philosophy: After Orbán’s Ouster, an Effort to Reopen the Lukács Archive

“Philosophers were the first targets of Orbán’s ‘culture war.’” (more…)

Russia’s Political Persecution of a Philosopher: Further Details (guest post)

Earlier this week, it was reported that Russian Philosopher Svetlana Mesyats was placed under house arrest and the offices and homes of several other employees of the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences were searched. (more…)

Russian Government Investigating Institute of Philosophy

Russian Philosopher Svetlana Mesyats is under house arrest and the offices and homes of several other employees of the Institute of Philosophy of the Russian Academy of Sciences were searched, according to social media postings from a pro-Russian government account and other media sources. (more…)

Judge Orders Texas State to Reinstate Robinson

A federal court judge ruled today that Texas State University must reinstate philosopher Idris Robinson, whom the university fired from his assistant professorship over a talk he gave about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (more…)

Texas versus Freedom: Another Philosopher Is Leaving a Public University in Texas

Christy Mag Uidhir will be giving up his position as professor of philosophy at the University of Houston. (more…)

Letter Supporting Fired Texas State Philosophy Professor and Boycott of University

Last month it was reported that Idris Robinson, a tenure-track assistant professor of philosophy at Texas State University, is suing several university officials for violating his constitutional rights after they told him he would have his contract terminated in May, because of complaints about a talk he gave last year on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (more…)..

Peterson from Texas A&M to SMU

Martin Peterson, currently professor of philosophy at Texas A&M University, will be moving to Southern Methodist University (SMU). (more…)

Trial Starts Today for Philosophy Lecturer Who Tossed Away Tear Gas Canister Thrown by ICE (updated)

The trial of Jonathan Caravello, a lecturer in philosophy at California State University Channel Islands, begins today. The trial concerns his actions at a protest during a Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid of a cannabis farm near the university. (more…)

Texas State Fires Philosophy Professor Over Off-Campus Talk on the Israeli-Palestine Conflict

Idris Robinson, a tenure-track assistant professor of philosophy at Texas State University, is suing several university officials for violating his constitutional rights after they told him he would have his contract terminated in May, because of complaints about a talk he gave last year “on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict off-campus in another state where a fight ..

Anthropic’s Statement on the Department of War’s Demands

Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of War, earlier this week ordered Anthropic, the company that makes Claude artificial intelligence products, to allow the Department of War unrestricted use of Claude. Anthropic is resisting, saying that certain restrictions on Claude’s use are necessary to protect “democratic values”. (more…)

Florida Implements Stronger Thought Policing

With measures borrowed from history’s totalitarian regimes, political leaders in Florida are taking unprecedented steps to indoctrinate students and prevent them from learning about the world in ways that may lead them to question the leaders’ ideology. (more…)

When the University President Endorses the “Indoctrination” Narrative (multiple updates)

For some reason, Renu Khator, the longtime president of the University of Houston and chancellor of the University of Houston System, has felt the need to remind her faculty that “our responsibility is to give the ability to form their own opinions, not force a particular one on them. Our guiding principle is to teach them, not indoctrinate them.” (more…)

Justifying the Inclusion of Race, Gender, Sexuality (etc.) in Philosophy Courses

Some university administrations are (as we have seen) trying to prevent professors from teaching about topics related to gender, sexuality, and race. (more…)

Lessons from a Legal Analysis of the Renee Good Shooting (updated)

What’s one thing that could make ICE agent Jonathan Ross’s lethal shooting of innocent US citizen Renee Good even worse? If it were legally justified.

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MLK on Nonviolent Resistance

In recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, here are MLK’s six principles of nonviolent resistance.

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Texas A&M Administrators Will Cancel Your Course If You Don’t Tell Them Exactly Where And What Its Race And Gender Parts Are*

Texas A&M University (TAMU) administrators cancelled “Ethics in Public Policy,” a graduate course in the university’s Bush School of Government and Public Service, because they rejected as too vague its professor’s explanation of when and how race and gender issues may come up in the course. (more…)

A Dishonest Response from TAMU President Tommy Williams

The interim president of Texas A&M, Tommy Williams, has publicly replied to last week’s reports of his university telling a philosophy professor to remove readings by Plato and others from the syllabus of his moral problems course. (more…)

The APA Board’s Open Letter to Trans Philosophers

At its November 2025 meeting, the Board of the American Philosophical Association (APA) approved a statement addressed “first and foremost, to trans members of our profession,” and to “those who teach and research in the philosophy of sex and gender, and philosophy that addresses LGBTQ+ issues,” but also to “all philosophers… because threats to any one corner of o..

Legalize Plato: The Shirt

In light of Texas A&M’s decision to tell a philosophy professor to remove readings by Plato from his course, one enterprising philosopher has come up with a way for people to voice their support for academic freedom. (more…)

Texas A&M Bans Plato (further updates)

Drop the race and gender material from your course and the Plato readings, or teach a different course. You have a day to decide.

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Will There Be Midterm Elections?

According to a site that aggregates data from several betting markets, bettors think there’s a 63.9% chance that the Democratic Party will regain control of the US House of Representatives in the midterm elections scheduled for November 3rd, 2026. (more…)

Columbia Philosophy Major Again Faces Deportation Threat

Last April, Mohsen Mahdawi, then a philosophy major at Columbia University, was attending a US citizenship application interview in Vermont when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents wearing hoods and masks took him from the building, put him into an unmarked car, and drove off. (more…)

Philosophers at Clemson Defend the Academic Freedom of Colleagues

Two philosophers at Clemson University, each in their own way, have responded to their employer’s punishment of faculty for their comments following the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. (more…)

Speech under Authoritarianism (updated)

Governments in the United States are ramping up their attacks on freedom of speech, with state and federal officials getting people—including professors—fired or investigated for expressing their opinions about public figures, and the president suggesting he will shut down media that is critical of him and his allies. (more…)