Jamesian Philosophy Refreshed

To return to the train of thought abandoned at the end of yesterday's post ... A large number of MLA members now believe that prominent feminist philosopher/theorist Judith Butler should resign her post in that venerable organization because she has used that position to make herself heard in a sexual harassment case on behalf of the harasser. She had not consulted the MLA collectively before intervening in that matter, and the petitioners say this was professionally and ethically inappropriate. A little more than a year ago now, a student at New York University accused professor Avital Ronell of sexual harassment. The graduate student. Nimrod Reitman, says that Ronell  assaulted and stalked him. There are emails in which Ronell refers to Reitman as "my most adored one" and "sweet cuddly baby." Pro tip to all professors out there -- get your jollies from anyone in the whole universe who is NOT a student of yours and, in the event you ever feel compelled to...

Nouriel Roubini recently tweeted, "Currency wars coming, but don't bet on gold." Roubini is an economist affiliated with New York University, Stern Sch. of Business. He has had an on-and-off relationship with the International Monetary Fund, and is probably best known to the general economics-literate public for the book Bailouts or Bail-Ins? (2004). That Roubini believes "currency wars" are coming means that opinion has gone well beyond the "usual suspects." But why does he mean you shouldn't bet on gold? In essence, he believes that as all currencies are about to drop in value relative to real assets, you should do your best to turn your currency into real assets. And this doesn't mean shiny metals. It means real estate and equities.