Brian Leiter is in the news again, and not, sadly, for:
- Saying something true, original, and important;
- Doing good;
- Creating something beautiful; or
- Acting justly.
According to the New York Times, four philosophers with whom Leiter has been feuding (that's to put it neutrally) received packages containing feces. My first thought was, "Why would Leiter do such a thing? Everyone knows he's narcissistic and vindictive, but surely he wouldn't jeopardize his career by doing something so stupid." Then it occurred to me that someone who hates Leiter may have done this to make it seem as though Leiter did it. In other words, it may have been a set-up. To the extent that you think that Leiter is rational (in the sense of self-interested), you must reject the hypothesis that he did it and conclude that someone else did it, and the only reason for this is that this other person wants to make it seem as though Leiter did it. But then another thought occurred to me: "Leiter knows that people will reason this way, so he could do it and get away with it." Don't underestimate this individual's cunning. He didn't get to the University of Chicago on merit.
Addendum: Here is an account from BuzzFeed.
Addendum 2: Here is an account from the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Addendum 3: Here is an account from the Critical Theory blog.
