iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

For those of you who (like me) are preparing your syllabi for fall college classes: Your students might find this useful. What is a peer-reviewed journal article? A guide for university students, plus some advice about choosing sources. billvanderburgh.substack.com/p/what-is-a-...

billvanderburgh.substack.com

What is a peer-reviewed journal article?

A guide for university students, plus some advice about how to select articles as sources

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Does this mean I've made it? The section on miracles in the new "David Hume" entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy" ends by saying my interpretation would make Hume's argument more plausible. plato.stanford.edu/entries/hume/

plato.stanford.edu

David Hume (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Bloomsbury Publishing summer sale. My book, _David Hume on Miracles, Evidence, and Probability_, is available for $34.26, a savings of $14.69. That's quite a deal for an academic book. #philosophy #davidhume #miracles #apologetics #philsky www.bloomsbury.com/us/david-hum...

bloomsbury.com

David Hume on Miracles, Evidence, and Probability

David Hume’s argument against believing in miracles has attracted nearly continuous attention from philosophers and theologians since it was first publish…

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Hello #philosophysky, #academicsky #education and #university folks. I was putting together some materials for one of my intro classes and thought, "Why not put this on Substack in case others find it useful?" open.substack.com/pub/billvand... "What is a peer reviewed journal article?"

open.substack.com

What is a peer-reviewed journal article?

A guide for university students, plus some advice about how to select articles as sources

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Reposted by Bill Vanderburgh

Lisa Fazio @lkfazio.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

One year later - my reflections on what's happened to US science since the National Science Foundation grant terminations last year. The problem of misinformation isn't going away, but our ability to study and understand it is under attack. 1/ 🧪 www.tennessean.com/story/opinio...

tennessean.com

I researched misinformation, until the government stopped me | Opinion

A researcher's NSF grant termination reveals a broader attack on science funding and misinformation research, despite rising AI-generated falsehoods.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

I've been waiting for eye surgery for six months at Kaiser Permanente in San Diego, and because of a nursing strike they just cancelled it 20 hours before it was going to happen. The best they could offer was another date *three months* from now. I'm so bummed.

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Reposted by Bill Vanderburgh

Martha Lincoln @heavyredaction.bsky.social · 31/01/2026

The California State University system spent $16.9 million last year giving ChatGPT to all students, faculty, and staff. We are asking the CSU chancellor not to renew the contract with OpenAI when it expires. Anyone can sign the petition — link below!

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Reposted by Bill Vanderburgh

Bucks County Beacon @buckscountybeacon.com · 23/01/2026

‘An American Pastoral’ Documentary Explores Christian Nationalism and the Political Divide in a Pennsylvania School District | Cast members from Elizabethtown Area School District shared how their lives and community have changed since the film at a recent screening.

buckscountybeacon.com

‘An American Pastoral’ Documentary Explores Christian Nationalism and the Political Divide in a Pennsylvania School District - Bucks County Beacon

Cast members from Elizabethtown Area School District shared how their lives and community have changed since the film at a recent screening.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

Christian nationalists just won’t stop trying to violate freedom of thought. They are (still!) trying to push false (not to mention unconstitutional) nonsense about science into schools. This is a good opportunity for philosophers of science to demonstrate the public relevance of our work.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

I love this kind of pop sci article, that both clearly explains the science and reveals a human story at the same time.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 07/01/2026

I ended up writing seven pieces on philosophy in the streaming show “Pluribus.” Lots remains unresolved, but it sure is interesting. Here’s the 7th installment, which includes links to the rest. #Philosophy #philosophychat #scifi #pluribus #philsky open.substack.com/pub/billvand...

open.substack.com

Pluribus and Philosophy, Part Seven (episode 9)

A Philosopher Watches Sci Fi: You Win, We Save the World

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Reposted by Bill Vanderburgh

Jason Chen @chenphilosophy.com · 28/12/2025

The newest philosophy podcast episodes! Pascal's wager, sanctuary churches, the philosophy of cuteness, letter from Birmingham jail, Buddhism and nationalism, and more. #philsky philosophypodcasthub.substack.com/p/new-episod...

philosophypodcasthub.substack.com

New Episodes 12/21/25 - 12/27/25

Pascal's wager, sanctuary churches, the philosophy of cuteness, letter from Birmingham jail, Buddhism and nationalism, and more.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 26/12/2025

A lovely moment from my flight on Christmas Day. #sky #sunset #clouds #ocean

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 24/12/2025

If you're going to holiday gatherings & have problematic people to deal with, this piece might help you think through your moral obligations to them. I don't pretend it's a complete account, but in extreme cases, shunning people is morally justified. billvanderburgh.substack.com/p/the-duty-t...

billvanderburgh.substack.com

The Duty to Shun Your Friends and Neighbors

We do not owe curiosity and conversation to people trying to undermine society

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 20/12/2025

Turing’s Test led us astray. There has always been an important difference between “being an X” and “acting like/having features of an X.” That’s why we think there’s a difference between a real Picasso and a fake, between a person and an impersonator.

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Reposted by Bill Vanderburgh

Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

My fourth installment on philosophy in the Apple TV show “Pluribus.” My take seems to be quite different than the other commentary about the show I’ve seen. #philsky #philosophychat #scifi open.substack.com/pub/billvand...

open.substack.com

"Pluribus" and Philosophy Part Four

A Philosopher Watches Sci Fi: Why not eat the dead?

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

(Except N does speculate, wildly, in his religious & alchemical writings!)

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

You can go deep, get into D's instrumentalism in science, which comes from his belief that we can only have real knowledge about Body (metaphysics), not bodies (the realm of physics). Newton (& Hume, echoing N) thinks we should not speculate beyond what can be observed.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

I like Newton's take-down of Descartes' vortex theory of motion. The Bucket Experiment shows that Descartes' distinction between motion in the vulgar vs. philosophical senses is nonsense and that there is a *physical* answer to what is really moving.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

I’ve been trying to figure out if the Doctrine of the Double Effect is in play, but I don’t think so. Your way of describing it sounds Kantian: the perfect duty not to harm vs the imperfect duty to aid. But that doesn’t fit with their willingness to override autonomy. It is all very intriguing.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

I mention that idea from Mill in a previous installment, so yes, I agree. But violating autonomy is a harm whether it’s to harvest stem cells or assimilate. The harvesting is merely a step towards an unalloyed good (if Joined are right). They’re willing to kill 10% of humanity, so why not hip pain?

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

Thanks for reading! That’s the only way they can be thinking, I just don’t think it works.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

open.substack.com

"Pluribus" and Philosophy Part Four

A Philosopher Watches Sci Fi: Why not eat the dead?

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

Exactly. AI is for folks who have already mastered the skills of a liberal education. Or so I argue in this piece: billvanderburgh.substack.com/p/the-traged...

billvanderburgh.substack.com

The Tragedy of Becoming Post-Human

Mobile devices, Gen-AI, and the End of Reading

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Reposted by Bill Vanderburgh

Walker Bragman @walkerbragman.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

Bad framing: ACIP voted to scrap the universal hepatitis B vaccine recommendation for newborns. Accurate framing: Anti-vax conspiracy theorists appointed to ACIP by Robert Kennedy Jr., who made a fortune as an anti-vax profiteer, voted to expose babies to a preventable, incurable, deadly illness.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

*Nothing Bundt Cakes. I will have to revoke my typing prize.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Frank will be incensed if I do that.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

Earlier I won the Bill Vanderburgh Piece of Cake Prize, awarded occasionally by me to me, most often when we visit Anything Bundt Cakes.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

“It is not called a pie hole for nothing.”

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

I guess I don’t have a good excuse not to attend this one!

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

I did my “third voyage” about a year ago. It is taking a lot of will power to not start my fourth already.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

A good movie, and my favorite book series ever!

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 03/12/2025

"Pluribus" and Philosophy, Part Three, by Apple TV's "Pluribus" is a hit in part because it is interesting philosophy. Check out the three posts I've written about it so far. And please subscribe to my Substack! open.substack.com/pub/billvand...

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

The topic and approach you are proposing is right up my alley. I’d be happy read drafts of proposals, etc. Good luck!

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

The other option is a textbook, but then the market looks tiny (there aren’t many HPS courses, and even fewer on astronomy).

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

In both cases you need to sell a proposal, which is good since you don’t have to write the whole thing first and you’ll get editorial guidance along the way. Part of that is finding “comparables.” Two potentials come to mind in case you don’t know them DeWitt’s Workdviews and Hannam’s The Globe.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Top rec: Portswood-Stacer’s _The Book Proposal Book_. Need to figure out if you want to write an academic, trade, or crossover book (sounds like the latter). There are some advantages to crossover (don’t need an agent) and disadvantages (typically much lower sales) as compared to a trade book.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Me! I’m proposing a course on Philosophy and SF.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Seems to work well enough for law school and grad school apps (pretty high success rate, which I attribute to the students rather than my letters).

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Ditto. I aim for true description, telling a story of talent & ability to learn. I met x in class y, when they stood out b/c z. They were nth of m students in the class w/ a grade of g. Then, they took my class y+1, and …. Their writing/speaking/analytic ability struck me as…. (w/ concrete examples)

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Sometimes I think authors should be allowed to force referees to submit revised reports.

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Bill Vanderburgh @billvanderburgh.bsky.social · 01/12/2025

Saw a reminder that even tho a book (like mine) came out a few years ago, it's still new to people who haven’t run across it yet. So, here’s to promoting your own work. The hardback has always been too pricey for anyone but libraries, but the paperback is $15 off. www.bloomsbury.com/us/david-hum...

bloomsbury.com

David Hume on Miracles, Evidence, and Probability

David Hume’s argument against believing in miracles has attracted nearly continuous attention from philosophers and theologians since it was first publish…

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