government
TagStanford’s Student Newspaper Sues Federal Government
The Stanford Daily, Stanford University’s independently run student newspaper, and two of its student staff, are suing Marco Rubio, in his capacity as Secretary of State, and Kristi Noem, in her capacity as Secretary of Homeland Security, for violating their First Amendment rights. (more…)
Philosopher’s Apparent Role in Government’s “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria” Report Revealed by Metadata (updated)
A philosopher is apparently listed as the creator of part of a controversial report released May 1st by the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regarding gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth. (more…)
Philosophy Major Snatched by ICE During Citizenship Interview (updated)
Mohsen Mahdawi, a philosophy major at Columbia University who is due to graduate later this semester, was attending a US citizenship application interview in Vermont on Monday 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…)
A Philosopher’s Testimony before the House Judiciary Committee
“If we do not want to slide towards illiberalism, no one should be above the law.” (more…)
AAUP & AFT Sue Departments of Justice, Education, and other Federal Agencies
Last week, the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) filed a lawsuit to “challenges the Trump administration’s unlawful and unprecedented effort to overpower a university’s academic autonomy and control the thought, association, scholarship, and expression of its faculty and students.” (more…)
Students Protest, a Philosopher is Knifed, and Faculty are Unpaid in Serbia
Natalija Jovanović, dean of the Philosophy Faculty at the University of Niš in Serbia, was attending a student protest when a woman who opposed the protest reportedly threatened to throw acid on her and then cut her with a knife. (more…)
APA Signs Onto Statement Defending the Dept. of Education
The Board of Officers of the American Philosophical Association (APA) has added the organization to a list of signatories of a statement opposing the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education. (more…)
The Financial Squeeze on Higher Ed
The Trump administration’s plan to place severe limitations on what universities receive in indirect costs from grants from the National Institute of Health (though temporarily blocked*), as well as cuts the administration has made to various granting and education-related agencies, has higher education on guard, and several institutions are taking steps to limit ex..
The Future of the Department of Education
Elon Musk—a businessman apparently being allowed by President Trump to tread upon whatever and whomever he pleases in his capacity as head budget-slasher-of-questionable-Constitutionality of the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (not actually a U.S. government department)—has recently set his sights on the Department of Education. (more…)
Trump Halts All Federal Grants (update: OMB Rescinds Order)
“To the extent permissible under applicable law, Federal agencies must temporarily pause all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance… Each agency must pause: (i) issuance of new awards; (ii) disbursement of Federal funds under all open awards; and (iii) other relevant agency actions that may be implicated by the executi..
Philosopher Appointed to Advisory Group on UK Digital Currency
Alex Voorhoeve, Professor and Head of the Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method Department at the London School of Economics, has been appointed to the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) Academic Advisory Group, run by the Bank of England and the UK Treasury. (more…)
David Enoch Arrested While Protesting Judicial “Reforms” in Israel
David Enoch, professor of philosophy at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, was among those protesting the Israeli government’s controversial plans to scale back the independence and power of its judiciary yesterday near Tel Aviv when he was arrested by police. (more…)
Funding for Work on Technologies to Improve Reasoning in Government Intelligence
Steven Rieber, a former philosopher who is now a program manager at Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), a part of the United States government’s Office of the Director of National Intelligence, is heading up a new research program that might be of interest to philosophers. (more…)
Philosopher Appointed to National Space Council Advisory Group
Patrick Lin, professor of philosophy at California Polytechnic State University and director of the university’s Ethics and Emerging Sciences Group, has been selected as a member of National Space Council’s Users Advisory Group (UAG). (more…)
The Battle for Philosophy in Serbian Schools (guest post)
Recently, the Serbian government eliminated philosophy from its required courses in high schools, replacing it with a set of electives (one of which is “logic and ethics”), and raising concerns not just about the education of students but also about those responsible for teaching the philosophy courses losing their jobs. (more…)
Philosopher Named to White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council
Kyle Whyte, the George Willis Pack Professor of Environment and Sustainability at the University of Michigan, has been named to the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council. (more…)
NSF Bill Emphasizes Ethics, Includes Ethics Grants
The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology has introduced a bill for the funding of the National Science Foundation (NSF) that includes a noticeable emphasis on ethics in science. (more…)
Quebec Government Deplatforms Daniel Weinstock (updated)
Daniel Weinstock, a philosopher on the Faculty of Law at McGill University and director of the McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy, was disinvited by the Quebec government from speaking at a meeting about reforming the mandatory ethics and religious culture course taught in the province’s schools. (more…)
Philosopher Appointed to Federal Advisory Committee on Biosecurity
The National Science Advisory Board for Biosecurity (NSABB) is a federal advisory committee that “addresses issues related to biosecurity and dual use research at the request of the United States Government.” (more…)
Concordia Philosophy Issues Statement on Controversial “Bill 21”
The Department of Philosophy at Concordia University has issued a statement opposing “Bill 21: an act respecting the laicity of the State,” also known as Québec’s “secularism bill,” currently under consideration by the National Assembly of Québec, which would prevent various government officials from wearing religious symbols in the exercise of their official functi..
Despite Move, CEU Is Accepting Applications
Central European University (CEU), despite having been forced by threat of closure by the Hungarian legislature to move from Budapest to Vienna for the next academic year, is accepting applications. (more…)
Philosophy is what best prepared him for his career in finance & government
I’m asked from time to time which undergraduate courses best prepared me for working at Goldman Sachs and in the government. People assume I’ll list courses in economics or finance, but I always answer that the key was Professor Demos’s philosophy course and the conversations about existentialism in coffee shops around campus.
A Philosopher Runs for City Council
Matt Johnson is finishing up his dissertation in philosophy at Temple University, is teaching several courses as an adjunct professor, and is now running for city council in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. (more…)
Phones, Minds, States, and Corporations
Matthew Noah Smith (Leeds) has an article at Slate bringing together philosophy of mind and political philosophy to discuss the United States government’s attempts to get Apple to “unlock” the iPhone of a shooting suspect. It’s a great example of public philosophy. Professor Smith lays out the basics of extended cognition in clear but not oversimplified language, go..
Persecution of Academics in Turkey (updated)
Academics in Turkey are facing official accusations of ““terrorist propaganda,” “inciting people to hatred, violence and breaking the law,” and “insulting Turkish institutions and the Turkish Republic” for signing a petition calling for peace and objecting to their government’s treatment of citizens in the country’s Kurdish provinces. In part, the petition reads:
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Government Attempts to Interfere in Universities in Macedonia
Students and faculty in Macedonia have been protesting attempts by the government there to impose state-supervised exams for university graduates. Response to faculty involvement in the protests has been to propose a requirement that the government’s ministry of education approve the composition of thesis committees and be involved in thesis defenses.
Todd May (Cle..
Philosophers in Government
In Slovenia, Alma Maruška Sedlar, a woman described in news reports as a philosopher and teacher, has been appointed by President Borut Pahor as a deputy chief of the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption. Sedlar is not an academic, but rather a journalist and labor activist who graduated with a degree in philosophy from the University of Maribor in 2007 with ..