Brian Leiter suggests that philosophers will start fleeing California now that Arnie! has become governor.

Already the “buzz” among philosophers is that the election of the absurd Schwarzenegger, in a state already facing enormous problems, is going to lead philosophers in California, especially at UC system campuses, to start thinking about leaving. We’ll see whether Schwarzenegger can pull a “Thatcher.”

That’s not the buzz I’ve been hearing, but I’m a long way from California. Do any readers who are closer to the action want to leave any impressions?

I should say that given the relative unimportance of the governor’s office in state politics, especially when the governor is comprehensively outvoted in both houses, it seems a little absurd to leave California on this account. If there’s about to be a flood of west coast philosophy positions open up I predict there’s lots of un(der)employed philosophers from the rest of the world who will be more than happy to take them. Maybe Arnie! can be good for philosophy, even for California philosophy, after all.