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Jesse Spafford

@jessespafford.bsky.social
400 followers 437 following 493 posts

Philosophy lecturer at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. Interested in rights, egalitarianism, and anarchism.

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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
I have a new post up discussing (in very general terms) two broad philosophical personality types, their virtues, and their vices. You can read it here: jessespafford.substack.com/p/gadflies-a...
jessespafford.substack.com
Gadflies and Guide Dogs
What is the point of philosophy?
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
I have a new post up from the archives, discussing some of the dangers of communicating with aliens! Read it here: jessespafford.substack.com/p/aliens-and...
jessespafford.substack.com
Aliens and Animals
Are we the bad guys?
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
Well, not strictly impossible if you think that egalitarianism is instrumental to other socialist values (e.g., non-domination or anti-exploitation). But that still doesn't quite capture the core thought, which is that there is some institutions that are the object of an overlapping consensus.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
I agree that full achievability doesn't matter (and isn't an advantage for the democratic conception anyway). I'm most moved by the argument that there are many moral bases for endorsing socialism—a thought that is impossible on my egalitarian conception.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
I have a new post up replying to @benburgis.bsky.social's defense of the democratic conception of socialism. It gets a bit more in the (philosophical) weeds than I initially intended, but hopefully people find that interesting: open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...
open.substack.com
What Socialism Is Not: A Reply to Burgis
The democratic conception still can’t be right.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 06/07/2026
I have a new post up on substack today wherein I try to explain what I think everybody is getting wrong about socialism. Read it here: jessespafford.substack.com/p/what-socia...
jessespafford.substack.com
What Socialism Is (and Is Not)
Why socialism can’t be the democratic control of the means of production.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I have a new post up on my substack defending the politicization of academia. Specifically, I draw upon the logic of effective altruism to argue that it would be unreasonable to *not* let moral and political aims direct academic research: jessespafford.substack.com/p/effective-...
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
Of course, I also am attracted to a fusion of libertarian and socialist views. But I find that Anderson picks the worst combination of these views, giving up material equality and, instead, holding that we should view the existing economy as a joint enterprise where each has been assigned a role.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
More generally, in my view, Anderson still holds onto many of the commitments of her early-in-life libertarianism. So, it's interesting that certain lefties seem to be so attracted to her work.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 03/06/2026
As a sociological matter I've always been intrigued by the fact that so many left-leaning people seem to love this paper when many parts of it could have been written by someone at the Heritage Foundation: bsky.app/profile/gilm...
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 27/05/2026
I finally got through enough of my other work to wrap up my series on cancel culture with this short post. In it I ask: what do critics of cancel culture really want, and is that a reasonable demand? open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...
open.substack.com
On Cancel Culture, Part 4
Why it doesn't make sense to oppose cancel culture as such.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Continuing my extended reflections on/defense of cancel culture, I've now posted Part 3 of the series on Substack! Check it out here: open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...
open.substack.com
On Cancel Culture, Part 3
Why it's actually the *anti-cancellers* who are motivated by insecurity.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 01/04/2026
Continuing my extended reflections on/defense of cancel culture, I've now posted Part 3 of the series on Substack! Check it out here: open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...
open.substack.com
On Cancel Culture, Part 3
Why it's actually the *anti-cancellers* who are motivated by insecurity.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 15/03/2026
this was pretty troubling also:
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
I have a new post up in my series on cancel culture! This one raises some worries about the popular theory that the cancellers are primarily just virtue signaling—and seeks to cast doubt on the virtue signaling theory more broadly. open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...
open.substack.com
On Cancel Culture, Part 2
Is it all virtue signaling?
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
I have a new post up in my series on cancel culture! This one raises some worries about the popular theory that the cancellers are primarily just virtue signaling—and seeks to cast doubt on the virtue signaling theory more broadly. open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...
open.substack.com
On Cancel Culture, Part 2
Is it all virtue signaling?
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
I was recently interviewed about my book by Luke Jensen! If you're interested in getting a sense of (some of) what I argue there, this is a nice overview: www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_94...
youtube.com
Thinking About Social Anarchism (and the Rejection of Moral Tyranny) with Jesse Spafford
YouTube video by Luke Jensen
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
It’s a bit one sided because I don’t really consider any countervailing considerations, but it was already getting a bit too ambitious in scope.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 15/02/2026
I have a new post on why the media shouldn't profile Very Weird Guys. Read it here: open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...
open.substack.com
Cultural Transmission and Moral Deviance
Don't tell me about the latest very weird guy!
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
I recently debated Michael Huemer on whether people have property rights! You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Yl0...
youtube.com
DEBATE: What Rights do We Have Over Resources? | Michael Huemer vs. Jesse Spafford
YouTube video by Discourse
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Jake Grumbach @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Not exaggerating when I say that the collective action in Minnesota will be studied for generations if not centuries to come
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
There's been a small break in the stream of bad news, so I took the opportunity to write up the second post of my two-part argument against academic titles. You can read it here: open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...
open.substack.com
Against Academic Titles, Part 2
Do academic titles really help address student prejudice?
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 22/01/2026
There's been a small break in the stream of bad news, so I took the opportunity to write up the second post of my two-part argument against academic titles. You can read it here: open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...
open.substack.com
Against Academic Titles, Part 2
Do academic titles really help address student prejudice?
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 18/12/2025
I have a new post up on Substack about some troubling intellectual trends on the Right—and how modernity is to blame! open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...
open.substack.com
Right-Wing Epistemic Isolationism
Why do conservatives believe such weird stuff?
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
This one is going to have two parts. Part 1 (linked above) presents some reasons for resisting the use of titles. Part 2 will then respond to what I take to be the most plausible defense of the use of academic titles.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 26/11/2025
I know I've already largely missed the "should academics insist on being called 'doctor'" debate—my thinking/writing can't keep up with the discourse cycle—but here's my quick case against the use of academic titles. open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...
open.substack.com
Against Academic Titles
A quick sketch of why I don't like using the term "Doctor."
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Here's my contribution to the "is continental philosophy meaningless" debate. I've tried to say something new here that might move the debate forward a bit: open.substack.com/pub/jessespa...
open.substack.com
Continental Philosophy, Obscurity, and Thinking Like an LLM
If some philosophers aren't actually saying anything meaningful, then how are they still able to write coherently and engage with each other's work?
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 10/11/2025
My first substantive post on Substack is me raising some worries about Joseph Heath's theory of populism: substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com
Some Worries about Joseph Heath's Theory of Populism
Heath thinks populism exploits our aversion to using analytical reason. But does the data really support his theory?
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 03/11/2025
I haven’t been posting here much, but I’m now posting longer-form ideas on Substack! Here’s my brief introductory post: jessespafford.substack.com/p/about-this...
jessespafford.substack.com
About this Substack
A short disclaimer.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
What's going on with Labour in the UK seems to support this skepticism: tacking hard to the right on immigration seems to have only added fuel to Reform's fire.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Could embracing anti-immigrant rhetoric be enough, even if low-immigration policies don't placate the electorate? I'm skeptical. If everyone agrees immigrants are a big problem, why settle for the Anti-Immigration Lite? Particularly if that's who has been in charge up to now?
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Part of the problem is suggested by the third tweet in the thread: if you have even a few immigrants behaving badly, the far right will seize on those examples and amplify them. Hard to see how you stop this unless you expel basically all immigrants from your country.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Japan has one of the strictest immigration policies in the developed world. If the far right can still make big gains there, this suggests that bringing about low absolute levels of immigration isn't enough to stop the far right.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 15/07/2025
Not sure what the best way to counter the far right is, but this thread on the rise of Sanseito in Japan suggests to me that the accommodationist approach—i.e., the approach endorsed in the thread—is a dead end.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
Here is the ideas hobbyism thread linked to in the third screenshot: x.com/jessespaffor...
x.com
Jesse Spafford on X: "This expressed sentiment represents a common psychological tendency that causes all sorts of trouble in free-thinking communities (e.g., the rationalist community, the left, etc.): an obsession with finding world-changing, heterodox secrets hidden in obscure books." / X
This expressed sentiment represents a common psychological tendency that causes all sorts of trouble in free-thinking communities (e.g., the rationalist community, the left, etc.): an obsession with finding world-changing, heterodox secrets hidden in obscure books.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 07/07/2025
With all the details coming out on Cremieux/Jordan Lasker, I’m reminded of an email I wrote to a friend explaining why I’m not interested in the rationalist social movement (wherein Jordan has become an influential figure): x.com/rivertamydn/...
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 05/07/2025
Nice piece discussing the merits, politics, and practical implementation of Zohran's policies: www.dissentmagazine.org/online_artic...
dissentmagazine.org
What Can Zohran Accomplish? - Dissent Magazine
What distinguishes Zohran Mamdani's socialism is not its aims. It’s his willingness to take seriously the problem of how to get there.
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Nathan Kalman-Lamb @nkalamb.bsky.social · 03/07/2025
Abrego Garcia describes conditions at CECOT: “He and 20 other Salvadorans were forced to kneel from approximately 9pm to 6am with guards striking anyone who fell from exhaustion. During this time, he was denied bathroom access and soiled himself.” storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
If you don’t know anything about libertarianism or the Cato Institute, don’t post about them!
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 22/06/2025
Ironically, this post is breaking my brain a little. bsky.app/profile/kend...
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Sharon 🪳🌹 @sharonk.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Stancilism partly undefeated
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Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
These are the kind of arrests that you know are just driving while brown arrests.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 21/06/2025
Pretty grim the extent to which the UK is descending into fascism. The willingness to label non-violent protests “terrorism” is particularly troubling (though this is also just one of many troubling shifts in the country): www.bbc.com/news/article...
bbc.com
Palestine Action to be banned after RAF base break in
The home secretary will move to proscribe the Palestine Action group in the coming weeks, the BBC understands.
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Chad Loder @chadloder.dev · 18/06/2025
Noticed that ICE in Los Angeles has started carrying spare tires in the bed of their pickups
Border Patrol truck with a spare tire in the bed
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Friendly Neighborhood Mouse @missmouse.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
From a dear comrade who was kind enough to let me share their video. Veterans stage a sit-in on the US Capitol steps and say, “Military off our streets!” Hell yeah!
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Matt @tiredgenerally.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
it’s cool how the whole trump coalition is a circular firing squad of grievances. this guy thought trump was homophobic/transphobic but mostly joking about the immigration stuff lol
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
This is exactly what happened with the tariffs: Trump implements a pointless policy based purely on malice and then has to immediately walk it back once he finally realizes what effect the policy will have on his supporters.
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 14/06/2025
This administration is marked by not just its cruelty but its complete inability to craft coherent policies or consider the obvious consequences of those policies. bsky.app/profile/phil...
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
It seems like the only option left is to show that it implies something significant and surprising! www.cambridge.org/core/books/s... bsky.app/profile/last...
cambridge.org
Property and Legitimacy (Chapter 4) - Social Anarchism and the Rejection of Moral Tyranny
Social Anarchism and the Rejection of Moral Tyranny - November 2023
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Jesse Spafford @jessespafford.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
The piece has a lot of one-sided hippie punching, but its ostensible point is that RCV is undemocratic. Yet the arguments for this conclusion are embarrassingly thin, often boiling down to the boomerism of “this isn’t how we did things when I was growing up!”
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