A Commentary on the Passing Scene by Robert Paul Wolff rwolff@afroam.umass.edu
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
BRIAN LEITER - BLOG
Several days ago, my son, Tobias [the law professor] forwarded to me an essay on legal positivism by Brian Leiter, a philosopher and law professor at the University of Chicago. The essay is extraordinarily clear, precise, and well-written [and also true, as it happens], something that is rare in every field of intellectual endeavor. I found Leiter's email address on line, and had a very nice exchange of emails with him. It turns out that he has a quite elaborate blog, visited each day by maybe one hundred times as many people who check in here. You can find it at www.leiterreports.typepad.com Check it out.
I'm wondering if there is emerging a new index of "value," such as the number of blog comments, the rank in Amazon's book sales, the score on "rate my professors".....and is this better or worse than richest person in the world (where Carlos Slim has now edged out Bill Gates and Warren Buffett)?
ReplyDeletePlease enlighten..... :-)
I owe a lot to Brian Leiter. When I was an undergraduate philosophy student, his ranking of graduate programs helped steer me away from a career in philosophy, something for which I am eternally grateful!
ReplyDeleteSeveral years later, I wrote a piece for a (now-defunct) progressive website. He noted it in his blog and it was circulated throughout the blogosphere, helping me get the job I have today.
I wonder what he'll do next for me?
It is through Brian's blog that I encountered yours and have been reading through the archives. The mind boggles (in a complimentary sense) and I foresee many return visits and promise to keep the kvetching to a minimum.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Marcus. Kvetch away. I come from a secular New York Jewish family in which people showed affection by having violent intellectual arguments.
ReplyDeleteAnn, I love the new way of measuring value. It is anarchistic, bottom up, anti-authority. Who knows where it will lead.
Eoin, that is good to hear ab out Leiter. All too few successful academics take the time to help those on the way up.
ReplyDelete