“the hard part was understanding the question. The humanities are here to help us make sense of the questions of our time.” Answers relatively easy, questions, not so much.

Financial Times@financialtimes.com · 3w ago

We need humanities more than ever in the age of AI ft.trib.al/SDdQK9q | opinion

We need humanities more than ever in the age of AI ft.trib.al/SDdQK9q | opinion

We need humanities more than ever in the age of AI

Subjects like literature, languages and history are vital to a thoughtful and prosperous society

ft.trib.al

“Researchers have somehow come to be seen as enemies of the state.”

Financial Times@financialtimes.com · 3w ago

Trump is driving another nail into the coffin of US science ft.trib.al/hkOyneh

“When the ability to construct persuasive arguments is unevenly distributed, an agreement to settle decisions by argument can end up ceding power to those who are better at arguing.”

Rob Sica@robsica.bsky.social · 3w ago

🔪"if the distribution of persuasive information—facts, findings, expert consensus, etc.—is disproportionately shaped by people who don’t seem to share your values or interests, what amount of scepticism towards that information is warranted?"

Thoughts on AI and human cognition. www.linkedin.com/posts/david-...

#jrc | David Mair

If we want to understand how humans and AI could work together, we need to understand how we think - our metacognition. A lot of individual human thinking is less logical reasoning and more rational...

linkedin.com

Global warming accelerating. Extreme temperatures accelerating. Sea-level rise accelerating. Heat wave worst ever. Not good, when scientists are surprised. @eroston.bsky.social with a roundup that, yes, ends in renewables prices falling faster than expected: www.bloomberg.com/graphics/202...

"Scientists must distinguish between empirical judgements about evidence and political judgements that are rooted in values." Yes. Also politicians should equally clearly distinguish between their judgements about the science and values trade-offs. This is hard. www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Scientists should recognize their own political biases to build public trust

Public trust in science can’t be sustained by the support of narrow constituencies at one end of an ideological spectrum.

nature.com

NEW: Is there a 'crisis' of public trust in science? It can feel that way — with attacks on research in the US and growing rejection of vaccines. I investigated for @nature.com - and found some surprises. My feature article is out today and a short🧵here www.nature.com/articles/d41...

Have people stopped trusting science? The data tell a surprising story

Some say there’s a global crisis of trust — but research reveals where the real problems lie.

nature.com

Lots of interest in new citizen engagement tools (assemblies, panels, participatory budgeting etc.) across Europe but not so much evidence about impact on policies, policymakers and democracy. Until now from @scienceinnovation.ec.europa.eu #JRC knowledge4policy.ec.europa.eu/major-report...

"Interventions should therefore aim to support productive conflict and civil disagreement in a pluralistic space — one that can yield greater mutual understanding, improved democratic deliberation, and more equitable collective decisions." Amen.

Sander van der Linden@profsanderlinden.bsky.social · last mo.

New Nature paper with the brilliant @yarakyrychenko.bsky.social! Digital technologies are shaping the public sphere but were not designed as democratic infrastructure. We propose aligning social technologies with democratic principles of inclusivity, fairness, & representativeness. rdcu.be/fqnyw

If not scientific evidence, what other information weighs heavily with policymakers? Was Keynes right that "Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist."? #1

To what extent is the failure to address the climate crisis a driver in a loss of trust in democracy and democratic institutions? Are other major unsolved societal challenges driving disillusion and distrust more?

EXTRAORDINARY DAY 45 DEGREES MOST EXTREME DAY IN EUROPEAN HISTORY THOUSANDS OF RECORDS are being smashed allover Europe with Temperatures near 45C in France and Spain. Over HUNDRED stations in France broke their ALL TIME RECORD , tbc-Updates later

Fascinating to see the effect of AI "fact-density" on normative beliefs. Possibly good news for public reasoning?

Tom Stafford@tomstafford.mastodon.online.ap.brid.gy · last mo.

Don’t panic! But do share and comment - I’m interested to hear what people think of this one https://tomstafford.substack.com/p/ai-systems-out-persuade-expert-humans

Focus on the distraction and the sowing of distrust not only the disinformation.

Financial Times@financialtimes.com · 2mo ago

Big Tech is stoking unrest in the UK. Why? ft.trib.al/JbnxAVV

@nationoflanguage.bsky.social SO looking forward to seeing you tonight (second time).

Looks interesting from @geoffmulgan.bsky.social www.geoffmulgan.com/blog/public-...

Advanced Introduction to Public Innovation, Edward Elgar, 2026 — Geoff Mulgan

I’ve written a book trying to put in one place lessons about what works in public innovation, from structuring teams to finance, experiments to evidence, citizen engagement to technology, systems to a...

geoffmulgan.com

Trump’s proposed grant rules could destroy US science, researcher warns ft.trib.al/7tZVxF7

Trump’s proposed grant rules could destroy US science, researcher warns

Additional funding controls by Office of Management and Budget will make new discoveries less likely, say critics

ft.trib.al

“we need more democracy, not less” @pollycurtis.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Britain is in a doom loop: people mistrust democracy and politicians. I say a hope loop is possible too | Polly Curtis

There are ways to address the lack of faith. And unless Starmer, Burnham or Streeting do that, the issue of who is PM is moot, says Polly Curtis of Demos

theguardian.com

Important argument for science & democracy in recent encyclical. “The search for truth is an essential element of democracy … When questions about what is true lose their appeal, and a pragmatism takes hold that is content with what appears useful or effective, then democratic life is weakened …”

Fascinating.

The Guardian@theguardian.com · 2mo ago

Mandelson messages could form a manual in the dark arts of wielding power and keeping it

Belgian Buns (iced with glacé cherry) are not available in Belgium.

COVID lesson: trust the public with hard truths www.nature.com/articles/d41...

COVID lesson: trust the public with hard truths

When governments assume that people will panic, that exacerbates the pandemic.

nature.com

tl,dr; Scientists no longer allowed to use federal funding to publish, attend meetings, or talk to the public. They cannot collaborate internationally. Grants can be cancelled for any reason, at any time, political appointees have a final say over what gets funded, and who gets funded.

Science Magazine@science.org · 2mo ago

The White House today announced it plans to make major changes in how the U.S. government manages research funding. https://scim.ag/43HgW4s

EXTRAORDINARY DAY FOR HISTORY 4 centuries of European climatology swept by this madness :Records broken by up to 6/7C NEW MAY RECORDS 35.1 Kew Gardens 🇬🇧 32.9 Cardiff 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 30.5 Shannon 🇮🇪 34.0 !! Jersey 🇯🇪 min 22.2 max. 31.5 Guernsey 🇬🇬 Many exceeded June records,even by much

Met Office - weather and climate@metoffice.gov.uk · 2mo ago

Today is now the hottest day in May on record for both England and Wales with Kew Gardens provisionally reaching 35.1°C and Cardiff Bute Park reaching 32.9°C 🌡️

See also: we need scientists, science communicators and knowledge brokers because scientific evidence also doesn’t explain itself.

American Historical Association@historians.org · 4mo ago

We need historians because evidence doesn’t explain itself. Context does not simply exist. It is built through research, interpretation, and critical analysis. What stories have you uncovered in the historical record? #TalkAboutHumanities 🗃️

Relationships in general and democracy in particular means being able to live with people and arguments you disagree with and to either agree to disagree or use the disagreement to reach a better agreement.

Boring Manager Rob 🅅@bourboninexile.bsky.social · 2mo ago

The paper in question: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

ANOTHER HISTORIC DAY IN EUROPE Hundreds of records smashed allover Europe in Spain,France,UK,Ireland,Alps,etc In Northern Spain records continue: 35.5 San Sebastian Min 20.2 Max 34.9 Oviedo Double record AUSTRIA 32.7C Lienz- May record Hotter tomorrow:38C Spain/France,35 UK etc

Extreme Temperatures Around the World@extremetemps.bsky.social · 3mo ago

HISTORY IS COMING: 40c IN EUROPE This will arguably be the harshest spring heat wave in European history We can see up to 40C in Spain,35C in Central Europe for days. Thousands of records will be pulverized in Spain,Portugal,France,Benelux,UK;SCandinavia,Germany,Alps,Czechia,..

ABSOLUTE INSANITY >37c IN FRANCE 340 RECORDS BROKEN Europe is living the most extreme event in history with thousands of records pulverized every day. 37.1CSoort Hossegor Over 600 records broken in 4 days and MANY more to come. Some broken by 6C! See list of records by Meteociel 🧵(long thread !)

32.3ºC at Kew Gardens is the hottest May temperature on record at the station since records began in 1881, beating its previous May maximum by 2ºC (30.3ºC, 25th May 1922). It beat its maximum temperature date record for the 24th of May by OVER 2ºC (30.2ºC, 1922), exceptional.