A Commentary on the Passing Scene by Robert Paul Wolff rwolff@afroam.umass.edu
Friday, August 4, 2017
POSSIBILITIES
As the summer heat continues, my thoughts turn to the fall, when I shall begin to visit Columbia University. On October 6th, I deliver my inaugural address, so to speak, at the Heyman Center for the Humanities. I have just reconnected with an old student of mine who is now a very senior professor at Columbia Law School. In looking to see what he teaches, I noticed that Joseph Raz teaches one semester a year in the Law School. Wouldn't it be fun to meet him and maybe do something together! My former student, Andrjez Rapaczynski, is the only student I have ever had whose unanswerable question during a lecture forced me to rewrite a lecture and deliver it a second time. Needless to say, he earned an A+. Andrzej did a doctorate in philosophy before getting his law degree. My favorite story about him is that when he started teaching at the law school, he was assigned a course on property, a standard law school subject. Instead of talking about leases and property transfers and whatever, he lectured on Locke's theory of property! I am looking forward to seeing him again when I start going to Morningside Heights.
You had mentioned sandwiches when you last posted about your talk. Are there any updates on those? I am partial to tuna fish, roast beef, and any kind of Italian type sandwich. Actually any sandwich usually works for me- but I like to prepare ahead of time. Minor detail- do you think the sandwiches will be before your presentation or might they follow it? Oh, and since you will be in Manhattan, you might consider pastrami on rye. They get good pastrami in New York-don't know where it comes from and don't need to.
ReplyDeleteI am gratified that your priorities are properly aligned. Unfortunately, my preferences have not yet been consulted, but if you are going to be there, I will ask that a special plate of snails be set aside for you. I was told that the sandwiches would be available before, during, and after the talk, so it may be difficult to hear me over the crunching of teeth and the rumbling of stomachs. As stand-up comics would say, Columbia is a tough room.
ReplyDeleteProfessor Wolff, please do not have them set aside a special plate of snails for me. Unless they are very, very far off to the side. They will go to waste unless you manage to bring the French Secret Police in to make me eat them. As it is, I marvel at your escape from that dreaded place and am thankful you were able to return to America. But they have obviously brainwashed you since you seem to want to revisit them. What do they call that- the Helsinki Syndrome or something? Or maybe that is just a different movie or book that I don't remember...
ReplyDeleteI would love to come hear your talk and eat sandwiches. If I manage the trip and convince them to let me in, I will be the guy eating the sandwich and drinking a beer. Since nothing goes with a sandwich better than that. Well, maybe a pickle. French fries are good too. If you get the DSGE there could you ask them to bring some?
This is my favorite Senator on the Colbert show. I thought it was hilarious. Perhaps you would enjoy it also.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/binge/senator-al-franken-reveals-which-senators-are-funny/vi-AAphVu8?OCID=AVRES000
Hmmn, I think I meant DGSE rather than DSGE, which are complicated and mostly useless economic models. The French probably created them too. I wonder which of those two has been more useful, or rather, less harmful?
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