In my previous post on this topic, I referenced the case of Joy Karega, whose employment at Oberlin College came to an end, due, to anti-semitic posts on her Facebook page as well as her advocacy of the theory that the CIA and Mossad, deliberately created ISIS as part of a larger policy agenda to … Continue reading Conspiracy Theories Part 2
Are we really all constructivists now?
I've taught International Political Economy for 20 years and to be fair, I've tended to give Constructivism short shrift, choosing instead to devote my time to Realism, Liberalism and Marxism. This semester however, I decided to be a bit more thorough, and hopefully fair, about the possible contributions and shortcomings of Constructivism. In the process … Continue reading Are we really all constructivists now?
Chomsky vs. Zizek?
Noam Chomsky makes some interesting points in this video about Slavoj Zizek and Zizek raises some valid points in response. I'm a little torn about who to side with in this dispute. There's a debate/discussion worth having here, and I actually find myself wishing for an actual Chomsky-Zizek debate. Chomsky has been one of … Continue reading Chomsky vs. Zizek?
Xi Jinping Thought
I came across this podcast on China on The Financial Times site. It's a little less than 20 minutes long and worth the listen (if you don't have a subscription to The Financial Times you can probably register for free articles to have a listen). I certainly don't bill myself as a China expert, but nevertheless I was … Continue reading Xi Jinping Thought
Further thoughts on mathematical formalism in Economics
In a recent entry, I offered a brief, and consequently simplified explanation of why formalism in mathematics and logic per se is not the cause of the perceived (accurately in my view) lack of realism in mainstream economics. This is not to say, however, that the emphasis in mainstream economics on formal mathematical is particularly … Continue reading Further thoughts on mathematical formalism in Economics
Whither the Democrats?
In this post I will offer some reflections on the current state of Democratic Policy proposals, with reference to the debates on Tuesday and Wednesday. Given that there are 20 candidates, I will not make any effort in this post to analyze them individually or to rank order the candidates. At present, I see no … Continue reading Whither the Democrats?
Is Bourbaki the enemy?
Lars Syll, whose blog I always find well worth reading, has written an interesting short piece about the baleful influence of the Bourbaki school on economics. I agree with the main point, but I think that this raises a lot of complex issues which I want to partially wade through in this blog entry. I'm … Continue reading Is Bourbaki the enemy?
Conspiracy Theories and Academic Freedom: Part I.
I recently read about the case of Joy Karega, who was dismissed last fall from her tenure track position at Oberlin College for "intellectual dishonesty" in her Facebook posts (for a few more specifics on this case, see also here). The initial objections to her Facebook posts stemmed from their allegedly anti-semitic character. At least one of … Continue reading Conspiracy Theories and Academic Freedom: Part I.
What is evolutionary social theory?
With summer now officially here, I have been able to turn my attention towards beginning my book project on evolutionary social theory. I now have a draft of about one third or so of my first chapter. The actual draft is a bit longer. I've taken out some of the more extensive background discussion of … Continue reading What is evolutionary social theory?
Reforming Economics Education
There is a good deal of discussion these days about what is wrong with how economics is taught at the University level. For some examples, see Lars Syll's blog , The Institute for New Economic Thinking, and this recent article in VOX about controversies surrounding Greg Mankiw's Principles of Economics course and text and alternatives to it at Harvard. I've now completed the … Continue reading Reforming Economics Education
Citizen Rat 