early article available online

My 2005 article “Some Preconditions of Universal Philosophical Dialogue” (actually based on a conference paper I gave in Krakow, Poland in the summer of 2001) is now available online, HERE.

Hugh Silverman, in memoriam

Someone told me tonight that Professor Hugh Silverman of Stony Brook has died. His WIKIPEDIA ARTICLE seems to verify this, but gives no details, nor have I found details anywhere else.

Many of us knew Hugh best as the tireless organizer of the International Association for Philosophy and Literature (IAPL) conferences, always held in interesting locations. Just last year I was part of the Alphonso Lingis panel at the IAPL meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, and Hugh didn’t seem to have aged a bit.

My condolences to those who knew him well.

apparent plot to attack the U.S. Embassy in Cairo

HERE.

A disturbing amplification of the stabbing that took place there the other day. U.S. citizens in Cairo, such as me, routinely need to visit the Embassy for personal business.

In the long run, it would probably be better to relocate the U.S. Embassy to the fringes of the city. At present it is right in the heart of downtown Cairo, and the closure of all the streets near the fortress-like Embassy causes even more traffic congestion downtown than would normally be the case anyway.

message from U.S. Embassy in Cairo

Regarding yesterday’s (luckily non-fatal) stabbing of U.S. academic Christopher Stone near the Embassy:

“Police investigating yesterday’s knife attack on the Embassy perimeter reported that the perpetrator has admitted to the attack and claimed his motivation was to seek revenge over U.S policies in the Middle East.  The perpetrator carried out the attack after establishing his victim to be a U.S. citizen.  The U.S. citizen victim is reportedly recovering and should be released from the hospital in the next day or so.  The investigation, while still ongoing, has established that the perpetrator acted alone, and the incident was not tied to any larger conspiracy.  The Embassy will continue to work closely with Egyptian police to ensure all investigative leads and questions are satisfactorily resolved.  The Embassy has requested police to elevate their presence in and around all Embassy access control points.  The Embassy is planning on being open for normal operations on Sunday, May 12.”

This sort of thing has been relatively rare during my years in Cairo, but the incident is alarming, especially since the Egyptian police don’t just let everyone into the U.S. Embassy area. The perpetrator must at least have passed the “eyeball” test to be allowed past the barrier.

re.press page on Prince of Modes is now up

HERE. You can expect to see the book released relatively early in 2014.

outcry over MoMA’s decision to demolish architectural gem

HERE.

Object Lessons series

Bloomsbury will soon launch a new book series entitled Object Lessons, whose volumes will look in depth at specific objects. Click HERE for a teaser.

I’m on the editorial board for the series, but not one of the main editors. Ian Bogost is involved, however.

end of my early 40’s

My 45th birthday is tomorrow. I hated turning 40, but don’t mind turning 45 at all. Ultimately you have to be and look middle-aged in philosophy.

updated program for June 17 conference at Birkbeck

The conference is called Conditions of Mediation, and I’ll be one of the keynotes. So, if you’re in London and can pull yourself out of bed in time for an 8:30 AM event, the program can be found HERE.

Bruce Holsinger responds to my response

At Burnable Books, HERE.