iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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...

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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 27/11/2025

Haha, well, yeah, just not how some philosophers understand it. But I reckon we are free in the important sense that we mean it.

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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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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

Also my dad right hefore he made me choose the belt (he had like 4 varieties of belt style) that he was going to spank me with in 10 minutes...

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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

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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 20/11/2025

Indeed! Devil's in the details, but that is essentially what I advocate for, while being convinced that we should generally be a little more skeptical than (many) philosophers have argued for.

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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

Thanks for sharing! I have a lot more unpacking and defending to do, but reckon this is a good start.

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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

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.

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Reposted by Ivan Bock

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 · 29/10/2025

I really like the SEP, but it does have a few entries that aren't too great. The other day I shared the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy's entry on Miracles as I thought it did a better job than SEP. It is a shame, but philosophy has always had mixed quality scholarship.

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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).

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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 22/10/2025

Do you perhaps have the source for this quote? I cannot find it in Meditations, and trying to track down the origin via Google seems to both cite Aurelius and Euripides, but without text references or specifics. It also doesn't really sound like Marcus Aurelius...

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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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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Definitely. I know some think it is being nitpicky, but without it the actual usefulness and depth of stoicism is lost. This is especially true for these sorts of quotes that just focus on basic resilience and leave out the psychology and ethics.

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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 14/10/2025

Yeah, I agree with the technical distinction you are making here. Nietzche put this point well. We must not 'love' or 'enjoy' suffering. Rather, we must not let hardship stop us from doing what we can, and finding joy during hard times is fine. But we should not pretend hard times are 'good'.

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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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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 10/10/2025

Definitely agree with this. We need more critical eyes on lay people misusing evolutionary psychology to tell themselves convenient stories.

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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

... are being driven by profit rather than truth/evidence (duh, no suprise here) - just so frustrating having to deal with this and being treated with suspicion without reason. Rant over!

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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

... service provider that there were no other leaks when they finished the first day. All the evidence points to the second leak being there from the start and them just missing it. So this is clearly going to be a long struggle to get treated fairly. It seems clear to me that their decisions ...

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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 08/10/2025

... where they are asking for proof that the second leak was there from the start. I have already provided ample evidence that this is the case. But now they are claiming they will always side with the service provider without 'proof'. To which I had to reply and ask for the proof from the ...

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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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Reposted by Ivan Bock

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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Ivan Bock @ivanbock.bsky.social · 01/10/2025

It is a great piece of art. I bought a very large desk mat with The Great Wave printed on it. It is a great addition to my office. Now my desk feel like a better place to sit at for 8 hours a day.

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Reposted by Ivan Bock

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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