new humor piece on my Substack -- "I like you. Like, a lot. But my emojis might be misleading."

Matt Strohl says 'This Book' to Nick Riggle's 'This Beauty' in our latest issue. doi.org/10.1093/aest... #philsky

Inspired by @nickriggle.bsky.social, I updated my website blurb around Swiftian eras! I also posted some material from my current project on the metaphysics of mystical experience; see related links in the website. shamik.net

New post on karaoke and djing and being vulnerable in aesthetic community.

of COURSE there's a technology the left is excited about

Say goodbye to seeing your life as a big narrative and embrace the wisdom of thinking of life as a bunch of experimental eras! Absolutely loved this piece.

Calling all Swiftie philosophers and also everyone else: here is a little essay on using personal 'eras' to structure our lives. No need for grand life narratives or pernicious identity labels--just adopt an era and then move on. (h/t to @floresophize.bsky.social) open.substack.com/pub/nickrigg...

This duet cover of Radiohead's "Creep", between a son and his Shastriya Sangeet classically trained mother, is the mash-up I didn't know how much I needed in my life. Totally spontaneous sobbing may have taken place. www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZoH...

Likely-historic photo by NBC News of all the Epstein victims asked to raise their hands if they've not yet been asked to meet with the DOJ as Bondi testifies in foreground

PUNJUSTIFIED -- A meditation on puns and punners. substack.com/home/post/p-...

The Dudette abides.

I loved Martin Riker’s novel The Guest Lecture. There are a few novels that make you feel utterly stuck in someone’s head—perhaps the best is Fosse’s epic Septology—and Riker’s novel nails the claustrophobic feeling, laced with a too-familiar academic anxiety. Here's a sort-of review at GET SOME.

Glad to see this out!!

Frozen 2 > Frozen 1 fight me

Are you swimming in year-end lists? Are you inundated with rankings of books, albums, movies, and all sorts of aesthetic goods? Are you grumpy about it or unsure how you should feel? Do you maybe feel a little urge to issue your *own* ranking? Fear not friend. I have just the paper for you! [link ↓]

Another life goal achieved: getting the word “party-pooping” published in a 150-year-old philosophy journal. "Can't Kill the Vibe: Against Hope in Aesthetic Discourse" is now published online. doi.org/10.1093/mind...

My paper “Aesthetic Value and the Practice of Aesthetic Valuing” won the 2026 Arthur Danto Prize, and there will be a symposium on the paper at the upcoming Eastern APA with @rkubala.bsky.social and @kennywalden.bsky.social. I hope my fellow conferencefolk will join us!

New paper of mine—I’ve been a huge fan of Rob Hopkins’s paper “How to Be a Pessimist about Aesthetic Testimony” (J. Phil 2011) since it came out. This is my attempt to slightly tweak and polish his “Unuseability Pessimism” to harness its full power.

Just wanted to share this wonderful news: The Lebowitz Prize went to aesthetics for the first time in its history. Congratulations to @domlopes.bsky.social and Samantha! I can't wait to see what they do together! www.pbk.org/2025-lebowit...

The Awesomeness of Bad Art I love bad art. Gather some friends and create some bad music. Cruise in a car covered with graffiti doodles. Hand a five-year-old crayons and free time and see what weirdness emerges. Something worth celebrating happens. Although the art is "bad" in one sense -- 1/

New paper forthcoming in Mind--my response to Nat Hansen @nathansen.bsky.social and Zed Adams's paper on aesthetic discourse (“The Hope of Agreement: Against Vibing Accounts of Aesthetic Judgment," Mind, 2023). philpapers.org/rec/RIGCKT?f...

I support this message!

Hats off to Alex for organizing an excellent conference!!

What's up with the British monopoly on really good intellectual biography? All of the recent ones I've loved are by British authors: I Am Dynamite!, Metaphysical Animals (ok, Clare Mac Cumhaill is Irish but educated in Scotland and working in England), Parfit, The Murder of Professor Schlick ... 1/3

sunrise over Sweden

I’m having way too much fun working on aesthetic ranking at the moment. This has to be the worst high-profile ranking I’ve come across—just diabolical putting Jay-Z at #1, Lil Wayne over Tupac, Drake over Eminem?! What are some other bad lists??

cold and dark and lit with ideas

WANTED: a list of philosophy or philosophy adjacent books that make good gifts to interested non-philosophers. #philsky

Street art??

I have added quite a few people to my philosophy starter pack If we were mutuals on the other place or if we are mutuals here and you'd like to be added let me know! go.bsky.app/8Qvnsgb

"Topic x is surprisingly neglected" is the grownup version of "for millennia philosophers have debated...".

starter pack for aesthetics!!

So much film criticism is fundamentally snide. Even if a critic is praising a film, one is ready for that little insult to appear, that smug reminder of the critic's power. Matt Strohl's (@strohltopia.bsky.social) new book, Hard to Watch, feels like film criticism set free,where the reminder of 1/3

maybe of interest to some of my followers: I wrote a little piece for @eschwitz.bsky.social's blog on the aesthetics of wearing band t-shirts of bands you don't know. I elaborated on it for a Bloomsbury "case studies" article. Here: www.bloomsburyphilosophylibrary.com/article?doci...

I am writing a paper on aesthetic ranking and I am having to write "Tomatometer" a lot and I am just not enjoying that really.

Follow the best movie podcast around!

Thank you for sharing, in the spirit of the book. ❤️

But the pleasant bureaucrats *should* party a little more.

Hoping to post on here more moving forward. High five me with a like/follow.

I wrote about the history of aesthetics: Under the Net https://ksetiya.substack.com/p/the-end-of-aesthetic-life

Settle the score, mellow the vibes. Join us to argue about arguing about art!! Friday, April 26, 5PM, The New School. event.newschool.edu/thevibesareoff

I wrote about Kant's dinner parties: Under the Net https://ksetiya.substack.com/p/whos-afraid-of-immanuel-kant

publishing in philosophy--the last three journals I submitted papers to:* Journal 1: submission to conditional acceptance = 1 year; 1 year later, still waiting on proofs; publication date unknown *these are all "general" high-traffic journals

Philosophically drifting through a fascinating and polarizing movie with @cowspod.com and @strohltopia.bsky.social. “This is my Mexico.”

FYI I uploaded a copy of "Autonomy and Aesthetic Valuing," forthcoming in Philosophy and Phenomenological Research.

Why does writing self-promotional social media posts feel so awkward? Buy my book and find out! global.oup.com/academic/pro...

A big announcement for the academic philosophy world. youtu.be/IbYb4mcvqII

My paper, "The Ontology and Aesthetics of Genre" was just accepted to Philosophy Compass! In it, I discuss the similarities and differences between various theories, raise a lot of problems for all of them, and articulate my own practice-based account of genre! PREPRINT: philpapers.org/rec/MALTOA

I (finally) uploaded a copy of "Aesthetic Value and the Practice of Aesthetic Valuing," forthcoming in Phil Review if they ever send me the copyedits.

Coming soon on Cows in the Field! Check cowspod.com for updates and show notes! @nickriggle.bsky.social, @emilystjams.bsky.social, @splicedpersonality.bsky.social, @johndevore.bsky.social