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David Sepkoski

@hallucigenia.bsky.social
711 followers 387 following 709 posts

Historian of Science, author, eukaryote, synth dabbler, Radical Leftist™

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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 12/10/2026
Great--and I assume we'll also be investigating Melania and her parents for immigration violations, with deportation as a possible outcome. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/12/u...
nytimes.com
Federal Agents Search Home of Rep. Ilhan Omar
The search takes place within the 60-day window of the midterm elections, when the Justice Department has historically avoided such investigative steps related to political candidates.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
My response back:
I was referring to his Phil People page, not indexing his "scholarship." https://philpeople.org/profiles/nathan-cofnas/publications

I guess you have no problem platforming someone like this. If Nick Fuentes published a paper in a philosophical journal, would you give him a personal webpage on your site? I, for example, have papers indexed on your site but do not have a Phil People page. I know I could set one up if I wanted, but that demonstrates that this is an elective action. 

As a historian of science and race I have deep contempt for people who use this kind of squishy logic to excuse themselves from having a moral compass.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
Update: I heard back from PhilPapers with this response: "PhilPapers policy is that we index everything that is published within journals that are in scope without any editorial judgement. Cofnas's papers all are in journals that are within scope, so our policy is to include them."
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
We act like it is a privilege to get published by presses like @uchicagopress.bsky.social. But it isn't: they make money off of us and give us almost nothing in return. They can do this because our profession has essentially farmed out tenure/promotion decisions to a few academic presses.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Stephen Miller will get his eventually.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Smokers actually cost insurers less than non-smokers, because we die quicker. True fact.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
If a bunch of white philosophers think amateur speculations about racial differences is "fair game" for philosophy, then philosophy is the problem. As are you.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Hey @dbourget.bsky.social, why do you keep ignoring my complaints to PhilPapers about platforming a racist? I guess the difference between a historian like me and a philosopher like you is I actually care about real harm in the world. You just "think" about it.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Word. They actually expect readers to *type in the names of their favorite shows* as well. I read the Times for the giggles, not to actually work!
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
So I have contacted PhilPapers multiple times about maintaining Nathan Cofnas' profile on their site. Fucking crickets. If anyone else cares to contact them about this, please do. philpeople.org/profiles/nat...
philpeople.org
Nathan Cofnas (Cambridge University): Publications - PhilPeople
List of philosophical publications by Nathan Cofnas (Cambridge University), including "Science is not always “self-correcting” : fact–value conflation and the study of intelligence", "Coercive paterna...
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I hope for a $100B judgement against Microsoft and OpenAI to go to the NYT, which I hope will devalue their companies and give journalism a new lifeline. All models trained on the intellectual property of the NYT and thousands of authors whose works (like mine) were scraped should be deleted.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The genocidal Israeli government has upped the ante on Fascism. My support to the Israeli people who oppose this and solidarity with the Palestinians who have been subjected to the abuses they exposed. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/s...
theguardian.com
Netanyahu seeks to strip citizenship from Israelis as threats to NAZA film directors intensify
Israeli prime minister to pursue new laws as directors of Guardian-produced film face threats from far-right officials and activists
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
www.aclu.org/press-releas...
aclu.org
Eighth Circuit Upholds Arkansas’s Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Youth | American Civil Liberties Union
Little Rock, Ark.--Following the Supreme Court’s ruling in US v. Skrmetti, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has rejected a challenge to an Arkansas...
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Yeah, because our students protest injustice. From the piece you helpfully provided: "FIRE gave UIUC an F, partly due to a bottom 50 ranking for disruptive conduct signaling student acceptance of non-peaceful forms of protest." I'm all for disrupting fascists and racists.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
"In January, UA rescinded its decision to hire Emily Suski as its law school dean after state legislators objected to her participation in a U.S. Supreme Court brief supporting transgender athletes." Nice. Definitely won't be encouraging our graduates to apply for jobs there.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Oh, I see: "University of Arkansas Ranking: A national analysis ranked the University of Arkansas 242nd out of 261 schools, giving the campus an "F" for its free speech climate." www.axios.com/local/nw-ark...
axios.com
Arkansas flunks free speech on campus
Students are self-censoring at high rates amid intense political pressure.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
What's the state of academic freedom in Arkansas? Genuine question, but an important one for potential hires.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
If you ever want to join the dark side, let me know.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
There are ways to avoid giving them any of your money.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
We all need a sense of humor these days!
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The most offensive thing you've said--and there were several--is that Sheeran is "historically relevant."
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
I don't want to picture that...
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Those "War.gov" ads are seriously the most pathetic thing I've ever seen. Hegseth must have a very, very small dick.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Ok, Joe MacMillan.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
These racists sure don't like talking about race when it isn't convenient for them.... www.nytimes.com/2026/09/09/u...
nytimes.com
Trump’s Census Overhaul Would Exclude Some Immigrants and Remove Questions on Race
The proposals for 2030 are among significant changes that would upend a process for helping allot congressional seats and shape policies that address disparities.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Yes--I invoked your name specifically to acknowledge that I overstated the case! And that's an apt way of putting it: the results of the study, if they are replicable (I'll defer to you on that), are fairly trivial.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Agreed. My real issue with that paper was the elision between "traits" and "behaviors," with one somehow being causally responsible (via "genes") for the other. I just don't understand how that made it through peer review. "Anxiety" can be called a trait or a behavior, but that means the same thing.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Yeah, thinking isn't "mental arithmetic," my friend. Maybe stop assuming you're smarter or better read than the people you interact with here? Some of us actually know a thing or two. And Turing (1950) is pretty clear that "machine intelligence" isn't the same thing as "general intelligence." SMH
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Sure, and the brain is also made of atoms. But physics doesn't give us a ton of insight into human behavior, does it? Or is that "ideological," too?
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Heck, I see a shrink, so clearly I don't think psychology itself is "bullshit"! And some of my best friends (truly!) are psychologists....
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I realize I'm making sweeping claims about an entire field that are probably unfair! I have a ton of respect for @ent3c.bsky.social. But there are "bad apples" who are giving the public a distorted sense of the science--it's why I appreciate Turkheimer's criticisms!
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
No argument there! The silliness comes in when "personality trait" becomes "gene for." I don't have an issue with studying the underlying genetics of behavior--I just wish we'd stop it with these sweeping claims based on GWAS.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Also funny... c'mon
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I'm not sure the behavioral geneticists realize that DNA is a biological molecule, not a software package...
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
@carlzimmer You feel good about this? Not your fault--but I wish you had some input on this piece.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
My wife loves me even more! And she's even crazier for doing so!
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
(also, what, exactly, is the difference between a "trait" and a "behavior"? This is a ridiculous tautology)
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
I mean, "traits" have "causal associations" with "behaviors"? Where's the fucking genetics here, folks? So far this is just feels. But I guess that's psychology for you...
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
From the abstract: "Polygenic prediction, genetic correlation and Mendelian randomization analyses indicate that personality traits have widespread, potentially causal associations with consequential behaviours and life outcomes." So bullshit, right? "Potentially causal" 🤣
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
C'mon--this is funny!
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
@theonion.com Pitch for you! Headline below.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
@nytimes.com
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Will someone please teach science journalists at the NYT that human behavioral genetics is 99% bullshit? A better headline for this piece would be "Psychologists Posing as Geneticists Played With Some Statistical Software." www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/s...
nytimes.com
Scientists Find More Than 1,000 Genetic Variants Linked to Personality
More than one million genomes helped identify DNA variants linked to extroversion, agreeableness, neuroticism and more. Researchers measured how those traits influenced how people lived.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
And, conversely, most scientific racists have been classical liberals!
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Honestly, as a die-hard leftist who puts his money where his mouth is, I'd be totally fine with poseurs like you just fucking off. And that's it--over and out.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
"Based on." And I'm not banning or blocking you; in fact, I would love to preserve our exchange for posterity. You, maybe less so. Good night.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Again: 🤡 You made an absolute jackass of yourself here. I'd advise deleting some of those posts, but you do you.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Are you actually drunk? That was the thing you called "retarded"! You need a serious time out and some therapy.
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David Sepkoski @hallucigenia.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Your level of jujitsu:
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