On March 23rd @benburgis.bsky.social and I will be presenting on our forthcoming G.A Cohen volume at York University in Toronto. We'll be joined by Dr. Christine Sypnowich and Dr. Lesley Jacobs.
I just donated to his GoFundMe to help him get a new one so he can fully get back into the swing of doing what he does best. Consider chipping in!
...a bunch of part-time gigs), and outside of that paying work gigs he does a lot of artwork for his local DSA. His computer broke recently, and he's been doing what he can without it, but there's a lot he can't do until he gets this taken care of.
.@rightaboutnow2.bsky.social makes all the artwork for my show and my Substack. He's crazy talented and I feel very lucky to have him. He's also made art for other shows, and very often makes album covers and posters for bands (in other words, like me, like a lot of us, he's stringing together...
No new Philosophy for the People essay this week (sorry!) but I did unlock "Missing the Point About Universalism," which had been up for long enough to disappear behind the Philosophy for the People paywall, and added a brief note on Benjamin Balthaser's very odd recent "response" to it.
In my latest for @unherd.com, I once again note that, at a time when the Trump administration is leaning into insane amounts of chaos and authoritarianism, it would be nice if we had an opposition party that wasn't...whatever this is.
unherd.com/newsroom/boy...
A beautiful reflection on the friendship dogs bring. I cried at the end.
This week's Substack isn't about anything I'd usually write about there--it's a remembrance of my dog, who passed away a week ago.
They shouldn’t be allowed to just pretend this never happened.
My latest for @jacobinmagazin.bsky.social:
This year, I'm trying to do a short Substack every Friday recommending something I've read in the last week. This week's "Friday Pick" is Eric Blanc's "How to Organize a Real General Strike in the US."
This year, I'm trying to do a short Substack every Friday recommending something I've read in the last week. This week's "Friday Pick" is Jason Myles's @currentaffairs.bsky.social article "The Line Between Politics and Pro Wrestling Has Disappeared":
The Trump administration smears protesters of Israel’s assault on Gaza as antisemites while actual antisemitism — Hitler salutes, conspiracy theories, slurs about "the Jews" — surges in its own coalition.
My latest for @jacobinmag.bsky.social:
A little late, but this week's Philosophy for the People essay is up!
I've seen a thousand discussions of "leveling down" arguments against egalitarianism. But I've never seen anyone raise what strikes me as a pretty obvious "un-leveling up" argument against sufficientarianism.
Some lies aren't exactly intended to be believed.
My latest for @jacobinmag.bsky.social:
This year, I'm trying to do a short Substack every Friday recommending something I've read in the last week (or in this case, since I was off last week, in the last two weeks). This week's "Friday Pick" is Meagan Day's article "ICE Has Become a Rogue Paramilitary."
Going live in a few minutes with @mattpolprof.bsky.social and Laura Field:
Introducing a new Philosophy for the People feature. Every Friday I'll do a brief post like this talking up something I read this week that I'd recommend.
The inaugural "Friday Pick" is @mattpolprof.bsky.social's excellent essay on why Marxism and socialism are so anathema to it the fascist psyche:
Starting on Tuesday (day after tomorrow) I’m going to be doing a Zoom philosophy class.
For this first course, we’re starting with a know-your-enemy kind of selection and reading Robert Nozick’s “Anarchy, State & Utopia.”
Here’s a lot more about that!
www.instagram.com/p/DTG-7uADPqs/
My review of George Will's "The Conservative Sensibility" for @benburgis.bsky.social' substack
benburgis.substack.com/p/matt-mcman...
53 DAYS INTO THE LONGEST NATIONAL ULP STRIKE IN STARBUCKS' HISTORY! 🔥
Remind your friends and family: Don't buy Starbucks for the duration of our strike!
bsky.app/profile/sbwo...
Only an organized working class can dig us out of this hole.
Some end-of-2025 thoughts:
(c) I think it would be an interesting change of pace. after spending so much of the last few years teaching Capital classes (which I'm very much still doing) to spend some time doing a close reading of a book whose conclusions I really despise.
Honestly, should be a fun time!
We're going to be reading Nozick's "Anarchy, State & Utopia" since (a) Nozick is a very good writer, (b) there's actually a fair amount of good philosophy in that book (experience machine!) but also crucially:
