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David Lay Williams

@laywilliams.bsky.social

7.4K followers 830 following 1.3K posts

Political theorist at DePaul and author of The Greatest of All Plagues: How Economic Inequality Shaped Political Thought from Plato to Marx (Princeton, 2024). Essays in NY Times, Washington Post, Time, Bloomberg, etc. Jazz Guitar, New York Mets.

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David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · Sep 3

After a decade's labor, it is finally book-release day for "The Greatest of All Plagues: How Economic Inequality Shaped Political Thought from Plato to Marx." I'm both relieved and excited to see this day arrive. press.princeton.edu/books/hardco...

The Greatest of All Plagues

How the great political thinkers have persistently warned against the dangers of economic inequality

press.princeton.edu

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David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 1m

I love that this piece cites Russell Hardin. I got to hang out with him for an hour once when he returned to give a talk at his alma mater (UT--Austin). He discussed when he was an undergrad students fought against UT's foot-dragging on integration. It made a big difference. Let's learn from this.

Opinion | You Beat Trumpism by Banding Together. It’s as Hard and as Simple as That.

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by David Lay Williams

Jason "Red5" Lyall @jaylyall.bsky.social · 55m

Attention university presidents and boards of trustees:

"Those who oppose authoritarianism have to play a different game, creating solidarity among an unwieldy coalition, which knows that if everyone holds together, they will surely succeed."

Opinion | You Beat Trumpism by Banding Together. It’s as Hard and as Simple as That.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by David Lay Williams

𝚂𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎 𝙼𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚜 @stevenpmillies.com · 15h

Greetings from the "insurrection."

Families are out in Chicago's Park Manor and Englewood neighborhoods. Crossing guards are helping children get home. It is a gorgeous fall afternoon.

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David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 16h

" . . . like the sorcerer who is no longer able to control the powers of the nether world whom he has called up by his spells."

Panicked Curtis Yarvin—JD Vance's guru—plans to flee USA

‘I feel that I personally have to start thinking realistically about how to flee the country.’

www.thenerdreich.com

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David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 22h

Check out @durlauf.bsky.social's fantastic new interview with @fishkin.bsky.social on the Inequality Podcast, hosted by the @ucstonecenter.bsky.social at the University of Chicago.

Joseph Fishkin on ‘Bottlenecks’ and Democracy

Podcast Episode · The Inequality Podcast · 10/06/2025 · 49m

podcasts.apple.com

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David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 22h

It's always a good time to listen to @ingridrobeyns.bsky.social. Check out the podcast.

Sam Pizzigati @sgp.bsky.social · 22h

Can a society thrive when a few own everything? More to the point: Can a society survive when a few own everything? A new interview with the Belgian-Dutch philosopher Ingrid Robeyns. @equalshope.bsky.social @ingridrobeyns.bsky.social www.equals.ink/p/how-much-w...

How Much Wealth Is Too Much? Ingrid Robeyns on the Case for Limitarianism

Listen now (31 mins) | Inequality, Democracy, and the Case for Limiting Extreme Wealth.

www.equals.ink

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Reposted by David Lay Williams

Anna O. Law @unlawfulentries.bsky.social · 1d

I just called and left a message at President Davis' office urging him as an alum (PHD in Gov 2003) not to sign the "compact" Trump is offering.

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David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 2d

@fishkin.bsky.social on the “compact” with American universities. Important insights here.

Balkinization: The Art of Replacing the Law with the Deal

A group blog on constitutional law, theory, and politics

balkin.blogspot.com

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David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 2d

Portuguese transcript of my recent interview with the good folks at @synesisideas.bsky.social.

Synesis: History of Ideas! Podcast @synesisideas.bsky.social · 3d

A entrevista com @laywilliams.bsky.social agora está disponível em Português para Brasileiros e Portugueses que prefiram!

open.substack.com/pub/synesish...

Reposted by David Lay Williams

Governor JB Pritzker @govpritzker.illinois.gov · 3d

This morning, the Trump Administration’s Department of War gave me an ultimatum: call up your troops, or we will. It is absolutely outrageous and un-American to demand a Governor send military troops within our own borders and against our will.

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David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 3d

Don't even get me started on their metaphysics!

David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 3d

No respectable philosopher past or present, to my knowledge, has ever thought it a good thing for a single person to be so rich as to mandate the policies of nine universities simultaneously.

The Billionaire Behind Trump’s Deal for Universities

www.nytimes.com

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David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 3d

Response to the ‘Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education’ | Office of the President

president.dartmouth.edu

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David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 4d

Fellow @utaustin.bsky.social alumni: please consider calling the president's office and sharing your thoughts about the "compact." Phone: 512-471-1232. Share broadly. There are a lot of us.

UT official "honored" to receive Trump's university demands

The Trump administration seeks to cap international student enrollment, among other things.

www.axios.com

David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 5d

I would only add here, I think there are two kinds of religious people -- those whose religion is a source of humility and kindness, and those who seek religion to authorize their cruelty. Not for me to say who is who, but I think we can learn a lot about people in how their religion functions.

David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 5d

So interestingly, Douglass observes that the most religious slave owners are the worst offenders. Having worked themselves up in knots to persuade themselves of the righteousness of slavery, they take the greatest zeal in their cruelty.

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David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 5d

Sharp analysis from @fishkin.bsky.social

Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · 5d

The "compact" is a threat, with the administration explicitly stating that it plans to disfavor universities that don't sign in areas from foreign student visas, student loans, federal contracts as well as grants, and even tax [501(c)(3)] status.

It's a maximalist plan of 1st Amendment violation.

www.washingtonexaminer.com

David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 5d

Did not work out for the Corcyrans.

David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 5d

Wonderful -- so delighted to learn you are reading and enjoying it! Indeed, our problems aren't new.

David Lay Williams @laywilliams.bsky.social · 5d

From Frederick Douglass’s Narrative. It’s full of passages like this. I’m thinking increasingly about the joy in which some take in inflicting pain and misery on others as a sense of domination. And I fear it explains so much.