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Alexander Douglas

@axdouglas.bsky.social
884 followers 569 following 410 posts

Senior Lecturer in Philosophy, University of St Andrews axdouglas.com axdouglas.substack.com Latest book: www.penguin.co.uk/books/456203/agai… Photo by Lauren Douglas

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Reposted by Alexander Douglas
Dr Kathrine Cuccuru @aphilosopher.eurosky.social · 23/09/2026
Tickets now available for our next PHILOSOPHY BOOKCLUB featuring Alexander Douglas (@axdouglas.bsky.social ) reading from Against Identity Saturday 14 November 2026, 11-12.30, Blackness Library, Dundee. tickts.co.uk/events/philo...
tickts.co.uk
Philosophy Bookclub: Against Identity
Meet Alexander Douglas, who was born in Canberra, Australia, where he studied music and philosophy. He now teaches history of philosophy and the philosophy of economics at the University of St Andrews...
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
🤲
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Desipere aude!
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Reposted by Alexander Douglas
Dr Kathrine Cuccuru @aphilosopher.eurosky.social · 16/09/2026
TODAY! Join me for performance philosophy fun! ‘A PHILOSOPHER WALKS’ THOUGHTFUL STORIES OF A TRAMP is 5pm (Weds 26th) in the Paint Room, The Little Theatre, 58 Victoria rd, Dundee @dundeefringe.bsky.social Tickets £5, available on door.
Show poster with a picture of Kathrine in hiking wear sitting surrounded by eucalypts
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Reposted by Alexander Douglas
opfuchs.gay @opfuchs.gay · 15/09/2026
It’s exceedingly rare for a book to be an insightful work of philosophy, well-grounded in existing scholarship and yet written (and well-written!) at a popular level. This succeeds
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Dr Kathrine Cuccuru @aphilosopher.eurosky.social · 10/09/2026
Down to two! sleeps…
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
I'm trying a new thing of only writing <3m reads. Here's my first go: axdouglas.substack.com/p/power-flow...
axdouglas.substack.com
Power Flows to Boringness
I did very well on my first undergraduate philosophy essay.
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Don’t forget, if you want to understand our world, you _need_ to understand AI* *Against Identity www.penguin.co.uk/books/456203...
penguin.co.uk
Against Identity
Modern life encourages us to pursue the perfect identity. Whether we aspire to become the best lawyer or charity worker, life partner or celebrity influencer, we emulate exemplars that exist in the wo...
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
The Daodejing that can be translated is not the true Daodejing. (I wish I could say I thought of that, but it was @ottolehto.bsky.social).
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
On not reading translations of the Daodejing… axdouglas.substack.com/p/which-daod...
axdouglas.substack.com
Which Daodejing translation should you read?
Answer: NO!
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I wrote about the idea from Zhuangzi we need the most: fasting the mind
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I loved this conversation on the Korea Deconstructed podcast! Many thanks to David Tizzard for having me. www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZDS...
youtube.com
How Taoism Helps You Escape Yourself (Dr. Alexander Douglas) | Korea Deconstructed #135
YouTube video by David Tizzard
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
Mind-Fasting
On taking a break from judging
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WuTangIsForTheChildren @wutangforchildren.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Buckingham Palace band playing 9 to 5 for Dolly Parton
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Really interesting post from Knox Peden on grief and loss, Spinoza, converting to Catholicism, and much more: thelampmagazine.com/issues/issue...
thelampmagazine.com
The Lamp Magazine | The Asylum of Ignorance
On Spinoza and the Church.
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
Brief reminder of our editorial policy
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Reposted by Alexander Douglas
Dr Kathrine Cuccuru @aphilosopher.eurosky.social · 25/08/2026
Good morning from the Tay still showing in the Green Gallery, at the University of Dundee Botanic Garden until Sunday 30 August 2026
Exhibition poster

Text reads 

Photography by Dr Kathrine Cuccuru
a philosopher...
walks ..talks
…makes
Good Morning from the Tay
The Green Gallery
University of Dundee Botanic Garden, Riverside Drive, Dundee, DD2 1QH
15-30 August 2026
Gallery Open Daily* (*when invigilators available)
15 August, Opening Event with Philosophy Walks, 1-3pm 30 August, a philosopher...' Photography Workshop, 11am-12noon
All Gallery Visits & Events Free with Garden Entry (E5/E4.50 over 60s/Free for Carers, Under 16s, University of Dundee staff & students, students from other institutions, Friends of the Botanic Gardens) Limited edition prints & postcards available to purchase.
Art & Nature Collective Member
Details via QR code
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Reposted by Alexander Douglas
Ben Wood @cosmichope.bsky.social · 24/08/2026
3/3 I have a romantic soul, so I'm inclined to draw the following from the Short Treatise: Our joy & suffering is ever-present to God. Our world is equally present to God--every springtime, every sunrise, every star, every Galaxy is held & loved, since God loves Godself. Nothing is ever truly lost.
static.klipy.com
Person Leaps into a Sparkling Cosmic Galaxy
ALT: Person Leaps into a Sparkling Cosmic Galaxy
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
axdouglas.substack.com/p/garys-fina...
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Reposted by Alexander Douglas
Ethan Landes @ethanlandes.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
That moment when an otherwise pleasant philosopher switches into critique mode, and the hunger for intellectual domination enters their eyes
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
axdouglas.substack.com/p/an-embarra...
axdouglas.substack.com
An Embarrassing Defence of the Humanities
It's all about our social status, but it could be worse.
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
Look, if there was anything interesting to say about AI, surely _somebody_ would have said it by now. At some point it comes time to call off the search.
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Reposted by Alexander Douglas
Dr Kathrine Cuccuru @aphilosopher.eurosky.social · 19/08/2026
If you’ve been have trouble booking your place for ‘a philosopher…’ Photography Workshop, the unexpected glitch has been fixed, at tickts.co.uk/events/a-phi...
tickts.co.uk
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Reposting, because I haven’t written anything new for a while: aeon.co/essays/how-t...
aeon.co
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Reposted by Alexander Douglas
Jon Burke🌍 @jonburkeuk.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
‘…we need to achieve a minimum of 40% street tree canopy cover, and preferably more, before we start to really feel the benefits of nature’s most advanced air-conditioning technology.’ Me, for Big Issue, on tackling urban #heatwaves…👇 www.bigissue.com/opinion/heat...
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
I really enjoyed this interview with Joseph Folley, even though I made lots of mistakes! Luckily he's so sharp, he kept me on track. www.youtube.com/watch?v=chpS...
youtube.com
Why We're Obsessed with Identity (and why we should stop) | Dr. Alexander Douglas
YouTube video by Unsolicited advice
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Why is it always the Continental Philosophy programmes that get threatened with closure in the UK? Genuine question www.change.org/p/save-the-p...
change.org
Sign the Petition
Save the Philosophy Programme at Dundee University
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 29/06/2026
Very cool Aeon piece from Christine Tan on Zhuangzi’s radical version of anti-meritocracy: aeon.co/essays/zhuan...
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
I wrote about moral abolitionism and cartoon villains, in this post called, um, Moral Abolitionism and Cartoon Villains: axdouglas.substack.com/p/moral-abol...
axdouglas.substack.com
Moral Abolitionism and Cartoon Villains
You might not like moral abolitionism, but don't let it drive you to a simplistic understanding of human nature.
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Against Identity is out in paperback tomorrow! www.penguin.co.uk/books/456203... Sorry for the advertising, but it’s my first public-facing book, so I’m excitable. Here are the reviews in the Guardian and the Telegraph: www.telegraph.co.uk/books/non-fi... www.theguardian.com/books/2025/j...
penguin.co.uk
Against Identity
Modern life encourages us to pursue the perfect identity. Whether we aspire to become the best lawyer or charity worker, life partner or celebrity influencer, we emulate exemplars that exist in the wo...
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 08/06/2026
"The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity" is an analytic not a synthetic proposition.
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
Rousseau was the original politics journalist: “Let us begin by discarding all facts, for they are irrelevant to the question.”
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
The paperback of my book is here next Thursday (11 June)! www.penguin.co.uk/books/456203...
penguin.co.uk
Against Identity
Modern life encourages us to pursue the perfect identity. Whether we aspire to become the best lawyer or charity worker, life partner or celebrity influencer, we emulate exemplars that exist in the wo...
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Reposted by Alexander Douglas
利大英 @gblee.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
#degrowth #Piketty 'a set of bold policy proposals, including hefty wealth taxes on billionaires, sharp reductions in working hours, a change in diets and a shift of investment from materially intense sectors like industry and mining to education and health.' www.theguardian.com/environment/...
theguardian.com
‘An equal and habitable world is possible’: academics set out sweeping vision for planetary survival
Global report provides an alternative to climate breakdown, political extremism and economic tensions
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Reposted by Alexander Douglas
Grumpy Philosopher @stevecooke.org · 03/06/2026
I'm so angry and sad about my university's decision to force AI into every aspect of our work (whilst they sack as many staff as they can get away with) that I just can't concentrate on research. I'm going to comfort eat cake & try to think nice thoughts.
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 18/05/2026
I very much enjoyed this conversation with Madi Hadi, on his channel rhizastance. (He tells me he’s planning to write something about how the war has led him to see these philosophical conversations in a different light—I look forward to that.) www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g1b...
youtube.com
Hope, Beatitude and Self-acquiescence with Alexander Douglas
YouTube video by rhizastance
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
I don't like to have philosophical opponents; to have opponents seems unphilosophical. But I keep being struck by how much of my Spinozist-Daoist position on identity and agency, also on teleology and essences, can be captured by the rule: If Korsgaard asserts that p then ¬p.
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 17/04/2026
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Yes to this. By the way, if you want to wow your “Continental” friends with your understanding of Heidegger, Arendt, Agamben, and Deleuze, King-ho Leung’s book is the ultimate cheat sheet. It gets across the “deep” points while being perfectly readerly throughout: global.oup.com/academic/pro...
global.oup.com
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Early modern philosophy is superior to contemporary philosophy in nearly every way, but one way that I think it _isn’t_ is the bizarre practice of treating Roman poets as philosophical authorities. Why dethrone Plato and Aristotle only to crown Virgil and Ovid?
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Stewart Kirkpatrick @calgacus.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
The Antipope has entered the chat
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 08/04/2026
The difference between Descartes and other philosophers is striking. When his _Rules_ got too long and complicated, he abandoned the project to search for a simpler method. Most philosophers would instead have responded by adding two more volumes.
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Definitely not by trying to do so (Zhuangzi).
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Academics are wondering whether AI can replace peer review, but you don’t need fancy technology to generate a message saying: “2000 words should be cut. Three sections should be added to discuss issues not mentioned in the current draft. No existing content should be removed.”
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 25/02/2026
I had a very nice conversation with Mela Miekus in Network Cultures networkcultures.org/blog/2026/02...
networkcultures.org
Institute of Network Cultures | Identity, Mimesis, and the Escape from the Self: An Interview with Alexander Douglas
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Happy year of the horse! youtu.be/F5qCNpVO-kM?...
youtu.be
天馬行大運 Happy Lunar New Year of Horse
YouTube video by National Palace Museum國立故宮博物院
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
Since Jon Stewart got everyone excited about the justification of profit under capitalism, I’m posting my essay on why the risk-free return on wealth or rate of “normal” profit should be zero. philpapers.org/archive/DOUA... Soon it will be published, and I’ll have to take it down.
philpapers.org
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Bradley Hillier-Smith @bradleyhsmith.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
Back to teaching at St Andrews. This semester I am teaching Philosophy of Law and new module Timely Topics in Political Philosophy,where topics include Inequality & Extreme Wealth, Poverty & Homelessness, Free Speech & Hate Speech, AI and Job Displacement, Migration, and War #PhilSky
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 21/01/2026
My new article, "Antitelic Essences in Spinoza's 'Mystical Atheism'" is available open access at Topoi: rdcu.be/eZ5nA
rdcu.be
Antitelic Essences in Spinoza’s “Mystical Atheism”
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Alexander Douglas @axdouglas.bsky.social · 20/01/2026
A tradução portuguesa do meu livro já está disponível! www.guerraepaz.pt/produto/cont...
guerraepaz.pt
Contra a Identidade – A Sabedoria de Escapar do Eu - Guerra e Paz
Em Contra a Identidade – A Sabedoria de Escapar do Eu, Alexander Douglas explica-nos porque é que a procura da identidade não faz sentido e de que forma devemos escapar do eu.
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