Sign in

Robert Jensen

@robertjensen.bsky.social
309 followers 528 following 281 posts

Emeritus Professor, University of Texas at Austin. rjensen@austin.utexas.edu

PostsRepliesMedia
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
On hope, from “Resilience Reflections with Robert Jensen” www.resilience.org/stories/2015... My new book, This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning, is a 220-page explanation of this statement. robertwjensen.org/books/this-i...
020
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
“Founding Rapist: Judging Thomas Jefferson by the Standards of His Time,” my latest column at 3 Quarks Daily. 3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily...
3quarksdaily.com
Founding Rapist: Judging Thomas Jefferson by the Standards of His Time - 3 Quarks Daily
by Robert Jensen
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
My interview for “Soul Search” on ABC Radio in Australia is online. We talked about my new book, This I Don’t Believe, and the work of Wendell Berry. www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...
010
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I’m not sure anyone needs 1 hour and 26 minutes of me, but my World XP podcast interview is online at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z26G....
youtube.com
Our Way of Life Can’t Continue Forever | Robert Jensen
YouTube video by World XP Podcast
001
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
from “Four Questions in the Universal Quest for Meaning,” www.laprogressive.com/science-and-... adapted from This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning, robertwjensen.org/books/this-i...
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
I’m back to the shameless attempt to get people to pay attention to my new book, This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning, by posting pictures from my alleged life. This morning I started the first fire of the season in the wood stove. robertwjensen.org/books/this-i...
020
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
from “Four Questions in the Universal Quest for Meaning,” www.highbrowmagazine.com/32075-four-q... adapted from This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning, robertwjensen.org/books/this-i...
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
For folks in Albuquerque: I’ll be reading from This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning at Books on the Bosque, 6261 Riverside Plaza Ln Suite A-2, at 5:30pm on Friday, 9/18. www.booksonthebosque.com/botbevents
booksonthebosque.com
September Events | Books on the Bosque
Book Clubs, Author Events, Book Release Parties, & More! Check out our social media for more details.
001
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
“Four Questions in the Universal Quest for Meaning” www.highbrowmagazine.com/32075-four-q... is adapted from my new book, This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning, robertwjensen.org/books/this-i...
highbrowmagazine.com
Four Questions in the Universal Quest for Meaning | Highbrow Magazine
Is there a God, understood as a divine force, entity, or being that created the universe and has the power to direct events in it?
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
“We need ideas about managing the contraction to that fewer-and-less world. Our chances of doing that in humane fashion rest on our ability to help each other avoid the temptations of dense energy.” deaddogma.substack.com/p/humans-pre...
deaddogma.substack.com
Humans’ Predicament in 3 Phrases
By Robert Jensen
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
about my new book: “I'm trying to honestly reflect on some of the forces that shaped me, why they produce my worldview, and why it’s still possible to live a joyful and productive life without the anchors for meaning many people find necessary.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqQe...
youtube.com
A Fulfilling Life Without Meaning - In Conversation with Robert Jensen
YouTube video by Cult Vault
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Thanks to everyone who came to SOMOS for my book reading, the first for This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning. I’m grateful for the lively conversation. (Thanks to Laurell and Liam for the photos.) blueearbooks.com/this-i-dont-...
010
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
from my latest podcast: “If you’re doing something and you know it’s time to quit, quit—even if you’re not sure what comes next, because you don’t know how to explore new possibilities when you’re trapped in an old way of being.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqQe...
youtube.com
A Fulfilling Life Without Meaning - In Conversation with Robert Jensen
YouTube video by Cult Vault
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
My new book isn’t about cults, but I had a great conversation with Kacey of the “Cult Vault” podcast. www.spreaker.com/episode/a-fu...
spreaker.com
A Fulfilling Life Without Meaning - In Conversation with Robert Jensen - The Cult Vault
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Amy Boaz’s assessment of This I Don’t Believe: “nonjudgmental, humble and nondidactic.” from “A writer of his own mind: Taos author’s skeptical journey to fulfillment” www.taosnews.com/tempo/books/... I’m reading tonight (Fri, Sept. 11) at 5:30 at SOMOS Bookstore, 108 Civic Plaza Dr, Taos.
taosnews.com
A writer of his own mind
caption: Author and academic Robert Jensen rejects most belief systems in his pursuit of a meaningful life. “This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life Without Meaning” By Robert Jensen Blue
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
from my article based on This I Don’t Believe: getting to “fewer and less” (fewer people consuming less energy) is hard because of “the temptations of dense energy,” which is why “the moral high ground is a dangerous place to stand, even when it’s warranted.” deaddogma.substack.com/p/humans-pre...
deaddogma.substack.com
Humans’ Predicament in 3 Phrases
By Robert Jensen
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
I’ve been following Bill Rees’ work for years. His endorsement of my new book means a lot to me. "Robert Jensen’s book offers crystalline thinking and writing of almost brutal clarity." William Rees, ecological economist, co-author of Our Ecological Footprint robertwjensen.org/books/this-i...
robertwjensen.org
This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning – ROBERT JENSEN
021
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
For folks in Taos, I'm reading from my new book, This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning, on Friday, Sept. 11, at 5:30 pm at SOMOS Bookshop. livetaos.com/events/rober...
livetaos.com
Robert Jensen Reading from This I Don’t Believe - Live Taos Events Calendar
Robert Jensen will read from his new book, This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning. Jensen, an Emeritus Professor in the School of Journalism and Media at the University of Texas at Au...
010
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
“How does human nature play out in today’s social structures to produce domination/subordination dynamics in sex/gender, race, global affairs, economics, and the human exploitation of the larger living world?” from “Domination/Subordination Dynamics" deaddogma.substack.com/p/domination...
deaddogma.substack.com
Domination/Subordination Dynamics
Five Foundational Books Challenging Illegitimate Authority
031
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
My latest column at 3 Quarks Daily: “Domination/Subordination Dynamics: Five Foundational Books Challenging Illegitimate Authority” 3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily...
3quarksdaily.com
Domination/Subordination Dynamics: Five Foundational Books Challenging Illegitimate Authority - 3 Quarks Daily
by Robert Jensen
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
“The multiple cascading ecological crises of our era are the consequences of the large population and modern ‘lifestyles’ made possible by coal, oil, and gas. We face problems that likely have no solutions.” deaddogma.substack.com/p/humans-pre...
deaddogma.substack.com
Humans’ Predicament in 3 Phrases
By Robert Jensen
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
My latest article, “Humans’ Predicament in 3 Phrases,” is adapted from my new book, This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning. www.savageminds.co/p/humans-pre...
savageminds.co
Humans’ Predicament in 3 Phrases
Why a Sustainable Future Requires Fewer and Less
010
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Remembering how I used Wendell Berry’s writing in my classes: “‘There are no unsacred places’: I’m glad Wendell Berry’s memory will trouble my thoughts” at ABC Religion & Ethics, www.abc.net.au/religion/rob...
abc.net.au
‘There are no unsacred places’: I’m glad Wendell Berry’s memory will trouble my thoughts - ABC Religion & Ethics
Wendell Berry called out the cruelty of the masters of the modern world, the ways they desecrate the land in rural America. But he knew we all are implicated in the degradation of the ecosystems on wh...
041
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Today is the official release of This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning. There have been some production delays, and today it’s only available from the publisher or on Amazon. Don’t worry—more ways to order are coming soon. blueearbooks.com/this-i-dont-...
blueearbooks.com
This I Don't Believe - Blue Ear Books
This I Don't Believe
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I have a new book, This I Don’t Believe. I’m supposed to step up my “social media engagement,” posting about my life. My life isn’t very interesting but here goes: Today I’m making tomato sauce with tomatoes from our garden. robertwjensen.org/books/this-i....
robertwjensen.org
This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning – ROBERT JENSEN
Blue Ear Books · 2026
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 25/08/2026
from “My Ayn Rand Phase: The Dangers of ‘Dead Dogma’”: “for those few years, I took Rand’s philosophy as unchallengeable truth, my first—but, sadly, not last—experience with dead dogma.” deaddogma.substack.com/p/my-ayn-ran...
deaddogma.substack.com
My Ayn Rand Phase
The Dangers of ‘Dead Dogma’
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
from “My Ayn Rand Phase: The Dangers of ‘Dead Dogma’”: when I was young and alienated, “one aspect of Rand’s picture of the world that appealed to me: The protagonists in her novels were self-creations, not weighed down by family or culture.” scheerpost.com/2026/08/20/m...
scheerpost.com
My Ayn Rand Phase: The Dangers of ‘Dead Dogma’
Robert Jensen ScheerPost Book Excerpt for This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning John Stuart Mill long ago warned that when we are so certain of the truth of an idea that we reject…
020
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 20/08/2026
“My Ayn Rand Phase: The Dangers of ‘Dead Dogma’” is an excerpt from my new book, This I Don’t Believe, coming in Sept. On ScheerPost: scheerpost.com/2026/08/20/m...
scheerpost.com
My Ayn Rand Phase: The Dangers of ‘Dead Dogma’
Robert Jensen ScheerPost Book Excerpt for This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning John Stuart Mill long ago warned that when we are so certain of the truth of an idea that we reject…
020
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Great time talking with Eric Jennings on World XP Podcast: “Former Professor Explains Why Modern Society Can’t Keep Growing.” www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z26G...
youtube.com
Former Professor Explains Why Modern Society Can’t Keep Growing | Robert Jensen
YouTube video by World XP Podcast
010
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Tracy Higgins interviewed in Taos News about her Aug 19 talk on immigration law at the library. www.taosnews.com/tempo/books/...
taosnews.com
Who counts as an American?
Who counts as an American? Who gets to decide? And what happens to the people caught in between? In her talk at the Taos Public Library on Wednesday (Aug. 19),
010
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 13/08/2026
Francesca Hong got hammered for her critique of Thanksgiving. Since I’m not running for political office, I don’t have to renounce my writing on the subject. “Thanksgiving Anxieties, Political and Personal,” truthout.org/articles/tha...
truthout.org
Thanksgiving Anxieties, Political and Personal
u201cI donu2019t hate Thanksgivingu2014I just think itu2019s appropriate to critique a celebration that obscures the reality of the European conquest of the Americas.
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
“I retired from the university at age 60, even though I still loved teaching, because I wanted to get out before I burned out.” from “Who Is ‘Authentically’ Working Class?” deaddogma.substack.com/p/who-is-aut...
deaddogma.substack.com
Who Is ‘Authentically’ Working Class?
By Robert Jensen
010
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 07/08/2026
“rich people often accuse poor people of being lazy, lecturing them about working harder to get out of poverty. But the desire to work hard at productive tasks is healthy ... The unfairness of capitalism doesn’t negate the importance of a strong work ethic.” www.counterpunch.org/2026/08/07/w...
counterpunch.org
Who is ‘Authentically’ Working Class?
Most politicians pledge to work for the working class, or sometimes for working families, a less Marxist-sounding label. Meanwhile, scholars struggle
010
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
“we all need opportunities to prove to ourselves that we are competent to run our own lives. One way I’ve done that is by taking work seriously, learning to do work well, and being proud of my work—all part of the core of a working-class identity.” www.laprogressive.com/labor-social...
laprogressive.com
What Does It Mean to Be Working Class?
And who is authentically working class? From blue-collar roots to a university professorship, one writer explores the blurred boundaries of class identity.
010
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
I ask (but don’t answer definitively) “Who Is ‘Authentically’ Working Class?” 3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily...
3quarksdaily.com
Who Is ‘Authentically’ Working Class? - 3 Quarks Daily
by Robert Jensen
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 28/07/2026
My conversation with Sharon Kyle from LA Progressive is up. www.laprogressive.com/education-re... Intellectual Diversity Begins with Challenging Our Own Dogmas Robert Jensen on higher education, political neutrality, racial honesty—and why shared work may teach us more than another academic seminar
laprogressive.com
Intellectual Diversity Begins with Challenging Our Own Dogmas
Robert Jensen on higher education, political neutrality, racial honesty—and why shared work may teach us more than another academic seminar
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
Podcast: “The Brutal Truth About Pornography: A Radical Feminist Critique with Robert Jensen” www.youtube.com/live/xYS2X2E...
youtube.com
The Brutal Truth About Pornography: A Radical Feminist Critique with Robert Jensen
YouTube video by Uncaged Heart Coaching
002
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
From Dodging Dogma: “Our behavior is unpredictably complex because individual variation plays out in social systems that shape behavior, within the parameters set by human nature (which is universal, despite cultural differences).” thedissidentvoice.org/2026/07/dodg...
thedissidentvoice.org
Dodging Dogma: Moving to Higher Ground in Higher Education - Dissident Voice
Do universities need to foster more intellectual diversity among professors? Should there be affirmative action for conservative thinkers in disciplines such as sociology and social work? Asked less o...
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 14/07/2026
From Dodging Dogma: “Intellectual life shouldn’t be about choosing sides, but too often people defend their team without question.” 3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily...
3quarksdaily.com
Dodging Dogma: Moving to Higher Ground in Higher Education - 3 Quarks Daily
by Robert Jensen
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 13/07/2026
From Dodging Dogma: “I never fit comfortably on either side in the culture wars in higher education, a status not unique to me. I’m not suggesting I was a model professor but rather that reactions to my work show the dangers of dogma.” www.counterpunch.org/2026/07/13/d...
counterpunch.org
Dodging Dogma: Moving to Higher Ground in Higher Education
Do universities need to foster more intellectual diversity among professors? Should there be affirmative action for conservative thinkers in disciplines such as sociology and social work? Asked less o...
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 12/07/2026
“Do universities need to foster more intellectual diversity among professors? Should there be affirmative action for conservative thinkers in sociology and social work? Should business schools and economics departments hire a few socialists?” thedissidentvoice.org/2026/07/dodg...
thedissidentvoice.org
Dodging Dogma: Moving to Higher Ground in Higher Education - Dissident Voice
Do universities need to foster more intellectual diversity among professors? Should there be affirmative action for conservative thinkers in disciplines such as sociology and social work? Asked less o...
010
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
My latest book, This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning, will be published Sept. 1, 2026. Info at robertwjensen.org/books/this-i... Pre-order hard copy at blueearbooks.com/this-i-dont-.... E-book coming soon. Ideas for reviews? Email me at rjensen@austin.utexas.edu.
robertwjensen.org
This I Don’t Believe: A Fulfilling Life without Meaning – ROBERT JENSEN
031
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
"If I were still teaching, I likely would have trouble navigating the political struggles on campus. I would resist the threats to faculty independence but urge professors to recognize our collective failure to be accountable to the public.” 3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily...
3quarksdaily.com
Dodging Dogma: Moving to Higher Ground in Higher Education - 3 Quarks Daily
by Robert Jensen
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
My article on the need for critical self-reflection by university professors--Dodging Dogma: Moving to Higher Ground in Higher Education--is online 3quarksdaily.com/3quarksdaily...
3quarksdaily.com
Dodging Dogma: Moving to Higher Ground in Higher Education - 3 Quarks Daily
by Robert Jensen
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 03/07/2026
Getting ready for July 4: “The Anguish in the American Dream,” www.commondreams.org/views/2011/0...
commondreams.org
The Anguish in the American Dream | Common Dreams
Whether celebrated or condemned, the American Dream endures, though always ambiguously. We are forever describing and defining, analyzing and assessing the concept, and with each attempt to clarify, t...
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
In 2003, I published the article “Patriotism’s a Bad Idea at a Dangerous Time.” robertwjensen.org/articles/pat...
robertwjensen.org
Patriotism’s a Bad Idea at a Dangerous Time – ROBERT JENSEN
100
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 22/06/2026
I used this clip of Alan Greenspan acknowledging a “flaw” in his ideology in classes in which I taught about ideology. www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkLD...
youtube.com
Greenspan Admits Flaw in Ideology
YouTube video by John Peterson
031
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
“once we see the ways white supremacy shaped us and our world, it’s impossible to pretend that a few policy changes can solve the problem. It’s a lifelong struggle, personally and collectively.” thedissidentvoice.org/2026/06/corn...
thedissidentvoice.org
Cornelia Gipson: Unlearning Racism - Dissident Voice
Cornelia Gipson is trying to understand the hold that whiteness has on white people. “I grew up black in Mississippi, and from the time I was 4, I knew I was black and what that meant,” she said. “Ho...
000
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
“A lot of people have a lot invested in the idea that the United States is exceptional, the model for modern democracy. To suggest that genocide and slavery are central to how we became so wealthy and powerful challenges that pride.” www.laprogressive.com/racism/unlea...
laprogressive.com
Cornelia Gipson: Unlearning Racism
In a candid cross-racial dialogue, Cornelia Gipson and Robert Jensen explore white identity, internalized racism, privilege, empathy, and why honest conversations about race remain so difficult—and so...
010
Robert Jensen @robertjensen.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
“If whiteness means a commitment to the existing racial order, then whiteness makes empathy difficult, maybe impossible.” www.laprogressive.com/racism/unlea...
laprogressive.com
Cornelia Gipson: Unlearning Racism
In a candid cross-racial dialogue, Cornelia Gipson and Robert Jensen explore white identity, internalized racism, privilege, empathy, and why honest conversations about race remain so difficult—and so...
000