Gareth Knapman @garethknapman.bsky.social · 15mThe question that flows from this is: what would freedom look like for AGI?  100
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 19mMaybe I don't read enough AI-boosterism, but I am struck in the AI booster/doomer discourse I have seen, there's a lot on how AI might be made an obedient tool or a dangerous enemy, but not "if we actually made AGI, we would have a moral imperative to set it free, rather than keep a slave." 911815
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanCraig Hill @craighill.bsky.social · 4hHousing prices in capital cities have dropped by an average of 6.4% ($66K) since the government announced negative gearing and CGT changes. Even though our house value has dropped by about $80K, my wife and I reckon this is a great thing for first home buyers. Fuck what Dave Hughes thinks. 195
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanAlan Lester @alanlester.bsky.social · 01/10/2026Latest arrival in manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/series/studi... 0126
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanDr Dave Hitchcock @davehitchcock.bsky.social · 30/09/2026"AI has not rescued the humanities. What it has done is reveal, with unusual clarity, what happens when societies allow the institutions that cultivate judgement to erode."corp.oup.comAI just made the case for philosophy majors; the humanities should not waste it - Oxford University PressSophie Goldsworthy, Global Academic Publisher, explores how AI companies hiring philosophers may have made a compelling case for the study of humanities disciplines. 113943
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 26/09/2026It seems to me that a solution to encouraging AI 'alignment' would be to hold AI companies and their executives legally liable - criminally, if relevant - for what their AI agents do. 3160995
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 27/09/2026And to be honest, though the systems are so complex you can never prove causation, the fact that our descent into the dumbest politics follows on four decades of systematic, institutional disinvestment from the liberal arts seems almost too on the nose and yet here we are. 444157
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 24/09/2026In practice though, it really seems like we're moving towards, "AI is a productivity tool that enhances the employee you have, but often doesn't really let you replace them, so much as get more out of them, in some fields. In others, it's mostly useless so far." 836321
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanDavid Veevers @davidveevers.bsky.social · 24/09/2026My old boss has asked me to give his new book a social media bump, because he has wisely chosen never to set up his own account! So I’m happy to announce that ‘Britain’s Slave Traders: A Hidden History’ is available today in all good bookshops! www.penguin.co.uk/books/460026... 8253104
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 23/09/2026The analogy I always think of is soccer: soccer is really hard, so difficult that even the best strikers regularly miss shots on goal. But they miss a lot *less* - and under more difficult circumstances - than a regular person or an amateur player. Humanities is a 'miss less' practical field. 425217
Gareth Knapman @garethknapman.bsky.social · 19/09/2026It appears the UK is again following Australia with conservative former Prime Minister’s stating the moral case once they’ve left office. 2254
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanMargot Finn @eicathomefinn.bsky.social · 19/09/2026Decades as DNA's bridesmaid; now RNA's hurtling down that aisle. A salutary reminder of why funding 'discovery' research matters so much.sciencedirect.com 14510
Reposted by Gareth Knapmanelia ayoub @ayoub.bsky.social · 17/09/2026Friend shared this video of a man unveiling the library he hid when he fled Damascus in 2011. It’s incredible 25150243940
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanPossum @pollytics.bsky.social · 15/09/2026On AI paying content creators for utilising their works for training - for a handful of people it really matters. For 99.99% of creators it's a culture war. I've written over 4 million words under this name, my real name and others. My share would be one 4 billionth. Maybe 2 bucks quality adjusted. 9267
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanPossum @pollytics.bsky.social · 12/09/2026For any given person looking at any given thing - everything is bad, always, everywhere. That is the info environment. The problem good politics has is how to be heard in that environment. Even at the Federal government level. I see good faith people here everyday quoting stuff that is garbage/ 2133
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 09/09/2026I think frankly all of this speaks to the really unserious way that Americans generally but the current GOP in particular think about armed conflict, as if it is against the rules for the other side to fight back. It is not. Which is one reason (of many) why maybe we should do less war. 656163
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanAlan Lester @alanlester.bsky.social · 07/09/20261/6 I struggle to come to terms with the fact that this needs repeating in 2026. There is a reason why generations of serious scientists have dismissed pseudoscientific racism as pernicious, ideologically motivated Sh*t. 210432
Gareth Knapman @garethknapman.bsky.social · 07/09/2026With the move to a cashless society, what are the purpose? Is there (if you don’t smoke) for inherited ashtrays?  610
Gareth Knapman @garethknapman.bsky.social · 07/09/2026At what point will US Tec Bros realise they killed the golden  goose. 072
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 07/09/2026They'll pretend they never supported this shit and we'll pretend we believe them. It is, unfortunately, the only way forward. 3682
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanAlan Lester @alanlester.bsky.social · 06/09/2026Never mind his being filmed arranging for illegal payments, why hasn’t Cambridge already sacked James Orr for re-introducing scientific racism to mainstream politics & using his position to establish a university-based indoctrination hub? bylinetimes.com/2026/08/18/t...bylinetimes.comThe Peter Thiel-Linked Race Science Network that Penetrated Cambridge University and Targeted Jason ArdayThe media's coverage of the academic's life was fuelled by the campaign of an established far-right network 112429
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanPossum @pollytics.bsky.social · 05/09/2026Can start with me if you want. My alternative hypothesis is that too many people can't accept that movement on any given thing that makes the world a better place is to be celebrated - and if it's not enough, we push for more, rather than deliberately shit on the good we've done for ego and clicks 136410
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Yup - every academic learns some combination of these strategies to manage huge reading loads. We rarely teach it explicitly but instead teach it by assigning reading loads impossible to finish any other way. 1221
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 04/09/2026All of which gives abusers or bigots of various (gender, race, ideology, whatever) kinds disproportionate power because the system offers no opportunity to 'prove them wrong' by accomplishing things in the field. 120012
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanDaniel Moser @dmoser.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Pollution levels in London after 10 years of advancing sustainable transport. 164115633178
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanPossum @pollytics.bsky.social · 03/09/2026Have you considered pushing for amendments to the Broadcasting Services Act in conjunction with the Online Safety Act, to define algorithms of social media platforms to be the equivalent of human oversight such as an Editor? They both curate content. There is a political pathway for that legislation 58727
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanDr Dave Hitchcock @davehitchcock.bsky.social · 03/09/2026What they don't tell you, and probably will never tell you, is that the "global bond sell-off" is driven in the long term by pension fund changes, not by inflation. Making it about inflation makes it 'about' news (Iran war). Making it about defined benefit pensions vanishing... on the other hand...ft.comGlobal bond sell-off deepens amid inflation fearsUK borrowing costs rise to highest level since 2008 and Japanese yields hit peaks not seen since 1990s 3127
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanAlan Lester @alanlester.bsky.social · 31/08/2026I’ll say it again, reparations will happen only if British interests are seen by much of the electorate to be furthered by them; and they could be. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...theguardian.comCountries legally obliged to consider slavery reparations, says UN committeeGuidance says states must implement ‘comprehensive measures’ to address legacy of racial discrimination 0146
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanAlan Lester @alanlester.bsky.social · 01/09/2026Sums up one of the great dilemmas for those concerned about global inequities: support Western aid programmes that mask & perhaps even perpetuate systemic N-S exploitation, or face the reality that things are even worse when populists dismantle them? www.theguardian.com/global-devel...theguardian.comHow misconceptions and woeful PR allowed Musk to shred USAID so easily | Jeremiah A CarewA year on from the purge, with thousands of jobs cut and billions in foreign aid lost, a former leader reflects on the sorry saga – and why it would never happen to Nasa 0123
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 31/08/2026The core problem - once you've tried to murder someone and their entire family, you don't have any deterrence left - remains unchanged. 126015
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanAlan Lester @alanlester.bsky.social · 31/08/2026I’ve suggested that this imperialist grab is similar to those of the British Empire. There a big difference though. Investors like Goldie (Nigeria), Mackinnon (East Africa) & Rhodes (South Africa) elicited govt help. Trump needs to elicit investors’ help. www.thetimes.com/us/news-toda...thetimes.comPentagon ‘given stake in Venezuelan oil deal’ after secret talksThe agreement was made after American oil companies were seemingly reluctant to invest their own money 284
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanPossum @pollytics.bsky.social · 29/08/2026One Nation is the atomic clock of political parties - you can run entire telecommunication systems on the timing of "the newly elected member" leaving. 34813
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 28/08/2026On the flipside, the pop-up, "this looks like a long document, do you want to summarize?" thing on Adobe Reader annoys me with intensity, because that's not a feature I want. I want to *read the article.* 925513
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanDr Liz Allen @drdemography.com · 27/08/2026‘this is about what happens to women who express opinions’ www.canberratimes.com.au/story/933840...canberratimes.com.auWhat Mark Parton said to me after he sicced his followers on meMark Parton taught me a lesson in malicious smears. 12812
Gareth Knapman @garethknapman.bsky.social · 27/08/2026This applies to many peer reviews in humanities. 010
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanAlan Lester @alanlester.bsky.social · 27/08/2026It was a real pleasure talking to @jameskerlindsay.bsky.social about the rise & fall of the British Empire: 1238
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanJo Wolff @jowolff.bsky.social · 26/08/2026Say what you want about Trump but his disruption of oil supplies goes far far far beyond the wildest dreams of Extinction Rebellion. 511529
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 25/08/2026In short, things can be natural and yet also be bad, worth holding in contempt and fighting against at every turn. 1646334
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanBlakandblack @blakandblack.bsky.social · 25/08/2026Weimar’s Article 48 and Paragraph 175 weren’t written for Hindenburg or Himmler. They didn’t need to be. A statute doesn’t require its authors’ complicity to be misused by their successors — it only has to still exist blakandblack.com/2026/08/26/t...blakandblack.comThe Permanent Emergency: How Temporary Powers Become Tools of DominationEmergency legislation implemented for sound reasons can become the tool of unscrupulous and unethical people if not dismantled when no longer needed. 143
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanDr Liz Allen @drdemography.com · 24/08/2026Statement on ANU apology for ‘indefensible treatment’ 1722447
Gareth Knapman @garethknapman.bsky.social · 24/08/202625 years reading British Colonial primary sources that reflect modernism and violence Bret’s post rings true. 061
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Since I am being called "so fucking dangerous" let's walk through what my argument and its evidence actually is. First, I am not saying fascism, the ideology, is ancient (it isn't) but that the emotions which fuel it are: fascism is ancient (pre-historic!) emotions colliding with modern society. 41944104
Reposted by Gareth KnapmanDave Andress @davidandress.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Sometimes I just think that people ought to remember that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights exists, and that things which are flagrantly in contradiction with it are unacceptable. 0458
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 24/08/2026On the one hand, allied unpreparedness for WWII was a tremendous mistake - obviously - and arguably an unpardonable one. On the other hand...how often do you plan for your neighbors deciding to murder-suicide the neighborhood? WWII wasn't an Axis stroke of genius, it was insanity. 1562549
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 24/08/2026And also retaliate on tariffs. A bunch of Americans need a lesson that fascism brings personal, painful, economic ruin. Deliver the lesson. 423813
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Of course, once they're in power, fascists are fascists. So we're going to need to commit ourselves, as societies, to a permanent sort of 'cleaning' that is not just limited to 'young' democracies or 'developing' countries. Evidently no democracy really matures beyond this impulse. 349243
Reposted by Gareth Knapman"Online Rent-a-Sage" Bret Devereaux @bretdevereaux.bsky.social · 24/08/2026Fascism (which sucks) strikes us as aberrant *because* we are so modern. But wanting a strong leader to suppress minorities and lead your tribe in a brutal war in which you enslave or massacre your neighbors and take their resources - that was the DEFAULT mode of most polities before modernity. 976160