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Duncan Bell

@duncanbell.bsky.social
14K followers 1.9K following 483 posts

Teaches politics & history at Cambridge. Interests include empire, war, technology, architecture, science fiction, utopia. Currently writing a book on transhumanism

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Reposted by Duncan Bell
#HigherEducationPostcard @hepostcard.bsky.social · 2h
Here's a #HigherEducationPostcard of the Senate House, @cam.ac.uk Here's a jigsaw of the postcard: www.jigsawplanet.com?rc=play&pid=... If you like this image, I’d really appreciate a repost – it helps to spread the word!
An old picture postcard showing a monochrome photograph of the inside of the Senate House at Cambridge, all parquet and panelling and ornate ceilings; and an embossed colour image of the university's arms
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Reposted by Duncan Bell
Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
JOB: Directorship of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology / Professorship of Material Culture University of Cambridge www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/directo...
cam.ac.uk
Directorship of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and Professorship of Material Culture
The Board of Electors invite applications for the Directorship of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Professorship of Material Culture from persons whose work falls within the general ...
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Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
JOB: Directorship of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology / Professorship of Material Culture University of Cambridge www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/directo...
cam.ac.uk
Directorship of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and Professorship of Material Culture
The Board of Electors invite applications for the Directorship of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the Professorship of Material Culture from persons whose work falls within the general ...
11015
Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
👇👇👇
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Reposted by Duncan Bell
Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
New Effective Altruism HQ just dropped
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Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Epochal tweet from the best to ever do it
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David Ornstein @david-ornstein.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Manchester City found guilty on virtually all charges relating to breaches of Premier League financial regulations. #MCFC expected to appeal against verdict issued by independent commission. Sanctions undecided, process ongoing @theathleticfc.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/704...
nytimes.com
Manchester City found guilty on almost all Premier League charges relating to financial breaches
City were charged by the Premier League in February 2023.
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Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
New Effective Altruism HQ just dropped
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Bart⚓️ @bartgonnissen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The Facial Expressions of Tethys by artist Julius von Bismarck. A suspended high-sea buoy that moves in real time. Sensors on a twin buoy out in the Atlantic Ocean send live satellite data to motors inside the museum. This makes the indoor buoy copy the exact, real-time movements of the ocean waves.
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Cambridge University History Faculty @camhistory.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Major milestone for the Stirling Building project 💥 The newly fabricated steel frame for the Grade II* listed building's reading room roof is safely installed. Two cranes carefully hoisted the four gigantic steel structures over the treetops to install the building's iconic centrepiece... ⬇️
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Modernism in Metro-Land @modinmetro.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
---- Faculty of History Library, Cambridge 1968 James Stirling and Partners buff.ly/oR8ax8t
A colour photograph of the Faculty of History Library in Cambridge, built in red brick and glass
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Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
ARTICLE: Duncan Bell, "John Stuart Mill on Federation, Civilization and Empire," History of Political Thought (2024) go.shr.lc/3EFfrLf
go.shr.lc
John Stuart Mill on Federation, Civilization and Empire: Ingenta Connect
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Peter FitzGerald @diddorol.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Eric Schliesser on Spinoza Use of Rhetorical Tropes in Political Theory as Modeling, pt. 2. Spinoza: "They conceive men not as they are, but as they want them to be". ES: evokes Machiavelli's Prince and by contrast Bacon's Advancement of Learning. digressionsimpressions.substack.com/p/on-spinoza...
digressionsimpressions.substack.com
On Spinoza Use of Rhetorical Tropes in Political Theory as Modeling, pt. 2
The present post presumes familiarity with the concept of a ‘recursive tradition,’ which I learned from Duncan Bell.
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
"UK's 'dismal' Eurovision song choices to be examined by MPs". Surely the solution is obvious...
Andy Burnham tearing up the stage with an acoustic guitar.
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Adam Roberts @adamroberts.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Rich Horton recommends three SF short stories, online & free: richhorton314252.substack.com/p/smart-sffa...
richhorton314252.substack.com
Smart SF/Fantasy here on Substack
Short stories by Selonick, Kanakia, and Roberts
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Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Samuel Butler imagined a war fought between humans over whether to halt the development of intelligent machines, not a desperate "Butlerian Jihad" pitting humans against their machinic progeny. The former seems more plausible than the latter
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Patricia Owens @whitproject.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I'm really biased but I think this is a brilliant article by @politicsoxford.bsky.social DPhil candidate Isabelle Napier academic.oup.com/isq/article/...
academic.oup.com
Friendship in World Politics: George Padmore, Nancy Cunard, and Dorothy Pizer at the End of Empire
Abstracts. This article develops an historical account of friendship as a political relation central to the twentieth-century project of decolonization thr
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Evan @evansmithhist.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Five years since I wrote this piece on the archival finds that made historians got ‘wut?’. I asked on Twitter and got hundreds of replies. Still one of my most read pieces. theconversation.com/i-asked-hist...
theconversation.com
I asked historians what find made them go ‘wait, wut?’ Here’s a taste of the hundreds of replies
Historians, archivists and other researchers got in touch with tales of their archival finds and bizarre research moments. These ranged from the quirky to the disturbing to the profound.
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Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
JOB Founding Dean of the Rokos School of Government / Rokos Professor of Government, University of Cambridge www.cam.ac.uk/jobs/foundin...
cam.ac.uk
Founding Dean of the Rokos School of Government and Rokos Professorship of Government
The University of Cambridge is seeking an exceptional academic leader to become the founding Dean of the Rokos School of Government, alongside appointment to the Rokos Professorship of Government. Thi...
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Prof. Dr Beth Singler @bvlsingler.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
imho there is an increasing tendency over time for fictional AI to be seen as more sentient as more and more layers of narrative accrue. So 1984's Skynet can be seen as less sentient than 2019's because the latter sits on our experiences of the former. I agree, though it doesn't NEED to be sentient.
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Past Present Future Podcast @ppfideas.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW! In today’s episode about 20th century philosophy and biography David talks to the historian and literary critic @lyndseystonebri.bsky.social about the life and thought of Hannah Arendt. What did it all mean for the human condition? Find us at...🎧 ppfideas.com
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Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
NEW PAPER Duncan Bell, "Psychic Socialism: Telepathy, Freedom, and Individuality in Interwar Britain" (2026) Forthcoming in Duncan Bell & Eileen Hunt (eds.), Political Theory and Speculative Literature papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
Psychic Socialism: Telepathy, Freedom, and Individuality in Interwar Britain
Draft chapter - a version of this essay is forthcoming in Duncan Bell and Eileen Hunt (eds.), Political Theory and Speculative Literature. <div> <br> </div> <
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Woodo @woodo.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
BREAKING: Ed Sheeran Tour latest
Partridge: I might as well say this now, Sue Cook has pulled out.
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Colin Wrafter @wraftercolin.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Any chance your article might be made freely available? Thank you .
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Loubna El Amine لبنى الأمين @loubnaelamine.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Our Critical Exchange on "What is Political Theory Today" is now out in Contemporary Political Theory. It features a lead article by Peter Steinberger and responses by Jeffrey Church, Shterna Friedman, Simone Chambers, and me. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
link.springer.com
What is political theory today? - Contemporary Political Theory
Contemporary Political Theory -
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#HigherEducationPostcard @hepostcard.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
Here's a #HigherEducationPostcard of @theul.bsky.social - Cambridge University Library It'll be all Cambridge for a few weeks now because that's where the alphabet has taken me If you like this image, I’d really appreciate a repost – it helps to spread the word!
An old monochrome picture postcard showing a magnificent 1930s monumental building, in brick and stone, with a central tower and lovely high windows. Printed at the foot of the card is University Library, Cambridge
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Reposted by Duncan Bell
Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
NEW BOOK! I'm very happy to say that my new book, Utopia, co-written with Douglas Mao, has been published on-line academic.oup.com/book/62279
academic.oup.com
Utopia
Abstract. Ideal societies, better worlds, more just and peaceful ways of living: these have long been the stuff of human beings’ social dreaming. In this c
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Digressionsimpressions @nescio13.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
On Spinoza Use of Rhetorical Tropes in Political Theory as Modeling, pt. 2 with shout out to @duncanbell.bsky.social digressionsimpressions.substack.com/p/on-spinoza...
digressionsimpressions.substack.com
On Spinoza Use of Rhetorical Tropes in Political Theory as Modeling, pt. 1
The present post presumes familiarity with the concept of a ‘recursive tradition,’ which I learned from Duncan Bell.
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William Gibson @greatdismal.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
I’ve now lived so much longer than I would ever have expected to that I feel I’m living in the future. This is when I imagined Neuromancer happening. And now the creators of today’s AI warn us that it threatens humanity.
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David Klemperer @dmk1793.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Really fascinating, this - I was particularly struck by Wells's idea of telepathy as enabling the harmonious resolution of complex problems of social coordination
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Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
ARTICLE: Duncan Bell, "John Stuart Mill on Federation, Civilization and Empire," History of Political Thought (2024) go.shr.lc/3EFfrLf
go.shr.lc
John Stuart Mill on Federation, Civilization and Empire: Ingenta Connect
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Britain and Ireland Association for Political Thought @biapt.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
We are delighted to announce that Dr Paul Sagar of Kings College London is the winner of our Mid-career prize! Heartiest of congratulations to him. Our full statement is below. 👇 www.associationforpoliticalthought.ac.uk/biapt-mid-ca...
associationforpoliticalthought.ac.uk
BIAPT Mid-career prize winner 2026 - Paul Sagar - BIAPT
We are delighted to award the BIAPT Mid-Career Prize to Dr Paul Sagar, who is Reader in Political Theory at Kings College London. Sagar has made a seismic contribution to our field over the last decad...
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Britain and Ireland Association for Political Thought @biapt.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
We are thrilled to announce that @shukyingchan.bsky.social is the winner of our Early-career prize for 2026! Our warmest congratulations to her. The competition was fierce this year. Full announcement below 👇 www.associationforpoliticalthought.ac.uk/biapt-early-...
associationforpoliticalthought.ac.uk
BIAPT Early-career prize winner 2026 - Shuk Ying Chan - BIAPT
Dr Shuk Ying Chan is a Lecturer in Political Theory in the Department of Political Science at University College London. She was awarded a PhD in Politics by the University of Princeton in 2021 and si...
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Ben Ansell @benansell.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Honestly, might be better if government ministers kept their half-baked views on education to themselves
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Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Samuel Butler imagined a war fought between humans over whether to halt the development of intelligent machines, not a desperate "Butlerian Jihad" pitting humans against their machinic progeny. The former seems more plausible than the latter
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Reposted by Duncan Bell
Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the AI safety story is the psychology of people doing a job that they sincerely believe has a good chance of annihilating humanity
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Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the AI safety story is the psychology of people doing a job that they sincerely believe has a good chance of annihilating humanity
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Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I'm honoured to have been elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. Congratulations to all the other new fellows. 🍻
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Department of Politics & International Studies, Uni of Cambridge @campolis.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
👏🎓Huge congratulations to @duncanbell.bsky.social who has been elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. 🎉
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Jan-Werner Mueller @jwmueller-pu.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
An open letter defending Professor Orr's academic freedom to engage in extramural speech on heterodox party financing to be published any minute now.
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Nick Pearce @iprnickp.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
newleftreview.org/sidecar/post...
newleftreview.org
Owen Hatherley, Ruination — Sidecar
On the Glasgow School of Art.
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Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
‘We’re plausibly close to crossing the line’: are warnings of uncontrollable AI coming true?
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Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
👍🧔‍♂️
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Jan Eijking @janeijking.com · 04/09/2026
“The United Nations has voted to adopt a resolution for the world to formally phase out the traditional Mercator map of the globe in favour of one that more accurately displays Africa’s size.”
theguardian.com
UN votes to adopt new world map that shows Africa’s true scale
Togo-sponsored resolution called to phase out traditional map that depicts continent as similar size to Greenland
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James Ball @jamesrball.com · 04/09/2026
"James Orr will, after all, forever be the man that suggested – seemingly in jest – to an undercover reporter that they could 'literally do the old John Le Carré – you print it off, put it in a brown envelope, drop it off somewhere'. "Try convincing someone you’re a genius after you’ve done that."
thenewworld.co.uk
Farage and the dodgy donations – is this the final straw?
A Channel 4 investigation has revealed the seedy workings of Reform’s moneymen. Farage was in trouble before. Now he might have had it
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Robert Saunders @robertsaunders.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
"We just don't have British resident donors that would support us ... That's the grim reality". "The Electoral Commission...are completely useless. They're just so dumb & ineffective". Some jaw-dropping quotes in this film from senior figures in Reform. We need updated laws AND proper enforcement
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Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
I'm honoured to have been elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. Congratulations to all the other new fellows. 🍻
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Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
NEW PAPER Duncan Bell, "Psychic Socialism: Telepathy, Freedom, and Individuality in Interwar Britain" (2026) Forthcoming in Duncan Bell & Eileen Hunt (eds.), Political Theory and Speculative Literature papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....
papers.ssrn.com
Psychic Socialism: Telepathy, Freedom, and Individuality in Interwar Britain
Draft chapter - a version of this essay is forthcoming in Duncan Bell and Eileen Hunt (eds.), Political Theory and Speculative Literature. <div> <br> </div> <
79123
Duncan Bell @duncanbell.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Apt
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