Excited for @lkatfield.bsky.social's event at Hyde Park's Seminary Co-op tomorrow afternoon!

A question I've been asking myself a lot lately. Early theories from Thomas Edsall are very plausible, but not encouraging. Of course, I'd add one thing he doesn't mention: genuine fear of protesting against a government that revels in punishing universities and deporting students.

Just confirming that Made by History will now be back up and running in the next few weeks with a new home and new partners at the Philadelphia Inquirer. Exciting! So, if you have pitches, now's the time to start sending them to [email protected] 🗃️ #MadebyHistory #HistoryMatters

Imagine how much happier philosophy students will be if they were only unclogging toilets. No slight to plumbers, who are important! But let's recognize that there are lots of different kinds of people who are better and worse-suited for different jobs.

Assuming we make it to 2029 in something approximating one piece, one of the first orders of business will be to amend the pardon powers outlined in the Constitution. Probably good to start with placing a fairly strict limit on the number of pardons.

These machines have been used by the current administration to decide who gets fired, who gets bombed, and which aid programs get eliminated. Industry wants us to integrate it into every element of our lives.

This is no way to run institutions of higher learning. Hopefully, Texans will figure this out before their universities are decimated.

Better idea still, @govpritzker.illinois.gov? Just say no to data centers. These things are a menace to civilization. Please talk with anyone attempting to teach students to read or write these days.

Very pleased to share this essay in @constellationsjrnl.bsky.social by my former student, @arturochang.bsky.social, who is going to outpublish my entire corpus before he goes up for tenure!

You can now order the paperback directly from @princetonupress.bsky.social at a 30% discount by entering the code PUP30 on their order form!

In The Greatest of All Plagues, @laywilliams.bsky.social traces how the great political thinkers have persistently warned against the dangers of economic inequality. Now available in #paperback! Enjoy 30% off with code PUP30: press.princeton.edu/books/paperb... #Philosophy #Economics

When globalization was sold by Western leaders, including Reagan and Margaret Thatcher, it was on the assumption that the middle classes of rich countries would really do well. They didn’t sell it on the assumption that China would do well. uscnpm.org/interviews/g...

1) Today is the official paperback release of my @princetonupress.bsky.social book, The Greatest of All Plagues: How Economic Inequality Shaped Political Thought from Plato to Marx. It traces how several canonical thinkers have encountered inequality in developing their political theory.

The call for the Summer School on Socioeconomic Opportunity and Inequality, organized in Milan by @dondenacentre.bsky.social and @ucstonecenter.bsky.social, also with the support of ISPI, is now open! Early-career researchers, join us for this great experience! (deadline May 15). bit.ly/4ma5k2H

I am not one of those who believes that history repeats, but consider the following from Herodotus: the Oracle at Delphi told the fabulously wealthy King Croesus that if he invaded Persia he would "destroy a great empire." Croesus invaded and lost--the empire he destroyed was his own.

Spring Term! (cc: @lkatfield.bsky.social, @lefebvrealex.bsky.social)

Remember when Dan Quayle misspelled a word and it was the end of his political career?

When it comes to writing, the process is the purpose. You don’t have to always like or enjoy the process, but if you don’t respect it enough to do it yourself, there is no purpose. AI will never fill that void. www.thehandbasket.co/p/refusing-t...

Delighted to find my "Greatest of All Plagues" in such excellent company (including @guidoalfani.bsky.social, @mivich.bsky.social, @aaronreeves.bsky.social, @samfriedman.bsky.social).

@unlawfulentries.bsky.social with important insights into birthright citizenship.

Was honored to give some lectures last week at Bocconi University in Milan at the generous invitation of @guidoalfani.bsky.social, author of the remarkable @princetonupress.bsky.social book, As Gods among Men: A History of the Rich in the West. One of my lectures can be found at the link below.

I guess if you ever needed to pin down the administration's favorite philosopher, it's now transparently Machiavelli?

Kudos to the @nytimes.com. Complete banning and shaming is only responsible path for handling AI in the information/knowledge industry.

Nope

Hearty congratulations to my old friend, @unlawfulentries.bsky.social, whose important book has already sold out its paperback copies on the first day of release. She’s worked long and hard on this—and deserves this success!

Our latest conference, Assessing Meritocracy, brought together scholars from eight countries to examine how meritocratic systems are implemented across contexts. Hosted in partnership with the International Institute of Research in Paris, it sharpened ideas and revealed new research directions.

Another university getting rid of things you could only ever do at a university and replacing them with stuff a 13-year-old can do on a phone

"Base souls do not believe in great men." -- J-J Rousseau, Social Contract, 3.12

Editorial from our student newspaper: "In its tireless support for AI, the University has essentially endorsed shortcuts and the outsourcing of academic thinking"

K-Curve at work

Was delighted to do an extended interview with the editors at @commongoodmag.bsky.social. This covers many of the major arguments of my @princetonupress.bsky.social book, The Greatest of All Plagues. As I told my PUP editor every time I missed a deadline, it's all still relevant!

Was delighted to do an extended interview with the editors at @commongoodmag.bsky.social. This covers many of the major arguments of my @princetonupress.bsky.social book, The Greatest of All Plagues. As I told my PUP editor every time I missed a deadline, it's all still relevant!

Although you might not guess it from my career path, Sandy Levinson was a valued and cherished member of my dissertation committee. For decades, he has been THE model of fair and open inquiry, more than happy to engage alternative hypotheses and perspectives. A genuine treasure of the discipline.

So glad our congressional representatives are on the case!

There is so very very much to learn about the origins and history of US citizenship and migration and that in turn shapes the grim, bad originalism deployed to strip it. @unlawfulentries.bsky.social is a must-listen and a must-read in advance of the birthright citizenship arguments in two weeks.

“When insurance, gas, repairs and maintenance are included, the total cost of owning a vehicle has risen more than 40% since January 2020.” This is not sustainable.

Unboxing a book that took 16 years. What’s it about, who is it for? How to order? www.annaolaw.com/book-migrati... want 🎧 to Dahlia Lithwick interview me about it? Fresh podcast below 👇🏽/

The Effective Altruists assured us that impossibly rich benefactors would keep their moral commitment to charity. Rousseau told us that would rarely happen. Score one more for the “Citoyen de Geneve.”

Theory hive mind: I'm teaching Hannah Arendt's Origins of Totalitarianism in spring term. Never taught it before. Won't have time to teach all of it. Anyone have recommendations of which chapters they think are most essential and/or timely? Which ones work best for classroom discussion?

Migration and the Origins of American Citizenship is now shipping everywhere you order books from. To order and to see the shortened blurbs 👇 Thank you, Dahlia & Slate for the opportunity to share my research. And a huge thanks to all who ordered. 2/2

Really looking forward to the annual Modern Philosophy conference at NYU this coming fall!

Excited to listen to this interview on my dog walk later today. We are all looking forward to the release of @unlawfulentries.bsky.social's book shortly!

Sad news, indeed. My very first published article as a grad student was on Habermas, whose career took some fascinating turns. While I haven't always agreed with him, his work has never failed to stimulate my thinking. One of the greats.

I’ve even been rejected to present at MPSA, which is not easy to do!

It was my great pleasure speaking with @sjshancoxli.liberalcurrents.com at @liberalcurrents.com recently about the problems of inequality and concentrated wealth.

Very excited for this @tmbejan.bsky.social!!!

Finally, it's about time to get these parasites back on their heels. These devices were invented to distract people, which is about as hostile to the learning environment as anything ever invented.

Teaching @ingridrobeyns.bsky.social’s Limitarianism again right now and am reminded what a terrific book it is.

We are living in the wealthiest nation in world history. Yet outside of a few elite institutions, every college and university has been operating under extreme austerity for years now.