iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 8h

I hope you didn't see a man with a head like the head of a horse on the Golden Gate bridge. But if you did, I hope he was the same kind of Baptist as you... for his sake.

010

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Check out my interview with @jamesmacdowell.bsky.social on the aesthetics of YouTube! We talk authenticity, video essays, Lonelygirl15, LeftTube, Twitch, televangelists, @contrapoints.bsky.social, parasociality, art vs. propaganda, Black Panther, Do the Right Thing, ASMR, YouTube Poop, & much more!

youtu.be

Ep. 87: The Aesthetics of YouTube | A Discussion with James MacDowell

YouTube video by Philosophers Discussing Art

010

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Syllabus spotlight: Tacky, Trashy, Campy, Kitsch This course explores what makes low culture “low” and why it’s more than merely “okay” to prefer low culture items to their high culture counterparts. link to full syllabus: brandonpolite.weebly.com/uploads/9/4/...

010

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Damn. That's a solid, solid, solid joke.

130

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I'm excited to announce that @harol006.bsky.social and I are co-organizing a conference on the work of and issues dealt with by Marcia Muelder Eaton here at Knox College, her alma mater, next summer: July 23-25. The CFP is below. Please consider submitting something, or at least sharing the CFP!

philevents.org

Philosophical Threads in the Work of Marcia Muelder Eaton

Call for Papers: Philosophical Threads in the Work of Marcia Muelder Eaton Marcia Muelder Eaton (University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, emerita) is former President of the American Society of Aestheti...

032

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

Check out my interview with @darrenhudsonhick.bsky.social on his terrific new book, *The Love of Analog: Meditations on Value*, which comes out on Sep. 17. We talk vinyl records, rare books, board games, adult coloring books, comic collections, unboxing vids, the pragmatists, Kant, and much more!!!

youtube.com

Ep. 86: The Love of Analog: Meditations on Value | A Discussion with Darren Hudson Hick

YouTube video by Philosophers Discussing Art

020

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Have you seen Godzilla? About that tall.

020

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

New episode: Jay Miller and I discuss irony. Hegel vs. the Romantics, meme culture, protest, camp, and the difference between “thin” irony and irony that actually means something. When is irony insightful, and when is it just empty posturing? Check it out!!!

youtu.be

Ep. 85: Hegel on Hipsters: Irony & the Value of Earnestness | A Discussion with Jay Miller

YouTube video by Philosophers Discussing Art

011

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 01/05/2026

Awesome! I look forward to reading it!

010

Reposted by Brandon Polite

emmie malone 🏳️‍⚧️ @emmiemalone.bsky.social · 23/01/2026

love that this is the pull quote lol

193

Reposted by Brandon Polite

emmie malone 🏳️‍⚧️ @emmiemalone.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

@politephilosopher.bsky.social @news4wombats.bsky.social and I got featured in the daily nous's latest heap of links! The cool part is that OUP made our article available to read for free for the next 90 days!

032

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 12/08/2025

What makes art honest—and does it matter? I talk with philosopher Jeremy Page about self-expression, deeper truths, and when bending facts works (or doesn’t). From memoirs to Marvel, Seinfeld to stand-up, we explore honesty’s role across genres. Check it out!!!

youtu.be

Ep. 84: Artistic Honesty & Truth in Art | A Discussion with Jeremy Page

YouTube video by Philosophers Discussing Art

010

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Happy to report that @lizscar.bsky.social's and my article "Patina of Sound: Valuing Vinyl Records as Relics of Aged Interaction," was just published by ESPES. The Slovak Journal of Aesthetics as part of a symposium on Art, Aesthetics, and the Sense of Touch edited by @carolynkorsmeyer.bsky.social!

espes.ff.unipo.sk

Patina of Sound: Valuing Vinyl Records as Relics of Aged Interaction | Polite | ESPES. The Slovak Journal of Aesthetics

Patina of Sound: Valuing Vinyl Records as Relics of Aged Interaction

041

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 09/07/2025

New episode: I talk with Cynthia Freeland about the aesthetics of Korean dramas (K-dramas). We discuss romance, reincarnation, censorship, class, fate, white panel vans, why Band-Aids can be sexy, and much, much more. Check it out!!! youtu.be/5L6L0nJ2N1k

youtu.be

Ep. 83: The Aesthetics of K-Dramas | A Discussion with Cynthia Freeland

YouTube video by Philosophers Discussing Art

2206

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 02/07/2025

New episode: Adriana Clavel-Vázquez and I discuss how racism shapes aesthetic perception, why seeing is never neutral, and how art helps us learn (and can help us unlearn) harmful perceptual habits. Check it out!!!

youtu.be

Ep. 82: Racialized Aesthetic Perception & Oppression | A Discussion with Adriana Clavel-Vázquez

YouTube video by Philosophers Discussing Art

000

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

Check out my interview with @strohltopia.bsky.social on his most recent book, Hard to Watch: How to Fall in Love with Difficult Movies (link in the comments)!!! We focus on how algorithms harm our tastes and how to resist them, the values of humility and boredom, and much more. youtu.be/GJRFHSoe7pA

youtu.be

Ep. 81: Resisting Algorithms & Appreciating Difficult Movies | A Discussion with Matt Strohl

YouTube video by Philosophers Discussing Art

062

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 14/06/2025

I like that you think students read the acknowledgements!

110

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 13/06/2025

I'll second Zheng's "Yellow Fever" paper. I'll also suggest Adriana Clavel-Vázquez's "Controlling (Mental) Images and the Aesthetic Perception of Racialized Bodies." One of the best discussions I've had with students in years was on that paper. journals.publishing.umich.edu/ergo/article...

journals.publishing.umich.edu

Controlling (Mental) Images and the Aesthetic Perception of Racialized Bodies

Aesthetic evaluations of human bodies have important implications for moral recognition and for individuals’ access to social and material goods. Unfortunately, there is a widespread aesthetic disrega...

120

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 15/05/2025

Duncan Jones's Moon (2009) is amazing, with out-of-this-world starring performances (in multiple roles) from Sam Rockwell.

020

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 18/04/2025

The revolutionary article that Aaron Meskin and I wrote, "Why Record Shops Matter Aesthetically," which is forthcoming in JAAC, is now available online. If you can access it, check it out!!!! doi.org/10.1093/jaac...

doi.org

Why Record Shops Matter Aesthetically: A Case Study in Aesthetic Institutions1

Abstract. After nearly being killed off by CDs in the 1980s and 1990s, and despite the rise of streaming services like Spotify, vinyl records have had a ma

0124

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 12/04/2025

Check me out as I talk about what Taylor's Versions can teach us about the nature of versions more generally.

020

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

Also, Celine Leboeuf's "Anatomy of the Thigh Gap" and Adriana Clavel-Vazquez's "Controlling (mental) images and the aesthetic perception of racialized bodies," which I taught a couple months ago, are the best class discussions I've had in years. The latter might be a bit advanced.

130

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 29/03/2025

Literally anything on this syllabus: brandonpolite.weebly.com/uploads/9/4/...

brandonpolite.weebly.com

220

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

Check out my interview with Eva Dadlez about tattoos. We discuss evolving attitudes toward tattoos regarding issues of gender, class, morality, and their status as a legitimate art form, and much, much more!!! youtu.be/NPfm8dXDhaQ

youtu.be

Ep. 80: Tattoos As Art & Expression | A Discussion with Eva Dadlez

YouTube video by Philosophers Discussing Art

020

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 19/02/2025

"Murderer, She Saw" was coincidentally the name of the failed sequel series to "Murder, She Wrote."

110

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

Just what a fake Paul F. Tompkins would want us to do!

000

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 06/02/2025

Check out the thrilling conclusion to my interview with Murray Smith (University of Kent), where we discuss film's musical possibilities and music's cinematic possibilities!

youtu.be

Ep. 77: Film, Sound, & Music: Part 2 | A Discussion with Murray Smith

YouTube video by Philosophers Discussing Art

010

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

He looks like he's Paulie Shore's magician brother.

050

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 30/01/2025

Check out Part 1 of my interview with Murray Smith (University of Kent) about the evolving roles that sound and music have played in cinema. It's a fun one!!! And tune in next week for the exciting conclusion to the interview!

youtu.be

Ep. 77: Film, Sound, & Music: Part 1 | A Discussion with Murray Smith

YouTube video by Philosophers Discussing Art

021

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 22/01/2025

My edited volume is out there in the world! Are you... Ready For It?

072

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

And here's the link to the book, which I highly recommend you check out: www.cabinetmagazine.org/books/permit...

cabinetmagazine.org

Permitting Art | Cabinet

by Brian Soucek

020

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

Check out my conversation with @brsoucek.bsky.social on his book "Permitting Art: Visual Arts and the First Amendment on the Streets of New York" (Cabinet Books, 2024)! We discuss the relationship between art, commerce, and the law by looking at a number of important cases from NYC and beyond.

youtu.be

Ep. 75: Art Laws | A Discussion with Brian Soucek

YouTube video by Philosophers Discussing Art

162

Brandon Polite @politephilosopher.bsky.social · 09/01/2025

"Taylor Swift and the Philosophy of Re-recording: The Art of Taylor's Versions," edited by me, is now available from Bloomsbury as an ebook at their website and elsewhere! It will be out in hardback and paperback two weeks (aka, a "Fortnight") from today. Please share widely! tinyurl.com/48nx52kz

072