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Adam Toon

@adamtoonphilos.bsky.social
866 followers 1.2K following 207 posts

Director of Egenis, the Centre for the Study of Life Sciences. Associate Professor of Philosophy, University of Exeter. Author of Mind as Metaphor (OUP, 2023) and Models as Make-Believe (Palgrave, 2012).

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Reposted by Adam Toon
Pavel @spavel.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
meep meep
Trolley problem but the roadrunner is on the track. When the coyote pulls the lever, the streetcar lurches sideways off the track and flattens him instead.
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Adam Toon @adamtoonphilos.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
🚨 Available for another two weeks ONLY! 🚨 Get your FREE copy while stocks last!
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Knowledge in Crisis @knowledgecrisis.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Director of research, Tim Crane, presents his claims that AI is not conscious and never can be at the CEU Department of Philosophy's colloquium next week. Join Us! #philsky #colloquium #AI #consciousness
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Adam Toon @adamtoonphilos.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
📚 Our Cambridge Element on Mental Fictionalism is out now and available free until 19th October! 📚 Download it here: doi.org/10.1017/9781... @keithfrankish.com @universitypress.cambridge.org #philsky #philmind #philpsy #cogsci
Cover of Mental Fictionalism, by Ted Parent, Adam Toon and Tamas Demeter (Cambridge Elements in Philosophy of Mind).
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Frances Egan @francesegan.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Mind and Language has published a symposium on my book Deflating Mental Representation (MIT Press, open access) with excellent commentary by Ken Aizawa kenaizawa.bsky.social, Angela Mendelovici braininavat4eva.bsky.social, and Adam Toon adamtoonphilos.bsky.social, and a reply by me, all open access.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
Mind & Language
Click on the title to browse this journal
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Adam Toon @adamtoonphilos.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
It was a pleasure to contribute to this symposium in Mind & Language on Frances Egan's wonderful book, Deflating mental representation (MIT, 2025). My paper on "Deflationism, realism and fictionalism" is Open Access: dx.doi.org/10.1111/mila... @francesegan.bsky.social @kenaizawa.bsky.social #philsky
dx.doi.org
Deflationism, realism, and fictionalism
Frances Egan's Deflating mental representation gives a forceful defence of deflationism about mental representation. Deflationism is a form of selective realism: It is realist about vehicles of menta....
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Celso Neto @celsoneto.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
#DefendExeterUni www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
University of Exeter in talks to cut about 150 members of staff
The university says it is consulting with colleagues over "limited and specific potential changes".
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David Harvey @davidharvey.org · 12/06/2026
The large capitalist now swims in wealth, whose proper use he has not been taught and does not know. Through his wealth, he has gained power. His wealth and his power blind his reason; and when he oppresses altogether grievously, he believes he is bestowing favours."
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Imperfect Cognitions @imperfectcognitions.com · 28/05/2026
Daniel Dennett's influence on modern philosophy cannot be overstated. Today, in his honour, Lisa Bortolotti presents a special issue of Philosophical Psychology dedicated to the legacy of his philosophy. #philsky imperfectcognitions....
Daniel Dennett
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Constantine Sandis @csandis.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
I signed the “Save the Humanities at the University of Hertfordshire” petition because this issue matters to me, and I’d love to help it reach 5,000 signatures. If it matters to you too, you can read and sign below ️️✍️ Thanks for your support! www.change.org/p/save-the-h...
change.org
Sign the Petition
Save the Humanities at the University of Hertfordshire
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Latest papers: Víctor Fernández Castro & Miguel Núñez de Prado-Gordillo explore the intersection between fictionalism and the neurodiversity movement doi.org/10.1080/0951... #philsky #philpsy
A brain
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
Latest papers: Nathanial Blower compare’s Adam Toon’s pretense-theoretic mental fictionalism with Wittgenstein’s philosophy of mind doi.org/10.1080/0951... #philsky #philpsy
A brain with lots of different items inside including a ladder, a cog and a puzzle piece
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Lisa Bortolotti @lisabortolotti.com · 30/04/2026
Melinda Gülsüm Esen’s review of Adam Toon’s Mind and Metaphor is now free access doi.org/10.1080/0951... #philsky #philsci @adamtoonphilos.bsky.social
doi.org
Mental fictionalism: a new approach to understanding the nature of the mind
Published in Philosophical Psychology (Vol. 39, No. 3, 2026)
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Martin Kusch @martinkusch.bsky.social · 24/04/2026
My CUP Element on "Wittgenstein and Relativism" can now be downloaded for free. I hope some of you will find it interesting. www.cambridge.org/core/element... #philosophy #Wittgenstein #relativism
cambridge.org
Wittgenstein and Relativism
Cambridge Core - Philosophy: General Interest - Wittgenstein and Relativism
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British Journal for the Philosophy of Science @thebjps.bsky.social · 21/04/2026
New from the BJPS Review of Books The Units of Life – Ellen Clarke Reviewed by John Dupré www.thebsps.org/reviewofbook... #phisci #hpbio #philsky
thebsps.org
Ellen Clarke, The Units of Life | BJPS Review of Books
John Dupré reviews The Units of Life, by Ellen Clarke
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Harriet Fagerberg @harrif.bsky.social · 20/04/2026
Cambridge Department of History and Philosophy of Science are now on Bluesky! 🔭📚 @hpscambridge.bsky.social
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Angela Cassidy @angecass.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
Sounding another Egenis job klaxon! My excellent colleague Stefan Guttinger is looking for a #philsci postdoc to think through #AI agents and trustworthy knowledge in the biosciences. 4 year post! #HPS #STS
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Hetan Shah @hetanshah.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
May I interest you in £10k for humanities or social science research? Our small grants scheme is open. Apply by 3rd June. We allocate through partial randomisation - awarding randomly between all applications that meet our quality threshold www.thebritishacademy.ac.uk/funding/sche...
thebritishacademy.ac.uk
British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants
The British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grants are available to support primary research in the humanities and social sciences. These awards, up to £10,000 in value and tenable for up to 24 mont...
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Very exciting new issue published today! It contains a special issue on the philosophy of Daniel Dennett (Dennett's Powerful Ideas) and a symposium on Adam Toon's book, "Mind as Metaphor" #vol39issue3 Enjoy! www.tandfonline.com/...
Mind as Metaphor book coverDaniel Dennett photo
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
And to end the symposium, Melinda Gülsüm Esen reviews the book! doi.org/10.1080/0951... #vol39issue3 #newbooks #philsky #philpsy #booksky 9/9
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Adam Toon responds to his critics! A further defence of fictionalism about mental states doi.org/10.1080/0951... #vol38issue3 #philsky #philpsy 8/9
doi.org
(Still) defending mental fictionalism: A response to commentaries on Mind as Metaphor
This paper responds to commentaries on Mind as Metaphor by Craig Bourne and Emily Caddick Bourne, Tamás Demeter, László Kocsis and Krisztián Pete, Zoe Drayson, M. Jimena Clavel Vázquez, and Kendall...
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Zoe Drayson explores the motivation for #fictionalism about the mental, arguing that Toon’s positive argument seems to ontologically commit him to the types of mental states he is trying to deny doi.org/10.1080/0951... #vol38issue3 #philsky #philpsy 7/9
doi.org
What motivates mental fictionalism?
Mental fictionalists propose that we should continue to engage in truth-conditional discourse about the mind, even though we have reason to believe that the discourse lacks truthmakers. In Mind As ...
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Kendall L. Walton asks whether fictionalism is just #behaviourism in his commentary: doi.org/10.1080/0951... #vol39issue3 #philsky #philpsy 6/9
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
M. Jimena Clavel Vázquez argues that we can articulate the fictionalist proposal in terms of collective #imagination understood as a shared or collective practice sedimented in habits and behaviours doi.org/10.1080/0951... #vol39issue3 #philsky #philpsy 5/9
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Tamás Demeter, László Kocsis & Krisztián Pete aim to show that representationally essential #metaphors are incompatible with genuine causal #explanation doi.org/10.1080/0951... #vol38issue3 #philsky #philpsy 4/9
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Craig Bourne & Emily Caddick Bourne offer the first commentary, where they develop David Lewis’s notion of a quasi-miracle to suggest an alternative form of #fictionalism to Toon's doi.org/10.1080/0951... #vol39issue3 #philsky #philpsy 3/9
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Next, Adam Toon presents the main themes of his book, Mind as Metaphor, in a precis: doi.org/10.1080/0951... #vol39issue3 #philsky #philpsy 2/9
doi.org
Defending mental fictionalism: A précis of Mind as Metaphor
Mind as Metaphor develops a new approach to the mind. This approach is called mental fictionalism. It claims that our concept of mind is fundamentally metaphorical: we project the “outer world” of ...
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 03/04/2026
Is the #mind just a metaphor? Dive into our new book symposium with this thread for #vol39issue3! Start with Kathleen Murphy-Hollies and Lisa Bortolotti's editorial doi.org/10.1080/0951... free access #vol39issue3 #philsky #philpsy 1/9
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Adam Toon @adamtoonphilos.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
I am extremely grateful to @lisabortolotti.com and @kmurphyhollies.bsky.social for organising this symposium and to the fantastic contributors: Craig Bourne, Emily Caddick Bourne, Tamás Demeter, @zoedrayson.bsky.social, László Kocsis, Krisztián Pete, M. Jimena Clavel Vázquez, and Kendall L. Walton
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
Latest papers: Bruno Mölder argues that there is still no satisfactory response to the cognitive collapse objection to mental fictionalism doi.org/10.1080/0951... #philsky #philpsy
Neurons
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Lisa Bortolotti @lisabortolotti.com · 26/01/2026
I'm delighted that @journalphp.bsky.social is the home of this paper, born out of the long-standing & extremely fruitful collaboration between @keithfrankish.com & Daniel Dennett. Open access! doi.org/10.1080/0951... #philsky #philpsy (soon to appear in our special issue on Dennett's Powerful Ideas)
doi.org
The Emancipation of the drone: A Dennettian thought experiment
This paper presents an extended thought experiment conducted by Daniel Dennett and the author as a way of exploring how consciousness might develop without a central “Cartesian Theater.” The starti...
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Adam Toon @adamtoonphilos.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
🎄Festive news in mental fictionalism!🎄 More fantastic contributions for our special issue of Philosophical Psychology. First: Krzysztof Poslajko on "How to be a fictionalist about corporate mentality" doi.org/10.1080/0951... @kposlajko.bsky.social @journalphp.bsky.social #philsky #philmind #cogsci
doi.org
How to be a fictionalist about corporate mentality
The aim of this paper is to present a plausible exposition of the broadly fictionalist intuitions that are often expressed in legal theory and economics regarding the attributions of mental states ...
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
Latest papers: Gavin Robert Foster offers an ontogenetic challenge to mental fictionalism in this open access paper doi.org/10.1080/0951... #philsky #philpsy
A primate
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CRPR University of Exeter @crpr-exeter.bsky.social · 10/12/2025
Reminder: Professor Michael Winter’s Distinguished Lecture 17.12.25 @crpr-exeter.bsky.social: Whatever happened to the Political Economy of Agriculture? Hybrid: Queen’s building, LT1 - 10:15-12:15 or online. Registration is via Eventbrite (bit.ly/3KDpFPu ). Any questions: crpr@exeter.ac.uk.
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Prof Sheena Cruickshank @sheencr.bsky.social · 07/12/2025
A nice story for a change as a wild beaver been discovered in Norfolk.
theguardian.com
‘No one knows where it came from’: first wild beaver spotted in Norfolk for 400 years
Cameras capture lone creature collecting materials for its lodge in riverside nature reserve
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Faculty of Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences @uniofexeterhass.bsky.social · 17/02/2025
Hello Bluesky! The Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences at @exeter.ac.uk is excited to be here and we are ready to connect! Follow us to read about all the amazing things our HASS community is getting up to 💚 #exeterforever
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Celso Neto @celsoneto.bsky.social · 01/12/2025
Tomorrow!
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Jose A. Cañada @joseacanada.bsky.social · 28/11/2025
EASST Review - the publication of the European Association for the Study of Science and Technology - is looking for an editorial assistant. Duties are copy-editing and communication with authors. We have two issues every year with about 10 submissions each. Reach out if interested!
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RENEWBiodiversity.bsky.social @renewbiodiversity.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Bogs. Quagmires. Peatlands. Squidgy worlds full of beginnings and endings. Inspired by bogs, we hope our poetry & creative approaches will help you get stuck into understanding & caring for #peatlands. Discover the squelchy world of 'BogTalk' below. renewbiodiversity.org.uk/bog-talk-poe...
A photograph of restored peatland on Dartmoor, the image contains two sections of immersed peatland and a view of hills in the distance. A photograph of sundew a small but carnivorous red and orange plant with sticky protruding glands that catch insects. This plant is often found in peatland. Photograph by Rose Ferraby
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Sabina Leonelli @sabinaleonelli.bsky.social · 20/11/2025
The call for applications for 2026 European Advanced School in Philosophy of Life Sciences is now open! Deadline 15 Jan 2026, theme will be “philosophy of biology for a healthy planet”, all info here: www.kli.ac.at/en/events/ev... graduate students &early postdocs, do consider joining us! #philsci
kli.ac.at
Events | Event Calendar | Discover The KLI
The Konrad Lorenz Institute provides a stimulating and creative environment for fellows, visiting scholars, students, and external faculty.
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 29/10/2025
Latest papers: Agata Machcewicz-Grad discusses a hybrid view of beliefs developed by Tim Crane and Katalin Farkas, which combines a fictionalist treatment of standing beliefs with a realist account of occurrent judgments doi.org/10.1080/0951... #philsky #philpsy
A person’s head with a question mark inside
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Philosophical Psychology @journalphp.bsky.social · 01/11/2025
Latest papers: Michael D. Kirchhoff argues mental representation in cognitive science is not a useful fiction because it fails to be genuinely explanatory in this open access article doi.org/10.1080/0951... #philsky #phipsy
A brain with flowers
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Zoe Drayson @zoedrayson.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
🚨New publication🚨: my paper 'What motivates mental fictionalism?' is part of a Philosophical Psychology symposium on Mind As Metaphor by @adamtoonphilos.bsky.social. Available at www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
What motivates mental fictionalism?
Mental fictionalists propose that we should continue to engage in truth-conditional discourse about the mind, even though we have reason to believe that the discourse lacks truthmakers. In Mind As ...
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Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science @mcps-philsci.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
Two-year postdoc w/ Minnesota Center for Philosophy of Science! Scholars in all areas of #philsci, inclusive of philosophical approaches to logic&math, are eligible. This is understood broadly to include issues in the history&practice of particular sciences.Deadline 5 Dec 2025. buff.ly/MhR4PcK
philjobs.org
Two-Year Post-Doctoral Associate, Philosophy of Science, University of Minnesota - PhilJobs:JFP
An international database of jobs for philosophers
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Celso Neto @celsoneto.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
Interested in the social implications of genomics and its philosophical aspects? Our project has numerous activities coming up! Follow the blusky account to stay up-to-date. #philsky #STS #popgen #metascience #philsci #HPbio
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HUGERA @hugeraproject.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
Hello BLue-Sky, are you interested in the study of the social implications of genomics? Our project brings together philosophers, social scientists, and geneticists to address this question. Follow us here and sign-up for our mailing list at Hugera.org/contact/ #philsky #STS #metascience
hugera.org
Contact - HUGERA
The HUGERA team welcomes new collaborators and partners, within and outside academia. Most of our activities, such as lectures and workshops, are open. To know more about our activities, join our mail...
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Hanna Lucia Worliczek @hworliczek.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
#Job #PhilSci #HPS Fully funded PhD-position at Bielefeld University, Philosophy of the Biomedical Sciences), deadline Oct 30, 2025 Job ad: uni-bielefeld.hr4you.org/job/view/451... On the program: blogs.uni-bielefeld.de/blog/isosnew...
uni-bielefeld.hr4you.org
Doctoral Researcher in Philosophy of the Medical S...
The History and Philosophy of Medicine Group, led by Prof. Lara Keuck, is looking for a highly motivated candidate for a three-year PhD project in phi...
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Yoshinari Yoshida @yoshinariyoshida.bsky.social · 30/09/2025
I've just launched my new website! It has a page on my Marie Curie project, which I will keep updating as the project progresses. yoshinariyoshida.com
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Alisa Bokulich @alisabokulich.bsky.social · 27/09/2025
Just 2 weeks left to submit for 2025 Du Châtelet Prize in Philosophy of Physics Topic: Physics in the writings of women 1700-1900 Deadline: October 10, 2025, 11:59 PM GMT <10K words, blinded, unpublished; prize is open to grad students & scholars w/in 5 years of PhD www.duchateletprize.org #HPS
An 18thC engraving of Emile Du Chatelet in a traditional dress and choker necklace depicted in an oval frame with a globe and books in background.  There is an inscription below her portrait "C'est ainsi que la Verité Pour mieux etablir sa puissance a pris les traits de la beauté, et les graces de l'eloquence." © The Trustees of the British Museum. Shared under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) licence.
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Alisa Bokulich @alisabokulich.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
#Postdoc at Technische Universität Berlin in digital humanities & history/philosophy/sociology of science #philsci #STS. ERC project investigates digital communication within the ATLAS collaboration at CERN Deadline: October 13, 2025 www.jobs.tu-berlin.de/en/job-posti... #PhilJobs
jobs.tu-berlin.de
Job Posting I-390/25: Research Associate - salary grade E13 TV-L Berliner Hochschulen – Job Postings at Technische Universität Berlin
Faculty I - Humanities and Educational Sciences, Institute of History and Philosophy of Science, Technology, and Literature / History and Philosophy of Modern Science
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