John C. Duff
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nullphilosopher.bsky.social
John C. Duff
@nullphilosopher.bsky.social
Wannabe social philosopher and aspiring organizational development scholar (PhD student).
https://philpeople.org/profiles/john-c-duff
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I’m excited to announce the release of my latest article, published in Logos & Episteme. I defend Wittgenstein’s private language argument from Scott Soams' accusations of ambiguity and collapse.

#Philosophymatters #Philosophy #PhilosophyPapers #PhilSky #PhDSky #Wittgenstien #PrivateLanguage
John C. Duff, Reasons to Doubt the Ambiguity Argument: Contrived Wittgensteinian Valuations Lead to a False Dichotomy - PhilPapers
Scott Soames argued that Wittgenstein’s private language argument reveals ambiguity, presenting two possible conclusions, wherein either conclusion exhibits devastating implications for the private la...
philpapers.org
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Very odd that ‘levelling the playing field’ has been adopted as the metaphor for equality of opportunity as teams typically change ends at half time to ensure fairness. There’s a dissertation to be written about what ‘changing ends’ would mean in society.
July 13, 2025 at 11:25 AM
McManus remarkably extracts liberal elements historically couched in socialist thought, constructing a fundamental sketch of how liberal socialism could catalyze a reimagined, original liberal social paradigm: a necessary step in overcoming and transcending authoritarian populism. A work of beauty.
June 22, 2025 at 12:09 PM
Limitations to possible choices in our daily lives ensure unintended consequences of our choices. Embrace those consequences as opportunities for self-development and awareness. Peace.
May 7, 2025 at 10:41 AM
"It’s not just lefties who are increasingly skeptical of the Democratic party. It’s the base, normie liberal voters who are beginning to realize this entire institution is rotten from the inside out."
I wrote about the kerfluffle over the Bernie/AOC rallies over on my Substack, arguing they need to articulate their plan fast if they want to be taken seriously
What's going on with these Bernie/AOC rallies?
Bernie and AOC are staging rallies that draw tens of thousands of people in red areas; how will what emerges avoid the pitfalls of what led us to this point?
open.substack.com
April 16, 2025 at 12:58 AM
April 9, 2025 at 11:02 AM
I’m excited to announce the release of my latest article, published in Logos & Episteme. I defend Wittgenstein’s private language argument from Scott Soams' accusations of ambiguity and collapse.

#Philosophymatters #Philosophy #PhilosophyPapers #PhilSky #PhDSky #Wittgenstien #PrivateLanguage
John C. Duff, Reasons to Doubt the Ambiguity Argument: Contrived Wittgensteinian Valuations Lead to a False Dichotomy - PhilPapers
Scott Soames argued that Wittgenstein’s private language argument reveals ambiguity, presenting two possible conclusions, wherein either conclusion exhibits devastating implications for the private la...
philpapers.org
April 2, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Reposted by John C. Duff
In this I tell Joe Davidson how Trump/Musk might turn their attack on federal workers, their agencies, & their rights to bargain collectively into another PATCO moment, hurting not only feds and their unions, but all workers and unions--as happened under Reagan--only worse this time

bit.ly/41II3uR
Column | DHS union-busting attempt sends message in and out of government
The gutting of TSA’s agreement denies “the sanctity of contracts” and could lead to “real aggression” by private sector employers against their labor unions.
bit.ly
March 21, 2025 at 5:53 PM
March 9, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Reposted by John C. Duff
What’s the opposite of woke? Sleepwalking into brutal dictatorship.
February 24, 2025 at 5:12 AM
"At stake now is the very character of our government and the norms of democratic governance that have been constructed over decades. At stake now is whether we will have any labor movement at all to speak of ten years from now." - McCartin
Thanks to @dissentmag.bsky.social for running this piece.
New online: Joseph A. McCartin on Trump and Musk’s war on workers.

www.dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...
February 21, 2025 at 11:43 PM
Oh, how #students of #professional and #occupational higher ed programs would benefit from exposure to the #arts and #humanities! Especially #philosophy.
February 17, 2025 at 9:05 PM
Now this was a delightful email greeting me this morning. 🥳
#philosophy #philpapers #philsky #wittgenstein
February 5, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Reposted by John C. Duff
You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
February 3, 2025 at 10:06 AM
Reposted by John C. Duff
Doing public philosophy in a difficult times. Unfortunately, due to health considerations I'm not as active as I once was but I hope that these tips, which I gained through experience being someone engaged in projects relating to the public good and disseminating philosophy for a big audience 1/
January 22, 2025 at 2:13 AM
"Not only this, but the Modern Academic must toil under the weight of the extant literature. This literature lives within the lights of the computer. The Academic stares into the lights. Night after night. Day after day. Yes, it is intellectual, but physico-muscular, too."
#sociology
January 2, 2025 at 5:47 PM
Reposted by John C. Duff
Some think it's unfair that people should receive recompense for injustice done to their ancestors. Yet it's widely accepted that people should inherit the wealth and status their ancestors accrued. If success can be inherited, why can't harm?
December 28, 2024 at 10:57 AM
Reposted by John C. Duff
There's something quintessentially postmodern about not giving a shit about actually challenging plutocratic rule; instead substituting by taking on the woke cultural platitudes articulated by symbolic capitalists and liberal elites.
November 24, 2024 at 4:18 PM
I’m okay with participating in a “liberal echo chamber” if this entails sharing ideas and enjoyment among individuals who respect the parameters of #reason and #logic.

#AcademicSky #Philosophy #Sociology #PhilSky #Academics
November 23, 2024 at 7:25 AM
Post a photo of you from a different era!

1990 California - 540 kickflip.
#philosophy #academicsky #PhDSky #Sociology
November 22, 2024 at 9:02 PM
Wow, two in one day! I'm looking forward to completing the trilogy.
#Philosophy #PhilSky #poliSciSky #PolTheory
November 22, 2024 at 3:26 PM
Received this today! I'm excited to dig in.
#Philsky #Philosophers #PolTheory #Philosophy #PoliSciSky
November 22, 2024 at 1:47 PM
Under review...⌚🤔
#Philsky #PhDSky #AcademicSky
November 20, 2024 at 11:00 PM
This image reminds me of Cory Wimberly's paper "Trump, Propaganda, and the Politics of Ressentiment" where Wimberly compares Trump to P. T. Barnum.
search.app?link=https%3...
#philosophy #philsky #politicalphilosophy #sociology
November 19, 2024 at 12:05 AM
Where might I find a "Stuffy Philosophers" starter pack?

#PhilSky #Philosophy #PolTheory
November 14, 2024 at 7:46 PM
Lots of academics on this place--so exciting. I'd love to get to know you better. Could you reply below here with a link to *one* article or book you recently co-authored that you love, and a brief description of what it's about?
You can reskeet this for wider uptake so we get a nice list!
November 12, 2024 at 8:49 PM