Our paper (written with @visakurki.bsky.social) came out this week in Neuroethics. We argue that there are legal norms that regulate when a person can concentrate. These norms can be used to build concentration spaces the protect concentration-requiring tasks from digital distraction.

Great personnel news at @helsinki.fi Faculty of Law! Our Rector has appointed @visakurki.bsky.social as Full Professor of Jurisprudence as of 1 January 2026. Congratulations, Visa! www.helsinki.fi/fi/tutustu-m...

Very happy to announce the Helsinki Animal Law Conference 2026: "Reimagining Justice Across Species”. Our keynotes are @annepetersmpil.bsky.social and @jeffsebo.bsky.social You are invited to submit your application ✨ See you in June! www.helsinki.fi/en/researchg... #animallaw

We also enjoyed the first keynote address of our Conference, presented by Dr @visakurki.bsky.social (Associate Professor of Jurisprudence, University of Helsinki). ⭐️ Dr Kurki closed the first day of the Conference with his keynote address "Why Animals Already Hold Rights" (2/2) #EARLCon2025

⭐️ Dr @visakurki.bsky.social Kurki and Dr Saskia Stucki delivered outstanding keynote addresses at this year's Conference. 🎤 Ruud Tombrock, Richard Ryder, and David Bilchitz spoke during our "Past lessons and future prospects" panel on the final day of the Conference. (3/5)

This event will also feature two dynamic keynote addresses delivered by @visakurki.bsky.social (Associate Professor of Jurisprudence, University of Helsinki) and Dr Saskia Stucki (ZHAW School of Management and Law). (2/3)

LEGACY project member publication alert ✨⬇️

How will Trump’s trade war affect global CO2 emissions and energy? Initial thoughts.

Ensi viikon tiistaina Turussa! Millainen on eläinten asema modernissa kulutusyhteiskunnassa? Miten vallitsevat valtarakenteet muovaavat suhdettamme toisiin lajeihin? Tervetuloa kuulemaan ja keskustelemaan! blogit.utu.fi/kultva/event... @benjaminpitkanen.bsky.social @visakurki.bsky.social

My US-based colleagues, FYI: Finnish Research Council is about to announce a special call to fund researchers abroad to relocate to Finland. By all means this is not intended to lure you into moving to Finland, it just happens to be planned right now by pure chance.

I've been asked to serve on the dissertation committee of someone doing a PhD at a US university. I'm a little confused. It seems almost like the role of a supervisor in Finland (or the UK). Yet it's unpaid(?). Anyone care to explain how this works?

In this world, rejoicing about paper acceptance seems a little... not-sure-what... But: our paper, "Toward an Agency Turn in Animal Law", co-authored with Paulina Siemieniec, was just accepted by the Oxford Journal of Legal Studies! Very pleased!

Just a couple more days to submit an abstract for our conference on agency in August!

Facts about the war in Ukraine: understandingwar.org/backgrounder...

US authorities now demanding Helsinki University to remove words like "climate change" and "equal society" from a Fulbright scholarship call. 🇺🇸🇺🇸

10+ permanent positions open in Finland, related to AI: -Machine Learning, -AI Business Applications -Law & AI -Digital Art Etc. www.ellisinstitute.fi/PI-recruit

En ymmärrä mitä media odottaa. Monet asiantuntijat puhuvat jo Yhdysvalloissa meneillään olevasta vakavasti otettavasta vallankaappausyrityksestä. Sen kai pitäisi olla yksi vuosisatamme suurimmista uutisista. Missä ovat lehtien erikoisnumerot ja etusivun kokoiset otsikot?

Dark thought of today: should European universities get ready to receive US academics soon, like the US did in the 1930s?

Free speech absolutism is back! Seriously, what's going on in the States is *really* worrisome.

My review of Raffael Fasel's More Equal Than Others is now out. It's a great book, and warmly recommended. My main worry: his Species Membership Approach could legitimize arguments of the type "animals cannot bear duties and therefore should not hold rights". www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

As part of this online course, I'm teaching a class entitled "Legal Theory of Animal Rights". I'm now drafting a syllabus, with three categories: 1. Introductory reading (chapter from Animal Rights Law) 2. Core readings 3. Further readings Any suggestions what to include?

We have an open PhD position in Practical Philosophy here at Stockholm University: www.su.se/english/abou... This is a fully funded position in any area of practical philosophy, which includes PPE and philosophy of economics. Swedish not required #philsky #philsci CC: @ppenetworkeurope.bsky.social

1. Write a paper draft 2. Present it at different workshops 3. Receive lots of extremely good feedback 4. Ignore the feedback because you're so fed up with the paper 5. Submit

Probably the most consequential animal welfare ruling in the UK's history was handed down by the Court of Appeal yesterday. In essence, it found that farmers who rear fast-growing chickens - virtually all commercially-reared chickens - are acting illegally. thehumaneleague.org.uk/article/judg...

Our Agency in Law project now has a Bluesky profile, a website - and a forthcoming conference! If you're interested eg in the agency of children, old people, people with disabilities, animals, AI systems, etc - do follow us! We also have a monthly online talk series and other interesting stuff. 😊

Helsinki Law is hiring: - five(!) law lecturers, with one specifically earmarked for English-language teaching in private law: jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki... -three-year professor in sustainability law: jobs.helsinki.fi/job/Helsinki...

Just a couple more days left to submit abstracts to this fascinating conference. www.uantwerpen.be/en/conferenc...

What's a good length for a conference abstract? I think 300 words is usually the sweet spot. Just trying to draft a 500-word abstract and it feels like a slog. On the other hand, I tend to be a rather concise writer.

Call For Papers! The University of Chicago 2025 Constitutional Law Conference seeks papers on any aspect of constitutional rights. Details here:

Attending a friend's PhD defense: "User-Centered Design of Game-Based Digital Mental Health Interventions" by Lauri Lukka. Seems Aalto University still has white-tie defenses (as does Helsinki Law).

Finns tend to think that November is the worst of months because it's dark and cold but no snow. Well...

Our ERC project Agency in Law is getting started with a monthly online talk series. Our first speaker is Jakob Stenseke, "Knowing and owing each other: on the moral agency of humans, animals, and machines” Time: Nov 20, 3pm Helsinki time (1pm London time) Register: www.lyyti.fi/reg/Seminar_...

I've understood that the next IVR Congress will be in Turkey. But does anyone know the dates? (Let's see if my legal philosophy networks are robust enough on this platform...)

New Cambridge Element book 'Legal Personhood' by Visa Kurki. Open Access. @visakurki.bsky.social

I know applying for academic jobs can be stressful. But spare a thought to us who have to use the university recruitment system to access those applications...

An interesting compliment to someone (not me) who just landed an academic job: "Wittgenstein would be proud of you." I wonder what would make Wittgenstein proud?

Do apply! The only downside is that you'll have to work with me.

Ok, here goes: my first post. Greetings from Agra, India! Here is a guy making herbal tea from ingredients he makes in his garden. He went to the same school as my driver. Tomorrow heading to Udaipur for a wedding.