Holy shit. I wrote like, 4500 words today. I might finish this book after all.

Descartes gave us all the tools we need to survive in an era of misinformation. Simply begin with the understanding that you are real but everything else is fairly likely to be the cruel games of a demon sent to torment you specifically.

Since January, I’ve written 38,811 words. They’re pretty good words in what I take to be an interesting order. Gotta keep going. October 1 is fast approaching.

Not to be too much of a hipster, but the Taxi theme song popped up on my Spotify and honestly, it slaps. Great writing music! youtu.be/5DL8SGEyhZE?...

I have a productivity app that I use to track my writing time. While I’m not always great about making sure I use it, it’s tracked 77+ hours of writing since Jan. I have somewhere around 40k words, which puts me at ~519.5 words/hour. Can I finish this book by September? We will see!

I thought this would streamline my feedback process because I assumed few students would pick 5. All but one of my students picked 5 this term. Side note: I just spent 90 minutes on one paper.

CFP: Special Issue: AI and Public Philosophy The Public Philosophy Journal invites contributions for a special issue focused on AI and public philosophy. philevents.org/event/show/1...

Happening soon! Going to be a great discussion! Register here to receive the Zoom link: philosophyteachers.org/talking-teac...

My partner is so damn amazing!! She’s cooler than you (and me).

I’ve seen a handful of articles about how humanities programs need to focus on “practicality”. In 2017 I published a chapter arguing that a focus on practicality in higher ed is a mistake. It seems especially relevant right now philarchive.org/rec/KRIIPI-2

This is a great thread and I agree with all of it. Reviewing takes a ton of time but it's important work, even when I hate the paper I reviewed. Editors can confirm I send lengthy details about every decision and I'd be wracked with guilt not doing that. It's the entire point of the process!

I’m a recent meta study, we scoured 2550 lists of things with which one fucks. We found a number of things appearing on multiple lists & most things appeared at least once. Conspicuously absent from *all* lists was the Wu Tang Clan. We conclude that Wu Tang Clan is, in fact, nothing to fuck with.

I started reading The Big Sleep last night. I'm one of those people who hear the words in their head as they read, but what really stands out to me is that I cannot help but hear all dialogue/narration in a Mid-Atlantic accent. I think that makes it even more enjoyable, to be honest.

Check out this great lineup for the @theaapt.bsky.social Talking/Teaching series! Not sure how I snuck in there, but if you’re free April 9, I’d be happy to talk with you about how to teach students about the importance of citations and epistemic communities!

I’m teaching early modern philo this semester and I have these weekly close-reading assignments. One of my students noticed a shift in pronouns between the Latin and French editions of Descartes’ Third Meditation (from 1st person singular to 1st person plural)!

I wonder how much of my anxiety, and perfectionism, and rule following tendencies stem from the notion of a “permanent record,” a thing I genuinely believed both existed and would play a large role in my future. As if a childhood mistake would fundamentally alter the future that was open to me.

This is such an awesome opportunity. I rarely wish I was still a grad student, but here’s one time where I do.

For grad students in the history of #philosophy: I'm organizing a virtual reading group on #slavery in early modern philosophy. We'll meet once a week on Zoom for an hour to discuss about 20 pages of primary source material. Grad students only. Email [email protected] for info. #philsky #academicsky

My extraordinarily long-con has finally paid off! In 2005 I made the decision to pursue grad studies in philosophy because I knew, even then, that I’d eventually have a shot at being cast in a reality show that blends Big Brother and Survivor. So long Academia! Imma be famous!

What’s something you learned really late in life that should’ve been obvious? I’ll start: the reason Boys II Men called the song “Motown Philly” is because they were signed to Motown Records. I had always assumed Philly and Detroit had a sort of gritty, resilient city bond.

It would be awful nice if scientists would accept that humanities folks have actual expertise and rely on actual evidence.

THIS. But seriously, the ambiguous use of “this,” “that,” or versions pronouns is one of my all-time pet peeves in writing. If there’s one comment I write on student papers more than any other, it’s “what is ‘it’?” (Or ‘this,’ etc.).

Love that the article slips in this banger of an observation: "...alongside other complaints from people who said they were in the middle of coding or writing essays and now had to do the work themselves."

Apropos of nothing in particular, I’m reminded of an Indiana bill from 1897 where they tried to establish, by legislative fiat, that pi = 3.2.

grad school grade school 🤝 learning how to read

Probably an unpopular take: I find refereeing for academic journals really rewarding & genuinely enjoy doing it. Look. I get that it’s “free labor” & that academic publishing is, in many ways broken… /1

Hey All: Google is pulling the "automatically on for anyone over 18" bullshit with Gemini that the Dropbox did for its AI, but I can't afford to ditch Google Drive/Docs/Workspace. If you have a personal Google Account, first go to gemini.google.com/extensions and turn everything off...

I’m gonna go quiet for a bit. This one hurts. #onepride

I was first introduced to Lynch as a young adolescent watching Twin Peaks on network tv. I didn’t understand it, but it was also the first time I really bonded with my dad (an English prof). Years later, dad and I published a co-authored paper on Albert’s moral code. I’ll miss you, David Lynch.

This really sucks. www.theguardian.com/film/2025/ja...

I’m my modern philosophy class this term, we are only reading Descartes, Margaret Cavendish, and Anton Amo. I’m so damn excited about it! It’s gonna be a fun semester!

You know what, coffee is really, really good.

Interested in innovative philosophy pedagogy? Apply to fund your idea through the @plato-philosophy.bsky.social grants program. Deadline is January 31st, and funding can be up to $5,000! www.plato-philosophy.org/plato-grants/

Deadline extended to Jan 20!

Educators: AI is not inevitable. Sure, we can't put the horse back in the barn, but we also are not required to use it in our teaching and I think there is an ethical framework, as Chuck and others have laid out nicely, for resisting its presence in our courses.

Super excited to announce that I’ve joined the board of the @marcavsociety.bsky.social as their Treasurer! Very cool to be part of this amazing group of inspiring scholars!!

This whole thread!

This. We need to be transparent about why we ask students to do assignments and what they should get out of them. Otherwise, it’s perfectly reasonable for them to seek shortcuts for what seems to be pointless busywork.

Just a quick recap of some of the brilliant work we published in 2024! #philsky #publicphilosophy #p4c

If you have undergraduates who are interested in a philosophy MA program with a vibrant, pluralist faculty, competitive funding opportunities, and a friendly, supportive environment, please encourage them to check out Eastern Michigan’s program! www.emich.edu/history-phil...

Me turning the heavy dial on my Marantz receiver: I MAKE THE MUSIC COME OUT BEHOLD I AM THE ARM OF APOLLO

Quick, somebody ask ChatGPT whether this is true!

This lady (@angrycassie.bsky.social) is, without question, the best person in my life. She inspires me to be the best me. I’m so grateful for her. Happy anniversary, Cassie!

Hey Kris, what is academic publishing like? Well, a referee request just asked me to determine where a paper, if publishable, falls on the spectrum between “publishable” and “on account of its excellence ought to be published in” their journal. I get it, but DAMN.

“Why teach 1st graders basic arithmetic? They can give the right answer using a calculator.” This is what tech people sound like talking about AI in higher education.

Little known fact: “Modus Ponens” is actually Latin for “in the mode of pwning”

This game would be the one game to rule them all.