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Paul L. Franco
@loadofbunk.bsky.social
1.6K followers 300 following 350 posts

Philosophy Professor // New Mexican 🛸 🌶️ in Washington ⛰️ 🌲

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Paul N. Franco is a professor of government at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and a leading authority on the British political philosopher Michael Oakeshott.

Source: Wikipedia
Philosophy 57%
Political science 16%
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Reposted by Anna O. Law, Mark D. White, Rosemary A. Joyce , and 16 more

cnn.com
CNN @cnn.com · 2d
The University of Oklahoma has removed an instructor who was accused by a student of religious discrimination over a failing grade on a psychology paper in which she cited the Bible and argued that promoting a “belief in multiple genders” was “demonic.” https://cnn.it/4b6g3rd
Oklahoma instructor removed from teaching for failing a Bible-based gender essay | CNN
The University of Oklahoma has removed an instructor who was accused by a student of religious discrimination over a failing grade on a psychology paper in which she cited the Bible and argued that promoting a “belief in multiple genders” was “demonic.”
cnn.it

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 2d
If I were a reviewer on the ATLAS Collaboration paper purporting to show the existence of the Higgs boson, I would've pointed out that they didn't even prove their own existence as a thinking subject and then the existence of God, which all good methodologists know is required to prove anything.

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 2d
Descartes's method of hyperbolic doubt sets a higher standard for belief than particle physics' five-sigma thereby showing that first philosophy is way harder than particle physics.

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 5d
I like this cover, but I'm not sure the math at the bottom checks out.

archive.org/details/vali...
Validation of Scientific Theories, edited by Philipp G. Frank. At the bottom is a tree with a plus sign then an head in profile then an equal sign (slightly askew) and an outline of a globe. The tagline: A thought-provoking inquiry into the fundamental problem of the validity and limits of men's knowledge.

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 5d
All the takes about fake LLM citations reminded me of this very good paper, "Academic urban legends" about how "a decimal point error appears to have misled millions into believing that spinach is a good nutritional source of iron."

journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...
Sage Journals: Discover world-class research
Subscription and open access journals from Sage, the world's leading independent academic publisher.
journals.sagepub.com

Reposted by Paul Franco

lindsaygibbs.bsky.social
Lindsay Gibbs @lindsaygibbs.bsky.social · 8d
Help this is the funniest thing I’ve ever seen I can’t stop watching Kyrie Irving vs the robot 😭😭😭

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 9d
I think academics should start doing availability reports for conference attendees:

-- X is questionable for the 5:30 (17:30) keynote due to jet lag.
-- Y is out for the 8:30 session due to hangover.
-- Z is probable for the 12:30 symposium due to tentative lunch plans with senior scholar.

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 10d
A+ local advertising. Amazing synergy. No notes.
Smiling Cal Raleigh with anthropomorphic plumbing tools, e.g. a smiling plunger with googly eyes. Copy reads: Bob Oates presents Big Dumper & Friends. Enjoy $60 off all services to celebrate Cal's record-breaking homeruns.

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 12d
Also, before the unofficial groveling, you could have official interviews in that very same giant room earlier in the day with a bunch of other people also interviewing at nearby tables.
kevinzollman.com Kevin Zollman @kevinzollman.com · 12d
We could get a giant room and fill it with cigarette smoke. Each university gets a table where famous people sit and get drunk. Then have the candidates wander around and grovel for jobs

Reposted by Paul Franco

kevinzollman.com
Kevin Zollman @kevinzollman.com · 12d
We could get a giant room and fill it with cigarette smoke. Each university gets a table where famous people sit and get drunk. Then have the candidates wander around and grovel for jobs

Reposted by Paul Franco

bweatherson.bsky.social
Brian Weatherson @bweatherson.bsky.social · 14d
Shawn Tinghao Wang argues that angry blame is counterproductive not because it's inherently bad, but because it faces a tension. To achieve its protest function it must not the target as a peer, and this undermines its dialogue function.

journals.publishing.umich.edu/phimp/articl...
What Is Counterproductive About Angry Blame?
Theorists are divided concerning the productivity of angry blame. Some argue that it has tremendous instrumental values or serves crucial social functions. But some argue that it is counterproductive,...
journals.publishing.umich.edu

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 19d
Still compiling my bibs manually over here. If you read a Franco, know that you're getting a bespoke bib lovingly matched by sight to the journal's house style right before submitting.
jenvictor.bsky.social Jennifer N. Victor @jenvictor.bsky.social · 19d
I cannot evangelize enough for @zotero.org for citation management. It's a game changer. If you're a student, and you're writing a paper right now, and you're NOT using Zotero, I ask you...why? Why are you making things harder than they need to be?
a woman is sitting at a desk with her arms outstretched in front of a map on the wall .
ALT: a woman is sitting at a desk with her arms outstretched in front of a map on the wall .
media.tenor.com

Reposted by Joanna Tai, Paul Franco

jenvictor.bsky.social
Jennifer N. Victor @jenvictor.bsky.social · 19d
I cannot evangelize enough for @zotero.org for citation management. It's a game changer. If you're a student, and you're writing a paper right now, and you're NOT using Zotero, I ask you...why? Why are you making things harder than they need to be?
a woman is sitting at a desk with her arms outstretched in front of a map on the wall .
ALT: a woman is sitting at a desk with her arms outstretched in front of a map on the wall .
media.tenor.com

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 21d
Say what you will about historical scholarship as this review does, but it would be neat if analytic philosophy were just a 45 year struggle (bookended by Moore's "Defence" and Kripke's "Naming & Necessity") to accept as necessarily true Nixon couldn't have been a robot.

ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/the-...
The Analytic Tradition in Philosophy Volume 3: The Struggle for Modality
It was a struggle, but commonsense won out. That’s not my verdict on Scott Soames’ The Struggle for Modality.[1] That’s his verdict on...
ndpr.nd.edu

Reposted by Paul Franco

aaup.org
AAUP @aaup.org · 22d
“An instructor's freedom to teach includes the right to assess student academic performance. We are gravely concerned that a climate of escalating authoritarian assaults on academic freedom is normalizing politicized interference in classroom teaching & learning.” — Todd Wolfson, AAUP President
Oklahoma college student’s failing grade on gender essay dropped amid outcry
A University of Oklahoma student alleged religious discrimination after receiving a zero on an essay that rejected the concept of multiple genders.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by American Library Association, Smith, Paul Franco

parkermolloy.com
Parker Molloy @parkermolloy.com · 22d
The Oklahoma House of Representatives gave that girl an award for writing a terrible essay? For getting a trans person fired? This whole thing is an op.
Gabe Woolley 9 @GabeGwoolley • 5h Today, we had the honor of presenting Samantha with a Citation of Recognition from the Oklahoma House of Representatives, District 98, for her steadfast convictions, her commitment to speaking from a foundation of truth, and her courage in shining a light on serious concerns within Oklahoma's higher education system. In a moment when social media and traditional media are flooded with misinformation, this story has drifted far from what actually occurred. Today, we were able to hear directly from Samantha herself, and she walked us through the real events in her own words. With all the political noise and media distractions set aside, the truth was finally able to stand on its own. +

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 22d
I almost exclusively use Spotify to listen to Nobuo Uematsu's original soundtrack for Final Fantasy VI when I have to grade for hours straight or this excellent playlist of Lowrider Oldies when I would like to groove on a Sunday afternoon.

open.spotify.com/playlist/2BT...
Spotify – Web Player
open.spotify.com

Reposted by Melanie C. Green, John Kenneth White, Ann Bartow , and 1 more

parkermolloy.com
Parker Molloy @parkermolloy.com · 23d
The Next One Here's what's going to happen next. Somewhere, right now, a trans person is teaching a class, or coaching a team, or working at a library, or providing healthcare. They're doing their job. They're probably good at it. And at some point, someone is going to have a problem with them. Maybe a parent, maybe a student, maybe a coworker. The problem won't really be about job performance. The problem will be that they're trans. That person, or someone connected to them, will take their grievance to social media. If they're lucky, Libs of TikTok will pick it up. Or Turning Point. Or one of the other accounts that have built massive followings by turning trans people into content. The post will frame the trans person as a predator, or a groomer, or a bully, or a tyrant. It won't matter what actually happened. The framing is the point. Then the calls will start. To the school board, to the administration, to the HR department. Local news will cover the "controversy." A state legislator will demand an investigation. The institution, desperate to make the problem go away, will put the trans person on leave. Maybe they'll be fired outright. Maybe they'll resign because the harassment makes it impossible to do their job. Either way they're gone. And then the person who started it all will go on Fox News. They'll get a GoFundMe. Maybe a speaking gig at a conservative conference. If the story is big enough, if it goes viral enough, they might get something more. A podcast. A book deal. A center with their name on it. This is not a guess. This is a pattern. We've watched it happen over and over again, and we will keep watching it happen until the institutions that capitulate to these campaigns start recognizing them for what they are: coordinated attempts to purge trans people from public life, dressed up as individual controversies.

Reposted by Rosemary A. Joyce, Kate Starbird, Nathan P. Kalmoe , and 1 more

thetattooedprof.bsky.social
Kevin Gannon (now a Moo Deng fan account) @thetattooedprof.bsky.social · 25d
btw, every "reasonable" person who's own posting stuff like "well, the prompt was unclear," or "she actually kind of did the assignment OK so maybe the TA overreacted"--you are also part of the problem! You're laundering the deliberate targeting of a TA and a blatant abrogation of academic freedom!
thetattooedprof.bsky.social Kevin Gannon (now a Moo Deng fan account) @thetattooedprof.bsky.social · 25d
This thread is 💯. Labor precarity in academia means the evisceration of faculty governance and academic freedom, opening the door to administrative purges of the most vulnerable. And faculty-esp tenured faculty and academic leaders-who aren't defending their trans colleagues are enabling it.
shadell.itch.io Erin Elkin @shadell.itch.io · 25d
So yeah, this is fundamentally about trans people and that cannot be elided, but the ways in which junior faculty are targeted and disposed of, while academic jobs are increasingly precarized, and political grandstanders seek to influence academic governance are fucking terrifying for everyone.

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Philip N. Cohen, Christine Kooi , and 2 more

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 25d
Excellent advice!
karlgalle.bsky.social Karl Galle @karlgalle.bsky.social · 25d
Aim high, first get promoted to a dean's salary and *then* go for the terrible peer evaluations that get you paid to depart for somewhere else. 🧐

Reposted by Paul Franco

karlgalle.bsky.social
Karl Galle @karlgalle.bsky.social · 25d
Aim high, first get promoted to a dean's salary and *then* go for the terrible peer evaluations that get you paid to depart for somewhere else. 🧐

Reposted by Sander van der Linden, Peter Thorne, Scott L. Greer , and 34 more

kissphoria.bsky.social
gwen howerton @kissphoria.bsky.social · 25d
OU has put the professor here on administrative leave:
The University of Oklahoma takes seriously concerns involving First Amendment rights, certainly including religious freedoms. Upon receiving notice from the student on the grading of an assignment, the University immediately began a full review of the situation and has acted swiftly to address the matter. First, the college acted immediately to address the academic issue raised by the student. College leaders contacted her on the day her letter was received and have maintained regular communication throughout the process. As previously stated, a formal grade appeals process was conducted. The process resulted in steps to ensure no academic harm to the student from the graded assignments. Second, the student reported filing a claim of illegal discrimination based on religious beliefs to the appropriate university office. OU has a clear process for reviewing such claims and it has been activated. The graduate student instructor has been placed on administrative leave pending the finalization of this process. To ensure fairness in the process, a full-time professor is serving as the course instructor for the remainder of the semester. OU remains firmly committed to fairness, respect and protecting every student's right to express sincerely held religious beliefs. The UNIVERSITY of OKLAHOMA

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 25d
All these fired college football coaches are giving me hope that if I get low enough teaching and peer evaluations that my dean will remove me from the classroom while still paying me my relatively modest salary.

Reposted by Alan Richardson, Clayton Littlejohn

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 26d
My research aims to show that Plato's claim that all knowledge is recollection is equivalent to the view that knowing is a lifelong mining process in which the soul solves hashes in order to uncover existing bits of knowledge thereby adding to the soul's blockchain for recovery upon transmigration.
PhilJobs: Jobs for Philosophers Princeton DeCenter Postdoctoral Fellowships: Center for the Decentralization of Power Through Blockchain Technology

Reposted by Laurent Pech, Alan Richardson, Aaron Sojourner , and 2 more

filipecampante.bsky.social
Filipe Campante @filipecampante.bsky.social · 27d
Look, every single “deal” reached by a university with the Trump administration is a moral stain that will be seen with deep embarrassment once we’re through this. But for Northwestern to do this now, when the administration is visibly weakened, is even more shameful and inexcusable.

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 28d
Just failed at carving a turkey at its joints so don't know why metaphysicians think they can do it for nature.

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 28d
One might be misled by language into thinking that being a tío and being an unc are the same thing, but it seems to me that not all tíos are uncs and maybe even fewer uncs are tíos?

loadofbunk.bsky.social
Paul L. Franco @loadofbunk.bsky.social · 29d
QUERY: Oxford Wykeham Professorship in Logic