Samantha Brennan

@samanthabrennan.bsky.social

3.8K followers 3.3K following 4.6K posts

Philosopher, feminist, ethicist, cyclist.
Dean of Arts, University of Guelph.
My Erdős number is 3.
My pronouns are she/her.🌈

http://linktr.ee/sjbrennan

Videos

Samantha Jane Brennan is a British-born philosopher and scholar of women's studies who is currently dean of the College of Arts and faculty member in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Guelph. She was previously a professor in the Department of Women's Studies and Feminist Research at Western University, Canada. Brennan was Department Chair of Philosophy at Western from 2002 to 2007, and 2008–2011. She is a past president of the Canadian Philosophical Association (2017–18). .. more

Political science 53%

Sociology 13%

Posts Replies Media Videos

Pinned

Samantha Brennan @samanthabrennan.bsky.social · Nov 12

For new followers: My main bluesky themes are the College of Arts at Guelph where I'm Dean, philosophy (my home academic discipline), feminism and fitness (connected to my book and blog), and all things bike-related.

Samantha Brennan @samanthabrennan.bsky.social · 3h

It's ok to change your mind

fitisafeministissue.com/2026/01/14/g...

It's Okay to Change Your Mind: Embrace Flexibility in Goals

Embrace change in your habit-building journey! It's okay to adjust your goals and find what truly matters to you. Celebrate your efforts!

fitisafeministissue.com

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 4h

When self-employed software engineer Nick Benson put out the call for dashcams online, he thought he’d get maybe 10 people to donate. More than 500 have shown up on his front porch. Here's how one guy crowdsourced 500+ dashcams for Minneapolis to film ICE www.404media.co/how-one-guy-...

How One Guy Crowdsourced More Than 500 Dashcams for Minneapolis to Film ICE

‘We have to make sure people are watching. We have to make sure we’re keeping track of our community members.’

www.404media.co

Samantha Brennan @samanthabrennan.bsky.social · 5h

Love open access publishing. Here is Mariam Thalos' new book Reasoning in the Wild (Routledge 2026), with an Open Access license. Feel free to share.
#philsky
philarchive.org/archive/THARIT

philarchive.org

Samantha Brennan @samanthabrennan.bsky.social · 6h

APA experimented with some online conferences and returns to fully in-person meetings.

Personally, I'm not a fan of online meetings but I had hoped their compromise would work, sorry it didn't.

www.apaonline.org/news/717954/...

www.apaonline.org

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 8h

www.byteseu.com/1712752/
"Canadian universities work so well that they are increasingly being treated as utilities or commodities, w a focus on price w/o considering quality. This is most severe in Ontario, where the government has frozen tuition since 2019, w only modest funding increases."

Canada’s universities are in crisis as money gets tighter - Bytes Europe

The St. George campus of the University of Toronto, in November, 2025. U of T admitted 17,758 first-year students last year.Wa Lone/Reuters

www.byteseu.com

Reposted by Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Jacob T. Levy , and 2 more Will Jennings, Steve Peers, Jacob T. Levy, Stephen Ryan, Samantha Brennan

auonsson @auonsson.bsky.social · 9h

Denmark is underway to move more troops to Greenland in cooperation with undisclosed allies.

Preparatory staff are in place to solve logistics for potential larger Danish forces.

Details are sparse but dr.dk reports that first plane landed 2 days ago.

Samantha Brennan @samanthabrennan.bsky.social · 10h

Participaction’s Latest Report Card on Physical Activity in Adults: Stagnation and Possibly Some Hope?

fitisafeministissue.com/2026/01/14/p...

Participaction’s Latest Report Card on Physical Activity in Adults: Stagnation and Possibly Some Hope?

I happened to catch a segment on my local radio show about the latest report card and the thing that stuck out for me was the gender component of who isn’t getting enough activity, at least accordi…

fitisafeministissue.com

Samantha Brennan @samanthabrennan.bsky.social · 1d

Canadians in #Iran should leave now if safe to do so. Overland crossings are available via #Armenia and #Türkiye. Canadian passport holders do not require a visa to enter either country.
travel.gc.ca/destinations...

Travel advice and advisories for Iran

Travel Advice and Advisories from the Government of Canada

travel.gc.ca

Samantha Brennan @samanthabrennan.bsky.social · 1d

University of Guelph offering supports for students stranded in Iran

www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

University of Guelph offering supports for students stranded in Iran | CBC News

The University of Guelph is offering support to international students stuck in Iran due to a violent crackdown on protests and a total internet blackout. The school is offering flexible tuition payme...

www.cbc.ca

Samantha Brennan @samanthabrennan.bsky.social · 1d

Why Keeping Score Isn’t Fun Anymore

In a new book, C. Thi Nguyen looks to his personal passions — from video games to yo-yoing — to illuminate the downside of our increasingly gamified world.

#philsky
#unlocked

www.nytimes.com/2026/01/13/b...

Why Keeping Score Isn’t Fun Anymore

www.nytimes.com

Samantha Brennan @samanthabrennan.bsky.social · 1d

The world has become shamelessly power-ranked, from football teams and Netflix shows to law schools and Instagram likes. So philosopher C. Thi Nguyen offers some gamified advice for 2026, to plug the downside of data into the upside of your mind.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Adb...

You're Thinking About Data All Wrong | PTFO

YouTube video by PABLO TORRE FINDS OUT

www.youtube.com

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

Aaron Ross Powell ☸️ @aaronrosspowell.com · 1d

In which I argue both that Pete Hegseth is humiliatingly bad at kettlebell swings and that his particular variety of conspicuous badness tells us a lot about the psychology of MAGA. www.aaronrosspowell.com/3mcb4y7vwqk24

What Pete Hegseth’s Kettlebell Swings Tell Us About MAGA Ideology - Aaron Ross Powell's Blog

MAGA is built on a fundamental lack of the internal protective quality that warns us when we are debasing ourselves.

www.aaronrosspowell.com

Reposted by Alan Richardson, Samantha Brennan, Stefano Gualeni , and 1 more Alan Richardson, Samantha Brennan, Stefano Gualeni, Dana Howard

C. Thi Nguyen @add-hawk.bsky.social · 1d

It’s book release day! I’m back on social media! I feel slightly awkward about it because part of the book is about how social media transforms your motivations for communication!

But honestly writing a book is lonely, weird basement-work, and now I want to talk to people about this weird jank.

Reposted by Jacob T. Levy, Samantha Brennan

Scott Shapiro @scottjshapiro.bsky.social · 1d

"A world in which the powerful no longer feel the need to justify themselves is not merely unjust. It is barbaric . . . . That world does not have a legal order at all. It has only force, guided by one man’s whims."

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

Toronto Star @thestar.com · 1d

Universities are flooded with applications from straight-A students. This Ontario school is trying something new to help decide who gets in

Supplementary questionnaires can make students stand out in certain programs. Who reads them? We get a glimpse into the human side of the process.

www.thestar.com

Reposted by Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio, Elizabeth Saunders , and 8 more Anna O. Law, Lisa W. Fazio, Elizabeth Saunders, Scott L. Greer, Juan Cole, Caroline T. Schroeder, Andrew Jacobs, Samantha Brennan, Daxton R. Stewart, Nathan P. Kalmoe, Anne Hilborn

Dominique Baker @bakerdphd.bsky.social · 1d

It would appear I am now a columnist at Inside Higher Ed. My first piece focuses on McCarthyism, censorship, and our current moment in higher education. This is an essay I started nearly 6 months ago so I'm glad to finally share it with y'all.

www.insidehighered.com/opinion/colu...

Censorship Arrives on Campus

In her debut column, “Echoes in the Quad,” higher education policy scholar Dominique J. Baker explores how the political oppression of the McCarthy era reverberates in the stifling of academic freedom...

www.insidehighered.com

Laura Jedeed @laurajedeed.bsky.social · 1d

A few months ago, ICE hired me

I didn't sign and submit any paperwork. I almost certainly failed the drug test. I'm real outspoken about my opposition to the Trump administration, and I am extremely googlable

And yet, there it was, in plain English. "Welcome to ICE!"

My latest for Slate

You’ve Heard About Who ICE Is Recruiting. The Truth Is Far Worse. I’m the Proof.

What happens when you do minimal screening before hiring agents, arming them, and sending them into the streets? We're all finding out.

slate.com

Reposted by Marc Lynch, Jacob T. Levy, Samantha Brennan

Carrie Brown @brizzyc.bsky.social · 1d

"University administrators and state lawmakers are saying, in effect, that academic freedom won’t protect you if you teach ideas they don’t like." www.nytimes.com/2026/01/12/o...

Opinion | This Is No Way to Run a University

www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Samantha Brennan

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 1d

I criticize Reason for relentless bothsidesing, so it's worth praising a high-profile piece that is honest about where we are.

reason.com/2026/01/12/t...

Trump 2.0, year 1: A libertarian nightmare

Trump's specific, documented exertions of state power over the past year should be enough to declare him a dangerous foe of American liberty.

reason.com

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

Emmett Macfarlane 🇨🇦 @emmettmacfarlane.com · 1d

Guys, I'm happy to stipulate that the Poilievre Conservatives are the worst choice. I voted Liberal in 2025 to avoid them too. But the threat of an immoral government doesn't mean having an amoral one is a good thing.

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

Robert Kelchen @robertkelchen.com · 1d

I'm excited that @bakerdphd.bsky.social has a standing column in @insidehighered.com on how history influences higher education policy.

Censorship Arrives on Campus

www.insidehighered.com

Samantha Brennan @samanthabrennan.bsky.social · 1d

Tomorrow's SCOTUS Case Is Not Just About Transgender Sports; Ruling Could Impact All Trans Rights

www.erininthemorning.com/p/tomorrows-...

Tomorrow's SCOTUS Case Is Not Just About Transgender Sports; Ruling Could Impact All Trans Rights

Though much of the reporting on the Little v. Hecox court case is about transgender sports participation, the SCOTUS ruling could impact all rights of transgender people.

www.erininthemorning.com

Reposted by Brendan Nyhan, Rosemary A. Joyce, Martin Tomko , and 4 more Brendan Nyhan, Rosemary A. Joyce, Martin Tomko, Alan Richardson, Jacob T. Levy, Samantha Brennan, Steven S. Taylor

Wajahat Ali @wajali.bsky.social · 1d

White supremacist talking points.

No dog whistles.

Reposted by Kim L. Scheppele, Nandita Sharma, Peter Thorne , and 24 more Kim L. Scheppele, Nandita Sharma, Peter Thorne, Brendan Nyhan, Peter Murphy, Mark D. White, Rosemary A. Joyce, Eric Goldman, David W. Kerstetter, Alan Richardson, Pamela K. Gilbert, Lesley Bartlett, Gerald Friedman, Bessma Momani, Samantha Brennan, Erol Akçay, Jason Lyall, David Rosnick, Sarah Roberts, Ann Bartow, Henry Jones, Olivier Mannoni, Olúfẹ́mi Táíwò, Timothy D. McBride, Stijn Smismans, Dunlap, Elise Thomas

Kyle Griffin @kylegriffin1.bsky.social · 1d

Breaking NYT:

The Pentagon used a secret aircraft painted to look like a civilian plane in its first boat attack, according to officials briefed on the matter.

The laws of armed conflict forbid combatants from feigning civilian status.

That is a war crime called "perfidy."

U.S. Attacked Boat With Aircraft That Looked Like a Civilian Plane

www.nytimes.com

Samantha Brennan @samanthabrennan.bsky.social · 1d

Expanding my horizons and my #26for2026 list before the year even really begins

fitisafeministissue.com/2026/01/12/e...

Embracing Expansion: Navigating Health and Adventure in 2026

Discover how to expand your experiences in 2026 through health-conscious choices, local adventures, and community engagement.

fitisafeministissue.com

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

Jacob T. Levy @jacobtlevy.bsky.social · 2d

Well, the markets failed to discipline the administration, which means things will continue to get much worse.

Samantha Brennan @samanthabrennan.bsky.social · 2d

Why Donald Trump is telling such obvious lies on the ICE Minneapolis killing

Philosophers Tim Keyon and Jennifer Saul on authoritarian discourse

#philsky

theconversation.com/why-donald-t...

Why Donald Trump is telling such obvious lies on the ICE Minneapolis killing

Obvious lies aren’t necessarily failed lies. They can confuse, distract, excite and intimidate a range of audiences. They can also be believed, no matter how obviously false they seem.

theconversation.com

Reposted by David Rothschild, Alan Richardson, Jacob T. Levy , and 6 more David Rothschild, Alan Richardson, Jacob T. Levy, Samantha Brennan, Mark Rice, Ann Bartow, Raúl Pacheco-Vega, Kate Jackson, Nathan P. Kalmoe

Kevin Collins @kwcollins.bsky.social · 2d

We need less research framing the problem facing our country as "polarization" and more research framing the problem as "anti-democratic radicalization".

Reposted by Samantha Brennan

Alex Usher @alexusherhesa.bsky.social · 2d

I'm a fan of giving students more options for shorter degrees. But a recent proposal for three year-degrees from a former Ford govt staffer is unfortunately mostly handwaving nonsense.