politics
TagUniversities: Flawed but Valuable
Should academics be more conservative? (more…)
The Ethics of Intervention in Iran (guest post)
“In light of the awful brutality by the Iranian government against the uprising in late December 2025, the case for humanitarian intervention in Iran is not obviously implausible…”
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…)
Activism and the Pursuit of Knowledge
The pursuit of knowledge generates disagreement, including disagreement about how to pursue knowledge. (more…)
Tenure to Be Eliminated at Many Public Colleges in Oklahoma
It appears that no new tenure-track hires will be made at public regional universities and community colleges in Oklahoma. (more…)
Are Current Events Making Their Way Into Your Classroom? How?
Though philosophers are often (if not quite accurately) thought to have been asking the same questions for thousands of years, philosophers throughout history have responded in their work to the circumstances of their day. (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…)
A Mess at Texas A&M
The Texas A&M University System’s Board of Regents took steps yesterday to impose its conservative ideology on college students by prohibiting professors from teaching certain ideas about race and gender. (more…)
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…)
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…)
Be Careful What You Teach: Trump’s Minions May Get You Fired
A lecturer in the English Department at Texas A & M University was fired from her position after a student in one of her courses complained that she was “not entirely sure is legal to be teaching… because according to our president, there’s only two genders… and also this very much goes against not only but a lot of people’s religious beliefs.” (more…)..
Philosophy Grad Student from China Deported upon Arrival in US (updated)
A 22-year-old student from China who had traveled from China to Texas to study philosophy at the University of Houston was detained upon arrival in the state, questioned, and deported back to China 36 hours later, according to the Associated Press. (more…)
The APA Board & the Gaza Petition
At the end of last month, a petition was launched to move the Board of Officers of the American Philosophical Association (APA) to issue a statement about Gaza that would, “Unequivocally condemn the ongoing atrocities and war crimes against Palestinians” and “Express solidarity with Palestinian scholars, intellectuals, and students who are enduring immense suffering..
Philosophers Petition APA to Issue Statement on Gaza (updated)
“We, the undersigned members of the APA and the wider philosophical community, write to express our dismay and deep disappointment regarding the APA’s conspicuous silence concerning the genocide unfolding in Palestine.” (more…)
Columbia University Caves
Door #1: Lose at least $400 million in federal grants.
Door #2: Lose at least $221 million and your institutional autonomy. (more…)
Philosophy Professor Reportedly Assaulted & Abducted During ICE Raid on Farm (updates)
Jonathan Caravello, a lecturer in philosophy at California State University Channel Islands, was reportedly “piled on by multiple agents all at once” as “he tried to help a man in a wheelchair” who was having difficulty moving after Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents threw canisters of tear gas at them and their fellow protestors, with, accordi..
Teaching Under Hostile Conditions
“The many sources of harm and hostility we collectively face—as philosophers, as educators, and as humans—seem too numerous to name, let alone to seriously contemplate or effectively cope with.” (more…)
Philosopher Wraps Cooperation with Trump in Flag of Academic Freedom
Alex Byrne (MIT) has written an op-ed in The Washington Post in which he admits to being one of the co-authors of the US government’s “Treatment for Pediatric Gender Dysphoria” Report, discussed previously. (more…)
Philosopher Resigns from Naval War College in Protest of Trump’s & Hegseth’s Policies
Pauline M. Shanks Kaurin, a philosopher specializing in military ethics, just war theory, and applied ethics, has resigned from her position as the Admiral James B. Stockdale Chair in Professional Military Ethics at the Naval War College (Newport, Rhode Island), because she believes that “the kind of teaching and research the Navy once hired her to do will now be im..
Out in FAFO County (guest post)
“How you talk does not merely express your internal state, it shapes it.” (more…)
New: “Being Trans in Philosophy”
A new zine, Being Trans in Philosophy, launched today, featuring testimonials from many trans philosophers and philosophers with trans family members. (more…)
Why Are Liberal Professors More Conservative On Campus? (guest post)
“Academics pride themselves on critical thinking and intellectual virtues. But intellectual honesty demands that we recognize when we are applying principles selectively.” (more…)
A Manifesto for a Future Philosophy (guest post)
“This project of re-envisaging, looking at past ideas, and developing new ones to deal with our difficult situation will take the work of many people…” (more…)
University of Utah Cans History and Philosophy of Science Major Amidst Political and Administrative Chaos
One way public universities in Utah can earn back part of the $60 million in funding that the state legislature took from their budgets is by “showing that will be reallocated for high-demand and high-wage majors as the state pushes for higher education to be more job-focused,” according to the Salt Lake Tribune. (more…)
Non-US Institutions Marketing Positions to US Scholars Looking to Flee the Country
The continuous news about agencies like the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation having their funding cut and their grants being rescinded, the Trump administration’s attacks on academic freedom, plus the high-profile emigration of some US academics, has created a marketing opportunity that non-US institutions of higher education..
AAPT Board Condemns Trump’s Attacks on Higher Education
The board of directors of the American Association of Philosophy Teachers (AAPT) has issued a statement condemning “a series of Trump administration attacks on the core principles of higher education”. (more…)
New Ohio Law Ends Philosophy Major at Univ. of Toledo
In order to comply with Senate Bill 1 of the Ohio Legislature (SB1), the University of Toledo will no longer be allowing students to become philosophy majors. (more…)
Harvard Sues Trump Administration
Today, Harvard University filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over the billions of dollars in funding it has cut and threatened to cut to the university and its researchers. (more…)