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Ivan Bock

@ivanbock.bsky.social
672 followers 783 following 394 posts

PhD (Phil) student at Stellenbosch Uni. I blog infrequently. Interested in virtue ethics, moral psychology, pragmatism, existentialism, agnosticism, moral anti-realism, and skepticism. Life is luck! Be kind to all! Blog: ivanbock.substack.com

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Reposted by Ivan Bock
Ethan Landes @ethanlandes.bsky.social · 27/01/2026
I know a lot of Williamson's work is good. Great even. But I'll never be able to take seriously any philosopher who starts a book review with "if there are no deep metaphysical truths out there, that itself looks suspiciously like a deep metaphysical truth😏😏😏" ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/reth...
ndpr.nd.edu
Rethinking Metaphysics
Amie Thomasson is a leader of a programme for deflating the pretensions of metaphysics and finding something better for philosophers to do. She locates ...
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 27/12/2025
Found these plants at the place we are staying in Paternoster. They almost looked fake, having a slight plastic look. But I really think they are beautiful and rather unique. Some sort of succulent.
An image containing some pink-ish succulents. An image containing some pink-ish succulents. A single succulent is centered to show off its symmetry.
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
On our way to a lovely seaside town for Christmas and the dogs are coming with. So far it's been a good trip, but the dogs are anxious. Good times!
Selfie of the two dogs and myself in the car.
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
Just another reminder to check out my latest post! Make sure to subscribe if you want to read more like this. open.substack.com/pub/ivanbock...
Post image with title: "Freedom Worth Having: A Compatibilist(ish) Theory of Human Freedom and Responsibility".
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
Just another reminder to check out my latest post! Make sure to subscribe if you want to read more like this. open.substack.com/pub/ivanbock...
Post image with title: "Freedom Worth Having: A Compatibilist(ish) Theory of Human Freedom and Responsibility".
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 30/11/2025
New essay: "Freedom Worth Having" open.substack.com/pub/ivanbock... #philsky #freewill #blog
open.substack.com
Freedom Worth Having: A Compatibilist(ish) Theory of Human Freedom and Responsibility
A brief overview of understanding our freedom and responsibility as aspects of our capacities and social/moral practices
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 27/11/2025
I've finished writing my essay on free will, and it is way longer than I thought it would be. But this is pretty common for me. I'm going to try and finish it up today. So hoping to have it totally done and ready for Friday. #philsky #blog
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Michael Burns @michaelburns.bsky.social · 24/11/2025
screw it it's a holiday week here's the new video on youtube www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdji...
youtube.com
how i became a Christian Atheist
YouTube video by Michael Burns
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lastpositivist.bsky.social @lastpositivist.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Yahweh shortly before the Flood:
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
A public notice for those interested in philosophy blogs! #philsky #blog
Just a notice to those interested, the next essay I want to post here will likely be on free will. 

Similar to how I gave an overview of my preferred approach to philosophy (moderate skepticism) that I can further defend as the blog grows, I want to provide and overview of what I call pragmatic freedom and responsibility, a sort of compatibilist view. Make sure to stay tuned!

Also, just to build some anticipation, my draft backlog contains essays on moral psychology and virtue, free will, the problem of evil/indifference, defending moral anti-realism, and an argument against religious belief based on miracles. So be sure to subscribe so you can check these out!
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
I'm sharing my first post on my new Substack blog: open.substack.com/pub/ivanbock... Make sure to check it out! Please consider liking, sharing, and subscribing! There is a lot more to come! #philsky #blog
open.substack.com
Two Principles of Moderate Skepticism: A Better Way Of Doing Philosophy
A brief overview of the skeptical mindset/approach that I generally endorse and how to apply it
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Interested in skepticism and pragmatism? Wonder about different approaches to philosophy? Then check out my blog and my latest essay where I discuss moderate skepticism. #philsky #blog
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
My first Substack post is officially live. Please check it out! open.substack.com/pub/ivanbock... #philsky #blog #skepticism
open.substack.com
Two Principles of Moderate Skepticism: A Better Way Of Doing Philosophy
A brief overview of the skeptical mindset/approach that I generally endorse and how to apply it
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
Happy to report the first post is scheduled to release soon. Keep an eye out, or subscribe to the blog, to be able to read my short intro to moderate skepticism - the philosophical approach I endorse. #philsky #blog
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 17/11/2025
I'll be going live with my first substack post soon. I'm moving my blog over there. If interested in meta-ethics, pragmatism, skepticism, existentialism, and virtue ethics, then please consider checking it out and subscribing for future posts: open.substack.com/pub/ivanbock... #philsky #blog
open.substack.com
Nescient Pragmatist | Ivan Bock | Substack
My personal Substack. I post essays on philosophical topics, including critical/creative thinking, agnosticism, skepticism, existentialism, ethics, moral anti-realism/subjectivism, and pragmatism. Cli...
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
I say this somewhat tongue in cheek, but it is funny how many people dismiss philosophy only for us to keep finding out people like Socrates really were wise: youtu.be/9M_QK4stCJU?... #philsky
youtu.be
Why You Shouldn’t Trust Confident People
YouTube video by Veritasium
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Matthew Dowd @matthewjdowd.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
happy bday French writer Albert Camus, b.1913. “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there’s something stronger – something better, pushing right back.”
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 07/11/2025
Pretty decent summary of Epictetus' views and teachings. It has that classic stoic sentiment and psychological theory, while also stressing Epictetus' 'role ethics'. That combination, I think, is a particularly useful and socially just perspective to take. #stoicism #ethics
Text from Epictetus' Discourses. It reads: "In our school, we picture the philosopher's goal more or less as follows: bring the will in line with events, so that nothing happens contrary to our wishes and, conversely, nothing fails to happen that we want to happen. Pursue it, and the reward is that neither desire nor aversion will fail in their aims; and we will fill all our roles in society - as son, father, brother, citizen, man, woman, neighbour, fellow voyager, ruler or ruled - without conflict, fear or rancour."
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 02/11/2025
Fun day at the #RedBullFlugTag ! We came without a plan and ended up getting some nice seats.
A picture of the Cape Town Waterfront, taken on Redbull's 2025 Flugtag event. There are some boats to the left, a large screen center left, and a blue runway on the right.Selfie of my wife and I.
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Philosophy Bits @philosophybits.com · 02/11/2025
“Think for yourself, and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.” — Voltaire, Treatise on Tolerance
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
Truly a beautiful time in Cape Town as the flowers start to bloom. Our bird-of-paradise plants are looking great! #flowers #capetown
Picture of a bird-of-paradise flower (strelitziaceae).Picture of a bird-of-paradise flower (strelitziaceae).Picture of a bird-of-paradise flower (strelitziaceae).
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Evelyndroid's Aperture Science and Bugge-Finding 🏳️‍⚧️🕷️ @apsciencebylyn.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
#EmotionalSupportSpood #Arachtober Little Brown Creeper boy missing a palp and looking very small (they always do) 🥹
Tiny brown jumping spider with stubby stripy legs, peering at you shyly from tree bark
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 14/10/2025
"Whoever knows that he is profound strives for clarity; whoever would like the crowd to think he is profound strives for obscurity. The reason for this is that the crowd thinks something is profound whenever it cannot see to the bottom of it" - Nietzsche #philsky
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Philosophy Bits @philosophybits.com · 12/10/2025
“There is only one thing a philosopher can be relied upon to do, and that is to contradict other philosophers.” — William James, Memories and Studies #philosophy #philsky
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Rob Sica @robsica.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
"Given their disciplinary expertise, we believe that evolutionary scholars are uniquely equipped to critique these speculations, which borrow from EP’s credibility to advance a depreciatory view of women, while harming the public reputation of the field at large and in academia."
cambridge.org
A Hundred and Two Just-So Stories: Exploring the Lay Evolutionary Hypotheses of the Manosphere | Evolutionary Human Sciences | Cambridge Core
A Hundred and Two Just-So Stories: Exploring the Lay Evolutionary Hypotheses of the Manosphere
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JA Westenberg @joanwestenberg.com · 07/10/2025
"What doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is the laziest moral philosophy ever invented and I'm tired of pretending it's wisdom. youtu.be/A1z2xW6Zyto
youtube.com
The Existential Danger of Stoic Sadism
When Marcus Aurelius started popping up everywhere, I thought maybe we were getting somewhere. But stoicism has twisted into something darker: stoic sadism, ...
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
Currently busy dealing with our insurance regarding a leak and water damage to our home. This is so frustrating, as the service providers clearly missed a leak when they came the first time and are now claiming we need to submit a second claim for the 'new' leak. We have now gotten to the point ...
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Daily Stoic @daily-stoic.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
"He who indulges empty fears earns himself real fears." Seneca
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 07/10/2025
Uninformed manosphere influencer: "No, no, I voted for a 'good strong man', not a bad one. A good strong man would have been awesome."
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
A quote that gets to me every time: "I must die. But must I die bawling?" - Epictetus Stay strong and keep fighting the good fight. #ethics #stoicism
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 05/10/2025
This is such an amazing passage from The Brothers Karamazov! It is easy to see why some considered Dostoyevsky to be a prophet. Now more than ever, we must remeber this message. Don't foster solitude, foster brotherly love. #booksky
A long passage from The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky.
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 02/10/2025
As usual, Shaun hits it out of the park. This is a fantastic breakdown of the completely bullshit book, The War on Science. Have a look if you have the time. youtu.be/tyU5Xkk6TuE?...
youtu.be
The War on Science
YouTube video by Shaun
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BeijingPalmer @beijingpalmer.bsky.social · 29/09/2025
This is my regular reminder to everyone that jstor is open to the general public now; a free account there will give you access to 100 papers a year.
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Carme Isern-Mas @isernmas.bsky.social · 26/09/2025
New paper accepted!🎉 Is Taylor Swift responsible for how she makes her fans feel? Yes; the notion of affective power (the ability to influence how others feel) can help identify the responsibilities celebrities have towards their fans. w/ G.Mills & @alfredarcher.bsky.social Preprint ⬇️
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Philosophy Bits @philosophybits.com · 25/09/2025
“Each day acquire something that will fortify you against poverty, against death, indeed against other misfortunes as well; and after you have run over many thoughts, select one to be thoroughly digested that day.” — Seneca, Moral Letters to Lucilius
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Julia Carrie Wong @joolia.bsky.social · 20/09/2025
this exists it is called thinking
Matthew McConaughey says he wants a private LLM, fed only with his books, notes, journals, and aspirations, so he can ask it questions and get answers based solely on that information, without any outside influence.
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 18/09/2025
I just wanted to share the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy article on Miracles. I enjoyed it much more than the SEP article on the same topic. I found it slightly more fair-handed and balanced. The discussion on miracles as gestures is also interesting. #philsky iep.utm.edu/miracles/
iep.utm.edu
Miracles | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy
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Susanbeth5781 @susanpatrick1.bsky.social · 17/09/2025
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Aidan McGlynn @aidanmcglynn.bsky.social · 14/09/2025
As I used to say on Twitter, you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see your work become an 'Oxford Studies Online' pdf
The title page of my Oxford Handbook chapter on Epistemic Injustice, with the title, my name, and section 1 title all very elegantly laid out.The title and abstract of the online version of my Oxford Handbook chapter, followed by a string of keywords and other bits of info, looking much less pleasing.The first page of the Oxford Studies Online pdf of my chapter, with an ugly layout, and different pagination to the printed version which they have to represent by adding page numbers along the left side of the text.
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lastpositivist.bsky.social @lastpositivist.bsky.social · 13/09/2025
Theories of analyticity cannot handle this
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Philosophy Bits @philosophybits.com · 14/09/2025
“Three passions have governed my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.” — Bertrand Russell, The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell
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jl, thinking @jzajzajza.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
Just showing up in lefty spaces doesn’t mean you are engaging with them. He always pivoted to whatever he wanted to talk about. That’s why his visit to Oxford recently went viral. Tilly knew his game and was ready for his pivot. So no, he doesn’t get credit for politicking. youtu.be/Zn0_2iACV-A?...
youtu.be
Cambridge Debate Coach Reveals How She Humiliated Charlie Kirk
YouTube video by Rationality Rules
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noam @noamchompers.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
I hadn’t given it much thought, but I guess I really thought we were gonna get ‘Charlie Kirk’s complicated legacy’ rather than ‘America mourns her sweet perfect boy’ and, uh, serves me right for overestimating legacy media I guess!
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Caleb Ward @calebw.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Having a real-time debate over here whether “practicing politics the right way” is essentially about form (Klein) or about content (everyone left of him). Klein’s problem is that his valuing of current open debate welcomes demagoguery that destroys the possibility of future open debate.
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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 12/09/2025
Something I have to say: Someone who puts on the act of being a 'cordial debater' but only does this in contexts where such a thing cannot be productive, is not a model example of the modern politically engaged person. All this praise being put on someone who actually only stirred the pot is awful.
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Popehat @kenwhite.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
The assassination of Charlie Kirk makes we worry we can no longer have peaceful discussions of whether gays should be stoned to death or civil and collegial debates about whether black people are inherently inferior. Our culture will suffer. New York Times tomorrow
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Daily Stoic @daily-stoic.bsky.social · 10/09/2025
“If you wish to be loved, love.” ― Seneca
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Helen De Cruz @helendecruz.net · 28/05/2025
Latest post. Don’t know how many I have still in me helendecruz.substack.com/p/cant-take-...
helendecruz.substack.com
Can’t take it with you
I am in hospice care and reflecting a lot on what a good life is.
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Caleb Ward @calebw.bsky.social · 08/09/2025
This paper by Hannah Winckler-Olick looks cool. We need more Beauvoirean existentialism in contemporary moral philosophy. (DM me your email address if you need a copy) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
The Range of Moral Responsibility: A Beauvoirian Model
In this paper, I propose a view that extends the range of our core agency to include contributions our actions make to public values. This Extended Range View takes seriously Simone de Beauvoir's sug...
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