Simon Gansinger
@simgans.bsky.social
Philosophy | Law | Politics
Postdoc at MPI-CSL Freiburg
Postdoc at MPI-CSL Freiburg
Claim: "Rousseauianism's plateauing obsequiously" is the only proposition in the English language that contains both
(1) a truth
(2) and four consecutive vowels in every word that it's made up of.
(1) a truth
(2) and four consecutive vowels in every word that it's made up of.
October 9, 2025 at 8:49 AM
Claim: "Rousseauianism's plateauing obsequiously" is the only proposition in the English language that contains both
(1) a truth
(2) and four consecutive vowels in every word that it's made up of.
(1) a truth
(2) and four consecutive vowels in every word that it's made up of.
I just finished Karin Hausen's 1976 article "Die Polarisierung der 'Geschlechtscharaktere': Eine Spiegelung der Dissoziation von Erwerbs- und Familienleben".
Is anyone aware of an English translation? It's influential in the German context, yet fairly unknown beyond that.
Is anyone aware of an English translation? It's influential in the German context, yet fairly unknown beyond that.
September 22, 2025 at 11:03 AM
I just finished Karin Hausen's 1976 article "Die Polarisierung der 'Geschlechtscharaktere': Eine Spiegelung der Dissoziation von Erwerbs- und Familienleben".
Is anyone aware of an English translation? It's influential in the German context, yet fairly unknown beyond that.
Is anyone aware of an English translation? It's influential in the German context, yet fairly unknown beyond that.
Power phrases to impress your colleagues at the next post-work aperitivo
August 8, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Power phrases to impress your colleagues at the next post-work aperitivo
Really nice to see this piece published (co-authored with the great @yvette-wang.bsky.social). It's basically an endorsement of counter-paradigmatic research disguised as a symposium report ;-)
exchanges.warwick.ac.uk/index.php/ex...
exchanges.warwick.ac.uk/index.php/ex...
What Does It Mean to Explain? An interdisciplinary symposium report: An interdisciplinary symposium report
| Exchanges: The Interdisciplinary Research Journal
exchanges.warwick.ac.uk
June 12, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Really nice to see this piece published (co-authored with the great @yvette-wang.bsky.social). It's basically an endorsement of counter-paradigmatic research disguised as a symposium report ;-)
exchanges.warwick.ac.uk/index.php/ex...
exchanges.warwick.ac.uk/index.php/ex...
Within ten years, England lost close to 75% of people identifying as "English-only" and almost tripled the percentage of "British-only" – simply because the census changed the order of these options. Sounds sus. Why wouldn't the numbers track (though potentially exaggerate) a real shift?
April 20, 2025 at 11:53 AM
Within ten years, England lost close to 75% of people identifying as "English-only" and almost tripled the percentage of "British-only" – simply because the census changed the order of these options. Sounds sus. Why wouldn't the numbers track (though potentially exaggerate) a real shift?
From the interstices between workweek and weekend:
"Thought arose in the course of the liberation from terrible nature (...). Pleasure is nature's revenge. In pleasure, human beings divest themselves from thought, escape from civilisation."
(Adorno/Horkheimer, DoE, Stanford 2008, p. 82)
"Thought arose in the course of the liberation from terrible nature (...). Pleasure is nature's revenge. In pleasure, human beings divest themselves from thought, escape from civilisation."
(Adorno/Horkheimer, DoE, Stanford 2008, p. 82)
April 11, 2025 at 4:26 PM
From the interstices between workweek and weekend:
"Thought arose in the course of the liberation from terrible nature (...). Pleasure is nature's revenge. In pleasure, human beings divest themselves from thought, escape from civilisation."
(Adorno/Horkheimer, DoE, Stanford 2008, p. 82)
"Thought arose in the course of the liberation from terrible nature (...). Pleasure is nature's revenge. In pleasure, human beings divest themselves from thought, escape from civilisation."
(Adorno/Horkheimer, DoE, Stanford 2008, p. 82)
Just a local newspaper using "on every corner" on every corner.
"Ganter Beer is on every corner in Freiburg. And that's exactly what the brewery celebrates, with the slogan 'Drink local on every corner' for a campaign that celebrates local Ganter on every corner."
"Ganter Beer is on every corner in Freiburg. And that's exactly what the brewery celebrates, with the slogan 'Drink local on every corner' for a campaign that celebrates local Ganter on every corner."
April 10, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Just a local newspaper using "on every corner" on every corner.
"Ganter Beer is on every corner in Freiburg. And that's exactly what the brewery celebrates, with the slogan 'Drink local on every corner' for a campaign that celebrates local Ganter on every corner."
"Ganter Beer is on every corner in Freiburg. And that's exactly what the brewery celebrates, with the slogan 'Drink local on every corner' for a campaign that celebrates local Ganter on every corner."
The FT dips a toe in the dialectic of enlightenment:
"In ever scarier times, it is soothing to believe that a secret plan is at work, even if it is a distasteful plan. ... liberal societies struggle to understand — or even to credit the existence of — irrational actors."
on.ft.com/4i6islx
"In ever scarier times, it is soothing to believe that a secret plan is at work, even if it is a distasteful plan. ... liberal societies struggle to understand — or even to credit the existence of — irrational actors."
on.ft.com/4i6islx
The hopeless search for Trump’s cunning plan
Attempts to read grand strategy into the US president’s doings have run their course
on.ft.com
April 9, 2025 at 7:01 PM
The FT dips a toe in the dialectic of enlightenment:
"In ever scarier times, it is soothing to believe that a secret plan is at work, even if it is a distasteful plan. ... liberal societies struggle to understand — or even to credit the existence of — irrational actors."
on.ft.com/4i6islx
"In ever scarier times, it is soothing to believe that a secret plan is at work, even if it is a distasteful plan. ... liberal societies struggle to understand — or even to credit the existence of — irrational actors."
on.ft.com/4i6islx
On 1 April, the White House celebrated the beginning of the "Financial Literacy Month". Is this all just the punch line of a very elaborate practical joke?
April 7, 2025 at 3:26 PM
On 1 April, the White House celebrated the beginning of the "Financial Literacy Month". Is this all just the punch line of a very elaborate practical joke?
Horkheimer on the politics of galactic ambitions in late capitalism:
(1/2) "[M]an's avidity to extend his power in two infinities, the microcosm and the universe, does not arise directly from his own nature, but from the structure of society."
(Max Horkheimer, Eclipse of Reason, 1947/1974, p. 74)
(1/2) "[M]an's avidity to extend his power in two infinities, the microcosm and the universe, does not arise directly from his own nature, but from the structure of society."
(Max Horkheimer, Eclipse of Reason, 1947/1974, p. 74)
April 4, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Horkheimer on the politics of galactic ambitions in late capitalism:
(1/2) "[M]an's avidity to extend his power in two infinities, the microcosm and the universe, does not arise directly from his own nature, but from the structure of society."
(Max Horkheimer, Eclipse of Reason, 1947/1974, p. 74)
(1/2) "[M]an's avidity to extend his power in two infinities, the microcosm and the universe, does not arise directly from his own nature, but from the structure of society."
(Max Horkheimer, Eclipse of Reason, 1947/1974, p. 74)
(1/3) Good news, critical theorists! You might make it onto the syllabus of Christopher Rufo's seminar on the decline of Western civ
"Last question: You’re in charge of a curriculum, and you have to include one author you are opposed to ... Who do you pick?
Rufo: Without a doubt, Herbert Marcuse."
"Last question: You’re in charge of a curriculum, and you have to include one author you are opposed to ... Who do you pick?
Rufo: Without a doubt, Herbert Marcuse."
Opinion | The Anti-D.E.I. Crusader Who Wants to Dismantle the Department of Education (Gift Article)
Christopher Rufo’s mission to make universities feel “existential terror.”
www.nytimes.com
March 8, 2025 at 12:15 PM
(1/3) Good news, critical theorists! You might make it onto the syllabus of Christopher Rufo's seminar on the decline of Western civ
"Last question: You’re in charge of a curriculum, and you have to include one author you are opposed to ... Who do you pick?
Rufo: Without a doubt, Herbert Marcuse."
"Last question: You’re in charge of a curriculum, and you have to include one author you are opposed to ... Who do you pick?
Rufo: Without a doubt, Herbert Marcuse."
The webform of a large German funding body asks me to add "last-name prefixes". Among the options are:
- "Baron vom"
- "Ritter von"
- "dell'Isola"
- "L'Homme"
and of course
- "Freiherr v.u.z."
I'm feeling seen, though I'm mildly displeased that it won't allow me to specify the acreage of my estate
- "Baron vom"
- "Ritter von"
- "dell'Isola"
- "L'Homme"
and of course
- "Freiherr v.u.z."
I'm feeling seen, though I'm mildly displeased that it won't allow me to specify the acreage of my estate
March 7, 2025 at 2:35 PM
The webform of a large German funding body asks me to add "last-name prefixes". Among the options are:
- "Baron vom"
- "Ritter von"
- "dell'Isola"
- "L'Homme"
and of course
- "Freiherr v.u.z."
I'm feeling seen, though I'm mildly displeased that it won't allow me to specify the acreage of my estate
- "Baron vom"
- "Ritter von"
- "dell'Isola"
- "L'Homme"
and of course
- "Freiherr v.u.z."
I'm feeling seen, though I'm mildly displeased that it won't allow me to specify the acreage of my estate
Two days to go!
🗣️📢 Criminal law theorists! Historians of political thought! Normative people! Hegelians and not-so-much-Hegelians!
Here's a call for abstracts for a cute conference on Hegel's concept of wrong, to be held in September 2025 in the equally cute city of Freiburg 🌲🌳🌲
#cfa #lawsky #philsky #crimsky
Here's a call for abstracts for a cute conference on Hegel's concept of wrong, to be held in September 2025 in the equally cute city of Freiburg 🌲🌳🌲
#cfa #lawsky #philsky #crimsky
The Philosophy of Right and wrong
From 11 to 13 September 2025, the Independent Research Group “Criminal Law Theory” welcomes scholars from jurisprudence, philosophy, political theory, and adjacent fields to a collaborative and interd...
csl.mpg.de
February 27, 2025 at 9:29 AM
Two days to go!
Cheered myself up by looking at recent polling for the Hungarian election next year.
February 25, 2025 at 8:23 AM
Cheered myself up by looking at recent polling for the Hungarian election next year.
Among those who did not cast a ballot in Germany's previous federal election, close to a majority voted for the hard-right:
48% AfD
24% CDU
11% BSW
8% Left
7% SPD
3% Greens
Liberal democracy depends on passive disillusionment.
48% AfD
24% CDU
11% BSW
8% Left
7% SPD
3% Greens
Liberal democracy depends on passive disillusionment.
February 24, 2025 at 10:42 AM
Among those who did not cast a ballot in Germany's previous federal election, close to a majority voted for the hard-right:
48% AfD
24% CDU
11% BSW
8% Left
7% SPD
3% Greens
Liberal democracy depends on passive disillusionment.
48% AfD
24% CDU
11% BSW
8% Left
7% SPD
3% Greens
Liberal democracy depends on passive disillusionment.
🧵 This is my first federal election in Germany. Having lived in Austria and the UK, I'm used to dumb campaign posters, but the Germans really take it to a new level. Here are my top 5 displays of election dadaism:
February 23, 2025 at 12:40 PM
🧵 This is my first federal election in Germany. Having lived in Austria and the UK, I'm used to dumb campaign posters, but the Germans really take it to a new level. Here are my top 5 displays of election dadaism:
Horkheimer often talks about the "immediatisation" of social relations under authoritarianism (eg "When power does not have to take the detour via the domestic market, intellectual mediations, such as law, disappear".)
Does he elaborate on the *concept* of mediation anywhere? 🙏 for any pointers
Does he elaborate on the *concept* of mediation anywhere? 🙏 for any pointers
February 20, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Horkheimer often talks about the "immediatisation" of social relations under authoritarianism (eg "When power does not have to take the detour via the domestic market, intellectual mediations, such as law, disappear".)
Does he elaborate on the *concept* of mediation anywhere? 🙏 for any pointers
Does he elaborate on the *concept* of mediation anywhere? 🙏 for any pointers
@Austria: you know things are *bad* when the best political news that's come out of the country in several months is that the coalition talks have finally broken down.
February 12, 2025 at 11:11 PM
@Austria: you know things are *bad* when the best political news that's come out of the country in several months is that the coalition talks have finally broken down.
Addendum: Carl Schmitt stole the title of "Legality and Legitimacy" from Otto Kirchheimer, whose "Legalität und Legitimität" was published some weeks before Schmitt's. In 1933, Kirchheimer (with Nathan Leites) published a rejection of Schmitt's book, highlighting its authoritarian implications
February 10, 2025 at 9:14 PM
Addendum: Carl Schmitt stole the title of "Legality and Legitimacy" from Otto Kirchheimer, whose "Legalität und Legitimität" was published some weeks before Schmitt's. In 1933, Kirchheimer (with Nathan Leites) published a rejection of Schmitt's book, highlighting its authoritarian implications
I was hoping we could wait a little longer before revisiting Carl Schmitt's "Legality and Legitimacy"
February 10, 2025 at 8:46 PM
I was hoping we could wait a little longer before revisiting Carl Schmitt's "Legality and Legitimacy"
Musk "should get therapy", Andreessen can't "jog 10 feet", Zuckerberg "is such a beta", Trump "wants nothing more than have the NYT love him"...
The flaw of the ad hominem critique is that it unintentionally buys into the deluded story of the narcissist: what makes him important is his personality
The flaw of the ad hominem critique is that it unintentionally buys into the deluded story of the narcissist: what makes him important is his personality
Opinion | What Elon Musk Wants
The journalist Kara Swisher discusses Elon Musk's goals in government — and the factors that have led to his radicalization.
www.nytimes.com
February 8, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Musk "should get therapy", Andreessen can't "jog 10 feet", Zuckerberg "is such a beta", Trump "wants nothing more than have the NYT love him"...
The flaw of the ad hominem critique is that it unintentionally buys into the deluded story of the narcissist: what makes him important is his personality
The flaw of the ad hominem critique is that it unintentionally buys into the deluded story of the narcissist: what makes him important is his personality
I'd say the call for concretes is closing in 3 weeks but that would be too corny.
🗣️📢 Criminal law theorists! Historians of political thought! Normative people! Hegelians and not-so-much-Hegelians!
Here's a call for abstracts for a cute conference on Hegel's concept of wrong, to be held in September 2025 in the equally cute city of Freiburg 🌲🌳🌲
#cfa #lawsky #philsky #crimsky
Here's a call for abstracts for a cute conference on Hegel's concept of wrong, to be held in September 2025 in the equally cute city of Freiburg 🌲🌳🌲
#cfa #lawsky #philsky #crimsky
The Philosophy of Right and wrong
From 11 to 13 September 2025, the Independent Research Group “Criminal Law Theory” welcomes scholars from jurisprudence, philosophy, political theory, and adjacent fields to a collaborative and interd...
csl.mpg.de
February 8, 2025 at 10:31 AM
I'd say the call for concretes is closing in 3 weeks but that would be too corny.
Do hills in Freiburg just... vanish?
"Loretto Street – named after the former Loretto Hill, once the 'Slier Hill'"
"Loretto Street – named after the former Loretto Hill, once the 'Slier Hill'"
February 5, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Do hills in Freiburg just... vanish?
"Loretto Street – named after the former Loretto Hill, once the 'Slier Hill'"
"Loretto Street – named after the former Loretto Hill, once the 'Slier Hill'"
My hunch is that the point of all these executive actions that are legally "unclear", "illegal", or "really, really illegal" is to dilute the importance of legality altogether. Not to push the boundaries of the law but to make the question "Was this done according to the law?" sound silly
February 3, 2025 at 8:28 PM
My hunch is that the point of all these executive actions that are legally "unclear", "illegal", or "really, really illegal" is to dilute the importance of legality altogether. Not to push the boundaries of the law but to make the question "Was this done according to the law?" sound silly
Didn't check the date, but then tell me that an article on tech oligarchy is from 2024 without telling me that it is from 2024:
"'Look at what Zuckerberg is doing on the left with his money,' she said.
But seriously, look at what Mark Zuckerberg is doing with his money these days: not very much!"
"'Look at what Zuckerberg is doing on the left with his money,' she said.
But seriously, look at what Mark Zuckerberg is doing with his money these days: not very much!"
American billionaires have long placed their thumbs on the scale of democracy—but never like this.
Welcome to the oligarch election.
www.motherjones.com
January 30, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Didn't check the date, but then tell me that an article on tech oligarchy is from 2024 without telling me that it is from 2024:
"'Look at what Zuckerberg is doing on the left with his money,' she said.
But seriously, look at what Mark Zuckerberg is doing with his money these days: not very much!"
"'Look at what Zuckerberg is doing on the left with his money,' she said.
But seriously, look at what Mark Zuckerberg is doing with his money these days: not very much!"