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Shannon E French

@sefrench.bsky.social
3.2K followers 1.7K following 3.5K posts

Philosophy Prof, author of Code of the Warrior. Research: Military Ethics and Ethics & Emerging Technology. Views posted are just mine; not any employer’s or sponsor’s, etc. Reposts aren’t necessarily endorsements. My humor is dark and my anger righteous.

PostsRepliesMedia
Reposted by Shannon E French
Chris Bolan @chrisbolan.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
this also guarantees that the military will be less effective in interagency discussions as expertise narrows to purely tactical military matters
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Jon Duffy @joncduffy.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
They're going to tear it all down... www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...
latimes.com
The Pentagon is waging a war on critical thinking
A proposal to eliminate civilian tenure at military academies would weaken the minds and the might of America's future leaders.
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
While obviously not on the level of ordering war crimes, this policy change will do real and lasting harm of a different kind. The U.S. service academies have benefited tremendously by being able to attract and retain top academic talent to teach future leaders. That ends with this memo. 🤬
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Marine Corps Times @marinecorpstimes.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Hegseth is set to announce a 20% cut in the number of positions for generals and admirals. 🔗Link to article in comments ⬇️
Pentagon chief set to announce additional cuts in senior officer positions
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
As someone who hates corrupt politicians, whatever their party, I reject anyone who defends “leaders” they know are doing real and lasting harm to our country, just from party loyalty. Loyalty without judgement is dangerous as hell. We all need to call out members of our own groups when they fail.
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Literally every member of the Putin-backed Wagner group should be up on war crimes charges. This is horrific.
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Dr. Damien P. Williams, dread portent down from a mountain cave @wolven.blacksky.app · 29/09/2026
Yeah that part affects EVERYONE YOU'VE EVER MESSAGED WITH, WHETHER THEY HAVE MUSE OR NOT. Seriously: do not use muse. Ever.
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
Klobuchar has Schmitt dead to rights: "The game in fact was in Maryland. For a senator to have false information & imply, based on confusion about name of a team, that you were in another city & somehow involved that day in what was happening in Georgia & call you a 'dirtbag' deserves an apology"
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
Jack Smith: "Our investigation developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation ... rather than accept his defeat in the 2020 election, he engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results and prevent the lawful transfer of power"
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 29/09/2026
Jack Smith: "History teaches that the rule of law is rarely destroyed all at once. It's often weakened by attacks on the institutions and the public servants sworn to uphold it. Since January 2025, we have witnessed precisely such an effort."
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Kevin Gannon (now a Moo Deng fan account) @thetattooedprof.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Fellow GenXers: remember how often we were bombarded with images of late-period USSR? Old, decrepit men in charge, clinging to an ossified ideology. Political repression, nakedly false propaganda, empty shelves, food shortages, inadequate health care, deep-seated cynicism, crumbling infrastructure
static.klipy.com
Ironic Star Wars Moment
Alt: A smirking emperor palpatine says "ironic."
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Now we know how Cassandra felt… 🤖 🫧
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Seemed like a good time to re-up this post, as more dirt on him keeps getting exposed. I don’t know and am not related to Bo French. He’s an absolutely atrocious, hateful, racist, violence-promoting little man, and it sucks that we happen to have the same last name. 🤬
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Robota Bobby @alixiswright.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Good for them but goodness gracious I swear half of university admins are super villains. I hope the players are getting the support they need from some other adults <3
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Emily L. Hauser (she/her) ❌👑 @emilylhauser.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
I managed to mostly not know any of this until today. This detail is new to me. The horror coursing through my body feels like poison. My God, men. Decide RIGHT FUCKING NOW what you'll do if a woman is sexually harassed or assaulted in your vicinity. Ask another man to do the same. TALK ABOUT IT.
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
The bear, every time.
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Holy misogyny, Batman!
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Andi Zeisler @andizeisler.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
A woman was drugged, raped, and sexually trafficked to members of a fraternity. Two of the men involved were expelled. Five were given the opportunity to mitigate suspension by *writing an essay.* The dozens of other men who knew this was happening and said nothing? You already know the answer.
cornellsun.com
EDITORIAL | Cornell Won’t, We Will
The Editorial Board demands that Cornell stops protecting the alleged Chi Phi rapists through the University's opaque sexual assault policies.
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Lisa Diedrich @lisadiedrich.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Reading is a practice of freedom.
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samuel mehr @mehr.nz · 27/09/2026
another day, another bit of evidence that the scientists who willingly hand over proprietary information to AI firms may experience some consequences
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Roman Sheremeta @rshereme.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Russia is the enemy of humanity
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
Two words: uncanny valley!
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
KING HENRY (disguised): Methinks I could not die anywhere so contented as in the King’s company, his cause being just and his quarrel honorable. WILLIAMS: That’s more than we fucking know.
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
To be, or not to be. That’s the fucking question…
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Matt May @mattmay.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
To connect another dot: Thiel always seems to be giving money to self-taught Very Special Boys to keep them from going to college. One-dimensional prodigies are valuable to someone who wants to destroy democracy. A liberal education, OTOH, is a direct threat to that.
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Ian Carrillo @iansociologo.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Meta Pervert Amulet™️
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Ed Maibach @maibached.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Happy Stanislav Petrov Day He passed in 2017. As Encyclopedia Britannica puts it, “He is survived by his two children, two grandchildren, and the entire human race.” If you don't know his story, please take 3 minutes now to learn it. @gchalliance.bsky.social @docsforclimate.bsky.social
sammatey.substack.com
Happy Stanislav Petrov Day
Take five minutes to not destroy civilization
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Jenny Cohn @jennycohn.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
A Thiel-Altman-&-Andreessen backed “network state” called Praxis is planning a tech colony in Uruguay & has a nonbinding deal w/ a development led by a former advisor to Javier Milei. Located a short ferry ride from Argentina, the move aligns w/ the “Tech Bros”’ increasing interest in the region. 1/
Thiel image


Altman ImageAndreessen image
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
This is so damn depressing. Klein asks about the importance of reading and Huang admits that he only cares about engineering.
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Michael Mechanic @michaelmechanic.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
ChatGPT fed a mass shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the day of the school massacre he carried out, according to this unsettling new investigation by our national affairs editor @markfollman.bsky.social.
motherjones.com
ChatGPT helped the Tumbler Ridge school shooter focus on guns, tactics, and terror, our investigation reveals
OpenAI’s chatbot fed the shooter’s violent fantasies and planning up to the massacre.
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Times Higher Education (THE) @timeshighered.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
When universities ask their staff to do more with less, is it really a test of individual fortitude? Rachelle McKay explains why we should stop praising endurance: www.timeshighereducation.com/campus… #Highered #Academicsky
timeshighereducation.com
It’s time to stop celebrating resilience
When universities ask their staff to do more with less, is it really a test of individual fortitude? Rachelle McKay explains why we should stop praising endurance
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Jeff Sharlet @jeffsharlet.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
A student asked me in earnest if there are “different standards” for faculty & students, if once you get a PhD the standards are looser. The answer obv is no, but we’re now four days into silence from our administration.
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Faine Greenwood @faineg.com · 23/09/2026
Yes, the Andreessen Horowitz-backed big tech boarding school that takes students as young as 16 is, in fact, advertising Tyler Cowen - he of the "if you wish to see a virgin on-screen, this is one of your better chances" creep article - as faculty.
tyler cowen being really creepy about AI virgins@eriktorenberg
Erik Torenberg
a16z
@eriktorenberg
Sep 22
Thrilled to announce our latest incubation: Horowitz Andreessen Academy.

Horowitz Andreessen Academy will be a two-year residential program in San Francisco for 16 to 22 year olds.

My biggest regret from my college experience is how divorced it was from the real world (both practically but also intellectually)

HAA is the opposite. Students will learn from real-world practitioners and intellectuals; including founders (Sam Altman, Brian Armstrong, Jensen Huang), investors (Elad Gil, Daniel Gross), and professors (Agnes Callard, Tyler Cowen), among hundreds of others. The Academy is the educational experience I wish I had.

In 1984, the educational psychologist Benjamin Bloom published a paper about how the average student who received one-on-one tutoring focused on mastery techniques performed better than 98% of the control group. For generations, this was viewed as unrealistic to implement even if it produced the best outcomes.

At the Academy, we will be able to locate any tutor on any topic that a student desires.

Take an aspiring filmmaker or producer. The standard path offers them film theory courses, peer workshops, and the occasional visiting filmmaker; everything past that takes meticulous networking and luck. The very entrepreneurial type will find ways to invite prominent speakers to speak and meticulous networking to reach the right people. At the Academy, they will learn the business from the people who run it and their next creative project will have notes from award-winning filmmakers.

Take a young founder. Yes, there is endless content online; you can watch a video on any skill. But content is not coaching. The Academy will provide dedicated, experienced coaches and mentors who know your company and psychology. Students can workshop issues with prominent leaders in technology who host sessions on campus. Every generation of entrepreneurs has had mentors in their corner. Ours will too.

Take …
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Matthew Scarborough 𓀀 @mattitiahu.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Agnes Callard, why does that name sound familiar? Oh wait... oh no...
web.archive.org
Agnes Callard’s Marriage of the Minds
The philosopher, who lives with her husband and her ex-husband, searches for what one human can be to another human.
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weeder @weeder.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
God, grant me the courage to change the things I can and incredible new powers to change the things I can't.
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Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani @mayor.nyc.gov · 24/09/2026
Never been to the opera before? Now’s your chance. We’re giving away 70,000 free tickets to the @metopera at the iconic Lincoln Center. Go to on.nyc.gov/opera to enter the lottery. There’s not a bad seat in the house.
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Oliver Darcy @oliverdarcy.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Scoop: The anonymous source behind a POLITICO story that the White House is now using to justify a ban on the outlet was none other than JD Vance himself. Details in @status.news: www.status.news/p/white-hous...
status.news
The Source Behind The Ban
The anonymous source behind one of the stories the White House cited to justify banning POLITICO was none other than Vice President JD Vance, Status has learned.
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
This is why I tell my students that they have to imagine scenarios in which they’ll actually really, really want to do bad things… because only then can they figure out what might be strong enough reasons for restraint. “What if you’re at, ‘but your Honor, don’t you see, he needed killin’?”
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Lots of death, buddy. That’s what medicine looked like in the pioneer days. People dying from all kinds of causes we can now cure. Having 10+ kids in the hope that a couple might make it to adulthood. High maternal mortality rates. Dysentery, cholera, countless diseases and infections… causing DEATH
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Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 23/09/2026
same day 😬
On March 17, 2025, Eichorn was one of five Republican authors of a bill, SF2589, that would designate "Trump derangement syndrome" as an officially recognized mental illness in Minnesota.[7][8]

Arrest and resignation
On March 17, 2025, during a sting operation, Eichorn was arrested in Bloomington, Minnesota, on suspicion of soliciting a minor for sex.[9][10] The arrest occurred after he allegedly sexually solicited a detective posing as a minor.[11][9] His fellow Republican legislators, as well as Minnesota GOP chair Alex Plechash, called on him to resign.[11][12] On March 20, Eichorn submitted his letter of resignation, effective immediately.[13]
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Tressie McMillan Cottom @tressiemcphd.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
They’ve almost achieved the dream of Black capital without any actual Black people.
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Admirable Women @admirablewomen.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
Lucille Ball is the Godmother of #StarTrek. As head of Desilu Studios, she overrode her own board of directors to finance the show & convinced network executives to greenlight a second pilot after the first one failed. That second pilot, "Where No Man Has Gone Before," first aired #OTD in 1966. 🖖
A digital portrait of Lucille Désirée Ball (1911–1989), the legendary Emmy-winning actress, studio mogul, and "Godmother of Star Trek" whose decisive studio leadership famously saved the franchise from cancellation. This artwork is an AI-adjusted version of an original piece by artist Jamie Fay—which initially depicted her in Captain Janeway’s uniform—now modified to show her in an Original Series Starfleet uniform. Ball sits confidently in a prominent command chair on a starship bridge, legs elegantly crossed at the knee and hands resting on the armrests. She wears a form-fitting, gold command-division tunic featuring a classic black collar, rank braids on the cuffs, and the iconic Starfleet delta insignia pinned to her chest, paired with sharp black trousers and low-heeled black boots. Her signature red hair is styled into an elegant upward coiffure, framing a poised, contemplative expression as she gazes slightly away from the viewer. The background features a sweeping, cinematic view of a colorful interstellar nebula glowing with purple, green, and blue cosmic stardust. The overall composition blends mid-century Hollywood glamour with classic sci-fi iconography, evoking an empowering, authoritative mood that celebrates her immense historical impact on television history.
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Jennifer Shin - WTAF @jennifershin.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
It is shocking and enraging to me that our service members need to enroll in SNAP to feed their families. They claim to "support our military" and then fail them spectacularly in everything that matters.
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
If you happen to be free at 0830 U.S. Eastern time (New York) Thursday, please join this online event! I’ll be discussing military ethics issues for the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs, along with my friend and colleague Cian O’Driscoll. info.carnegiecouncil.org/experience-o...
info.carnegiecouncil.org
Listening to Conflict: Human Experience of War
Join Carnegie Council for 'Listening to Conflict: Human Experience of War,' an upcoming event in the Ethics Empowered: Leadership in Practice series.
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Trump’s entire UNGA speech is full of statements that are dumb, dangerous, offensive, or all three, but top of the list is his threat to completely annihilate Iran. I lived through the 80s. I’m mostly immune to nuclear threats. But this has got me twitchy. I’m not confident there are any adults left
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Hypervisible @hypervisible.blacksky.app · 22/09/2026
Just go to therapy, bro.
DAVID JIANG, COFOUNDER and CEO of smart glasses company Viture, tells me about how he used to yell at his kid.

His 10-year-old son played tennis. During tournaments, Jiang says he had a habit of shouting and criticizing his son’s mistakes as he played. He wanted to apply pressure to make him succeed—it was the way he’d been taught to raise kids, after all. It made sense.

But then, unprompted, his smart glasses sent him a message. The AI assistant in his company’s newest wearable had picked up on what he was doing, recognized that his behavior wasn’t helpful, and messaged him about what he should do differently. Stop shouting. Stop criticizing. Just be there, be present, and show that you support your son. That worked, Jiang says, and being called out like that has supposedly made him a better father and improved the relationship with his kid, all thanks to his yet-to-be-released Vonder AI glasses.
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ᴡᴇ ʙᴜɪʟᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ᴄɪᴛʏ @webuiltthiscity.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
This genuinely made me laugh out loud today
HOW AM I DRIVING?
HOW DOES AN ENGINE EVEN WORK?
HOW CAN A LOVING GOD CAUSE SUCH AGONY
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Here’s another for the ever growing list of terrible ideas that will (continue to) cause egregious harm while making us all less safe…
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Shannon E French @sefrench.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Outstanding! 🙌🏻
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