The aim of Provocations is to offer a number of short bursts on one or several issues, about which the author feels strongly, but on which his or her views may yet not be fully formed. They are meant to be the beginning of a conversation, not the end of one, and are chosen especially for their provocative and discussion-inducing content. Our hope is that they will engender intelligent and impassioned exchanges among our readers.
Provocations may come from any of our contributors and consequently, will reflect a number of different personal, social, and ideological orientations, which strikes us as a Good Thing.
By Daniel A. Kaufman Over at the Daily Nous, a much read, insider philosophy blog, David Velleman, one of today’s top philosophers, who enjoys digs in the world’s #1 ranked philosophy department, posted his version of a Modest Proposal: philosophy journals should no longer publish papers written by graduate students, and tenure and promotion committees should stop counting papers produced […]
by Daniel A. Kaufman Though I voted for Hillary Clinton in the last election, I predicted that Donald Trump would win. Indeed, I was predicting his victory months before, when everyone was convinced he would lose. I even capitalized on this overconfidence, winning $160, on a $20 bet in which my challenger gave me 8-1 odds. After the election was […]
by Daniel A. Kaufman No one likes hyperbole more than I do, but it’s reached a point, now, in our public discourse, where it’s making us say and do crazy things, and as we all should know, buying your own bullshit – like getting high on your own supply – is always a bad idea. Take the word ‘safe’. Right […]
by Daniel A. Kaufman What could the election of Donald Trump possibly have to do with the plight of academic philosophy? Well, nothing … and everything. First, though, regarding philosophy’s plight. We’re in trouble, but unfortunately, our leadership seems not to realize it. Or if they do, they don’t care. Or are too confused to know how to address it. […]
by Daniel A. Kaufman Righteous Business Ideological do-goodism has infected American business – or at least some of American business – to the point that I find myself pining for rapacious capitalists. Just this past April, my parents were visiting us, for Pesach, as well as for my daughter’s fourteenth birthday. (This year, the birthday and first-night Seder were just […]
by Daniel A. Kaufman The clusterfuck that is the Indiana “bathroom bill” (and every other similar piece of legislation) has drawn a lot of negative attention to some pretty terrible people, which, I guess, is a good thing, but it also has brought to light a number of confusions that seem to surround issues of sex, gender, and segregated environments; […]
By Daniel A. Kaufman The behavior of some of us on the political left lately makes me wonder whether we are trying to erase all the demographic advantages that should be leading us to electoral and legislative success for the foreseeable future. Indeed, some of what we have been doing is so stupid and aggravating that it’s almost as if […]
By Daniel A. Kaufman With Spring Break rapidly approaching, I asked my students what their plans were, after telling them that my wife, daughter, and I are going to Miami Beach. Apparently, there are no traditional Spring-Breakers among my students this year, though a number of them are going on “mission trips,” with their churches. What these typically involve is […]
by Daniel A. Kaufman On Some Downsides of Unlimited Choice Even as I make use of the internet and benefit from its near-universal reach, I find myself quite gloomy about much of its impact. In particular, I am concerned that it has expanded choice to a point beyond which it is an uncontroversial good. As is often the case, G.K. […]
by Daniel A. Kaufman The current transgender moment It’s a strange time, now, on the cultural Left, with a lot of circular firing squad style activity going on, particularly between old guard feminists and mostly younger, transgender activists. At the surface, the fight is over things like women’s colleges and other all-women’s spaces and whether they should be open to […]
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