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Chris Cousens

@chrisjcousens.bsky.social
155 followers 137 following 160 posts

Philosopher writing about harmful speech and political discourse online. Lecturer in moral and political philosophy. He/him chriscousensphilosophy.wordpress.co…

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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Can’t get enough Philosophy of AI? Enjoy speech act theory? Then you’ll love my new paper ‘Artificial Speakers, Artificial Speech Acts?’ (now accepted at Phil Quarterly). philpapers.org/rec/COUASA-2
philpapers.org
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Sick of bullshit? Don’t like slurs? Then you’ll loathe this new paper (with Paul-Mikhail Podosky): Bullshit Slurs! We identify a new species of bullshit and argue that some slurring utterances leverage this in nasty ways that foreclose self-protective counterspeech. philpapers.org/rec/PODBSS
philpapers.org
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
It’s not the worst part of precarious employment, but having to do a full set of online ‘mandatory training’ every September does not spark joy. No, I will not stick a fork into an electrical socket. Yes, I will report a fire if I see one.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Media representations of teachers often portray them as life-changing inspirations for everyone they teach. The reality is quite different; I am only a life-changing inspiration to 30, maybe 35% of my students. The rest just learn some stuff.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Reacher S4 E01 Review: He still big.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
Unlike all the other adaptations, Nolan’s Odyssey features a man of constant sorrow.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
Ooh ah ah ah ah!
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 19/07/2026
England score a mere 6 goals against France; Tuchel must resign.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 17/07/2026
Enjoyed Troy 2, but not sure it will make so much sense for people who didn’t see the original.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 07/07/2026
Instead of overturning red cards, could we use VAR to go back and give a red card to every player who wailed and flailed and caterwauled in feigned agony after the lightest touch from an opponent, only to spring up and continue playing as though nothing had happened?
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
Hotel in Cardiff: This is the middle of the city it can be noisy. Me: I can handle some traffic noise. Garbage playing a live open air show across the street: …
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Tom Cochrane @doctorcochrane.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Just a reminder that I'm running the thought experiment competition again, open to any high school student in Australia. If you have any relevant contacts, I'd really appreciate it if you could forward them the link to the competition website. Deadline is July 15th. sites.google.com/view/thought...
sites.google.com
Flinders Thought Experiment Competition
Students are invited to submit their ideas to the Flinders Thought Experiment Competition! Competition Deadline: 15th July, 2026 at 6pm. Eligibility: Open to all students attending a high school i...
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Huw Price @huwprice.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Two permanent positions in HPS, Sydney! #hps #philsci
usyd.wd105.myworkdayjobs.com
Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/Associate Professor to the School of History and Philosophy of Science
2 x full time, continuing positions, located on the Camperdown Campus in the Faculty of Science Build your research and apply your expertise by contributing as a Lecturer/Senior Lecturer/Associate Pro...
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Matt Jope @mattjope.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
Great funding opportunity for a PhD in Philosophy of Education here at Glasgow www.gla.ac.uk/colleges/soc...
gla.ac.uk
University of Glasgow - Colleges - College of Social Sciences - Student funding opportunities - Postgraduate Research - Latest PhD opportunities
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
April 1st lying is going to drive me to virtue epistemology.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 30/03/2026
I regret to inform you that ‘Dad Rock’ is no longer Led Zeppelin and AC/DC, it’s Kings of Leon and Panic! At The Disco.
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Mona Simion @msimion.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Call for Abstracts The British Society for the Theory of Knowledge invites contributions to its 2026 conference (Exeter College, University of Oxford, 2nd-4th 09 2026). bstk.org.uk/events.html Please submit abstracts (500 words, suitable for blind review) to info@bstk.org.uk by April 30 2026.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Partner: ‘Lawyers are so pretentious, using Latin when they don’t have to.’ Me: ‘Do you know this a priori?’
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Epistemologists get roasted for calling everything ‘epistemic’ while speech act theorists get away with calling everything illocutionary *and* naming all their papers ‘How to X things with words’.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 31/12/2025
Me: What shall we watch next? Partner: I picked the last one, it’s entirely up to you. Netflix: Recently added: Hot Tub Time Machine.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 20/12/2025
There are two kinds of ads in this country: gambling ads, and ‘gamble responsibly’ ads made by the gambling companies.
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Kathleen Creel @kathleencreel.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Thanks to generous funding from the @sloanfoundation.bsky.social, John Basl and I are thrilled to be running the AI and Data Ethics summer school in 2026! ~12 graduate students, $10k stipend, 9 weeks to learn about scientific and ethical issues raised by AI. Please apply! aidesummer.org
aidesummer.org
AIDE Summer
AI + Data Ethics (AIDE) Summer is intended for graduate students with advanced training in applied ethics, ethical theory, philosophy of science, metascience, epistemology, or other areas with potenti...
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
I am old enough to remember the time, long ago, when not every single ad was for sports betting apps.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 11/06/2025
Revising this paper is disproving mathematics. I cut 2000 words, and now it’s 500 words longer.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 03/06/2025
The Platonic form of philosophy is not the platonic Form of philosophy.
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Dr Dean Burnett @drdeanburnett.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
This is my PhD thesis I did not ask for this I did not consent to this I did not approve of this I was not compensated for this I would not have advised this I do not like this And worst of all, the number of people who've read my thesis has still not increased.
Email saying "An AI created a podcast of your paper"

Said paper is my PhD dissertation, "The Role of The Hippocampus In Configural Learning"
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Aidan McGlynn @aidanmcglynn.bsky.social · 02/06/2025
New issue of Hypatia, 40.2, is now published: www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
A sign to say the new issue of Hypatia has been published, with a design based on the journal's cover featuring a variety of different-looking (but all blue) women.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 31/05/2025
I had a chat with David Rutledge on the ABC’s Philosopher’s Zone about AI speech acts in the workplace. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr... Or for Australians, ABC Radio National June 1 at 5.30 am, repeated June 3 at 1.30 pm and June 5 at five 12:05 am.
abc.net.au
Speech acts and AI - ABC listen
Speech acts - utterances that have the power to make things happen in the world - are increasingly being created by AI, especially in certain workplaces where it's not uncommon to receive orders and i...
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Aristotelian Society @aristotsoc.bsky.social · 08/05/2025
Are you a PhD student? Think about applying for one of our £5000 student bursaries for the next academic year (fully funded students do not qualify) Deadline: Monday 9 June 2025 (T&Cs on our website) www.aristoteliansociety.org.uk/as-student-b... #philsky #philosophy
aristoteliansociety.org.uk
AS Student Bursary Application 25-26 – The Aristotelian Society
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
2 episodes into Schitt’s Creek and the premise seems to be Arrested Development with less likeable rich people?
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Jesper Arent Olsson @jesperarentolsson.bsky.social · 03/04/2025
Here's a little reminder about the panel "Social and Political Issues in Philosophy of Language", which will be organized by me and @timgrass.bsky.social at this year's MANCEPT Workshops, 3–5 September. Please consider submitting a proposal (Deadline for submission is April 30th)! CFA below:
philevents.org
Social and Political Issues in Philosophy of Language at MANCEPT Workshops 25
Social and Political Issues in Philosophy of Language @ MANCEPT Workshops 25 Convenors: Jesper Olsson (University of Graz) and Tim Grasshöfer (Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf) In r...
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 24/04/2025
Best description of the AI ‘assistants’ I’ve been told will revolutionise my work day.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 19/04/2025
Is ‘Love Shack’ house music?
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 17/04/2025
Movie that takes place where you’re from.
Dennis Denuto from the film The Castle.
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Fiona Macpherson @macpherson.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
British Philosophical Association academics warn of threat to world leading status amid growing department and course closures. #PhiloFortnight2025 #PhilosophyMatters www.educatemagazine.com/philosophy-a...
educatemagazine.com
Philosophy academics warn of threat to world leading status
Philosophy academics have warned that the UK’s world leading status for the subject is under threat after university department closures.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 21/03/2025
No spoilers but Network is a hell of a film.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 19/03/2025
If you use a Chocolate Orange as a central example all semester, there’s a chance that students will give you one in the final lecture. Next year my central example is going to be a 4 bedroom townhouse.
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Jules @julesholroyd.bsky.social · 10/03/2025
A Centre for Engaged Philosophy Workshop on Praise & Commemoration, 19th May, Sheffield. Details & registration here: engagedphilosophy.org/2025/03/10/w... Support with costs of attendance available thanks to support from Society for Applied Philosophy. Please share widely! #academicsky #philsky
Praise and Commemoration A Centre for Egnaged  PHilosophy event Monday May 19th 2025, 10.00-17.00. Panellists: Angie Hobbs
(Sheffield)
Chris Bennett
(Sheffield)
CM Lim
(Nanyang)
Hallvard Lillehammer
(Sheffield)
Josep Corbi
(Valencia)
Ten-Herng Lai
(Stirling), 
Workshop themes: 
Praise &  commemoration
Expression, response & resistance;
Norms of praise, honour & the shaping of public spaces.
To register, visit engagedphilosophy.org, or https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1t9KAcqLh4cveUpMOFD2Su8LIXfDlo1MBZo6rMj_RQo8/edit
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Nina Markl 🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 @ninamarkl.bsky.social · 03/03/2025
i've written a blog post about why I think we should reject generative AI in the university: languagemechanics.neocities.org/no-gen-ai
languagemechanics.neocities.org
Language Mechanics: Language, Computers and Power
Yarden Katz. 2020. Artificial Whiteness: Politics and Ideology in Artificial Intelligence. Columbia University Press.
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Meg Gottschall @megottschall.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
I’m organizing a conference for philosophy graduate students—The 14th Annual Arché Graduate Conference! This will be a great opportunity for students to present their work, network, and spend some time on the charming Scottish coastal town, St Andrews! Please share with your network. #philsky
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okay Kelly @kmdoublev.bsky.social · 13/02/2025
We're halfway to the end of this fundraiser, and we've already got orders in for folks in the U.S., Germany, and Thailand! Get yours in by Feb 20th to support trans + immigrants rights organizations. 💛
Tees, sweatshirts, and tanks with designs. Text says "Halfway there! Order by February 20th"
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 10/02/2025
New paper on 'Fat-calling' has ascended to its final form. link.springer.com/article/10.1... Critics have called it 'gobbledygook', 'extreme', and 'what's wrong with philosophy'... and that's before they've even read it! Are they right? Find out for yourself. Open access here: rdcu.be/d895H
link.springer.com
Fat-calling: ascriptions of fatness that subordinate - Philosophical Studies
Calling someone fat is not only cruel and unkind—it also subordinates them. While the sharpest and most immediate harms of fatphobic bullying are emotional and psychological, these vary according to t...
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Aidan McGlynn @aidanmcglynn.bsky.social · 04/02/2025
A petition in support of the School of English, Communication, and Philosophy at Cardiff, who are being threatened with job cuts that would be devastating for staff, students, and the university
chng.it
We Can Make an Impact.
SAVE CARDIFF UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF ENGLISH, COMMUNICATION AND PHILOSOPHY
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Quill Kukla 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️ @quillkukla.bsky.social · 01/02/2025
Oh hey! My book is already on Amazon, I did not know! Look how pretty! If you are a person who still uses Amazon, will you please consider pre-ordering? It's cheap, and it really helps with the algorithm and with my ability to promote the book. I hate to push my own stuff but I would be so grateful!
amazon.com
Sex Beyond "Yes": Pleasure and Agency for Everyone (A Norton Short)
Amazon.com: Sex Beyond "Yes": Pleasure and Agency for Everyone (A Norton Short): 9781324064923: Kukla, Quill R.: Books
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 14/01/2025
Depending on who says it, ‘Your work is what’s wrong with philosophy!’ can be quite a compliment!
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Katharine Hayhoe @katharinehayhoe.com · 30/12/2024
Did you see this experiment my colleague Kristina conducted not just at my university but *in my department*? She and the male instructor assumed eachothers’ names for an online course: and the difference in feedback they received was horrifying.
slate.com
Student Evaluations Can’t Be Used to Assess Professors. They’re Discriminatory.
And that means they’re illegal.
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 17/12/2024
My first paper post here: 'Fatcalling: Ascriptions of fatness that subordinate' will appear at some point in Phil Studies. Of interest to those working on fatphobia, fat justice, and the reproduction of social norms. Please share (and follow, I'm new to BlueSky!). 1/2 philpapers.org/rec/COUFAO-2
philpapers.org
Chris Cousens, Fat-calling: Ascriptions of fatness that subordinate - PhilPapers
Calling someone fat is not only cruel and unkind—it also subordinates them. While the sharpest and most immediate harms of fatphobic bullying are emotional and psychological, these vary according to t...
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Chris Cousens @chrisjcousens.bsky.social · 13/12/2024
‘Your submission has been accepted’, the five sweetest words one can hear.
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