'Psychologizing, Authority, and Propaganda' now available open access here: doi.org/10.1017/epi..... I argue that in deciding whether to interpret others as engaging in good or bad faith epistemic practices, a great deal depends on the power they have. Let me know what you think!

Psychologizing, Authority, and Propaganda | Episteme | Cambridge Core

Psychologizing, Authority, and Propaganda

doi.org

Matt Shields@mattbshields.bsky.social · last mo.

I have a new paper coming out called ‘Psychologizing, Authority, and Propaganda’: philpapers.org/rec/SHIPAA-15. When should we judge that other people’s beliefs and actions are a product of bad faith?

Winston-Salem tenants are living in unsafe, unmaintained housing while landlords face little consequence for failing to make repairs. North Carolina cities like Durham and Greensboro have already passed stronger protections. It's time Winston-Salem does the same! actionnetwork.org/petitions/ho...

I have a new paper coming out called ‘Psychologizing, Authority, and Propaganda’: philpapers.org/rec/SHIPAA-15. When should we judge that other people’s beliefs and actions are a product of bad faith?

Philosophers! Craig Callender and I are circulating an open letter calling for better COI disclosure in our journals. If tech companies fund and employ philosophers working on AI, we need to know and to be thinking about the impacts 1 docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Open Letter about Industry Funding and Disclosure in Philosophy

*For full list of signatories, updated every few hours, please click here.* In recent years, philosophical writing on areas such as climate change, technology, misinformation, and artificial intellige...

docs.google.com

On June 9th, Crystal Towers United, Healy Towers United, and Housing Justice Now rallied against intimidation tactics and retaliatory practices by ASPIRE against tenant organizing. Support tenants by signing our petition calling on ASPIRE to end retaliation! actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

ASPIRE tenants are increasingly facing hostility and unjust retaliation from management when advocating for better living conditions and tenant rights. Sign our petition demanding ASPIRE stop retaliation against public housing tenants now! actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...

Do something nice today if you can. I hope you make your goal, Ms. Edith!

Sudarshan Krishnamurthy, PhD@sudkrishnamurthy.bsky.social · 4mo ago

As someone who has had the chance to organize alongside Ms. Edith for 2 years, I can say with certainty that she shows up for everyone. She uses her car for multiple grocery runs a week so she can feed her neighbors! Please donate anything you can to help Ms. Edith and, by extension, Healy towers! 🫶🏽

As someone who has had the chance to organize alongside Ms. Edith for 2 years, I can say with certainty that she shows up for everyone. She uses her car for multiple grocery runs a week so she can feed her neighbors! Please donate anything you can to help Ms. Edith and, by extension, Healy towers! 🫶🏽

Matt Shields@mattbshields.bsky.social · 4mo ago

I'm hosting a fundraiser for an incredible community leader, Edith Chisholm: gofund.me/4095ab1ca. In addition to helping organize a powerful tenant union in her building, Edith collects grocery donations to help food insecure neighbors. She needs a new car. Please consider donating and share widely!

I'm hosting a fundraiser for an incredible community leader, Edith Chisholm: gofund.me/4095ab1ca. In addition to helping organize a powerful tenant union in her building, Edith collects grocery donations to help food insecure neighbors. She needs a new car. Please consider donating and share widely!

Donate to Help Ms. Edith Feed Her Neighbors!, organized by Matthew Shields

Ms. Edith Chisholm is a force of nature. She is one of the most inspiring leaders a… Matthew Shields needs your support for Help Ms. Edith Feed Her Neighbors!

gofund.me

I have a new paper coming out on conceptual abandonment: philpapers.org/rec/SHIDFP-2. Abandonment is a ubiquitous strategy in the history of philosophy – philosophers have advocated getting rid of folk psychological concepts, the concept of harm, the concept of democracy, among many others.

Matthew Shields, Diving for pearls: conceptual abandonment, conceptual engineering, and the limits of thought and language - PhilPapers

References to conceptual abandonment are ubiquitous in philosophy. I argue that making a case for abandonment is much harder than philosophers have realized and that this difficulty has striking, broa...

philpapers.org

New paper replying to some criticism of my work on pragmatism. Also used it as an opportunity to lay out some more general ideas about conceptual engineering and change, rationality, and Rorty: philpapers.org/rec/SHICIA-4. Let me know what you think!

Matthew Shields, Conceptual Inquiry and Pragmatism: Reply to Phelan - PhilPapers

Kate Phelan’s reply to my “Conceptual Change and Future Paths for Pragmatism” channels elements of Rorty’s pragmatism to defend the view that the pragmatist need not face the challenge of accounting ....

philpapers.org

The bombing of Iran, the starving of Cuba, the waging of genocide in Palestine. It's time to let go of the idea the role of the US is to enforce a rules-based order, and instead recognize the incredible harm our country unleashes around the world, and take meaningful action to reduce it.

Officially up online here: doi.org/10.1080/0020.... Let me know if you'd like a copy!

The perils of epistemic idealism

I argue that philosophers are vulnerable to an occupational hazard that I call ‘epistemic idealism’. This is the assumption that a practice in our epistemic lives with harmful political consequence...

doi.org

Matt Shields@mattbshields.bsky.social · 8mo ago

I have a new paper coming out in Inquiry called ‘The Perils of Epistemic Idealism': philpapers.org/rec/SHITPO-40. I argue that especially in applied, political work, philosophers have a tendency to assume that political harms are primarily a product of false beliefs and misguided concepts.

CONTINGENT PHILOSOPHERS! (Contractually, not metaphysically). I’ve been a big fan of @contingent-mag.bsky.social for a while. This year they’re letting philosophy piggyback one of their institutions: the year-end list of books and articles written by non tenured/permanent academics in that year.

Publications by Non-Tenure-Track Historians

Since we began publishing in 2019, Contingent has published end-of-year lists of books and articles by non-tenure-track historians released in the past calendar year. To submit something for inclusion...

contingentmagazine.org

actionnetwork.org/petitions/pr...

Protect Academic Freedom, Our Faculty, Our Communities

Faculty, staff, students, alumni, and community members: The UNC System is preparing to cave to political pressure from the Heritage Foundation, the Oversight Project, and the James Martin Center by ...

actionnetwork.org

I have a new paper coming out in Inquiry called ‘The Perils of Epistemic Idealism': philpapers.org/rec/SHITPO-40. I argue that especially in applied, political work, philosophers have a tendency to assume that political harms are primarily a product of false beliefs and misguided concepts.

Matthew Shields, The Perils of Epistemic Idealism - PhilPapers

I argue that philosophers are vulnerable to an occupational hazard that I call ‘epistemic idealism.’ This is the assumption that a practice in our epistemic lives with harmful political consequences i...

philpapers.org

actionnetwork.org/petitions/pr...

Protect Evergreen Ridge tenants’ right to organize in the aftermath of extreme intimidation tactics

On Saturday, Oct 11th, Jen Hampton’s car was set on fire and destroyed while she was canvassing at Evergreen Ridge Apartments at 48-52 Riceville Road. Jen was canvassing there to organize with the ten...

actionnetwork.org

It is UK publication day for "The Magic Kingdom and the Meaning of Life" (from @politybooks.bsky.social). I guess it's a strange time for a book about Disney to arrive in the world, but this project means a lot to me, and I'm really proud of it. www.wiley.com/en-ie/The+Ma...

The Magic Kingdom and the Meaning of Life: A Philosopher Visits Disney World

What truths and life lessons can we take away from a seemingly trivial theme park in Orlando, Florida? <br /><br />Father and philosopher Adam Kadlac reflects on his own visits to Walt Disney World, a...

wiley.com

Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, says UN inquiry

Israel has committed genocide in Gaza, says UN inquiry

Commission’s 72-page legal analysis cites examples including scale of killings, aid blockages and forced displacement * Middle East crisis – live updates A UN commission of inquiry concluded on Tuesday that Israel had committed genocide in Gaza and that top Israeli officials including the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had incited these acts. It cited examples of the scale of the killings, aid blockages, forced displacement and the destruction of a fertility clinic to back up its genocide finding, adding its voice to rights groups and others that have reached the same conclusion. Continue reading...

theguardian.com

✨️ Your assistance needed! ✨️ gofund.me/731300e6 Dennis is a dedicated HJN organizer. He has worked to improve conditions at Healy Towers. Residents have won repairs, common space improvements, drug treatment resources, and successfully stopped a wrongful eviction. Any amount is appreciated!

Donate to Restore Dennis's Quality of Life: Dental Procedure Fund, organized by Matthew Shields

Dennis Threatt is a dedicated organizer with Housing Justice N… Matthew Shields needs your support for Restore Dennis's Quality of Life: Dental Procedure Fund

gofund.me

Dennis Threatt is a public housing resident and one of the most dedicated organizers building the NC Tenants Union. He's helped win substantial improvements for his fellow residents, but now he needs our help: he has a major procedure not being covered by Medicare/Medicaid: gofund.me/731300e6.

Donate to Restore Dennis's Quality of Life: Dental Procedure Fund, organized by Matthew Shields

Dennis Threatt is a dedicated organizer with Housing Justice N… Matthew Shields needs your support for Restore Dennis's Quality of Life: Dental Procedure Fund

gofund.me

from Dr. Caravello's union: bsky.app/profile/cfau...

California Faculty Association@cfaunited.bsky.social · last yr.

Yesterday, one of our union leaders was arrested during an ICE raid in Camarillo, CA, while he was lawfully observing immigration enforcement activities. www.calfac.org/statement-condemning-the-abduction-and-disappearance-of-cfa-members-in-camarillo/

"Jonathan Caravello...was reportedly “piled on by multiple agents all at once” as “he tried to help a man in a wheelchair” who was having difficulty moving after...[ICE] agents threw canisters of tear gas" our colleague is still missing as of the last info I got dailynous.com/2025/07/12/p...

Philosophy Professor Reportedly Assaulted & Abducted During ICE Raid on Farm - Daily Nous

Jonathan Caravello, a lecturer in philosophy at California State University Channel Islands, was reportedly "piled on by multiple agents all at once" as "he tried to help a man in a wheelchair" who wa...

dailynous.com

Judge orders the release of a philosophy student who was snatched by ICE agents at a citizenship interview earlier this month.

Judge Orders ICE to Free Philosophy Major it Abducted - Daily Nous

Mohsen Mahdawi, the graduating philosophy major at Columbia University who was taken into custody by hooded and masked Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during his appointment for a US ...

dailynous.com

The level of organizing for April 17 is really knocking our 🧦 off. 175+ events & more getting added to our map almost hourly. Join @actioninhighered.bsky.social, @aaup.bsky.social, @debtcollective.bsky.social and more this Thursday, at campuses in 44 states & online: www.dayofactionforhighered.org

Coalition for Action in Higher Ed@actioninhighered.bsky.social · last yr.

🗣️🗣️🗣️Only 2️⃣ days to go until the #DayofActionforHigherEd this Thursday, April 17! More than 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ events will be taking place on campuses across the country 😃 and we have organized 1️⃣4️⃣ online panels, workshops and teach-ins. Get the resources you need to participate at our toolkit below! 👇👇

"The fight for the freedom of Palestine, and the fight against anti-Semitism, go hand in hand, because injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." -- philosophy student Mohsen Mahdawi, who was abducted by ICE Monday during a citizenship interview.

Philosophy Major Snatched by ICE During Citizenship Interview - Daily Nous

Mohsen Mahdawi, a philosophy major at Columbia University who is due to graduate later this semester, was attending a US citizenship application interview in Vermont when he was taken by Immigration a...

dailynous.com

If you're able, please consider giving to support Cynthia, a data center worker here in NC who was retaliated against by Google for union organizing. She's been blacklisted from other jobs, and her bills are soaring thanks in part to a sweetheart deal b/w Duke Energy and Google: shorturl.at/CWTco.

Donate to Support Cynthia West as she fights Google's retaliation, organized by Hailey Huget

Cynthia West was blacklisted from the Google data center in Lenoi… Hailey Huget needs your support for Support Cynthia West as she fights Google's retaliation

gofundme.com

Methodological Questions in the Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories and Applied Epistemology, Matthew Shields In “Rethinking Conspiracy Theories: Method First! A Reply to Shields”, Sanja Dembić pushes back against elements in my article “Rethinking Conspiracy Theories” (2022). Dembić starts her…

Methodological Questions in the Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories and Applied Epistemology, Matthew Shields

In “Rethinking Conspiracy Theories: Method First! A Reply to Shields”, Sanja Dembić pushes back against elements in my article “Rethinking Conspiracy Theories” (2022). Dembić starts her reply by giving a clear and accurate reconstruction of my main argument. I present a novel critique of generalism—the view that conspiracy theories are epistemically defective by their very nature. (To indicate that this is the relevant meaning, I’ll continue with Quassim Cassam’s convention of denoting this generalist concept via capitalization as ‘Conspiracy Theory’.) Rather than arguing that generalism is mistaken, as particularists have done, I present an internal critique of generalism.

social-epistemology.com

🚨NEW at @dropsitenews.com: Georgetown Postdoc Latest To Be Detained by ICE as Crackdown on Campus Speech Widens Badar Khan Suri, an Indian citizen, was detained after pro-Israel groups publicly targeted him and his wife. Story by @architmeta.bsky.social & @mazmhussain.bsky.social

Georgetown Postdoc the Latest to Be Detained by ICE as Crackdown on Campus Speech Widens

Badar Khan Suri was detained by DHS agents after a public campaign against him and his wife by pro-Israel groups.

tinyurl.com

I am proud to be the twelfth signature on this petition in solidarity with @helyehdoutaghi.bsky.social over her suspension from Yale Law School. Shame on Yale. If you are a researcher or faculty somewhere, please sign the open letter alongside myself. openletter.earth/statement-of...

Helyeh_Doutaghi@helyehdoutaghi.bsky.social · last yr.

Suspended for Pro-Palestine Speech: My Statement on Yale Law School’s Embrace of AI-Generated Smears 1/3