Jamesian Philosophy Refreshed

I dislike discussing anyone's "identity" other than my own, and usually not even that. So the matters referenced in the headline of this post are in a terrain rarely compassed in this blog. But I make an exception for these two links. First, here is something I've recently written on this subject in the line of duty, in my day job. It draws no conclusions because the format requires I draw no conclusions in these left/right pieces. Still, I think my observation about the significance of the year 2015 may hold up. It may be seen as a watershed in these matters as we pull away from it: Inside the Nation The second link is to a piece written by a British philosopher, "Academic Philosophy and the UK Gender Recognition Act." I learned of it from Brian Leiter's blog, but here's the direct link: Kathleen Stock

[Despite my efforts to straighten things out, the fonts, spacing, etc, in this post has ended up an ugly hodge-podge. My apologies. - CF]  T o first amendment lawyers, this is preeminently the term in which  Matal v. Tam found that the disparagement clause of the trademark statute infringes upon the free speech right under the first amendment. The court was unanimous as to the judgment (that the "Slants," a dance-rock band, can be trademarked as such) though there were differences as to the reasoning. Hugh C. Hansen, law professor at Fordham, has called this “one of the most important First Amendment free speech cases to come along in many years.”    Simon Tam and his fellow band members made for sympathetic defendants. They obviously were not disparaging their own Asian background. They were appropriating a stereotypical slur concerning Asians’ eyes, in the tradition of many groups throughout history who have turned insults into badges of ...

Insofar as any one man has served as the public face of "conversion therapy" over the years, it has been that of the dearly departed Joseph Nicolosi. Nicolosi, the author of REPARATIVE THERAPY FOR MALE HOMOSEXUALITY (1997) passed away last week, on March 8, at the age of 70. I've written about conversion therapy, as a legal issue, before in this blog. Here's a link: once you get to the other side of it,  scroll down a bit  The above is the stock photo of Nicolosi used by MSNBC. It makes him look like a televangelist, which seems fair. Apparently the phrase "reparative therapy" was Nicolosi's own coinage, and refers to his views as distinct from some other styles of conversion effort. He coined it because he held the view that (male) homosexuality is a unconscious effort to repair a sense of inferiority. I really ought to read or at least skim Nicolosi's book before commenting further. But, hey, this is a blog, and ignorance isn't usua...

Back when I was an undergrad at Marist College, a professor in an introductory psych course mentioned the degree to which sexual attraction in most animals is a matter of scent. Then he paused dramatically and asked: Is it a matter of scent for humans as a well? He answered himself after another pause, "Of course! That's why perfumes and colognes are such big business worldwide, after all." I've wondered about that from time to time. That is, I've wondered about the size of that industry, but I've never until quite recently wondered with sufficient intensity to do a google search. Here is some information: http://www.strategyr.com/MarketResearch/Fragrances_and_Perfumes_Market_Trends.asp According to these market researchers, the global market is projected to reach $40.6 billion by 2020. For a mere $4,950 I could buy a complete report on this market covering 354 companies in 492 pages, with 138 market data tables. Cool. I have $5,000 lying around ...