An Additional Academic Move Announcement

Pete Leeson challenged young Austrians to stop trying to write philosophical arguments.  I disagree with Pete on this, but I agree that if you are going to write philosophical papers you better engage in serious philosophical study.  I've written my share of philosophical papers in the social sciences and political theory, but I also spend a lot of time reading philosophy, and formally studied philosophy at both the undergraduate and graduate level.  But I am certainly no philosopher --- in fact I am in awe of sophisticated philosophers.

One of my former students Sahar Akhtar decided half way through completing her PhD dissertation in economics that her true intellectual passion was to work on philosophical topics.  Several of us at GMU advised Sahar to pursue economics and write philosophical papers on the side (as Tyler Cowen and David Levy have done). But Sahar resisted that advice and instead went off to Duke to earn a second PhD in philosophy.  During the process she has taught economics and philosophy courses over the years both at Duke and at Davidson College.  She is an outstanding teacher, insightful and serious scholar, and an absolutely wonderful person.

Well Sahar earned a PhD in philosophy and is now joining the faculty at William & Mary College in 2008 (after spending a year at Brown University on a research fellowship).

Congratulations to Sahar! She proved us all wrong, and in the process made us all very proud of the small role we played in the development of this brilliant young woman.