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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

I’ve started a Substack for largely philosophical and academic writing about neurodivergence, neuronormativity, disability, and social exclusion. If any of that interests you, I’d be glad to have you there: nathanmoore32.substack.com

nathanmoore32.substack.com

An Infodump, Perchance? | Nathan Moore | Substack

Essays on neurodivergence, neurodiversity, neuronormativity, disability, and social exclusion. The title riffs on the “you can’t just say 'perchance'” meme and the many neurodivergent things we’re t...

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

There is far too much focus on the role of politicians in creating and maintaining social injustices and far too little on the role played by academia and, in particular, the arts and humanities. 18/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Finally, we need ways to hold philosophers accountable for the harm they cause since they clearly aren’t interested in finding ways to hold themselves accountable. 17/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

We also need fair and equitable representation of subfields such as philosophy of disability. 16/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

We need fair and equitable representation of disabled, and other marginalized people, within philosophy departments and in other positions of power, such as editorial review boards, within the discipline and we need it NOW. 15/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

As are philosophers who refuse to address the ableism, and other forms of discrimination, within the discipline of philosophy which, to be blunt, is most philosophers. 14/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

But it isn’t just philosophers such as Udo Schüklenk who produce work explicitly about MAID type legislation that are complicit. Philosophers that promote problematic understandings of concepts that support Downie and Schüklenk’s arguments are complicit as well. 13/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Such as the work of bioethicists who pretend that the field of disability studies either doesn’t exist, is somehow illegitimate, or is irrelevant to their work (not all that dissimilar to certain attitudes toward critical race theory). 12/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

It’s common to see sloppy work when someone is expressing ableism (or otherwise discriminatory ideas) since such work fails to properly engage with the relevant marginalized community. 11/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Because of (ii) they conclude that “MAiD is unlikely to be driven by social or economic vulnerability.” Apparently disabled people who are young, not institutionalized, and married are thereby protected from ableism and social injustice…. 10/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

They don’t bother to engage with the disabled communities’ criticisms of the evidence they mention nor criticisms of its interpretation as evidence against concerns of coercion. 9/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

and (ii) that many recipients of MAID have been younger, reasonably well-off financially, not institutionalized, and married. 8/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Jocelyn Downie and Udo Schüklenk claim concerns about coercion aren’t warranted because (i) a handful of justices have “reviewed the evidence” for that conclusion and have found it wanting 7/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

We already have confirmed cases of people asking for, and being granted, MAID due to legislated poverty (that is, poverty that results from lack of commitment to addressing ableism in employment along with insufficient social assistance rates). 6/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

When a disabled person wants to end their life because of suffering caused by social injustice they are not making a free choice. The choice is made as a result of the lack of freedom those social injustices impose. 5/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Such philosophers ignore, or minimize, the role of social injustice in creating that suffering. 4/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Of course, philosophers who support the MAID (medical assistance in dying) legislation in Canada don’t think anyone is being murdered because they think those murdered have made a “free choice to end their suffering”. 3/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Both philosophers in general and some specific philosophers in particular are complicit in the legislated murders of disabled people in Canada. 2/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Here's a thread a posted on twitter almost exactly 4 years ago. I think it's worth repeating so here it is: Philosophers need to recognize and take responsibility for the way they not only reproduce systemic ableism, but expand and worsen its effects. 1/18

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

19/19 Full letter, response, and additional discussion: drive.google.com/file/d/1hvqX... I am sharing them because I believe these issues deserve broader public discussion.

drive.google.com

Moore, Nathan - Ableism in Higher Ed Letter.pdf

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

18/19 The issue is that the production of this knowledge remains insufficiently supported and the knowledge that already exists is often not acted upon.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

17/19 The issue is not simply a lack of knowledge. Many of these patterns are already well documented in research and repeatedly described by disabled communities.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

16/19 Yet research on disability, neurodiversity, stigma, discrimination, accessibility, and epistemic injustice remains under-supported relative to the scale of these problems.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

15/19 Universities play a unique role. They produce research, train future professionals and policymakers, and help shape public understanding of disability and discrimination.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

14/19 This is one reason discussions of disability and MAiD cannot be separated from discussions of discrimination, employment, housing, and social support.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

13/19 Autistic people face extraordinarily high rates of unemployment, including those with advanced degrees. Poverty, housing instability, social isolation, and worsening mental health are often downstream consequences.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

12/19 My concern is not only what happened to me. It is about broader systems that continue to produce similar outcomes for many disabled and neurodivergent people.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

11/19 The response I received from my MPP's office largely directed me toward existing complaint and legal mechanisms. It did not meaningfully engage with the possibility that those systems themselves may be failing.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

10/19 What does it say about an academic community when someone describes years of exclusion, worsening mental health, and severe distress and the dominant response is silence?

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

9/19 I received exactly two responses. One was from a professor. One was from a graduate student who reported similar experiences. The overwhelming response was silence.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

8/19 Graduate students are not merely passive observers of academic culture. They help shape departmental norms and patterns of inclusion and exclusion.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

7/19 After graduating, I sent a detailed account of my experiences to philosophy faculty and graduate students. Graduate students were included because they are future academics, administrators, and policymakers.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

6/19 One issue discussed in the document is how severe mental health concerns were repeatedly met with non-engagement rather than meaningful support.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

5/19 The barriers I encountered affected my CV, employment prospects, financial stability, and mental health. The effects did not end when I graduated.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

4/19 Individually, these experiences can appear minor. Collectively, they can alter the trajectory of a person's life.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

3/19 The letter is not about a single overt incident. It is about subtle, cumulative forms of exclusion operating through communication norms, credibility judgments, social participation, access to opportunities, and informal networks.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

2/19 Since graduating in 2019, I have been unable to secure stable employment despite years of effort. Much of the last six years has been spent relying on social assistance and precarious work.

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Nathan Moore @nathanmoore-nd.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

1/19 CW: ableism, discrimination, mental health, suicidality, homelessness, and MAiD. I am Autistic. I have a Master's degree in physics and a PhD in philosophy of physics. I recently sent a letter to my MPP.

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