Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Reposted by Liam Shields

Dan Davies @dsquareddigest.bsky.social · 1d

Could someone at the FT just remind the subs that there is no such thing as a "bat tunnel"; there is an above ground structure. The tunnels which added so much to the cost of HS2 are entirely because of Chilterns homeowners and their elected representatives, not bats
www.ft.com/content/d319...

UK planning to be speeded up with new powers for ministers

Government is adding amendments to infrastructure and housing bill to strengthen scope for more timely construction

www.ft.com

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Reposted by Liam Shields

Jessica Kant @jessdkant.bsky.social · 1d

“These findings follow previous research which concluded that the more people learn about how AI works, the less they trust it. The opposite was also true — AI’s biggest fanboys tended to be those who understood the least about the tech.”

The More Scientists Work With AI, the Less They Trust It

A preliminary report shows that researchers' confidence in AI software dropped off a cliff over the last year.

futurism.com

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Peter Adamson @histphilosophy.bsky.social · 2d

Today's new installment in the Philosophy in China series: Non-Action in the Laozi (Daodejing)

The concept of wuwei or “non-action”: does it mean that the perfect sage or political ruler simply never does anything?

www.historyofphilosophy.net/laozi-non-ac...

#podcasts #daoism #daodejing #philsky

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Jim Dickinson @jimdickinson.bsky.social · 2d

Ah wonkhe.com/wonk-corner/...

Bob Vylan and the OfS free speech guidance

Universities face an impossible choice between OfS free speech guidance requiring them to host controversial performers and their legal duty to protect students from discrimination and harassment.

wonkhe.com

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Liam Shields @liamshields.bsky.social · 2d

Went out for a ride this morning at 6. By 6.30 I was regretting it and thinking about coming home: lots of fog , freezing toes and fingers, and poor night's sleep. But I'm glad I stuck with it. My hilliest route yet and great views.

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Florian Scheuer @florianscheuer.bsky.social · 4d

I am delighted to share that Nobel laureates Esther Duflo and Abhijit Banerjee will join our Department of Economics @econ.uzh.ch at the University of Zurich on July 1, 2026, as Lemann Foundation Professors of Economics.

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Grumpy Philosopher @stevecooke.org · 4d

Big turnout of staff and students for day ten of our strike. We've forced management to negotiate for the first time since July.

A crowd of staff and students holding 'Stop the Cuts' banners.

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Liam Shields @liamshields.bsky.social · 5d

www.politico.eu/article/denm...

This is interesting. I co-wrote a blog on smartphone bans from the perspective of the political philosophy of childhood: www.publicethics.org/post/social-...

Denmark aims to ban social media for children under 15, PM says

“We have unleashed a monster,” Mette Frederiksen tells Danish lawmakers.

www.politico.eu

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Reposted by Liam Shields

Anthony Painter @anthonypainter.bsky.social · 5d

You can ban smartphones from schools and kids from social media.

But we are still going to have to contend with a mental health crisis and the fact that our kids are growing up in a connected technology society with increasing genAI features.

www.politico.eu/article/denm...

Denmark aims to ban social media for children under 15, PM says

“We have unleashed a monster,” Mette Frederiksen tells Danish lawmakers.

www.politico.eu

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Reposted by Liam Shields

Jack Jenkins @jackjenkins.me · 6d

Oh: @clairegiangrave.bsky.social with an exclusive:

Pope Leo, in addition to urging U.S. bishops to speak out about mistreatment of immigrants, also told a group of U.S. Latino Catholics who work w/immigrants their job is important — "perhaps especially" in the U.S. religionnews.com/2025/10/08/i...

In private audience Pope Leo XIV encourages Latino Catholics serving fearful U.S. immigrants

VATICAN CITY (RNS) — ‘He treated us like dignitaries. He sent a message by having us there. He lifted us,’ said Elizabeth Román, president of the National Catholic Council for Hispanic Ministry.

religionnews.com

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Reposted by Liam Shields

Shai Agmon @shaiagmon.bsky.social · 6d

Just spoke to @euronews.com about the Trump deal to end the Gaza war. Here are the main points I made 🧵:

1. Trump should have formally brought in the Palestinian Authority as part of both the negotiations and the implementation.

>>>

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Stephen Bush @stephenkb.bsky.social · 6d

Something grimly predictable about the way that the conversation about 'ripoff degrees' in the UK is always about degrees that aren't rip-offs, but are instead fairly obvious 'this student has chosen something unlikely to pay off economically' rather than the short tail of crap business degrees:

Everyone needs educating in the fight over university degrees

Political confusion over the purpose of these institutions means the obvious fixes are being neglected

www.ft.com

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Reposted by Liam Shields

George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 6d

ME/CFS is a devastating condition that has long been denied, dismissed, psychologised and underdiagnosed. Research is at last starting to catch up with it, with glimmers of hope for those who have been left untreated for so long.
There's a huge BUT coming ...🧵
www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

Scientists develop first ‘accurate blood test’ to detect chronic fatigue syndrome

Research could offer hope for ME patients – but some experts urge caution and say more studies needed

www.theguardian.com

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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 7d

No sudden rupture is now required for the far right to take power in this country. For what we're seeing is a steady normalisation of extremists by the Conservative and Labour Parties, BBC, Telegraph, Mail and others. A shift once considered unthinkable beings to look acceptable, even inevitable.🧵

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Liam Shields @liamshields.bsky.social · 7d

I've just read a book for my research that was published by Routledge and there are a huge number of glaring typos in it and other errors.

The research was really good and very helpful. I'd be distraught if a publisher was so careless with my own manuscript.

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Reposted by Liam Shields

Chaminda Jayanetti @cjayanetti.bsky.social · 7d

Some of London’s poorest areas could see their share of the children’s services funding formula halved under Labour’s plans to reform local government grants.

By me, for Politics Home: www.politicshome.com/news/article...

London Councils Face Losing Half Their Share Of Children's Services Funding

Some of London’s poorest areas could see their share of funding for children’s services halved under Labour’s plans to reform local government gran...

www.politicshome.com

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Reposted by Liam Shields

Vivienne Dunstan @vivdunstan.bsky.social · 7d

Releasing stranded baby puffins on a remote Icelandic island www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/...

Releasing stranded baby puffins on a remote Icelandic island

Join the puffin patrol as they rescue lost pufflings on Vestmannaeyjar, off the southern coast of Iceland.

www.bbc.co.uk

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UCL Institute of Archaeology @uclarchaeology.bsky.social · 8d

David Wengrow to give the Tanner Lectures on Human Values for 2026 @utah.edu entitled 'The Elementary Forms of Human Freedom.'

More here:

📱 www.ucl.ac.uk/social-histo...

Image: @davidwengrow.bsky.social @ucl.ac.uk Institute of Archaeology (Image credit: Tom Jamieson)

#LocalAndGlobal

David Wengrow to give the Tanner Lectures on Human Values for 2026

David Wengrow (UCL Institute of Archaeology) has been invited to give the Tanner Lectures on Human Values at the University of Utah in March 2026.

www.ucl.ac.uk

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Reposted by Liam Shields

Michael Morris @michaelmorrisphil.bsky.social · 8d

Philosophy job at Leeds

jobs.leeds.ac.uk/Vacancy.aspx...

Job Opportunity at University of Leeds: Lecturer/Associate Professor in Philosophy

Are you an experienced academic in Philosophy with the ambition to carry out world-leading research and deliver an exceptional student experience in a research-intensive Russell Group University? Woul...

jobs.leeds.ac.uk

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Liam Shields @liamshields.bsky.social · 9d

Very good come back that #utft

Liam Shields @liamshields.bsky.social · 9d

One of the good things about making your own massaman curry is that you can add as many peanuts as you like

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Jonathan Birch @birchlse.bsky.social · 11d

What a great responsibility and a great privilege to be directing the world's first Centre for Animal Sentience. Many thanks to the ~300 in the room and ~500 online who attended our launch event. Wonderful to have you there on Day 1. www.lse.ac.uk/philosophy/s...

Launch event of the Jeremy Coller Centre for Animal Sentience, LSE

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Reposted by Liam Shields

Sam Freedman @samfr.bsky.social · 11d

I wrote a short piece for the Observer on the attacks in Manchester.

observer.co.uk/news/opinion...

My son recently found a swastika drawn on the pavement at...

The Manchester attack didn't come as a shock. The only surprise is it hasn’t happened sooner

observer.co.uk

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Liam Shields @liamshields.bsky.social · 11d

The attainment, when not contextualised, is not really an indicator of ability. Fortunately a lot of universities do use contextualised data, though not as much as id like to see.

Reposted by Liam Shields

Plashing Vole @plashingvole.bsky.social · 11d

If a university thinks it’s the ‘best’ it should take people with low or no prior attainment and prove it. Otherwise it’s just cherry-picking and claiming unearned credit.

Patrick Dunleavy @patrickdunleavy.bsky.social · 12d

Elite school students end up in better universities than expected, based on their grades blogs.lse.ac.uk/politicsandp...

Elite school students end up in better universities than expected, based on their grades | British Politics and Policy at LSE

Students of private and grammar schools are over-represented in elite universities, but only part of that is explained by better grades.

blogs.lse.ac.uk

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