Paul Schofield
@pschofie79.bsky.social
I teach philosophy at Bates College. Currently writing about philosophy and homelessness. Work has appeared in the WaPo, Slate, Inside Higher Ed, and the Conversation.
My friend/Bates colleague Mike Dacey and I have just published this paper in The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science. It's been a long time coming (several years and many beers at this point). But it was really a lot of fun to collaborate (link in next comment) (1)
I’ve had a bit with my colleague Mike Dacey where I send him a YouTube video and ask him if the turtle is enjoying his bath as much as he looks like he is (or whatever). Glad to he’s gone public with the bit. (Link in next post)
I have a new essay in Jacobin, arguing that homelessness is at odds with the ideal of a democratic society. I'll take this opportunity to mention that I'm writing a book for Oxford UP elaborating on the ideas in this piece. It will be a trade book, meant for a popular audience.
Jacobin@jacobinmag.bsky.social · last yr.Homelessness is often thought of either as an issue of individual moral failings or merely of bad policy. It should instead be seen as a moral crisis for our democracy, one that demands transformative economic reforms.
14-year-old daughter couldn’t find any friends who wanted to go to the Vampire Weekend show tomorrow, so she asked me.
My colleague Mike Dacey has an excellent and exciting new book out today. It's aimed at an academic audience, but not a narrow specialist one--great for students and also philosophers and animal researchers interested in the topic (1)
My Robert Francis Prevost NFTs are probably worth more today.
The new pope will sing Take Me Out to the Ballgame at Wrigley next week.
What if ChatGPT added to the terms of use that you’re not allowed to use it to cheat?
I think the main thing that matters is whether the new pope vaguely agrees with my politics.
Really would like to see this level of enthusiasm from students these days.
Facebook is aggressively targeting me with these ads. I think it says a lot about society that we're now assuming that *this* is the answer to our problems, rather than antidepressants.
Important context. I hope he shared with HR.
AskAubry 🦝 🐆@ask-aubry.com · last yr.I doubt it's "inexperience" that women reject.
13-year-old son wanted to invite friends over to have pizza and watch Charlie Chaplin for his birthday. Had to contact parents ahead of time and be like “content warning: it’s a Hitler comedy, but don’t worry, because it’s a *disapproving* one.”
Made wontons, mapo tofu, and dry fried green beans. Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Does this mean she goes on to compete against other races now, or is the whole competition segregated by race?
They’ve done away with it for bureaucratic reasons, but Harvard used to have a “shopping period” where students would show up to various classes at the beginning of the semester and only then decide which courses they wanted to take . . .
Jacobin@jacobinmag.bsky.social · last yr.Since the 17th century, our understanding of choice has undergone profound transformations. In the neoliberal era, an especially individualistic, market-oriented idea of freedom has come to dominate more and more of our existence.
I think at some point I had the thought that, resisting the trend of a lot of older powerful men, maybe Bill Belichick would just kind of retire in a dignified way.
I have a new piece in Jacobin about Sophia Rosenfeld's book on the history of choice. My essay is about the significance of this history as we think about the role of choice in human life under neoliberalism. I talk some about shopping, dating, and voting.
Jacobin@jacobinmag.bsky.social · last yr.Since the 17th century, our understanding of choice has undergone profound transformations. In the neoliberal era, an especially individualistic, market-oriented idea of freedom has come to dominate more and more of our existence.
Voters won’t care about the failure to reduce spending—most really don’t know much about how the government works and how much gets spent on what. But I do wonder if at some point the incompetence begins to make the administration look weak & if people will care about *that*
Ok, so this is a bit, right? The Browns are officially doing a bit.
Just got to where Wittgenstein calls some bit of philosophy nonsense for the first time.
I wrote this. It’s about whether homeless people should be coerced into getting mental health and substance use treatment. The answer I give is that the “let’s put them all into mental institutions” is bad, but that coercion can sometimes be necessary to promote autonomy.
Jacobin@jacobinmag.bsky.social · last yr.Promoting meaningful freedom to people suffering from mental illness or substance abuse requires going beyond simple questions of individual choice.
"If we’re uninspired by a liberal politics that promises mostly to cater to people as consumers while blunting capitalism’s hard edges, then perhaps we might breathe life into the Left by talking about housing, education, the arts, and ... (1/2) bsky.app/profile/psch...
Paul Schofield@pschofie79.bsky.social · 2y agoI have a review essay in Jacobin about @mattpolprof.bsky.social excellent new book THE POLITICAL THEORY OF LIBERAL SOCIALISM. Here, I try to say something about the relevance of the tradition for our present moment. jacobin.com/2025/02/libe...
