Reece Barlow
@reece-barlow.bsky.social
Biology PhD Dropout
Ex-OA Publisher
I write (sometimes badly) as The Tatler for @scholarlyletter.bsky.social
Interested in publishing, knowledge production, research practices and scholarship in general.
Not an academic, but I am a scholar.
Ex-OA Publisher
I write (sometimes badly) as The Tatler for @scholarlyletter.bsky.social
Interested in publishing, knowledge production, research practices and scholarship in general.
Not an academic, but I am a scholar.
This is: a great idea
June 10, 2025 at 12:11 PM
This is: a great idea
You're damn right I use commas incorrectly. That's how you know this wasn't written, by AI
#academicsky
#academicsky
June 10, 2025 at 10:30 AM
You're damn right I use commas incorrectly. That's how you know this wasn't written, by AI
#academicsky
#academicsky
Truer words have never been spoken. There's not much intelligence and lots of artificial
Calling it “AI” has been an insidious way of marketing it. It is Enhanced Pattern Recognition, and if it were abbreviated EPR, it would be harder to sell.
May 27, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Truer words have never been spoken. There's not much intelligence and lots of artificial
Reposted by Reece Barlow
Academia in 2025: For weeks I’ve been working through botched copy-edits of my monograph, outsourced by the publisher to a company I’d never heard of, until it finally dawned on me the terrible job might be AI. A quick search confirmed the company recently launched new AI software, which now means..
May 27, 2025 at 10:23 AM
Academia in 2025: For weeks I’ve been working through botched copy-edits of my monograph, outsourced by the publisher to a company I’d never heard of, until it finally dawned on me the terrible job might be AI. A quick search confirmed the company recently launched new AI software, which now means..
again, not having an interest in becoming "academically trained" is not a problem in and of itself.
but it doesn't surprise me that we expect young people who get a degree for its ROI to behave like aspiring academics and they don't give a shit.
5/5
but it doesn't surprise me that we expect young people who get a degree for its ROI to behave like aspiring academics and they don't give a shit.
5/5
May 26, 2025 at 12:40 PM
again, not having an interest in becoming "academically trained" is not a problem in and of itself.
but it doesn't surprise me that we expect young people who get a degree for its ROI to behave like aspiring academics and they don't give a shit.
5/5
but it doesn't surprise me that we expect young people who get a degree for its ROI to behave like aspiring academics and they don't give a shit.
5/5
if we were all required to play pro level sports to get a high paying job, surely doping would be sky high.
not everyone "loves learning" and that's okay.
what causes the problem is needing a degree, but not having a desire to develop "academically".
4/5
not everyone "loves learning" and that's okay.
what causes the problem is needing a degree, but not having a desire to develop "academically".
4/5
May 26, 2025 at 12:40 PM
if we were all required to play pro level sports to get a high paying job, surely doping would be sky high.
not everyone "loves learning" and that's okay.
what causes the problem is needing a degree, but not having a desire to develop "academically".
4/5
not everyone "loves learning" and that's okay.
what causes the problem is needing a degree, but not having a desire to develop "academically".
4/5
We don’t expect most young people to become semi-pro athletes, ranked chess players, or classically trained musicians.
so this expectation to complete a degree that was traditionally the first step toward an academic career seems a little odd.
3/5
so this expectation to complete a degree that was traditionally the first step toward an academic career seems a little odd.
3/5
May 26, 2025 at 12:40 PM
We don’t expect most young people to become semi-pro athletes, ranked chess players, or classically trained musicians.
so this expectation to complete a degree that was traditionally the first step toward an academic career seems a little odd.
3/5
so this expectation to complete a degree that was traditionally the first step toward an academic career seems a little odd.
3/5
been seeing a lot of hand-wringing about how university students are not developing the skills to succeed in their academic pursuits thanks to AI.
"what happened to the love of learning!?"
but should everyone "love" the specific flavor of learning that universities provide?
no.
2/5
"what happened to the love of learning!?"
but should everyone "love" the specific flavor of learning that universities provide?
no.
2/5
May 26, 2025 at 12:40 PM
been seeing a lot of hand-wringing about how university students are not developing the skills to succeed in their academic pursuits thanks to AI.
"what happened to the love of learning!?"
but should everyone "love" the specific flavor of learning that universities provide?
no.
2/5
"what happened to the love of learning!?"
but should everyone "love" the specific flavor of learning that universities provide?
no.
2/5
it seems elitist to say something like "not everyone should go to university".
but honestly, the high numbers of quasi-academics graduating every year who only go to university to boost their earning prospects is the reason why everyone writes their essays using ChatGPT
#academicsky
1/5
but honestly, the high numbers of quasi-academics graduating every year who only go to university to boost their earning prospects is the reason why everyone writes their essays using ChatGPT
#academicsky
1/5
May 26, 2025 at 12:40 PM
it seems elitist to say something like "not everyone should go to university".
but honestly, the high numbers of quasi-academics graduating every year who only go to university to boost their earning prospects is the reason why everyone writes their essays using ChatGPT
#academicsky
1/5
but honestly, the high numbers of quasi-academics graduating every year who only go to university to boost their earning prospects is the reason why everyone writes their essays using ChatGPT
#academicsky
1/5
we don’t expect so many young people to become semi-pro athletes, ranked chess players, or classically trained musicians.
so this expectation to complete a degree that was traditionally the first step taken toward an academic career seems a little odd.
3/5
so this expectation to complete a degree that was traditionally the first step taken toward an academic career seems a little odd.
3/5
May 26, 2025 at 12:34 PM
we don’t expect so many young people to become semi-pro athletes, ranked chess players, or classically trained musicians.
so this expectation to complete a degree that was traditionally the first step taken toward an academic career seems a little odd.
3/5
so this expectation to complete a degree that was traditionally the first step taken toward an academic career seems a little odd.
3/5
been seeing a lot of hand-wringing about how university students are not developing the skills to succeed in thier academic pursuits thanks to AI.
"what happened to the love of learning!?"
but should everyone "love" the specific flavor of learning that universities provide?
I think no.
2/5
"what happened to the love of learning!?"
but should everyone "love" the specific flavor of learning that universities provide?
I think no.
2/5
May 26, 2025 at 12:34 PM
been seeing a lot of hand-wringing about how university students are not developing the skills to succeed in thier academic pursuits thanks to AI.
"what happened to the love of learning!?"
but should everyone "love" the specific flavor of learning that universities provide?
I think no.
2/5
"what happened to the love of learning!?"
but should everyone "love" the specific flavor of learning that universities provide?
I think no.
2/5
A scholar did suffer obsession
With promotions and career progression
Perhaps ChatGPT
Could let them be free?
From the rat race within their profession
#academicsky
#philsky
With promotions and career progression
Perhaps ChatGPT
Could let them be free?
From the rat race within their profession
#academicsky
#philsky
May 16, 2025 at 7:49 AM
A scholar did suffer obsession
With promotions and career progression
Perhaps ChatGPT
Could let them be free?
From the rat race within their profession
#academicsky
#philsky
With promotions and career progression
Perhaps ChatGPT
Could let them be free?
From the rat race within their profession
#academicsky
#philsky
the temp folder seems to have died the same death as the documents it was designed to store
May 13, 2025 at 12:50 PM
the temp folder seems to have died the same death as the documents it was designed to store
My downloads folder is just the place where pdfs go to die.
May 12, 2025 at 7:05 AM
My downloads folder is just the place where pdfs go to die.
Trying to talk about scholarly stuff on algorithm driven platforms low-key feels quite dangerous. like you're never far away from someone who thinks that science is all a sham or that the only thing worth researching is physics and maths twisting the message to match their view.
#academicsky
#academicsky
May 7, 2025 at 11:49 AM
Trying to talk about scholarly stuff on algorithm driven platforms low-key feels quite dangerous. like you're never far away from someone who thinks that science is all a sham or that the only thing worth researching is physics and maths twisting the message to match their view.
#academicsky
#academicsky
I'm not familiar with Kantian ethics at all but this book looks super interesting
May 6, 2025 at 7:33 PM
I'm not familiar with Kantian ethics at all but this book looks super interesting
In @scholarlyletter.bsky.social, we propose a counter-balance to written communication’s dominance on knowledge.
Balance can be achieved not by reducing the role of the written word, but by (re)adding something that has been lost:
thescholarlyletter.scholar-square.com/p/the-tyrann...
Balance can be achieved not by reducing the role of the written word, but by (re)adding something that has been lost:
thescholarlyletter.scholar-square.com/p/the-tyrann...
The Tyranny Of Written Knowledge
With the ever-growing emphasis on communicating knowledge through written publications, we are increasingly experiencing a transactional relationship with knowledge: one that prioritises storage, circ...
thescholarlyletter.scholar-square.com
May 4, 2025 at 12:01 PM
In @scholarlyletter.bsky.social, we propose a counter-balance to written communication’s dominance on knowledge.
Balance can be achieved not by reducing the role of the written word, but by (re)adding something that has been lost:
thescholarlyletter.scholar-square.com/p/the-tyrann...
Balance can be achieved not by reducing the role of the written word, but by (re)adding something that has been lost:
thescholarlyletter.scholar-square.com/p/the-tyrann...
Academic publishing is the epitome of this: the publication of “new” research papers with the goal for these papers to ‘reach’ - that is, be read, consumed, and most importantly, cited - more widely than ever before.
These articles have maybe 5 years before becoming "out-of-date".
4/5
These articles have maybe 5 years before becoming "out-of-date".
4/5
May 4, 2025 at 12:01 PM
Academic publishing is the epitome of this: the publication of “new” research papers with the goal for these papers to ‘reach’ - that is, be read, consumed, and most importantly, cited - more widely than ever before.
These articles have maybe 5 years before becoming "out-of-date".
4/5
These articles have maybe 5 years before becoming "out-of-date".
4/5
The durability of writing means knowledge persists through time, but innovations in writing media (especially digital media) have increasingly favored the spread of knowledge across space (distance).
Knowledge's spread and reach have increased at the expense of it's durability through time.
3/5
Knowledge's spread and reach have increased at the expense of it's durability through time.
3/5
May 4, 2025 at 12:01 PM
The durability of writing means knowledge persists through time, but innovations in writing media (especially digital media) have increasingly favored the spread of knowledge across space (distance).
Knowledge's spread and reach have increased at the expense of it's durability through time.
3/5
Knowledge's spread and reach have increased at the expense of it's durability through time.
3/5
First, the obvious before we move on to more interesting ground:
Writing that counts as "knowledge" requires professional training i.e. academic writing.
Writing makes thought visible, which in turn makes abstraction and conceptualization possible.
Writing makes knowledge durable.
2/5
Writing that counts as "knowledge" requires professional training i.e. academic writing.
Writing makes thought visible, which in turn makes abstraction and conceptualization possible.
Writing makes knowledge durable.
2/5
May 4, 2025 at 12:01 PM
First, the obvious before we move on to more interesting ground:
Writing that counts as "knowledge" requires professional training i.e. academic writing.
Writing makes thought visible, which in turn makes abstraction and conceptualization possible.
Writing makes knowledge durable.
2/5
Writing that counts as "knowledge" requires professional training i.e. academic writing.
Writing makes thought visible, which in turn makes abstraction and conceptualization possible.
Writing makes knowledge durable.
2/5
For information to count as knowledge, it must be written down.
You can't cite a conversation with a colleague, but you can cite a journal article that you talked about. The unchecked power of the written word has shaped how we know and also what we count as knowing: a thread.
1/5
#academicsky
You can't cite a conversation with a colleague, but you can cite a journal article that you talked about. The unchecked power of the written word has shaped how we know and also what we count as knowing: a thread.
1/5
#academicsky
May 4, 2025 at 12:01 PM
For information to count as knowledge, it must be written down.
You can't cite a conversation with a colleague, but you can cite a journal article that you talked about. The unchecked power of the written word has shaped how we know and also what we count as knowing: a thread.
1/5
#academicsky
You can't cite a conversation with a colleague, but you can cite a journal article that you talked about. The unchecked power of the written word has shaped how we know and also what we count as knowing: a thread.
1/5
#academicsky
Flexner believed that curiosity can be trusted to lead us somewhere meaningful. His view offers a compelling alternative to utility-obsessed research culture and inspired an essay a few weeks ago in The Scholarly Letter. Check it out here:
thescholarlyletter.scholar-square.com/p/the-value-...
thescholarlyletter.scholar-square.com/p/the-value-...
The Value of Useless Knowledge
And trusting that curiosity will lead somewhere meaningful.
thescholarlyletter.scholar-square.com
April 29, 2025 at 8:54 AM
Flexner believed that curiosity can be trusted to lead us somewhere meaningful. His view offers a compelling alternative to utility-obsessed research culture and inspired an essay a few weeks ago in The Scholarly Letter. Check it out here:
thescholarlyletter.scholar-square.com/p/the-value-...
thescholarlyletter.scholar-square.com/p/the-value-...
If we aim to produce knowledge that is useful (that has "value") then it logically follows that there is some knowledge which has less value, or perhaps no value at all.
This is what Flexner addresses in his essay "The Value of Useless Knowledge".
3/4
This is what Flexner addresses in his essay "The Value of Useless Knowledge".
3/4
April 29, 2025 at 8:54 AM
If we aim to produce knowledge that is useful (that has "value") then it logically follows that there is some knowledge which has less value, or perhaps no value at all.
This is what Flexner addresses in his essay "The Value of Useless Knowledge".
3/4
This is what Flexner addresses in his essay "The Value of Useless Knowledge".
3/4
If curiosity has indeed been replaced in our way of doing research, then what has taken it’s place?
The reality today is science, research, and knowledge are viewed as tools for maximizing utility.
Instead of being curiosity-driven, research is now utility-driven.
2/4
The reality today is science, research, and knowledge are viewed as tools for maximizing utility.
Instead of being curiosity-driven, research is now utility-driven.
2/4
April 29, 2025 at 8:54 AM
If curiosity has indeed been replaced in our way of doing research, then what has taken it’s place?
The reality today is science, research, and knowledge are viewed as tools for maximizing utility.
Instead of being curiosity-driven, research is now utility-driven.
2/4
The reality today is science, research, and knowledge are viewed as tools for maximizing utility.
Instead of being curiosity-driven, research is now utility-driven.
2/4
What knowledge is the most worthy?
In a 1939 essay, Flexner passionately argued for the value of curiosity driven research. As I read it, two things occurred to me:
1. of course research is driven by curiosity
2. “curiosity” seems to have vanished from the discourse on research.
#academicsky 1/4
In a 1939 essay, Flexner passionately argued for the value of curiosity driven research. As I read it, two things occurred to me:
1. of course research is driven by curiosity
2. “curiosity” seems to have vanished from the discourse on research.
#academicsky 1/4
April 29, 2025 at 8:54 AM
What knowledge is the most worthy?
In a 1939 essay, Flexner passionately argued for the value of curiosity driven research. As I read it, two things occurred to me:
1. of course research is driven by curiosity
2. “curiosity” seems to have vanished from the discourse on research.
#academicsky 1/4
In a 1939 essay, Flexner passionately argued for the value of curiosity driven research. As I read it, two things occurred to me:
1. of course research is driven by curiosity
2. “curiosity” seems to have vanished from the discourse on research.
#academicsky 1/4