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A Commentary on the Passing Scene by Robert Paul Wolff rwolff@afroam.umass.edu
My Stuff
https://umass-my.sharepoint.com/:f:/g/personal/rwolff_umass_edu/EkxJV79tnlBDol82i7bXs7gBAUHadkylrmLgWbXv2nYq_A?e=UcbbW0
Coming Soon:
The following books by Robert Paul Wolff are available on Amazon.com as e-books: KANT'S THEORY OF MENTAL ACTIVITY, THE AUTONOMY OF REASON, UNDERSTANDING MARX, UNDERSTANDING RAWLS, THE POVERTY OF LIBERALISM, A LIFE IN THE ACADEMY, MONEYBAGS MUST BE SO LUCKY, AN INTRODUCTION TO THE USE OF FORMAL METHODS IN POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY.
Now Available: Volumes I, II, III, and IV of the Collected Published and Unpublished Papers.
Now Available: Volumes I, II, III, and IV of the Collected Published and Unpublished Papers.
NOW AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE: LECTURES ON KANT'S CRITIQUE OF PURE REASON. To view the lectures, go to YouTube and search for "Robert Paul Wolff Kant." There they will be.
NOW AVAILABLE ON YOUTUBE: LECTURES ON THE THOUGHT OF KARL MARX. To view the lectures, go to YouTube and search for Robert Paul Wolff Marx."
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Philosopher's Stone
Blog Archive
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2019
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July
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- CALLING ALL LURKERS
- WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS, THERE IS ALWAYS PUNDITRY
- ANOTHER ZINGER
- A REAL ZINGER
- FAMILY HISTORY
- REMEMBER
- ALL POLITICS ARE LOCAL
- AT LONG LAST, HAVE YOU NO DECENCY?
- HURRAH FOR US OLD GUYS
- FRIDAY LISTS
- A RIFF ON NN'S COMMENT
- NEW FRIDAY LISTS #1
- LAST CHANCE
- REMINDER
- I AM SO ANGRY i CANNOT SEE STRAIGHT
- WHAT I HAVE BEEN BINGE WATCHING
- OH, BY THE WAY
- NIGHT THOUGHTS
- DON'T BE LATE
- YOU NEVER KNOW...
- LIFE'S SMALL PLEASURES
- THE REBIRTH OF THE FRIDAY LISTS
- SOBER THOUGHTS
- WHAT CAN I DO?
- INSIDE BASEBALL
- ONE FINAL NOTE
- IT CANNOT BE REPEATED OFTEN ENOUGH
- THIS AND THAT
- MORE ON WAGE INEQUALITY
- MEA CULPA
- A GOLDEN OLDIE
- SERENA WHO?
- QUICK RESPONSE TO PROFESSOR PIGDEN
- AN EXTENDED RESPONSE TO MATT
- I HAVE SEEN THE FUTURE AND IT IS SCARY
- STOP THE PRESSES!! MAJOR MILESTONE!!
- A RESPONSE TO SOME COMMENTS
- AN IDLE THOUGHT
- IDLE SPECULATION
- A NIGHT AT THE MOVIES
- BUT WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY? A MEDITATION
- MORE ON INEQUALITY
- BE STILL MY HEART
- MORE OF THE SAME
- THE WAY WE ARE NOW
- THE BEGINNING OF A THOUGHT
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July
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About Me
- Robert Paul Wolff
- As I observed in one of my books, in politics I am an anarchist, in religion I am an atheist, and in economics I am a Marxist. I am also, rather more importantly, a husband, a father, a grandfather, and a violist.
15 comments:
I took a union member who won a psychological harassment grievance out to lunch. It took our union 5 years to win it.
I just made another donation to Bernie's campaign.
I have been contributing monthly to both Bernie and Warren as well as a number of groups and media organizations.
I also got tickets to go see Ibram X. Kendi when he comes to town soon.
Money to Bernie after his stellar debate
I have contributed to Bernie more than I expected. As a contributor I get frequent updates and invites for local events and canvassing opportunities (I live in Vermont but I get invited to canvassing across the border in NH). I have not been able to go to any canvassing or phone-banking events yet but will soon (I could update when that happens). I went to a Bernie rally a few months ago and will likely go to the next close NH event.
I saw Kloubachar recently in NH and while I likely would not have attended any public event--they were not public events but private dinners (small enough area where we actually can see candidates in person on the street--saw Kasich eating in the same restaurant 4 years ago).
Been reading vociferously all the health policy choices and changes in the last month. It has been enlightening. There has been movement to back off meaningful universal public insurance from candidates (although the good news is that there are more House members who are intelligent and vocal supporters of meaningful public insurance). The messaging from some candidates has been fascinatingly Orwellian (restricting access and calling it "universal"; increasing costs and complexity and calling it more fiscally responsible and simpler). Bernie has stayed focused in the general plan but there are details I wished you would add. Harris, Warren, and Booker have all qualified their "Medicare for All" rhetoric while some have increased their hostility. Health policy is complicated so I do not know if all the candidates really know the implications of these changes but I am sure people around them know they are carving out profitable niches for interested parties. Have been thinking about writing up an op-ed on the implications--this would be the most productive thing I could contribute but do not always have time and things keep moving on.
I am involved in a community organization with a widely political focus (did some tabling for them last week).
I regularly do work with important political implications in my job (implementing health policy).
I've begun a challenge campaign aimed at my friends (and their friends) to get them to attend a counter protest later this month. The city I live in has become a punching bag for the reactionary right and I'm hoping that we can overwhelm them with numbers this time around.
I have nothing new to report--none of my monthly contributions were paid this week.
One of my recurring donations is to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which supports candidates for State legislatures. Another is to Elizabeth Guzman, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. She was recommended in 2017, when she first ran, by Our Revolution. I don’t keep a particularly close eye on the doings of the Virginia House, but she’s one of the good guys. I am planning on doing more on the State level and less on the Federal because I think small contributions count for more with candidates at the State level who have much smaller campaign budgets. This is also the level where all sorts of crazy legislation is enacted: anti-abortion laws, religious symbols in public places, creationism in the public schools and on and on. I intend to support the Democratic nominee, whoever it might be, as well as the DSCC an DCCC, but those contributions will be more symbolic than useful to the recipient.
So let me make a pitch: If you can, consider supporting the DLCC and candidates at the State level.
This week:
- I voted in the Seattle off-year election primaries (very important this year, there's a concerted attempt to move the City Council back towards the right)
- Called Patty Murray and thanked her for her support for impeachment inquiries
- Called Maria Cantwell and asked her to support impeachment inquiries
Thanks for doing this (and thanks for that class at Harvard Summer School in the 80s; you were a tremendous influence on my understanding of politics and justice).
I am in Canada. So I can't join in. But if the secret is: electability + defeating Trump + reasonably left-leaning ideas, then I would have supported Harris, with all her flaws.
I didn't realize this list is restricted to Americans when I posted my good deed. I am Canadian. I shaĺl refrain from further posts.
--participated in various activities with immigrant rights groups
--marched with others in protest of a recent police killing
Can I include the most satisfying things I did during the time when the Friday list was dormant? First, canvassed for Harley Rouda, the Democrat who unseated the execrable Dan Rohrabacher in the House midterms, in the once-heavily Republican Orange County, California. Second, donated money to defeat the equally execrable Susan Collins during the Kavanaugh nightmare.
Lately I’ve been involved in the campaign to ban the use hydrofluroic acid in oil refineries in the Los Angeles area. HF is a highly volatile compound that poses a danger to literally millions of people living in the vicinity fo the two refineries that use it (the only two in the state). Right now there is a vacancy on the board that will ultimately decide on the proposed ban. The vacancy will be filled by governor Newsome, so I encourage all California residents to contact the Governor to insist that he appoint someone who will vote in favor of the people and public safety. His office phone number is (916) 445- 2841. He can be reached via email at https://govapps.gov.ca.gov/gov40mail/. I also encourage people to look into whether HF is used in refineries near them so they can take similar action. It’s unconsionable that HF is allowed highly populated areas when safer alternatives are available.
I give semi-regular donations to AOC and have donated to Tulsi Gabbard's campaign in the hope that she retains a presence in the debates. Will resume donations to Bernie as we get closer to election day.
By the way, has anyone seen Andrew Yang's website? If you go, click on Policy. He has the most comprehensive list of policy proposals that I have ever seen (including labor guarantees for MMA fighters!). All laid out in plain English. Quite impressive in terms of scale as well as content.
It is 11:20 EST -- I think I made the deadline.
-- Jim
So far, only 7 candidates qualify for the September Democratic debates - Biden, Sanders, Warren, Harris, Buttigieg, Booker, and O'Rourke. It's far past time (IMNSHO) for this clown car of a race to be emptied out a bit.
It took me a moment to decipher IMNSHO.
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