I have a new post up on my substack defending the politicization of academia. Specifically, I draw upon the logic of effective altruism to argue that it would be unreasonable to *not* let moral and political aims direct academic research: jessespafford.substack.com/p/effective-...

As a sociological matter I've always been intrigued by the fact that so many left-leaning people seem to love this paper when many parts of it could have been written by someone at the Heritage Foundation: bsky.app/profile/gilm...

I finally got through enough of my other work to wrap up my series on cancel culture with this short post. In it I ask: what do critics of cancel culture really want, and is that a reasonable demand? open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...

Continuing my extended reflections on/defense of cancel culture, I've now posted Part 3 of the series on Substack! Check it out here: open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...

Continuing my extended reflections on/defense of cancel culture, I've now posted Part 3 of the series on Substack! Check it out here: open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...

I have a new post up in my series on cancel culture! This one raises some worries about the popular theory that the cancellers are primarily just virtue signaling—and seeks to cast doubt on the virtue signaling theory more broadly. open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...

I have a new post up in my series on cancel culture! This one raises some worries about the popular theory that the cancellers are primarily just virtue signaling—and seeks to cast doubt on the virtue signaling theory more broadly. open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...

I was recently interviewed about my book by Luke Jensen! If you're interested in getting a sense of (some of) what I argue there, this is a nice overview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_94...

I have a new post on why the media shouldn't profile Very Weird Guys. Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...

I recently debated Michael Huemer on whether people have property rights! You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yl0...

Not exaggerating when I say that the collective action in Minnesota will be studied for generations if not centuries to come

There's been a small break in the stream of bad news, so I took the opportunity to write up the second post of my two-part argument against academic titles. You can read it here: open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...

There's been a small break in the stream of bad news, so I took the opportunity to write up the second post of my two-part argument against academic titles. You can read it here: open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...

I have a new post up on Substack about some troubling intellectual trends on the Right—and how modernity is to blame! open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...

I know I've already largely missed the "should academics insist on being called 'doctor'" debate—my thinking/writing can't keep up with the discourse cycle—but here's my quick case against the use of academic titles. open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...

Here's my contribution to the "is continental philosophy meaningless" debate. I've tried to say something new here that might move the debate forward a bit: open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...

My first substantive post on Substack is me raising some worries about Joseph Heath's theory of populism: substack.com/home/post/p-...

I haven’t been posting here much, but I’m now posting longer-form ideas on Substack! Here’s my brief introductory post: jessespafford.substack.com/p/about-this...

Not sure what the best way to counter the far right is, but this thread on the rise of Sanseito in Japan suggests to me that the accommodationist approach—i.e., the approach endorsed in the thread—is a dead end.

With all the details coming out on Cremieux/Jordan Lasker, I’m reminded of an email I wrote to a friend explaining why I’m not interested in the rationalist social movement (wherein Jordan has become an influential figure): x.com/rivertamydn/...

Nice piece discussing the merits, politics, and practical implementation of Zohran's policies: www.dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...

Abrego Garcia describes conditions at CECOT: “He and 20 other Salvadorans were forced to kneel from approximately 9pm to 6am with guards striking anyone who fell from exhaustion. During this time, he was denied bathroom access and soiled himself.” storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

Ironically, this post is breaking my brain a little. bsky.app/profile/kend...

Stancilism partly undefeated

These are the kind of arrests that you know are just driving while brown arrests.

Pretty grim the extent to which the UK is descending into fascism. The willingness to label non-violent protests “terrorism” is particularly troubling (though this is also just one of many troubling shifts in the country): www.bbc.com/news/article...

Noticed that ICE in Los Angeles has started carrying spare tires in the bed of their pickups

From a dear comrade who was kind enough to let me share their video. Veterans stage a sit-in on the US Capitol steps and say, “Military off our streets!” Hell yeah!

it’s cool how the whole trump coalition is a circular firing squad of grievances. this guy thought trump was homophobic/transphobic but mostly joking about the immigration stuff lol

This administration is marked by not just its cruelty but its complete inability to craft coherent policies or consider the obvious consequences of those policies. bsky.app/profile/phil...

It seems like the only option left is to show that it implies something significant and surprising! www.cambridge.org/core/books/s... bsky.app/profile/last...

Striking how so many of the pundits from this cohort have become simultaneously more conservative and less thoughtful: t.co/6vS6KhptpH

It’s been almost eight years since Alex Pareene wrote this piece, and it looks like he was 100% correct: www.splinter.com/charlottesvi... bsky.app/profile/whst...

It’s the biggest story in the country that the media is ignoring - how this explicitly white supremacist and antisemitic ideology has consumed the minds of virtually the entire organized right, from Elon Musk on down

To give you a sense about the ideological drift being caused by Twitter, here's Noah Smith talking in 2021 about the account that would become "i/o" and "avidseries." And then here's a screenshot from today, where Noah Smith has constant friendly interactions with him.

Every day the authoritarianism grows worse - Christopher Rufo calling for the Trump administration to "dispatch unmarked vans to follow key agitators and snatch them from the streets while the media are not looking" christopherrufo.com/p/trump-shou...

This is not a good sign.

Elected Dems need to start grappling with the fact that the official GOP position is that elections should be stolen when the opportunity presents itself: bsky.app/profile/eili...

My friend just got arrested blocking the highway in Joshua Tree to try and prevent the Marines from making it to LA

Yeah. There is no universe where DHS can support this happening every time.

just superbly done. first round KO www.gelliottmorris.com/p/kilmar-abr...

One thing I find interesting is the extent to which people treat LLMs like conscious agents. I've seen a bunch of exchanges where the user berates the LLM for "lying"—a complaint (and associated reactive attitude) that seems inapt: amandaguinzburg.substack.com/p/diabolus-e...

With Yarvin back in the news, I think it's worth asking why obscurantists (of all political stripes) frequently become so influential despite saying nothing of substance.

It's often bemoaned that our side draws purist lines, progressively expelling more and more people, who are then taken in by the fash, inevitably leading to their total triumph. But it's important to note that is often a process of *infection* and the systematic undermining of the right.

A good nonprofit effort over the next 43 months would be to keep a running draft indictment of every Trump administration official, published and updated regularly, so it is ready to go in January 2029.

Today Milford high school students participated in their graduation and then marched to the town hall in protest of Ice kidnapping their peer. #milfordma

Objectifying women—in this case, a 22 year old college student—is a recurring tactic men use to take those who challenge them and put them in their place:

Unbelievable! Today, San Diego witnessed a government-sanctioned kidnapping. ICE stormed Buona Forchetta in military gear ripping workers away, then unleashing tear gas and smoke on the terrified community. Full on police state, fascism now used on American citizens. Stay aware. #OnYourSide

A nice piece on the fall and rise of Marty Peretz and his fellow travelers: jewishcurrents.org/the-end-of-t...