New publication forthcoming: What do Large Language Models Represent? (Synthese) Preprint available here: https://philpapers.org/rec/RUYWDL #philsci #llm #ai Summary: The aim is to analyse LLMs not as potential agents, as often done, but as *models*, as their name suggests, and apply theories […]

New (short) blog post on why I think the distinction between a metaphysical and semantic component of scientific realism is kind of confused (and how to classify the varieties of non-realist positions). https://pragmatictheories.blogspot.com/2025/12/how-to-distinguish-semantic-and.html […]

Are paintings real? Many art lovers feel they’re looking at real people and landscapes. Scientists say it’s time to consider whether they’re onto something.

Ouiii, BONNE RÉPONSE ! 🎉 La vidéo est sortie : youtu.be/UPaRhtq45qA

Tough to read but important reporting on the everyday, bureaucratic Trump deportation machine. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/2025/11/mass-deportation-immigration/684871/?gift=UDCAY75CzHyGUPSsXwkpWv6mvMeoNr8aKfvBdHgGgpE

Gavin has had it up to here... I hear 🤔

#epsa25 is coming! Why do we put our #trust in scientific experts? How is #science best organized? What do scientific models tell us about the world? This week (27-30 August), over 400 philosophers from around the world will debate such questions during the four-day #conference of the European […]

The only thing ChatGPT ever does.

Yesterday's newsletter, in which I dive into what data goes into the training of large language models, and how that should affect how we think about their capabilities https://tomstafford.substack.com/p/its-in-the-training-data #genai #llms

My article "Perspectivism, concrete and abstract" is now published (open access)! This is a conceptual analysis of perspectivism *in general*, then applied to shed light on quantum perspectivism, perspectival realism, and their differences […]

My article "Perspectivism, concrete and abstract" is now published (open access)! This is a conceptual analysis of perspectivism *in general*, then applied to shed light on quantum perspectivism, perspectival realism, and their differences […]

Part three of my blog series on the semantic conception of scientific theories. Is scientific representation non-linguistic? More pictorial or informal perhaps? Has it to do with idealisations? https://pragmatictheories.blogspot.com/2025/07/reflections-3-is-scientific.html #philsci #philsky […]

I'm summarising some reflections after one year of research on conceptions of scientific theories on my blog. Here's part 2 of 4(?). Is the semantic view about there being two stages in scientific representation? […]

On the practical equivalence between semantic and syntactic conceptions of theories https://pragmatictheories.blogspot.com/2025/07/having-reviewed-work-of-most.html #philsci #philosophyofscience

I'm summarising some reflections after one year of research on conceptions of scientific theories on my blog. Here's part 2 of 4(?). Is the semantic view about there being two stages in scientific representation? […]

On the practical equivalence between semantic and syntactic conceptions of theories https://pragmatictheories.blogspot.com/2025/07/having-reviewed-work-of-most.html #philsci #philosophyofscience

Rogatons Rediffusion - 22/05/2023 - "Énigme" Source: https://www.bouletcorp.com/rogatons/2023/05/22

Review of "There Are No Such Things As Theories" (Steven French 2020) on my blog: https://pragmatictheories.blogspot.com/2025/07/review-of-there-are-no-such-things-as.html #philsci

All talks from the workshop "Structures in the sciences" at IIF UNAM (México) are available on YouTube! https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9T3Tbxn-lMDH66O5pnbeg8Md8m4h1pRj&si=Nw6BAyhudDK0EKq1 #philsci

Excellente video! https://youtu.be/Cm3yAxAqmeE?si=-8XkMCMD_Za8cCeL

Rogatons Rediffusions - 12/05/2023 - "4 Conseils de dessin qui m'ont été utiles" Source: https://www.bouletcorp.com/rogatons/2023/05/12

I get annoyed at the narrative that all the awareness and work on climate change hasn't done anything. Yes, global CO₂ emissions indeed continue to climb, but we don't know the counterfactual. When I was in grad school, we were on track for 5°C of warming. Now […] [Original post on mastodon.world]

I saw this on TwiX and had to turn it into a meme. h/t @never_oppressed

What is truth? On Ramsey, Wittgenstein and the Vienna Circle: https://aeon.co/essays/what-is-truth-on-ramsey-wittgenstein-and-the-vienna-circle

"Extracting Ontological Commitments from Experimental Practice" (soon in Revue de Métaphysique et de Morale) preprint available here: philsci-archive.pitt.edu/25555/ #philsci It's a paper on Entity Realism: the view championed by Nancy Cartwright and Ian Hacking that we can be instrumentalist […]

For anyone following this Mastodon account on bluesky via Bridgy, I will discontinue the bridge. Please follow my bluesky account directly if you don't already: @qruy.bsky.social

New Paper Out! Probabilistic Empiricism, by M. Suarez and myself, examines how probabilistic models representing objective propensities can be confirmed by induction on situations. Now open access at EJPS https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13194-025-00653-5 The article is based on a […]

This is why we don’t need #US #Cars in #Europe

A few comments on Morgan and Morrison's "Models as Mediators" on my research blog "the Pragmatic Conception of Scientific Theories". https://pragmatictheories.blogspot.com/2025/03/non-review-of-models-as-mediators.html #philsci #philsophyofscience

Our article "Probabilistic Empiricism" co-authored by me and M. Suárez will be published soon in the European Journal for Philosophy of Science. It presents an inductive epistemology for objective probabilities, based on the notion of situation. Pre-print available here […]

A few comments on Morgan and Morrison's "Models as Mediators" on my research blog "the Pragmatic Conception of Scientific Theories". https://pragmatictheories.blogspot.com/2025/03/non-review-of-models-as-mediators.html #philsci #philsophyofscience

Our article "Probabilistic Empiricism" co-authored by me and M. Suárez will be published soon in the European Journal for Philosophy of Science. It presents an inductive epistemology for objective probabilities, based on the notion of situation. Pre-print available here […]

Thank you to the Daily Show, we need this right how

Written 90 years ago in 1935, the words of #hemingway in his “Notes on the Next War” should resonate with every thoughtful reader. #geopolitics #eupolitics #uspolitics

Europe should shut down X and Meta since they are enemy propaganda tools. There are enough European alternatives, like this platform. Period. #Mastodon #Fediverse

Aphatie sur le traitement médiatique et professionnel qui lui est réservé: "J’ai été roulé dans le mépris et l’injure par le Bolloréland (...) J’ai été suspendu, ce qui ne m’était jamais arrivé. Malgré des condamnations judiciaires qui ont fait de lui un délinquant, Zemmour n’a jamais été […]

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha (gasps for breath) ha ha ha! "Elon Musk shared a post on his social network stating that [Mexican billionaire Carlos] Slim could have ties to criminal groups, and five minutes later, ... Slim canceled all business collaborations with Starlink in Latin America, which made […]

Denmark 🇩🇰 has joined Norway 🇧🇻 in refusing to refuel US warships.

Honestly EU, it's long overdue for states to block and thus shut down X. The US is actively interfering in elections in plain sight. Shut the offending platform(s) down whilst you still can.

Current US government is like this teenager who loves to piss people off and discovers that friends, families and people who want your good are the most easy to piss off, so it goes for it

La neutralité des sciences, un idéal de droite ? (Défense du positivisme et de la zététique) http://ungraindesable.blogspot.com/2025/02/la-neutralite-des-sciences-est-elle-un.html #philodessciences