Jacek Debiec, MD, PhD, DPhil 🌎 🧠
@drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
5.7K followers 4K following 3.2K posts
Psychiatrist. Researcher of Fear and Memory. Author. #PlanetaryHealth, #BrainHealth and #MentalHealth https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/psychiatrists/jacek-debiec-ann-arbor-mi/121480
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drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
There was a lot of #AcademicFreedom, good scholarship, and independent thought in German universities before Hitler. After Hitler had risen to power, many academics fled the country. Some resisted the Nazi regime and were persecuted. Most adapted to a new situation. Here are some examples. 1/n
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
Corporatization of America went hand in hand with its de-unionization, paving the way to the ongoing authoritarian takeover.

"Rebuilding worker power by strengthening unions is not just good policy—it is a democratic imperative in the face of authoritarian backsliding."
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
"A team of researchers found that some of the most popular of..AIs issued apparently homicidal instructions in a virtual scenario. The AIs took steps that would lead to the death of a fictional executive who had planned to replace them."

www.nature.com/articles/d41...
AI models that lie, cheat and plot murder: how dangerous are LLMs really?
Tests of large language models reveal that they can behave in deceptive and potentially harmful ways. What does this mean for the future?
www.nature.com
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
"The concepts of friluftsliv (literally: "open-air living") in which Swedes regularly unplug and seek out nature; stress-reducing activities such as forest bathing and deep-sleep retreats; and a holistic approach to life known as lagom..might make you feel better..."

www.bbc.com/travel/artic...
Sweden: The country 'prescribed' by doctors
A cheeky new ad campaign claims that visiting the Nordic nation and embracing Swedish culture can improve your wellbeing – and it's turning to medical experts to make its case.
www.bbc.com
Reposted by Jacek Debiec, MD, PhD, DPhil 🌎 🧠
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
A recent report, "Cradle to Grave," outlines health hazards of #fossilfuels, from extraction to combustion, including raising infant mortality to 31 per 1000 births and lowering life expectancy to 50 near extraction sites.

via @healthpolicywatch.bsky.social
healthpolicy-watch.news/ban-fossil-f...
An image showing the damaging effects of fossil fuels, from extraction to use, on human body organs and systems.
Reposted by Jacek Debiec, MD, PhD, DPhil 🌎 🧠
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
In my experience, tenure-track professors are discouraged from speaking up due to the lack of tenure-related protections. As a consequence, when reaching tenure, most professors are already well-trained to comply and not to speak up.
lmacthompson1.bsky.social
Those years helped to firm up ideas of what the parameters of "academic freedom" needed to be, though. That is why professors now are always insisting on the importance of tenure. Tenure is supposed to provide certain protections so that you can speak and write about your research freely.
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
Agree! A tenure is a relationship between a faculty member and their corporate university, where the corporation has control over the process. A union is a union of peers.
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
In my experience, tenure-track professors are discouraged from speaking up due to the lack of tenure-related protections. As a consequence, when reaching tenure, most professors are already well-trained to comply and not to speak up.
lmacthompson1.bsky.social
Those years helped to firm up ideas of what the parameters of "academic freedom" needed to be, though. That is why professors now are always insisting on the importance of tenure. Tenure is supposed to provide certain protections so that you can speak and write about your research freely.
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
In my experience in academia, tenure-track professors were often discouraged from speaking up due to the lack of tenure-related protections. As a consequence, when reaching tenure, most faculty were well-trained to comply.
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
The Independent: "Branded watches are one of the many attempts made by Trump to cash in on the presidency having previously hawked merchandise during his campaign and return to office including trading cards, guitars, golden high-top sneakers, and even Bibles."

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
It's The Guardian, not The Onion:

"With hours to go until the announcement of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, Norwegian politicians were steeling themselves for potential repercussions to US-Norway relations if it is not awarded to Donald Trump."

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...
Norway braces for Trump’s reaction if he does not win Nobel peace prize
US president may impose tariffs, demand higher Nato contributions or even declare Norway an enemy, analyst says
www.theguardian.com
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
What does the phrase "meat machine" reveal about the consciousness of those who use it?

“Humanity's true moral test..consists of its attitude towards those who are at its mercy: animals.. In this respect humankind has suffered..a debacle so fundamental that all others stem from it” - Milan Kundera.
neddo.bsky.social
Can Only Meat Machines be Conscious? New paper in Trends in Cognitive Sciences, free download until November 26 with this URL: authors.elsevier.com/a/1luwh4sIRv...
authors.elsevier.com
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
"Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

The Constitution of the USA
atrupar.com
Trump: "We took the freedom of speech away because that's been through the courts and the courts said you have freedom of speech, but what has happened is when they burn a flag it agitates and irritates crowds."
Reposted by Jacek Debiec, MD, PhD, DPhil 🌎 🧠
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
“There’s the huge unspoken burden to save a world, which frankly, we didn’t break in the first place/ I think that pressure is so overwhelming for so many of us, it deteriorates and completely destroys our mental health in ways that I think we’re only beginning to understand.”

#ClimateSky
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
'If we don’t act on climate change within the next few years, the world as we know it disappears.'

"Climate anxiety is...weighing on younger Canadians’ emotions... More mental health awareness will not cure climate anxiety if the forests keep burning..."

www.theglobeandmail.com/life/social-...
Young Canadians’ happiness has nosedived. They’re coping by redefining a meaningful life
Economic hardship and the climate crisis have forced young adults to reshape their ideas of a successful life
www.theglobeandmail.com
Reposted by Jacek Debiec, MD, PhD, DPhil 🌎 🧠
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
"Academic freedom policies came from faculties, not the government.. Any university leader who signs on to this compact would betray everything good and solid about the university and would do deep and permanent harm to the United States and the world."
#AcademicSky
newrepublic.com/article/2013...
Why This Essay Could Cause the University of Virginia to Shut Down
How Linda McMahon’s latest “compact” would do deep and permanent harm to American higher education
newrepublic.com
Reposted by Jacek Debiec, MD, PhD, DPhil 🌎 🧠
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
"Research funders, and many universities, only say ‘yes’ to working with people employed by other institutions. This enables institutions to retain their power... Those with extensive experience of doing research in the third sector, local government, and industry are...unable to participate."
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
"Research funders, and many universities, only say ‘yes’ to working with people employed by other institutions. This enables institutions to retain their power... Those with extensive experience of doing research in the third sector, local government, and industry are...unable to participate."
drjacekdebiec.bsky.social
"Academic freedom policies came from faculties, not the government.. Any university leader who signs on to this compact would betray everything good and solid about the university and would do deep and permanent harm to the United States and the world."
#AcademicSky
newrepublic.com/article/2013...
Why This Essay Could Cause the University of Virginia to Shut Down
How Linda McMahon’s latest “compact” would do deep and permanent harm to American higher education
newrepublic.com