That Was the Philosophical Week, June 2nd - 6th, 2025
An ideological reset for the Supreme Court; the trade court's ruling on Trump's Liberation Day tariffs; and a brave new world of artificial intelligence.
9-0: Unanimous Decisions Signal SCOTUS Reset (with Richard Epstein)
Professor Epstein of New York University and Civitas Outlook suggests we're witnessing the Supreme Court's return to fundamental common law principles after decades of ideological expansion. Three unanimous decisions in a row: that's the sound of institutional reset.
In this conversation, we explore what it means for America.
Trade Court Rules on Liberation Day Tariffs (with John Yoo)
Professor John Yoo’s recent article for Civitas Outlook describes the controversy over President Trump's order from Liberation Day to raise tariffs exorbitantly, then lower them, and then to delay the imposition of tariffs around the world, not just for a few countries (Canada and Mexico), but for every country that I've come across in these last weeks.
The professor has written of the Court of International Trade ruling (that's the decision that was momentarily a thrill to markets around the world) that the president does not have the authority to raise and lower tariffs in such a fashion. However, therein lies the problem—in such a fashion. There are details here that I need the professors guidance.
A Brave New World of Artificial Intelligence (with Rachel Lomasky)
Artificial intelligence: the brave new world of the 21st century.
I welcome Rachel Lomasky, chief data scientist at Flux, a private startup that helps organizations implement responsible AI. Her recent piece at Civitas Outlook covers the potential rise of an “AI oligarchy.”
I need responsible AI because of my hands-on experiences with this marvel of new language that we must understand to see where we're heading.
What I know about AI is that it's in the hands of extremely powerful and well-to-do men and women, which means it's always suspect of being controlled by the rich and famous. You understand how class warfare works? Rachel's here to help us decode the technical language that's generating real revenue right now, because AI is actually producing serious cash.
She’s covering what we know to be the brave new world of AI in Silicon Valley. I want to understand these different companies. Many are well-financed, and the investor class appears whenever opportunity strikes.
Are these recognizable figures, or are these entirely new players in the business?
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Trump photo sourced from the official White House; photograph was made available for publication by news organizations.