The newest philosophy podcast episodes! Pascal's wager, sanctuary churches, the philosophy of cuteness, letter from Birmingham jail, Buddhism and nationalism, and more. #philsky philosophypodcasthub.substack.com/p/new-episod...

A lovely moment from my flight on Christmas Day. #sky #sunset #clouds #ocean

If you're going to holiday gatherings & have problematic people to deal with, this piece might help you think through your moral obligations to them. I don't pretend it's a complete account, but in extreme cases, shunning people is morally justified. billvanderburgh.substack.com/p/the-duty-t...

Call-for-papers: Hypatia Special Issue on Feminist Philosophy of Mind Guest Editors: Gloria Andrada and Carolina Flores Deadline for submissions: 15th January 2026 Details and links to submit on the website:

New reviews of philosophy books, new and revised entries at online philosophy resources, new episodes of philosophy podcasts...

Yay, Kaity! (She is my chair.)

My fourth installment on philosophy in the Apple TV show “Pluribus.” My take seems to be quite different than the other commentary about the show I’ve seen. #philsky #philosophychat #scifi open.substack.com/pub/billvand...

My fourth installment on philosophy in the Apple TV show “Pluribus.” My take seems to be quite different than the other commentary about the show I’ve seen. #philsky #philosophychat #scifi open.substack.com/pub/billvand...

Bad framing: ACIP voted to scrap the universal hepatitis B vaccine recommendation for newborns. Accurate framing: Anti-vax conspiracy theorists appointed to ACIP by Robert Kennedy Jr., who made a fortune as an anti-vax profiteer, voted to expose babies to a preventable, incurable, deadly illness.

For the #blueskyartshow on Dec. 6. #Sky

For the #blueskyartshow on Dec. 6. #Sky

"Pluribus" and Philosophy, Part Three, by Apple TV's "Pluribus" is a hit in part because it is interesting philosophy. Check out the three posts I've written about it so far. And please subscribe to my Substack! open.substack.com/pub/billvand...

Saw a reminder that even tho a book (like mine) came out a few years ago, it's still new to people who haven’t run across it yet. So, here’s to promoting your own work. The hardback has always been too pricey for anyone but libraries, but the paperback is $15 off. www.bloomsbury.com/us/david-hum...

I've started a "Science Fiction & Philosophy" series on Substack. Two posts about the show "Pluribus" available now, with another coming tomorrow. Subscribe & share! All my Substack content is free. #philsky #philosophy #sciencefiction #pluribus #scifi substack.com/home/post/p-...

#philosophy #thanksgiving #evolution #anthropology Check out my Substack when you get tired of your uncle’s stories. substack.com/@billvanderb...

Does this version of the Trolley Problem exist or did I just invent it? If you pull the lever now, the trolley's brakes engage. Unfortunately, its stopping distance means it will run over & kill 1 of 5 people tied to the tracks. If you don't pull or wait to pull, all 5 die. #philsky #philosophychat

My 13yo stepdaughter has recently expressed excitement about learning more advanced math. Any suggestions for fun books for this age group on interesting math they don't usually encounter in school? #math #mathteaching #philosophy #logic #science #philsky

Relying on ChatGPT to teach you about a topic leaves you with shallower knowledge than Googling and reading about it, according to new research that compared what more than 10,000 people knew after using one method or the other. Shared by @gizmodo.com: buff.ly/yAAHtHq

On my Substack, Philosophy for Good, I do #philosophy for the public, in the public interest. Sometimes it's entertainment, like when I write about phil & sci fi. Sometimes it's using philosophy to defend democracy. Subscribe & share to help me grow the account. Thanks! #philsky #philosophychat

“The problem with introductory philosophy is that introductory philosophy doesn’t exist.” Happy World Philosophy Day! #philsky #philosophy #worldphilosophyday #phiulosophychat #philosophysky open.substack.com/pub/billvand...

Apple TV's new sci fi show "Pluribus" is fun and intriguing. It also present a weird and ambiguous (maybe inconsistent?) account of free will and consent. #philosophy #philsky open.substack.com/pub/billvand...

This is designed to tank public health & primary care by excluding public health professions, advanced nursing practice, physical & occupational therapy from loans that can cover the cost of education. This is going to make an existing workforce crisis worse. aspph.org/department-o...

If you aren't sure why longform literacy is too important to lose to AI, remember DJT does not read. This live action remake of Idiocracy we're living is turning into a long-running series in part because we lack leaders & citizens who read. #philosophy #AI #books open.substack.com/pub/billvand...

congrats to everyone for thinking this through before signing very big contracts to put it on every student’s device at the school or university you run

Check out this podcast about philosophy and comedy from @hotelbarpodcast.bsky.social hotelbarpodcast.com/podcast/epis...

bro are you fucking kidding me

Greetings from the Dirksen federal courthouse, where U.S. District Court Judge Sara Ellis has just taken the bench to rule on federal agents actions' during a series of increasingly aggressive raids across Chicago and the suburbs. Background, for @wttw.bsky.social from @bymattmasterson.bsky.social

Government and religion don't mix, even if some government officials are trying to tell us otherwise. open.substack.com/pub/billvand...

Hi #philosophysky #philosophyofscience! Seen this? A physics paper claims there's something like an incompleteness theorem to the effect that (1) there is no algorithmic way to get a theory of quantum gravity, & (2) since simulations are necessarily algorithmic, that (3) our universe is not a sim.

If you aren't sure why longform literacy is too important to lose to AI, remember DJT does not read. This live action remake of Idiocracy we're living is turning into a long-running series in part because we lack leaders & citizens who read. #philosophy #AI #books open.substack.com/pub/billvand...

AI hypesters make it seem students must learn AI in college or they will fall hopelessly behind. That seems obviously untrue.... One YouTube video that calls itself a “master class” on AI prompt writing is <19 min long. We don’t need to undermine higher ed for a skill that can be explained in 19 min

I lay this at the feet of DOGE and all of their enablers.

New! "Atheism: Believing God Does Not Exist" by Nathan Nobis #atheism #atheist #theism #theist #religion #philosophy 1000wordphilosophy.com/2025/09/21/a...

I know about a pretty big scoop on Brett Kavanaugh that should be dropping Monday at a big outlet. If you think SCOTUS is corrupt now,

#superseabirdsaturday #marinelife #birds #wildlifephotography

Wow, first time I've seen him underwater in this poll with white people. He has negative disapproval across every possible cohort.

Take that, all you unsuspecting brains out there. #wildlife #birds #seagulls #illusion #photography

Land of the surveilled; home of the snitches

I commute from Alexandria, VA, to Baltimore, MD. In 19 years have dealt with traffic. I have seen accidents. But nothing prepared me for the daily blockade of police and national guardsmen standing in the right lane of a major DC artery, slowing traffic, peering into cars, and pulling people over.

“Life on the slippery Earth” is something I will think about a lot. Virtue as a collective activity makes sense to me. You see a lot online these days about co-regulation of emotions—maybe that is a part of co-regulation of our moral lives, too.

Interesting article on Aztec moral philosophy. Life on the slippery Earth: Aztec moral philosophy has profound differences from the Greek tradition, not least its acceptance that nobody is perfect. aeon.co/essays/aztec...

Texas State Rep. James Talarico @jamestalarico.bsky.social criticizes Christian nationalism as being about the worship of power. "It is incumbent upon believers, upon Christians and people of other faith backgrounds to speak out against this perversion of faith and this subversion of our democracy."

Between 1920 and 2020, the average human life span doubled because of the development & widespread use of vaccines, germ theory, & antibiotics. www.nytimes.com/2021/04/27/m... But life expectancy is declining in the USA: www.npr.org/sections/hea... If vaccine use drops further, it will get worse.

“Neo-liberal capitalism is where the market has whipped the state & is in control of the state by way of debt & by way of control of politicians. And we have been in that for 40 years with disastrous consequences. And if we don’t get out of it, we’re going into a mass extinction event & mass chaos.”

Please follow me on Substack. Here's my latest little piece. #philosophy #religion #government #politics #separationofchurchandstate #USConstitution #freedomofreligion #christiannationalism

“Neo-liberal capitalism is where the market has whipped the state & is in control of the state by way of debt & by way of control of politicians. And we have been in that for 40 years with disastrous consequences. And if we don’t get out of it, we’re going into a mass extinction event & mass chaos.”

Please follow me on Substack. Here's my latest little piece. #philosophy #religion #government #politics #separationofchurchandstate #USConstitution #freedomofreligion #christiannationalism

I'm hearing reports that President Trump's erratic mental state and decaying physical condition are both being driven by continued discussion of the Jeffrey Epstein cover-up, so please, if you care about this man's health and well-being, please, do not mention the Epstein stuff anymore, please.