iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 7h

Excited to host Anthoula Malkopoulou (@uu.se) in Dialogues on Democratic Resilience on 13 October from 5-6.15pm UK time. Dr Malkopoulou will speak on 'The Logics of Democratic Self-Defence'. Attendance is free. Register here to receive the Zoom link: cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/webinar/regi...

cam-ac-uk.zoom.us

Welcome! You are invited to join a webinar: Anthoula Malkopoulou in Dialogues on Democratic Resilience. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the webinar.

Anthoula Malkopoulou (Associate Professor, Uppsala University) will be speaking on 'The Logics of Democratic Self-Defence'

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Very much enjoyed hosting this wonderful group of lecturers and discussing their course proposals.

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Very much enjoyed discussing the research projects of our excellent participants in our Centre‘s first Student Workshop in Animal Rights Law.

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Susana Monsó @susanamonso.com · 07/09/2026

Interested in doing a PhD in philosophy of animal minds in lovely Murcia? We have just published a call for expressions of interest to do a PhD as part of our research project on ecological validity in comparative cognitive science. Please consider applying if this is up your street!

ecologicalvalidity.wordpress.com

Call for expressions of interest: PhD position

The Spanish Ministry for Science and Innovation is about to publish a call for pre-doctoral scholarships (FPI) adhered to scientific projects that have been approved for funding in 2026. We invite …

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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

80 year-olds with pro-Palestine signs: arrested as terrorists. Greens planning to block a road, to highlight an existential crisis: sent down for years. Masked far-right thugs blocking roads and ports, using intimidation, obstruction & threatening behaviour: no arrests. The real two-tier policing.

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

.. status quo. Being presented as 'neutral analysis‘ it can risk replicating the dominant position it analyses. To my mind, analytic work is at its strongest when combined with normative prescriptions that challenge the status quo (if necessary).

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 30/08/2026

I agree with your response, but I think it is missing the point that some (though certainly not all) work in the analytic tradition has made analysis an end in itself, drawing ever finer distinctions, rather than a means to an end. Work that fits this description can lend itself to supporting the ..

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

A proposition to all analytic philosophers (and likeminded theorists): PSUAFE because IIVAFR and IMTWRDI. Where: PSUAFE = Please stop using acronyms for everything. IIVAFR = It is very annoying for readers. IMTWRDI = It makes them want to read Derrida instead.

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

A chilling because realistic read (although @petebogs.bsky.social is rather too optimistic when speculating that Keir Starmer would have had sense enough to raise the income tax before being booted out of office).

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

An important interview on an excellently titled book.

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

The tourists in Cambridge are more copious than Lemmings these days and seem to have a similar deathwish.

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Marina Bolotnikova @mbolotnikova.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Rare, amazing opportunities for someone based in the UK to report or edit factory farming stories at the Guardian: workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e... workwithus.theguardian.com/job-search/e...

workwithus.theguardian.com

Reporter, Animals Farmed

Join our team at the Guardian and be a part of a diverse and inclusive global organisation that delivers fearless, investigative journalism, and holds power to account. Our team of award-winning journ...

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 02/08/2026

A codified constitution would be a sensible idea for the UK, though more to constrain the executive and Parliament than for devolution reasons. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

theguardian.com

Devolution plans strengthen case for written UK constitution, says Burnham

PM argues for codified model of decentralisation that would fundamentally change centuries-old workings of state

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

'There is nothing ridiculous about being willing to consider issues viewed by some as “ridiculous.” What is ridiculous is that I was ridiculed for affording a nonhuman the fundamental right to be heard, if only through human agency.'

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Published a while back but still well worth reading: former New York Supreme Court Judge Barbara Jaffe reflects on the ridicule she faced for bravely allowing a hearing on a habeas corpus petition filed on behalf of two chimpanzees held in a research lab: thefulcrum.us/rule-of-law/....

thefulcrum.us

Beyond Death Threats: Justice Jaffe on the Judicial Courage Required to Stand Up to Ridicule in the Chimpanzee Rights Case.

While some believe that being a judge is an easy gig that requires only a dartboard, it is a challenging position that takes courage, especially when a judge must render an unpopular decision. There a...

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

'as a foundational matter, I question whether an eighteenth-century British jurist’s interpretation of the Book of Genesis is a sound foundation for Michigan common law in the twenty-first century' 5/5. www.courts.michigan.gov/4a09a9/sitea...

courts.michigan.gov

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

... Court of Appeals's questionable use of Blackstone's definition of property as man's 'sole despotic dominion'. She points out that the biblical foundation of this definition is shaky at best and, in a passage I particularly enjoyed, finds that 4/5

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

capacities, noting that the scientific evidence shows that 'chimpanzees appear unsuited for confinement'. (2) She dismissed the social contract-based argument against animal rights, holding correctly that this argument undermines the interests of vulnerable human beings. (3) She refutes the 3/5

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Justice Elizabeth Welch dissented from the majority, arguing that she would have granted habeas relief to the chimpanzees and relocated them to a sanctuary, as requested by the NhRP. Three things stand out to me from her opinion: (1) she relied heavily on chimps' advanced cognitive and emotional 2/5

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Yesterday, the Michigan Supreme Court issued its ruling in NhRP v DeYoung Family Zoo. The majority denied leave to appeal against the Court of Appeals's decision to reject the petition to grant habeas corpus to seven chimpanzees kept in a roadside zoo. But there was a powerful dissent: 1/5

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Joe Wills @drjoewills.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

Some lawyers and political actors in the UK are starting to champion legal personhood and rights for ecosystems like rivers. Then why not for sentient, highly intelligent, social and emotional beings like pigs? open.substack.com/pub/lawyersf...

open.substack.com

If a stretch of chalk stream can be a person in law, why can't a pig?

In 2017, New Zealand's Parliament did something remarkable: it passed a law making a river a legal person.

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Josh Milburn @joshmilburn.bsky.social · 16/07/2026

My department is hiring a lecturer or senior lecturer in philosophy. It's an open call in terms of research specialization, but we're keen to hire someone whose teaching/research speaks to PPE in some way. This is a great job in a great department. Please help me spread the word!

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 15/07/2026

Ha! Glad someone is finding the distinction useful, though I would have expected proper referencing, especially from i24news.tv!

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

Maybe I‘m missing something, but I was expecting Taylor Swift‘s wedding to be more festive. #TaylorSwift

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The Animal Law Foundation @animallawfdn.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Along with 42 animal protection groups and legal experts, we have written to the Welsh Government on a matter of legal urgency. 🧵

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Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law @animalrightslaw.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Only one day left to apply for our Centre's first Student Workshop in Animal Rights Law. 🗓️ This Workshop is an excellent opportunity for undergrad and postgrad students to expand their knowledge of animal rights law in an informal, supportive environment. (1/3)

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Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law @animalrightslaw.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

🔉 The Beginning of Animal Welfare Laws ⚖️ In 1809, Lord Erskine proposed a law to prevent cruelty to animals, arguing that abusing animals was immoral and diminished human compassion. Learn more about the first animal welfare laws in season 1, episode 2 of the Animal Rights Tour 🎧 #Podcast

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Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law @animalrightslaw.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

Take part in our inaugural Student Workshop in Animal Rights Law this September! With an emphasis on exchange, development, and conversation, this Workshop provides an excellent opportunity for undergraduate and postgraduate students to dive deeper into the field of animal rights law. (1/2)

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 13/06/2026

The Hawaiʻi Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case on habeas corpus for non-humans (two zoo elephants), becoming the third US state high court in history to do so. Exciting! www.nonhumanrights.org/blog/hawai%C...

nonhumanrights.org

Hawaiʻi Supreme Court Agrees to Hear Case Seeking Liberty for Elephants Mari and Vaigai

Hawaiʻi Becomes the Third State in the Nation Where the Highest Court Will Hear an NhRP Case on Behalf of…

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Kim Stallwood @kimstallwood.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Read for free on my Substack about Fritz, the male Asian elephant, who was strangled to death on this day in 1902, when he was with the Barnum & Bailey circus in Tours, France. kimstallwood.substack.com

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Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law @animalrightslaw.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Want to teach animal rights law? 🧑‍🏫 Don't miss your chance to learn from Dr Sean Butler (Fellow, St Edmund’s College, Cambridge) and Dr @raffaelfasel.bsky.social (Assistant Professor in Public Law, @cam.ac.uk; Fellow, Jesus College, Cambridge) in this dynamic Law Lecturers' Workshop. (1/2)

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Matt Perry @mattwperry.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Last week to send in your abstracts for this year's Animal Politics conference on Social Ties at University of Sheffield, 8-9th September! More details here philevents.org/event/show/1... Co-organisers @stevecooke.org @joshmilburn.bsky.social @drsvg.bsky.social and Alasdair Cochrane & Angie Pepper

philevents.org

Social Ties in Animal Politics: Mutuality Beyond Humanity

Social and political relationships constitute the foundation of our shared communities. Yet, scholars working in the field of animal politics have not had these social ties as their primary focus. The...

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

An important law proposal. Domestic abuse is often compounded through companion animal abuse. It would also be desirable to add a requirement for victims‘ shelters to allow victims to bring their animals. www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

theguardian.com

Mother of woman murdered by husband calls for UK animal abuse register

Annette Bramley says Holly’s Law would stop perpetrators acquiring pets and raise awareness of domestic abuse link

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 30/05/2026

'All of this is a colossal and entirely avoidable act of self-harm on the part of a country whose higher education sector has until recently been one of the few things it had going for it.‘ Hear hear.

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

Really excited to share this call for applications for our Centre‘s first Student Workshop. Please do share widely with your ugrad and postgrad students: www.animalrightslaw.org/student-work...

animalrightslaw.org

Student Workshops — CCARL

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Raffael Fasel @raffaelfasel.bsky.social · 28/05/2026