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C. Malcolm Keating

@cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social
61 followers 73 following 165 posts

Editor, Sanskrit translator, and philosopher of language (South Asian and analytic). Formerly associate professor, Smith College 🇺🇸 & Yale-NUS College 🇸🇬; currently managing editor, Aristotelian Society 🇬🇧 malcolmkeating.com

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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
One sign of settling into a place: It’s possible to absent-mindedly and very tiredly manage a late-night bus ride home with the stops only slightly registering in one’s consciousness.
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Of note for #philsky followers in London: tonight!
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
New blog post: malcolmkeating.com/copyediting-...
malcolmkeating.com
Copyediting and philosophy (part 1) - Malcolm Keating
In this post, I explain what a copyeditor is and what copyediting does in the life of a manuscript, specifically focusing on academic editing.
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Academics and academic #editors: I'm trying RefRunner for checking citations. Use my link to try it free and we'll both get a free month: hub.refrunner.com/invites/XuSo...
hub.refrunner.com
RefRunner Hub
Helping you get RefRunner to work for you
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Today I discovered that "tael" is in Merriam-Webster (while copyediting an academic book on Chinese literature). So, it should not be italicized, since it's a loanword. But it's not originally Chinese. It's borrowed from from Portugese and the OED has it first attested in 1588. What is a tael?
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Missed my one day of visibility yesterday, oops.
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Carolyn Dicey Jennings @cdj.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
AP is on it!
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
So, mea culpa. Apparently the hubbub was well-grounded and this person was using “metaphysical” in a confused way. I will return to my usual silence about current issues online.
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Bryan Pickel @bryanpickel.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
When the Vienna Circle read Wittgenstein‘s TLP, Neurath shouted “metaphysics” so often the group insisted he hum the sound “m” instead. However, the constant hum of “mmm” was itself disruptive. So Neurath was asked to leave.
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
So I get that philosophers use the word “metaphysical” in a way that doesn’t mean “supernatural,” but the hubbub and (apparently genuine) confusion about someone apparently using it that way, which is the second entry in Merriam-Webster, is weird to me.
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I’m not sure that the Oxford comma, famously eschewed by much British English, is the best advertisement for “proofreading” (probably meaning copyediting) in the area around University College London, but the anti-AI angle is interesting. I wonder how many students pay for human #editing?
A paper pinned to a tree that reads

With the Oxford comma:
we invited the strippers, jfk, and stalin.
Without the Oxford comma:
we invited the strippers, jfk and stalin.
YOUR COURSEWORK NEEDS TO BE PROOFREAD CHATGPT HAS NO IDEA WHAT IT'S DOING. WHO YOU AR
OR WHAT YOU'RE STUDYING.
I'M AN ACADEMIC EDITOR WITH 10 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE HELPING UOL STUDENTS AND PHD CANDIDATES:
(WHATSAPP)
TEXT ME, I CAN HELP
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Aristotelian Society @aristotsoc.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The Proceedings of the Aristotelian Society returns next Monday! Incoming President Alexander Bird (Cambridge) will deliver the 119th Inaugural Address, 'Against Empiricism'. ⏰ 18:15–19:45, Monday 28th September 📍 The Chancellors Hall, Senate House 🔗 www.aristoteliansociety.org.uk/the-proceedi...
aristoteliansociety.org.uk
119th Inaugural Address: Alexander Bird – The Aristotelian Society
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I really thought this LinkedIn post was satire. It’s not. This app includes an #editorial review (sic) stage, and it promises that you can monetize your slop on the podcast platform. Surely it is the company who stands to benefit from both the new users and new training data they bring.
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Yale Classics Library @yaleclassicslib.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Deciphering the Hidden Meaning: Language and the Highest Good in Early Advaita Vedānta / by Aleksandar Uskokov (Oxford University Press, 2026) @yale.edu academic.oup.com/book/63341?s... #openaccess
book cover
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
The first sentence of this article begs the fundamental question. Where is the evidence that these models are actually *communicating* with a *language*? They appear to be *coordinating* by producing linguistic tokens. These are not the same thing. www.theguardian.com/technology/2...
theguardian.com
AI models chatting in ‘surreal’ dialect mixing poetic language and tech bro jargon
Experts air concern over AI lingo redolent of James Joyce’s prose that is creating barriers to monitoring and oversight
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Charlotte Meijer @chrmeijer.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
"AI flattens the historical record by relying on the most popular sources, eliminating minority voices" www.hnn.us/article/ai-i...
hnn.us
AI Is an Anti-Primary Source Machine
Real voices from the past are threatened by chatbots designed to amplify — and ultimately become — the loudest voices in the room.
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Aristotelian Society @aristotsoc.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
We have a vacancy on our Executive Committee, and we are still welcoming expressions of interest. But not for long! Deadline: Friday 18th September 2026. Further details: aristoteliansociety.org.uk/about/announ....
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Just encountered the idea that "Can I get an [x], please?" is rude in Britain and that, furthermore, it is the server that does the getting. You, the customer, are doing the having. But it seems like "get" means "obtain" in British English, too? dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/e...
dictionary.cambridge.org
get
1. to obtain, buy, or earn something: 2. to receive or be given something: 3…
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
New post: Quotation, use, and mention malcolmkeating.com/quotation-use-an…
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I am shamelessly stealing “creepy little liar bot.”
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
"Rarity is really just an inventory problem. If there is only one copy left, the efficient move is to make it infinitely reproducible and immediately unavailable to anyone without a subscription." www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/im-...
mcsweeneys.net
I’m the Guy Who Destroys Antique Books After We Scan Them into Our Company’s Insatiable AI Platform
“One minute, they are a treasured record of human thought. The next, they are twelve searchable megabytes and a manageable quantity of mixed paper strips goi...
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Dr Keith Wilson 💭 @keithwilson.eu · 06/09/2026
static.klipy.com
Mitchell And Webb: Are We The Baddies Sketch
Alt: Mitchell And Webb: Are We The Baddies Sketch
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Today’s walk took me along Caledonian Road while listening to the audiobook pf the same name (by Andrew O’Hagan).
A white building with a sign in English that reads “Caledonian Road” on it. To the right 
there is a sign that has four red Chinese characters.
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Hackett Publishing Company @hackettpub.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Spend your long weekend with some philosophy written by women! Browse these titles and more on the Hackett website. hackettpublishing.com
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Any #editors, #academics, or #writers have opinions about the MacBook Air 13" versus 15"? I'm considering the larger oone for its screen size, since I no longer have a large monitor in my home office, only the one I commute to. But I've had a 13" for years.
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
From the essay: "When someone decides to make use of some technology, or more abstractly a tool, there's always some sort of cost to using it. The cost of using LLM-based tooling is way too high and absolutely not worth it, in my opinion, for myself or society."
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
I think I annoyed a professional copyeditor yesterday by asking their opinion about how to handle "Lake Ontario" in light of recent changes on Google, etc. But I do think it's important. Editors can find little spaces for resistance in print, and place names are one of these. #editing
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Here's an odd error in Google's website preview text that @aidanmcglynn.bsky.social might appreciate. To add to your "epistemic X" lists, here's an epistemic location: "The Society's events take place at Senate House, University of London - an iconic art deco building located in epistemology."
A Google website preview description for the Aristotelian Society that reads, "The Society's events take place at Senate House, University of London - an iconic art deco building located in epistemology."
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Came across the word “amanuensis” today in Peter Ackroyd’s history of London, and I immediately thought I should file it away for Outlier! (It refers to a scribe putting down by hand, manu, what is spoken.) playoutlier.com/share
playoutlier.com
OUTLIER
The rare daily word game sweeping the globe. Find what's hidden in plain sight.
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Justin Weinberg @dailynous.com · 28/08/2026
Some good news...
dailynous.com
Philosophy at Dundee Saved—In Part, For Now (guest post) - Daily Nous
"A small programme with a large international reach has bucked the trend of closures across the arts and humanities." Over the summer, administration of the University of Dundee announced a plan to cu...
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Just left a webinar on AI and editing in which panelists totally avoided deep problems with our access to LLM processes. Using ChatGPT or Claude to "quantify" editorial work on a document to justify your editorial role is speaking today's language, but how are those numbers generated? #editing #ai
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Listening to @therestpolitics.bsky.social on the US-Canada trade war is illuminating compared to US coverage, which frames the conflict largely in terms of trade, not power and subjugation. Trump is often not literal, but he's always serious, and his "51st state" talk is no exception.
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Not a great score in it today, but this game is my new Wordle: I found a Rarity-64 word worth 88 pts in OUTLIER. EAGLE EYES · 766 points · 10 rare words. OUTLIER: the daily word hunt where the rarest words win. Can you beat me? playoutlier.com/s/GM9Y4C
playoutlier.com
OUTLIER · Day 98
maljikthise scored 766 on Day 98. Can you beat them?
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
New post at my blog: A Nice Derangement of Words: A New Substack Newsletter malcolmkeating.com/a-nice-derangeme… #editing #IndianPhilosophy #KumārilaBhaṭṭa #meaning
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Wes Cowley @wes.wordsbywes.ink · 24/08/2026
Great thread about the NYT opinion piece that erroneously conflates debt default and debt forgiveness, and misunderstands Sumerian history in the process.
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
Stella has decided to stay under the bed in her cave, now that the weather has turned cooler.
A white-and-black cat in a “cat cave” bed underneath of a bed.
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Seems like I won't need tickets to the Arsenal matches; I can hear the crowd through my open windows, and the roar just around 8:15pm told me they'd scored on Coventry.
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Worth considering before using an LLM for a literature review:
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
This week I have revised my own Sanskrit translations and philosophy paper, finished copyediting a chapter on Chinese literature and a Jain studies journal article, and began a developmental edit of a monograph in South Asian/religious studies. Today’s pint at my local pub felt well-deserved.
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Dorian Lynskey @dorianlynskey.bsky.social · 17/08/2026
AI aside, I have to disagree with this. Writing something essay-shaped is easy but writing a good essay is very hard and most essays are bad
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Booksellers are seeing evidence that AI companies are buying books in bulk, likely to scan them in a quick and destructive way. Ars Technica has a nice discussion of alternative ways to scan books in its report on this issue arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...
arstechnica.com
Booksellers suspect AI firms are buying and then destroying rare books
AI firms quietly bulk buying rare books face resistance from booksellers.
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Hot tip for authors responding to copyeditor queries: If you're tempted to add commentary (especially snarky) beyond what is asked for, don't. The editor's goal is just to make your work better. An informative "yes" or "no" in answer to a query is great. Sarcasm? It won't land well and wastes time.
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
@bloomsburyacademic.bsky.social has preorder links for two books in the Reading Primary Sources in Asian Philosophy series I'm editing. These are guides for *how to read.* Short chapters unpack texts while explaining their conventions, histories, etc. The aim is to prepare students to read more.
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Editor Jane Friedman on why editing AI-generated text is more like ghostwriting and costs 50% more than editing human-authored works: janefriedman.com/after-editin... #editing #ai #llms #writing
janefriedman.com
After Editing Two AI-Assisted Manuscripts, I Rewrote My Client Agreement | Jane Friedman
Inexperienced authors may believe generative AI use improves their manuscript, but there’s a cost—extra fees charged by freelance editors.
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Shannon Vallor @shannonvallor.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Great thread on misaligned AI citations, a phenomenon I’m seeing a lot as a reviewer and it makes steam come out of my ears
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Brigitte Nerlich @bnerlich.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Today's post is about the past, returning to my work on the history of linguistics and to the work of a linguist I loved, Philipp Wegener who studied speech acts, metaphor, and the co-construction of meaning #linguistics #metaphor #hisphilang makingsciencepublic.com/2026/08/14/r...
makingsciencepublic.com
Remember Wegener?!
This blog post was first published on the History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences blog on 26 July 2026 and is republished here with permission. *** My old book Change in Language: Whitney, …
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Related to my thread yesterday about the (authorless) Vedas. If a text has meaning without a personal agent being responsible for it, is it okay to talk about the text having an intention? Kumārila: the language of "intention" or "desire to communicate" (vivakṣitā in Sanskrit) is figurative.
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
I am happy to now be in a country where solar, hydro, and wind power are on the rise, though I worry not fast enough. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...
theguardian.com
Europe is the world’s fastest warming continent. What is to blame?
The climate crisis is hitting Europe hard in 2026, warming twice as fast as any other continent – and the consequences are deadly
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Kumārila Bhaṭṭa is a seventh-century South Asian (Indian subcontinent) philosopher. In addition to posts about editing, I'll likely have posts about his work, which is my current area of research. (He has thoughts about linguistic prescriptivism and grammar, too, so it's a nice fit!)
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C. Malcolm Keating @cmalcolmkeating.bsky.social · 12/08/2026
Kumārila, according to Sucarita, distinguishes between a sentence's truth and whether the person uttering that sentence knows its truth. Why does that matter? It means sentences that are not produced by agents can be true or false. Kumārila is not thinking of AI but the Veda. (1/n)
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