The New York Times launches a philosophy blog and asks Simon Critchley to moderate it. Brian Leiter goes apoplectic.
For some background on the Leiter-Critchley conflict, which turns out to be as much about the analytic-Continental divide as it is about Leiter and Critchley, see Leiter’s account of their brawl over Derrida’s legacy (which Leiter takes to be shameful), John Hartmann’s critique of Leiter’s philosophy department rankings (which aren’t just Leiter’s, but which do tend to marginalize continentals), and this discussion at An und für sich.
Leiter does write about Nietzsche, was right about Carlin Romano’s hatchet job on Heidegger at the Chronicle for Higher Ed, and he’s not usually as petty as this, so the conflict is also clearly personal. I’m getting out of the way.
