Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Science Itself, Not Social Media Alone, Fuels A Culture Of Disinformation

 “We turn to literature not only for respite, relaxation or escape from the boredom of reality and the gnaw of suffering, but to get away from uncertainty. And certainty is in the past.”

He and the Hundred Best Authors'


American Bar Association: “Until recently, when you died, you died—the end. Today, people can “live” on after death in places like Facebook and Instagram, among others. Your online presence doesn’t disappear when you breathe your last. Email addresses survive. Think of all the spam you’ll accumulate postmortem! 

Additionally, you may have many electronic files with client information that will require disposal or distribution to appropriate parties so those people can then access the contents. To properly prepare your estate plan and address related concerns, you and your clients need a formalized electronics file and online presence disposition plan. Consider it a part of the will and trust and “instructions to be followed upon my death” package. Treat it with the same solemnity and significance. 6 Steps to Take Now…”



The old world is over: Key takeaways from Putin’s first major speech since Russia’s military offensive in Ukraine RT 


Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Interview on BBCYouTube. OMG see at 21:50


Russian Defense Ministry sees as insufficient US explanations on biolabs in Ukraine TASS 


  1. “Call me old-fashioned, but I don’t think they should have a lever that allows any old idiot to divert the whole group of us to Westport on a whim” — the trolley is reviewed
  2. New: IPM Monthly – Medieval Philosophy Today — a site for news, opportunities, publication notices, profiles of philosophers, etc., related to medieval philosophy
  3. “What I loved about the history of jazz—namely, that subtle changes to chord sequences and key changes could reframe the entire realm of possibilities for musicians in the future—was also a feature of the history of philosophy” — philosopher Andrea Pitts (UNC Charlotte) is interviewed about their life and work in philosophy, with a particular focus on social identities
  4. What is the value of studying moral dilemmas? — an exchange between Paul Conway (Portsmouth) and Guy Kahane (Oxford)
  5. “A great deal of harm is being done in the modern world by the belief in the virtuousness of work” — Bertrand Russell on the value of leisure and its “wise use,” in a 1932 issue of Harper’s (via The Browser). It was Russell’s 150th birthday this past Wednesday.
  6. “If spectacular forms of white supremacy were to end tomorrow, whiteness as a structure of privilege, power and hegemony would continue” — George Yancy (Emory) on how “white-perpetrated, anti-Black murder is all too acceptable, consistent and inoffensive to the very fabric of this nation”
  7. “Passing is not without costs: it takes a significant emotional and psychological toll, both on individuals who pass and on the friends and family they may leave behind” — Meena Krishnamurthy (Queen’s) on the “burdened virtue” of racial passing

Mini-Heap posts usually appear when 7 or so new items accumulate in the Heap of Links, a collection of items from around the web that may be of interest to philosophers. Discussion welcome.


Science Itself, Not Social Media Alone, Fuels A Culture Of Disinformation

Preprints are an issue. "It’s all too easy to make outsize claims that sidestep the process of peer review. No publication should carry a standalone abstract. ... even scientific papers that have passed through the intended safeguards of peer review can become vectors for confusion." - Nieman Lab


Optimistic Pigs, Tool-Making Birds, Ball-Playing Bees: (Re-)Considering Animal Minds

"The challenge, then, becomes finding a way of thinking about animal minds that doesn't simply view them as like the human mind with the dials turned down: less intelligent, less conscious, more or less distant from the pinnacle of mentation we represent." - The Guardian