Sign in

John Holbo

@jholbo.bsky.social
5.6K followers 2.3K following 12K posts

Professor of Philosophy, Illustrator of Philosophers www.onbeyondzarathustra.com

PostsRepliesMedia
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 2h
Last night I had a horror movie dream and George Clooney was the lead. He seemed miscast. My dream was more Bruce Campbell, felt like.
010
Reposted by John Holbo
Zoje Stage @zojestage.bsky.social · 17h
Hahahahaha!!!
012427
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 4h
Stoicism is like libertarianism. A fine philosophy but 99 out of a 100 cases are vavilovian mimicry in the field of ideas. A weed selected to look like a crop plant you would want. People with easy lives want to look like they are made of stern stuff. Would-be oppressors want to look liberty-loving.
182
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 4h
There was some cartoonist who drew knock-kneed businessmen exactly like that in the 70’s. I swear I’ve seen it.
110
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 5h
Novels are only interesting if people are important. If they matter - the way they live their lives and develop, learn and change. From JS Mill, “On Liberty”, from a while ago.
It really is of importance, not only what men do, but also what manner of men they are that do it. Among the works of man, which human life is rightly employed in perfecting and beautifying, the first in importance surely is man himself. Supposing it were possible to get houses built, corn grown, battles fought, causes tried, and even churches erected and prayers said, by machinery—by automatons in human form—it would be a considerable loss to exchange for these automatons even the men and women who at present inhabit the more civilised parts of the world, and who assuredly are but starved specimens of what nature can and will produce. Human nature is not a machine to be built after a model, and set to do exactly the work prescribed for it, but a tree, which requires to grow and[Pg 111] develop itself on all sides, according to the tendency of the inward forces which make it a living thing
3120
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 14h
Can you see the large animal hidden in this picture?
Yes it’s there. Yes you can see it. No I’m not going to tell you.
582
Reposted by John Holbo
Spokane Rising @spokanerising.com · 29/09/2026
Send Stephen Miller to The Hague.
21074352422
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 20h
‘The Gulf of Intelligence’ was right there. I give up.
4359
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 21h
Listened to the Know Your Enemy podcast episode on Endtimes Fascism with Klein & Taylor. Really striking how the thesis is: they are Sarucons. Their plan seems to involve immediate destruction of the livable world. It’s eucatastrophe - without the ‘eu’. There is no ME in eu! I got mine! How long?
111
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I haven’t heard “Choosin’ Texas” but the word on the street is it’s about her ex-boyfriend. I have heard the new Taylor Swift, “Patient Zero”. I wonder how Travis K feels about his wife still always writing songs about her bad choices in ex-boyfriends. Like, what is he? Chopped liver?
140
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Don’t be stupid, be a smarty, join - then leave - the Nazi party. To adapt Orwell, if you want a picture of the future, imagine a reboot stomping on a human face, forever, of “The Producers” as ‘The Podcast producers’. You figure a horrible thing can’t fail & you are right & it turns out horrible.
061
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
“The first Sauron administration got a lot done & - Isildur’s Bane. That was what they called it remember. It wasn’t so much that Sauron was the Lord of the Ring. Men were weak, as even establishment liberals like Elrod admitted So you couldn’t blame Sauron who was very much an outsider politician …
1113
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Saruman on Sauron: “There are a lot of things I got wrong... was crazier than I thought. It was more dangerous than I thought.” “You wish he’d ensnared more competent Nazgûl.” “administration is… staffed by not very smart but very loyal orcs. One ring to rule them all maybe overcorrected for …”
Thiel on Trump:

“There are a lot of things I got wrong... was crazier than I thought. It was more dangerous than I thought.”

“You wish they’d appointed more competent people.”

“administration is… staffed by not very smart but very loyal people”
4285
Reposted by John Holbo
Radley Balko @radleybalko.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
I feel you, Daniel L
434354669
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Peter Max died. An artist like Max invites mixed feelings. He invented a distinctive & appealing graphic style - a little signature style language. And it’s easy to do! He is very easy to imitate, to copy. So it’s easy to see him as just endless knockoffs of himself. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/a...
nytimes.com
Peter Max, Trippy Artist of Counterculture Era and Beyond, Dies at 88
With work that breathed the spirit of the 1960s, he became fabulously wealthy from licensing his paintings and posters in all their euphoric Day-Glo glory.
151
Reposted by John Holbo
Nothings Monstered @nothingsmonstrd.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
My phone's speech-to-text software is still trying to make me sound like Gertrude Stein: "Two gray two gray rats crawling over two gray rats crawling over two big two big radishes one white one red all this all this on a black all this on a black background"
0111
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This is a cool Johnny Appleseedsofseeds story. There should be a guy who goes around figuring out what seeds seeded all the seeds spread around. There is. www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-...
scientificamerican.com
How apple detectives solved the mystery of an ancient tree—and rewrote the history of fruit
And how they might have helped save the future of American apples
151
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Descartes’ theory that animals are mere machines ftw. Dennett’s ‘intentional stance’ takes the L. The Associated Press has solved philosophy of mind, by style convention. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
091
Reposted by John Holbo
psudonym @psudonym.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
My new favorite bansky
349099
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I don't like this at all.
140
Reposted by John Holbo
Asawin Suebsaeng @swin24.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
In assessing the similarities of the bush era and the trump presidency I have to catch myself when I say bush had a torture scandal; trump only yearned to do the torture that bush did. I catch myself because trump clearly has a widespread torture scandal rn
2725
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
A photographer from an antique land Who showed: Three vast and handless fingers, stony Clawing in the ground, like some Addamic Thing, Grown vast, then buried, now crawled forth ...
141
Reposted by John Holbo
Thomas Ragon @thomasragon.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Jaroslav Panuška (1872-1958)
17823
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I would watch the heck out of a Columbo episode in which interviews 20 bears.
3216
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Very sharply expressed.
040
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This is correct. Listen to the episode in which he interviews his brother, Buckley. It’s all about how disappointed they are with Trump, and their disappointment is all about, e.g. how Trump failed to vigorously respond to the theft of the 2020 election. Impeach Trump for insufficient Trumpiness.
060
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
040
Reposted by John Holbo
Rob Beschizza @beschizza.com · 23/09/2026
The time is nearly perfect for a movie about the famously chaotic and dramatic 1976 production of Star Wars, starring Ewan McGregor as Alec Guinness and Hayden Christiansen as David Prowse.
Ewan McGregor looking a lot like Alec GuinnessHayden CHristiansen looking a lot like Dave Prowse
251265217
Reposted by John Holbo
Pema Levy @pemalevy.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
The Supreme Court rules over us, with 5 unelected judges wiping out legislation passed by the people's representatives. Is this how democracy is supposed to work? Two new books argue the court seized power it was never intended to have. And how to take it back. www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
How the Supreme Court seized power to rule over the rest of us
A false mythology put the justices on top. The people could knock them down.
918385
Reposted by John Holbo
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @reichlinmelnick.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
The video shows the agents literally just leaving the guy in the street and driving off.
552596992
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
I urge the wallet inspector, in future, not to abuse the power of his office, lest trust in that office decline.
Conor Friedersdorf: “I urge Christopher Rufo and everyone involved in his campaign for colorblind equality (which I think he earnestly believes in) to attack this nonsense with the same vigor that they marshalled against left-identitarians.”

Reply: Rufo? The dude who earnestly repeated the lie about cats and dogs being eaten in Springfield? He believes in colorblind equality? 🤨

Conor: “I'd missed his involvement in that and agree that, whatever it says about his beliefs, it reflects badly on him”
1140
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Only just realised there were two Swiss theologian Lavaters who wrote extensively about contemporary reports of miracles. One argued they were illusions, or the work of demons. The other - his descendant - argued they constitute vital, empirical evidence of the reality of divine powers. Confusing.
270
Reposted by John Holbo
pmamtraveller.bsky.social @pmamtraveller.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
Yemeni Anthropomorphic Stele (3rd–1st Century BCE)
1184121894
Reposted by John Holbo
Alex Jaffe “Alex Jaffe” Alex Jaffe @alexjaffe.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Mystery solved! All three of these costumes are from 1979’s Batman #312 — and all worn by Calendar Man, who goes on a week long crime spree in different costumes themed to each day. Pictured: Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.
2202
Reposted by John Holbo
Journal of Art in Society @artinsociety.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I’ve posted this painting before, but it's still a mystery ~ no-one really knows what’s going on, but everyone seems to have a firm view about it! So, is she waving to the spectral child outside, or warning her, or maybe something else? ~ Jacobus Vrel's ‘Woman at a Window’ (1650)
Woman sits awkwardly in her chair, peering out a large dark window and holding one palm against the panes. Through the window we see a ghostly small child
2324634
Reposted by John Holbo
Eric Orchard @inkybat.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
My favourite Peake art is his detailed pen and ink stuff.
3558
Reposted by John Holbo
Don Moynihan @donmoyn.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
New from Lauren Supplee at Can We Still Govern? The US government had gradually become better at producing and using evidence. This evidence-based infrastructure is largely invisible, important, and one more thing gutted by Trump. donmoynihan.substack.com/p/the-system...
donmoynihan.substack.com
The System for Using Evidence to Improve Federal Programs Has Been Gutted
Here’s How We Fix It
3468181
Reposted by John Holbo
Julian Sanchez @normative.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This is in some ways at the heart of our political dysfunction. For a lot of folks, so long as the basic civic infrastructure keeps (kept?) humming along, they don’t feel much personal effect from electoral politics, so it becomes a kind of entertainment & mode of self-expression.
1119343
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
You astound me, Holmes!Elementary, my dear Watson.
0212
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
This would be stupid not funny but this guy has spent the last few months complaining regularly that libs, on pain of being stupid, owe regular arguments for why the 19A should NOT be revoked - arguments responsive to arguments against women's suffrage he alleges exist but has not seen fit to share.
wanye: "If you show up to my house and say, “make a good argument for why I shouldn’t take your car,” then I’m just going to call the police. We’re not going to have a debate about whether you can have my car. It’s not my job to convince you that you shouldn’t take it."
020
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Trapped under a cat. Can’t post.
Picture of it
290
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
It’s really annoying that the world is a trolley problem in which the runaway trolleys are Chinese rooms and also the switches to control the trolleys, to decide which people get run over by them, are just yet more runaway Chinese rooms on wheels.
160
Reposted by John Holbo
Eric Orchard @inkybat.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Charley and the mermaid
217933
Reposted by John Holbo
Michael Bench-Capon @mikebenchcapon.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Machine consciousness is a perplexing topic because on the one hand it's a metaphysical question but on the other hand it actually matters whether or not we get the answer right unlike with mereology or free will or whatever
0103
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
If you imagine a flawed liberal democracy with two major parties alternating in power, the Id Party and the Superego Party - sort of like the US - it’s clear the Id Party is going to do way more effective advocacy group politicking.
261
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
The Gulf of Intelligence.
170
Reposted by John Holbo
John Scalzi @scalzi.com · 11/04/2026
I don't know how to explain to the people who pop up when creatives complain about "AI" to say there are legit uses for it just how much they sound like someone saying "Well actually fire is used to make bread" when people are talking about an organized arson ring burning down their fucking houses
138137304416
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
The Converse ad is impressive, design-wise, for just how un-missable it is.
000
John Holbo @jholbo.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
My Batman art, such as it has been.
131
Reposted by John Holbo
Journal of Art in Society @artinsociety.bsky.social · 19/09/2026
I’ve just come across 19/20C Norwegian painter Asta Nørregaard ~ a very fine portraitist indeed, sometimes likened to John Singer Sargent. Here’s her portrait of high-society figure Elisabeth Fearnley (with polar bearskin) and her own self-portrait
Woman in long black dress lounges on white bearskin, holding posy of flowers, looking confidently at viewer, but not smiling. Background of floral wallpaperStanding woman in pale mauve and white dress, straw hat with floral decorations, arms by her side, turns to look at viewer, with neutral expression. White background
18212